Poker is Insane: The Definition of Insanity

We are all familiar with that classic quote about the definition of insanity, "Doing the same thing over and over expecting different results", but I am finally realizing how much this applies to my poker game.  I have a short list started of stuff we (I) keep doing that does not work.

1.  Raising in early position and expecting garbage hands with position to fold.
2.  Calling raises out of position with less than top 5 hands.
3.  Limping in early position with small pairs.
4.  Raising, check raising, or calling a "calling station"
5.  Bluffing into more than 2 players.
6.  Playing garbage because we were "priced in".
7.  Raising pre-flop with AK, getting multiple callers, missing flop, and betting with the expectation that everyone will fold.
8.  Calling a re-raise of your late position raise with less than QQ.
9.  Drawing to gutshots.
10.  Playing gapped suited connectors because of the Monte Carlo board.

Final Table Dealing

For a change of pace, I was asked to deal table 1, the final table at the Friday Legion tournament.  This is a serious committment as it normally breaks around 11:00, but the good news is that the tips always cover your $40 buy-in.  So, I dug in to deal and hopefully play for 4 hours.  I have a real knack of dealing myself real garbage.  It is hard enough to deal and play, but when you constantly have 8/3 offsuit, it is really a stretch.

My last hand was QJ under the gun shove with 3 big blinds (1200, with 200/400 blinds).  I was called in two places, the big blind, who was one chip shorter than me with her 6/6, and the button, who I had put on a major heater earlier, with AK.  I flopped a jack to take the lead, but there were two diamonds, and the only player with a diamond was the AK, holding the king of diamonds.  True to my luck lately, the turn and river were both diamonds, eliminating both of us.

There was a controversial play late in the tournament, when only 4 players remained.  The luckiest player, who controlled probably 2/3 of the chips caused some major bad feelings.  The situation was the short stack, all-in for 1000 at the 2000/4000 blind level, and the other 3 players all calling.  So, the main pot was 4,000 with a side pot of 9,000.  It was checked around to the big stack, who bet 10,000 on a flop of 10/3/5.  One player got a very pained look on his face...he was the 2nd largest stack, with around 16,000 total chips.  He muttered, and folded, while the 3rd shortest stack said something like, "I hope you are not bluffing".  When they turned over their hands, the short stack had 3/J , while the big stack, after taking the sizeable side pot, turned over A/4.  Gut shot draw.  The turn was another 10, and the river a brick.  The all-in survived with a pair of 3's, while the 2nd in chips practically threw up on the table, having folded a 10.  The finger pointing began, and the short stack proceeded to win a couple more hands and became the chip leader, while the 4th player was eliminated.  The short stack guy ended up winning the tournament (well, they chopped 3 ways, but he had the most chips), while our bluffing player came in 3rd, but chopped the same amount.  Mr. Big Stack managed to donk off most of his chips, and even did not want to chop until after he lost his big blind and was dead last in chips.  He took home the money for high hand, quad queens as well.

I correctly pointed out that the chip leader's play was really a great one, as he was not bluffing into a dry pot...which would definitely be a cardinal sin...but into a larger pot than the main pot.  It is always correct to take a pot like that, even if it means a short stack survives.  I would point out that his play, while excellent, was really pretty lame and unintended as he had no real clue or understood the significance of eliminating a player.  That said, I always want better hands to fold to my bets!!!!    

Step 10 defeat

I was really excited to finally play in the step 10 championship.  There were 273 players, and I finished in 41st place.  My final hand was Q10 vs 66, blind vs. blind and his pair held up.  He shoved preflop after taking a bad beat with flush over flush, so I called mostly because I thought he was shoving on tilt.  The board paired 7's so a jack, 10 or queen would have won it for me.  Nuts.  The top 4 move to the semi-final. 

