Bad Decision?

Playing fairly well last night, I was dealing table 4 and really lighting up one kid who is abnormally aggressive anyway.  In short order I dealt him pocket aces, pocket kings twice, a flopped set of 2's, and pocket queens as well as some other AK various big hands.  He was on a roller coaster ride, his aggression chipping up and then giving back.  The player next to me doubled up by getting lucky against his kings when he flopped top pair of jacks, then hit another on the river with his AJ.  Before our table broke down he had been eliminated.  Just too aggressive.  And unlucky.

I got lucky once myself playing against the dealer on table 1, who is an excellent WSOP player.  I raised from the button with QJ, he defended his big blind with A/5.  The flop was A/Q/x, and he check called my all-in bet.  The river brought another queen and I was in great shape.  As blinds went up, I noticed that the big blind was going up next hand from 1000 to 2000.  Being under the gun, I currently had 7 big blinds which would be down to 3 1/2 next hand, so when I saw A/J I shoved my stack all-in.  It was folded to the small blind who is aggressive and had a bigger stack.  He shoved.  The big blind was short and he called as well.  We turned over my A/J, small blind's A/Q, and big blind's A/7.  The flop turn and river missed everyone (the case ace was on the flop!!!!), and the AQ knocked two of us out.  Unbelievable that everyone had an ace and only two over cards that could beat me.  I finished in 12th place.

Analyzing my play, I think that it was the right decision based on the blind progression.  If it was not going up I would have folded with too much action behind me.  Basically, I am not in love with AJ, but it is worth playing given the right circumstances.

Decisions Decisions Decisions

Have been doing some reading lately about the bad effects of making too many decisions.  This relates to a poker game big time.  How often have you found that late in a tournament or cash game marathon that your bad decisions really hurt you?  There is a lot of stuff on the web if you google it, here is one article relating strictly to poker:

http://www.readingpokertells.com/2011/08/decision-fatigue-in-poker/

You can also look under "decision fatigue" to see more.  The thing about poker that I have come to realize (read Annie Duke's "Decide to Play Great Poker", is that the best decisions don't necessarily always have the best outcome, but making the right decisions is in itself the guide to playing better.  We are constantly bombarded by decisions in our life, do I try to beat the yellow light or stop?, What do I choose from the menu?  Which brand of coffee (or anything else) do I buy?  Do I go for the price or the size or the strength of the coffee?  decaf or regular...lol not a decision for me.  Basically, consumerism today has given us a bewildering array of choices.  I have been online shopping for some furniture and trust me, the choices are legion.  This of course leads to "paralysis by analysis", which is why my new tv is sitting on on old cabinet.  Throw in another decision maker (wife), and it further complicates things.

So, that is why we sometimes pine for the "good old days".  Think of the 3 tv channels to "choose" from vs. cable today.  Think of clothes shopping?  Will that be Levis or Wrangler?  Not slim fit, boot cut, full cut, faded, torn, distressed, umpteen brands from umpteen retailers.  Think about beer.  Bud anyone?  Would like a Coors, but have to drive to Colorado to get it.  Think about car brands, good luck finding a foreign car dealer in the early 60's.  Don't get me started on models.  Or colors.  Or options.  It is no wonder that we think of those times as simpler.  Fewer decisions mean less stress and fatigue.  So, voila, you have the reason we are so danged tired today!!!

Still Running Bad

For a while I thought perhaps my extended nightmare was over.  Dealing table 2 at the Legion Friday night I dealt myself pocket aces.  The woman who knocked me out of last week's tournament made a big raise with pocket 8's and I quickly shoved, which she just as quickly called.  My aces held and I knocked her out, having her covered by about $100.  Played a few more hands, we consolidated tables, and found myself with AA again in the big blind.  The UTG big stack player raised with AQ and it was folded to me.  Shove.  He calls and I double up.  Sweet!

Moving to the final table, I am not the short stack, but only about $8000 in chips.  There are a couple of massive stacks and they quickly knock two players out and reduce one large stack to the short one.  We are paying 5 places tonight and there are 7 of us left when the biggest stack min-raises from the button with a limper and me in the big blind @ 500/1000 blinds.  I have A/A and 6000 in chips.  Shove!  The raiser doesn't really take long to call and reveals his J/10 off-suit.  The flop has a queen as the door card and I get a bad feeling which is confirmed when the next two cards are 8/9 for the flopped straight.  There are two clubs and I have the ace, so when the turn is another club my hopes raise for a moment.  The river is a diamond and I am out.  As I walk away from the table I hear them discussing paying the bubble.

Two Stories About Why I am Getting Senile and another bad beat story

This week was a tough one for me.  In Seattle my car suffered this scrape on the post in my daughter's condo while backing up.  Returning to Cannon Beach enjoyed the other grandkids for a few days, returned them to Portland, then made a quick run to Costco.  Forgot that I had placed my Kindle and Ipod on the roof of the car.  They flew off when I entered the highway.  My good luck was that a local saw it happen, retrieved them and contacted Amazon.  Recovered and unbroken.

