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!!!!
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!!!!
2 comments:
liked your take on that last situation. As I was the second chip stack I just felt so STUPID afterwards. Strange game poker.
Mike
Betting into a dry side pot is the stupidest of plays, but this player definitely did the right thing even if it did cause hard feelings. After all, the goal is to get chips and survive. If you can knock someone out - great. If not, get more chips for a later possibility.
Post a Comment