Queen Jack, Like AQ, only weaker

Having written about going out with AQ last week, I managed to perform a similar trick with QJ this week, also on the final table bubble.  With blinds at 500/1000, and about 7,000 in chips, I found myself on the button with QJ suited.  This is a hand I will never throw away in an unraised, no callers pot in this position.  The only question that remained was how much to raise, as a call with my chip count was out of the question.  I decided on 3500, exactly 1/2 my chip stack.  I had barely gotten the word raise out of my mouth when the small blind said, "All in".  The small blind was a young kid, very vocal, and always spouting statistics.  He was also showing every hand he won with, whether called or not.  Unfortunately for me, I had sized my bet too large to consider folding, so I called to see his AK.  An ace hit on the flop and I was gone having doubled the kid up for the final table that was now formed.

Highlights of the night:

1.  I dealt table 4, so some "rebate" will be coming to me next week.
2.  I lost a significant amount of chips early when my Q10 big blind met 8/4 in the small blind on an 8/8/4 flop and queen river.
3.  I doubled up through the chip leader with my KK vs. QQ.
4.  I snapped QQ with 10/10 on a river 10.  This was against a "nemesis" so glad he was a shorter stack at the final table.
5.  Knocked out a player with my 7/3 suited in big blind vs. his 9/5 small blind when he raised on the flop with nada and I flopped the flush draw.....which rivered.  His play was so bad.  Had he raised preflop would have folded.
6.  When I was leaving, one of the players who had been at my tables came up to me and complimented me on my play.  That basically never happens, and he was a solid young player.
7.  A guy who was really struggling with weight/health problems looked much thinner.  I told him he looked better, he responded that he had lost a whole person, 155 pounds, and his blood pressure was way down.
8.  Sadly, another young player who often deals is facing late stage prostate cancer that has spread into his bones.  He is optimistic, but has lost a lot of weight and muscle mass.  He was a super buff, fit guy so maybe that will help his fight.  My best to him.

Practice Game

On Friday afternoons I like to prepare for the Legion tournament by playing some similarly fast games.  These are also good practice for the "Morning Moose", with 10 minute blinds and 1500 starting chips.  Lately I have been reading "The Poker Tournament Formula", which focuses only on these types of fast tournaments.  There are some good chapters on playing position, playing stacks, and general good poker advice.  

So, playing a 9 player SNG with a $1000 play chip buy-in, I got hurt early when a loose player called my KK raise with A/10 (also called by QQ).  I C-bet the flop with a 1/2 pot bet and followed up with another on the turn despite the ace high flop.  They both called.  I gave up and checked the river in position and the A/10 more than doubled up.  I was down to around 1/3 my starting chip stack but just hung in there, doubling up a couple of times to get back in the game with 4 or 5 players remaining.

I ground it out, to play 3 way action, and noticed that the player who called my kings out of position was playing nearly every pot.  In addition, I noticed that he would bet if checked to in position, or bet the flop every time in early position with any pair.  I used that to my advantage several times, letting him bet until the river with my strong hands, then coming over the top.....which would nearly always elicit a fold from him.  The other player, who had a substantial chip lead over both of us sat out a while then got involved in a losing hand with the other player and became the short stack.  I ended up taking him out with a medium pair on his preflop shove while he was on tilt.

Now heads up, I again let my opponent do the betting, limping with strong hands, raising with garbage but leading out when checked to me.  We were about even in chips, I had a few hundred more, when our final hand played out.  With pocket jacks in the big blind, he limped with 9/5 offsuit.  I raised to 600 (blinds 100/200) and he called.  The flop was amazing: J/9/9.  I of course checked to let him bet, which he quickly obliged me.  Flat calling, the turn was even better, a 5.  Now when I checked, he bet big and feeling he was pot committed and sitting with a 9 or a jack, I re-raised him all in.  He insta-called and the tournament was over when no miracle 9 appeared on the river to save him.


