Finally a cash at the Legion

Playing very card dead last night I was amazed to come in 4th for a $124 win.  The whole night I had only 3 pairs, 4's, 8's, and A's.  I shoved all three times due to my stack size and everyone folded.  Guess there is some benefit to playing tight.

Had one upsetting event early on that sort of put me on tilt.  I raised in early position with AK suited to 150, was reraised by a short stack all in for $675, and another player called the reraise.  I called and we saw the flop which was probably 8 high.  Check. Check.  Turn another medium card, check. check.  River a 10, check, he bets 300 into the dry pot.  I fold my AK face up and he shows.....QJ, no pair!!!  Nice bet, idiot!  The all in player shows....AK to take the pot.  I was really steamed and commented, "nice bluff into a dry pot, sir".  Cost me over $900.  Anyway I mentally put a target on the guy and missed my opportunity a couple of hands later when he min raised and I folded 10/6 on the button.  The flop?  6/6/10.  He committed a lot of chips into a multiway pot on that hand and eventually won without a showdown.  Crap!

Anyway, getting to the final table by a series of close wins (A/5 suited shove called by 9/9, hit flush on river) and bluffs my target ended up knocking me out.  Isn't that the way it always is?  You miss an opportunity and it bites you.  Anyway, my last hand I was in the small blind with 10/8 suited and I limped in, he reraised the 2000 BB to 4000 and I called.  The flop was jack high with 2 diamonds, a great flop for me in position to bet first.  I shoved and he called with A/J.  I failed to hit either a backdoor straight or the flush and went out in 4th place.  This goes back to my quiz about made hands vs. strong draws.  According to my calculator, I was 40% to win after the flop.  Given the fact that there was only $40 difference in 3rd & 4th place money and with him eliminated I would have been chip leader and clearly a better player than the 2nd chip leader I think it was worth the gamble.

Please Vote in Comments

1.  Made hand vs. draw?

I think this is the basic question in poker.  I feel that any made hand is ahead of any drawing hand (though 2/2 is behind overcards technically).  I would still rather shove with 2/2 than with 2 live cards.  My point being that you do not "need" to hit your hand, while any unpaired cards need help.

One of my biggest disappointments was in the Moose freeroll for the wildhorse tournament I got knocked out when I flopped top pair, top kicker, nut flush draw and gutshot straight draw but got beaten by flopped two pair.  I have replayed that one many times and my poker calculator tells me that I was technically ahead on the flop, it was my bad for not excercising "pot control" to not get all my chips in.

2.  Small ball vs. Big pots?

This question alludes to my previous comments.  Lately I have been playing a lot of pot limit omaha and frequently see some players "potting" early, preflop.  It is true that there are premium hands in omaha and you need to get some value from them preflop.  There is no sense in letting the entire table limp in and get busted by someone who wouldn't have played against a raise.  But, all hands can be destroyed by a bad flop, therefore I am leaning more towards small raises or limps to control the pot size and not create a monster that draws feel compelled to call.  This questions speaks to pot odds that are created by small raises and loose callers.  That is one of the really tough things at the Moose.

3.  Raise out of the blinds with big hands vs. limp for deception?

This is one of those really stupid moves I see a lot at the Moose.  Some loosey-goosey action player raises out of the small or big blind after lots of limpers with some pretty marginal hands...have seen AJ, QJ, suited connectors, etc.  It drives me nuts.  They are in the worst possible post flop position and can usually win only if they completely nail the flop or just pound it out like they have aces.  Incredible.

4.   Straddle vs. punish the straddler?

Ya feel lucky punk?  Do ya?  Let me start by saying I hate straddles, and by extension straddlers.  It has got to be one of the stupidest bets in poker.  First of all, you have the worst position, and as we know, poker is about position.  Secondly, you are putting money in with a blind hand that you don't have to post (and twice the big blind at that).  So, with that in mind, I like to punish the straddler with a big raise with any reasonably good hand.  My other favorite thing to do with a straddler to my immediate left is just as he puts his straddle out, I say deal me out, and take a break, leaving him with the big blind.  After I do that a few times they sometimes give up straddling.  I then wait a couple of hands and post the small and big blinds in the cutoff, which is a position I will call many times anyway.

Time To Leave Jim

While visiting Seattle this week there was an opportunity to go to the Snoqualmie Casino with my buddy Jim.  I don't play a lot of 2/5 no limit so it was a time for caution for me.  Played very tight, folding small blinds and button and moderately strong hands against preflop raises.  My patience paid off as I got it all in against weaker hands a couple of times (A/10 vs. weak 10 on trip 10 flop, set of 4's vs ??).  I was up about $125 and it was getting late so I found Jim on another table and asked him if he was ready to leave.  Nope, he was up about $300 on a $300 buy in.  Went back to my table and lost all my profit until this hand.  I raised preflop with JJ and was called by  two players, one the luckiest guy (didn't have a clue, first time playing live) and the biggest stack and best player, Matt who had $1000 in front of him.  Rut row.  Flop came really ugly for me, k/q/7.  Checked to me, I checked too.  Turn, jack, bingo!  Matt bets $30 into me and I raise to $100.  Fold by mr rookie lucky and after a lot of deliberation, Matt calls.  River is a 6 and we check check.  Matt had QJ and had turned two pair when I caught the case jack.  I didn't leave any money on the table as Matt told me later he would not have called a river bet, and I did not want to get stacked on the off chance he had A/10 or 9/10.