My bad beat was at the Legion last night.  Dealing table 2 I was down to starting chip stack after the break.  After surrendering both blinds (100/200 level), had only 1800 when I dealt myself 10/10.  Raising to $500, I was re-raised to $1000 by a lady who I had not seen play here before.  RB called the raise and re-raise.  The flop was a monster for me, 3/10/J.  With only $800 behind, I went all-in.  The lady then re-raised all-in for $1000 more.  RB tanked, and finally folded.  I put her on a big pair, and was correct, A/A.  The turn brought a queen, rut-row, don't do this......river was the king for her ace high straight on the runner runner.  Player down.

Fortunately I was able to knock out several players and the final table formed by 9 p.m. and I drove home with my tail between my legs.

Peace Shattered in Cannon Beach

The past week has been disturbing here.  Friday a toddler was discovered dead in a hotel room very near our house (about 5 blocks) and her sister was severely injured with life-threatening cuts.  The mother was missing, and as the story unfolded, it was found that she was in a custody fight with her husband.  Eventually an arrest warrant was issued for her, and she was captured yesterday and charged with murder and attempted murder.  There has not been a murder in our town for over 50 years, and almost any crime is rare (though 2 banks have been robbed within recent years).

I was sitting in my favorite coffee shop Sunday when newsmen came in from one of the Portland TV stations (Katu 2 ) and asked if there were any local residents they could interview.  Since I was the only one there they had to settle for me.  I caught the brief segment last night, but unfortunately no DVR so could not record it.  I was interviewed a short time later by another station but could not find it (FOX12) on my channels.  I thought that it was a better interview having had the earlier experience.  They basically asked me how this affected the locals.  "Not much", I replied.  Crime is everywhere and it touches us every once in a while.  It affected me mostly because of the age of the youngest victim (2)....same age as my youngest granddaughter.  The older girl is 13, just a little older than my oldest granddaughter.  It is a horrible thing to contemplate hurting children, and this connection was too close to home.

Hug your kids and your grandkids.

http://www.katu.com/news/local/Jessica-Smith-Cannon-beach-children-found-dead-269747141.html

My Problems are Legion

Playing poker at the Legion last night I was disappointed in my table draw.....table 4.  It is the first to break, so that is no good, plus the players were a bad mix of LAGs, Calling Stations, and clueless with a decent player or two thrown in the mix.  My first hand was a portent of the future.  Sitting in the small blind with KQ, I completed the blinds with several limpers.  The flop was king high, 9/10/k to be precise.  I went ahead a bet out with the probable best hand but a very "wet" board.  I was called in at least 3 spots.  The turn was a brick, but put a flush draw on board.  Another bet saw 2 callers.  At this point I had invested about 20% of my starting chip stack.  The river was a queen, which gave me two pair, but was also the completion of both  flush and straight draws.  I checked, the big blind bet $300, and had one caller.  I folded.  He raked the pot with KJ, for the straight, the other player commented that he had 2 pair.  I was drawing dead!!!  Nice start to the evening.

Winning a big pot later with AK, and later with K10 suited with a flopped flush, I was cruising around 1 1/2 times starting chips just before the break when this hand happened.  The very LAG player raised to $250 in middle position, a clueless player (I will elaborate on this later), called and I called on the button with AQ.  The flop was great (I thought) with queen high, but two diamonds on a coordinated board...something like Q/J/8.  The LAG bet $500, and the clueless called.  I was feeling like the lead bettor had nothing and the caller had a flush draw so decided to re-raise all-in.  The original LAG quickly folded, but the caller quickly called (I had him covered by $600).  He turns over......AA!!!!! WTF!!!!  Definitely the weirdest play of aces I have seen for a while.  I fail to find another queen and he massively chips up while I am left with 3 big blinds after the ensuing break.  I really do not understand his failure to raise at any point in the hand.  Why would he allow other players to enter when he can isolate the LAG preflop?  Why would he allow a flush draw to call on the continuation bet?  All of my chips are going into the pot anyway after the flop ( I would have definitely folded to a pre-flop re-raise from him) even if he had raised, but his flat call was just very poor play.  He even commented that he thought I had a set.  If that was the case, could he not find a fold?  PS, he was the player who had flopped 2 pair on my first hand loss....why in the world would he not raise me to drive out the draws?  Again a passive play that turned out bad for him earlier.

My last hand was in the big blind after the break.  With 1/3 of my chips in the pot, the LAG in the small blind...who had chipped up nicely, went all-in with a calling station limping 2 UTG.  I had A/10 suited, so I called...putting him on a small pair.  The other player also called showing AK, while the all-in had 6/6.  His pair held up and both of us were eliminated.