Book description from Amazon.com
This is the first book to provide winning strategies for the small buy-in ($100 or less) no-limit hold'em tournaments that have exploded in poker rooms all over the country-and on the Internet. The strategies for small buy-in no-limit hold'em tournaments are similar to the big-money games, but the important factors-hand value, position, aggression and others, and speed of play-cause a radical change of strategy. Snyder recounts his own experience with these methods at a win rate of almost 300% and gives readers specific strategies for winning the big money available in prizes at the hundreds of small buy-in no-limit hold'em tournaments taking place weekly around the country and on the Internet.

Is Ace Queen Ever A Winner?

Doyle Brunson said it best.  Never go all in with a queen in your hand.  Playing at the Friday Legion tournament we were down to 10 players, one more to the final table.  I was running very card dead, only played one hand the first 4 blind levels.  Yes, that card dead!  So, shoving a couple of times and picking up blinds, and once getting called very short with JJ in my hand, I had only 5 big blinds when I picked up AQ under the gun.  Easy shove, except the guy next to me had KK and I was done.

Update on my TV appearance.  I keep getting kicked down a level or two, fighting back up to level 8.  Today I tried once again to level up from 8 and finally succeeded.  Heads up play I was outchipped 2/1 but mixed up my play a lot (is it just because I am mixed up in my head, or was it intentional?)  Too close to call.  Anyway, I tried a variety of methods which I would like to describe for you.

On the button:  Because it is such an obvious steal position, I was careful to mix up my play, sometimes limping with big hands (any ace or king), and other times folding.  My raises nearly always came with garbage hands.  He never played back at me...not even once.  If he called, he folded to the continuation bet every time.  This style of play assured me that I could escape if he played back hard, and trap with my big hands.  Raising from the button with great hands usually does not earn you much.

Not on the button:  If he raised from the button, I would call with reasonable hands, or sometimes re-raise big with good hands.  I would fold most garbage hands, except for suited or connectors.  When he limped, I would check behind as out of position and grateful to see a flop for free.  A couple of times, just to mix it up, I would raise when he limped, which got a fold always.

Bottom line, I eventually got him outchipped 2/1 and he re-raised me all-in with J/7 when I raised with 7/7.  Bad timing on his part, and drawing very thin.  Now on to level 9 (again). 

Decisions....Decisions....Decisions

The Friday night American Legion tournament put me to some tough decisions.  As I am now fond of quoting, it is all about making good decisions, both in poker and in life.  The clear winner is the person who consistently makes good decisions, irregardless of the outcome.

My tough decision (usually I am more impulsive) came when the good but bluffy player immediately to my right raised big preflop 2 under the gun.  I have seen him shove with Q/8, 8/9, and other stuff, so when I looked at AQ suited my first instinct was to shove.  But wait, he has bet a little less than 1/2 his stack.  I have him covered, but barely.  If I call and lose, I will be in dire straits with around 18 players remaining.  I uncharacteristically tank for a moment, even standing up.  The dealer is short stacked and the whole table is behind me.  Finally, I sigh and reluctantly muck.  My only choices were to shove or fold in my opinion.  The dealer shoves for less, and another player calls.  This is the biggest pot of the tournament.  Unbelievably the flop is A/Q/x, and when the other live player shoves, the original raiser folds....kings.  The dealer turns over A/K, the other player 10/10 and the dealer triples up, with the other player taking a small side pot.  Oops. My bad not shoving.  But wait, I had the worst hand of the group.  Good decision, ignore the outcome.

I now regretfully watch the dealer begin accumulating chips.  He was the player who knocked me out last Friday, and he is an excellent player, so I am thinking paybacks are a bitch, but one I unfortunately missed out on.  Also, had I shoved, I would have been the chip leader heading into the final table with probably around 1/3 of all chips in play.  Move on, Phil.