Jim in the meantime had managed to get involved in a three way big stack all in pot on a draw and missed, losing the $1400 pot and all his chips.  He finally came over to see if I was ready, which I was.  Ended the session up $169, while Jim down $300.  We both should have left earlier, but I did improve slightly.

Legion Final Table

It has been quite a while since I final tabled at the Legion tournament.  Last night looked pretty grim for me running totally card dead early.  No pairs (except 2's), no big aces, face cards, etc.  With the blinds creeping up to 100/200 it became time to gamble.  Without exception I have never been "all in" as many times in a tournament before.  I began shoving with any ace, any pair and because I had been squeaky tight got the folds needed to continue.  Finally called, I doubled up and was not comfortable, but at least not the short stack anymore.  With about 6000 in chips I ran into a problem hand limping from the small blind with 10/4 suited with 2 limpers at the 400/800 blind level.  I checked dark, and a big stack bet 1000 on a flop of 10/10/J.  Another player with a short stack came over the top all in and I called having him covered by about 2500.  Oops,  A/10.  Short stacked again I went into shoving mode and built back up.  My last hand was a small blind with A/5, limped in and big blind shoved with 7/7.  I called and failed to improve, but made the right call with only 2 big blinds left in my stack.  I never thought I was ahead, but hoped to catch an ace if he had a pair.  One of those marginal situations you find yourself in with a short stack.  I could have pre-emptively shoved, but he would have called with the same outcome.  My "plan" was really to limp/shove on a "stop and go", figuring most hands miss the flop and ace high looked good.

Redemption in Steve's Tournament

Sunday morning started poorly, getting all my money in good (A/8 vs K/J), I bubbled in the 8 a.m. at the Moose.  Then quickly stuck for $70 in Omaha after being up 200 early on, I played in Steve's tournament.  Being donkey boy first out last time I was looking to redeem myself.  Nearly made Gary the first out when I raised with KJ, he called with 66 and caught a 6 on the flop of 6/10/9.  He checked to trap me and I took the free card, a brick.  He bet fairly small, about 250, and with another caller in the pot I called with my gutshot.  River....queen.  Gary bet 500, I raised to 1500 (should have hollywooded a bit) and he called.

Anyway, eventually got Gary with my A/J vs his Q/10, and ended up cashing in 4th place.  A very aggressive big guy who was the chip leader (I was second), snap called my all-in pocket 4's with JJ.  Game over, but given the blind level 1,000/2,000 and my chip stack of 14,000 it was the right play.  Only wish it had been a call from a short stack instead. 

Finally a Winning Session

It has been "a while" since I have booked a decent win at the Crazy Moose.  Last night I tried implementing my new strategy which is basically becoming table captain and running it as a $20/20 game rather than a 2-20.  My goal was to drive out people with short stacks hoping to flop lucky for $2.
I bought in for $600, and my first two plays were $20 raises in early position.  Once with JJ, and the second time with 55.  Both times I picked up blinds plus one limper.  Small profit, but better than getting stuck.  Eventually I reverted to a less aggressive mode and made smaller raises to draw players in.  But, I stuck with my aggressiveness and seldom limped pots.  After just a couple of hours I quit $125 ahead.  Woo-hoo!

Playing again tonight I again bought in for $600, but stuck with a more passive play of limping and calling raises (never limping unless I planned to call a raise, but probably folding to a three-bet) with my big hands.  This strategy worked well and ended up cashing out for $905.00.  One big advantage to the large buy in was that later arriving players assumed that I had made my money "the old fashioned way", earning it, and tended to give my raises (and calls) more respect.

One other thing.  Last night, I was "that guy" who chases flushes and plays any two suited (connected or broadway).  It paid off big twice and lost one huge pot when I didn't get there.  Had the high hand locked up for about 10 minutes with 20 to go with AAAQQ (I had pocket queens), then got busted when KKK flopped and someone had the king.

Throwing Away Winners

Playing in the American Legion tournament I found myself short stacked with 1600 in chips and 200/400 blinds.  Another short stack goes all in for 1500 with K/10 and is called in two spots, one with AQ, I see pocket 5's in my small blind and regretfully muck them.  Of course, a 5 is the door card on the flop and AQ makes two pair to win the hand.  Opportunity lost.

The very next hand, on the button, it is folded around to me and I see.....A/5 offsuit.  All-in.  I am called by the big blind with....AK suited.  Good night!  Really poor timing on my part, but still like my decisions.  The 5's were a no brainer and so was the A/5......just bad timing.