Making the final table with a workable but not big stack I watched player after player donk off their big stacks.  I doubled up with J/J vs. Q/5 calling a shove.  Had the distinct pleasure of knocking off another player who has stacked me a couple of times.  The dealer from table 2 did not make the final table.  Finally, playing patiently with several players self destructing, and getting some monster hands, including KK, QQ, JJ twice, I call a min-raise from a short stack with .....Q/5 (donK!!!).  On a queen high flop, and a short stack all-in, I put the original raiser all-in, and he turns over....aces!  Nice trap.  The same player (turns out he is an Arizona cash player visiting) begins running over the table, taking most of the dealer's chips with aggressive play.  I trap him back with K/K in the big blind vs. his small blind completion, and shove with a queen high flop, but he doesn't fall for it.  We are down to 3 players, I am 2nd in chips, and offer to give the lead player the 1st money and chop 2/3 money, which is $40 more than 3rd, $183 each.  I do so not because I am afraid of playing him heads up, but want to cut a break for the other guy, a friend who does not have a big poker bankroll.  Probably a poor decision from a financial standpoint (but in all fairness, huge blinds and anything can happen), also reduced variance and increased good karma.  

Interview With Blogspot.com

I was recently interviewed by blogspot.com in a "virtual interview".  Here is a transcript of the conversation.

Blogspot (BS):  Hi, good morning "fliphall".
Me:  Good morning blogspot.
BS:  First of all, where did you come up with the name, fliphall?
Me:  When I first signed up for an email account with Microsoft, I tried to use my real name, Phil Hall, but it was already taken, so I would have to be like, philhall321 or something.  So, I tried my childhood nickname, Flip, and that worked.
BS: How did you get that nickname, from acrobatics, job flipping hamburgers, or maybe flipping people off?
Me:  No.  When I was a little kid, the neighbor girl directly across the street, Carol Short, who was my age, couldn't say Philip, it came out Flip, and the name kind of stuck...at least with her.
BS:  Do you have any other nicknames?
Me:  Well, in high school my friends called me "Curl" for my curly hair.  Unfortunately for me today, that would no longer apply.  Then in college, my fraternity brothers called me "Philagorilla", after a popular animal at the St. Louis zoo, and my hairy chest I suppose.
BS:  So, Mr. Flipcurlgorilla, how long have you been blogging?
Me:  About 6 years.
BS:  How did you choose "Adventures in Pokerland" as your blogspot name?
Me:  Well, after playing poker for a few years, I felt sometimes like Alice in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland".  You know, you are often met with some very weird stuff in the game, and in the poker room.  Sometimes I still feel like I followed a rabbit down a hole and run into this \psychedelic world. Also, thinking about the Red Queen wanting to chop off Alice's head is very appropriate. LOL. (Me actually laughing out loud).
BS:  So, why do you write at all?
Me:  For the gratitude of my legion of followers, again lol.  Actually, I do it so that stuff doesn't continue to rattle around in my head.  After getting knocked out of a tournament with a horrible beat, it helps me to write about it and analyze it so hopefully if I made a mistake it won't happen again.  Or at least get it out of my system.  The other reason(s) I write is because it is something I have always enjoyed doing.  I majored in English in college and did a heck of a lot of reading when younger.  While the dream of a novel has often danced in my head, I basically lack the discipline of sitting down and focusing on writing.  Doing some blogging helps me keep active with the little skill I possess.

Conversation will be continued later.......

Happy Hour Drinks at Taco Bell

Did you know that they have $1.00 happy hour drinks (freezes) at Taco Bell from 2:00-5:00 every day?  I love getting them, but I must say that the help there is not on the ball.  Yesterday, I ordered one, and the total was $1.09 with tax.  I handed her a dollar bill and a dime.  My change?  2 cents, thank you!

So, today, same order, I hand her $1.10 and she asks me, "do you want hot sauce with that?".  Why yes, I believe I will have two packets!!!  Then, she asks me "do you want the 1 cent change?"  I answer, "yes, if I save up another 108 of them I can buy another drink".