Interesting poker week for me. On Wednesday I managed to get money back on the bubble. Had I played it differently (i.e. folding rather than shoving) would have moved up one place on the payout ladder. Here is what went down. I am rather short stacked (around 3500 with blinds at 300/600) and am in the big blind. There is one limper (Kyle a.k.a. "Juicy") when the extremely aggressive button (Scott) who has a big stack raises to 1800. I consider his raising range and knowing that he plays very loose aggressive style and also we are 5 handed. I shove. Previously he folded to my shoves when I had big hands, QQ, KK, etc. Kyle gets all thoughtful, and with a similar stack to Scott's, mucks his cards, but holds them aside for possible later viewing. Scott calls and as I table my A/8, he rolls over A/J. I comment that "8's are lucky for me, you are in real trouble". And he is as the flop is 5/2/8 !!!! But then he hits his 2 outer jack on the turn and I am out. Kyle turns over 5/5. Had I folded, Kyle would have called the original bet and Scott would have been out when the jack hit on the turn for sure if not sooner. Oh well, a cash is a cash.
That brings me to Friday's game. Early on I got stung by a hero call. Kurt, in the big blind with 2/3 and me on the button with 4/8 suited get a flop of 2/3/k with 2 clubs. Kurt, a tight player min-bets. I am definitely priced in and I call. The turn is a brick for me, Kurt bets 2 min-bets and again I call. The river is a great card for me to bluff, another king. When he checks, I bet 3 min-bets (around 125 as I recall) and unbelievably he calls. There is absolutely nothing that I have other than air that he can call with his counterfeited 2 pair. Hero Call!!!!
Later I hit a big jackpot with 6/6. I am seated to the left of "Junior" a very loose aggressive player. He has chipped up nicely, nearly knocking a player out on the first hand of the tournament. I limp under the gun, several other players limp as well, and Junior uses this opportunity to punish us limpers by betting big on the button. I consider folding briefly, but then decide to shove just cause I think he will fold on a steal. Nope, he ponders briefly and calls with......10/5 suited!!!!! Wow!!! So the flop comes down with a 6 for my set, the board pairs for a full house and I am now pretty deep in chips. Not too many hands later I have 6/6 in the big blind (blinds at 50/100) when the good young player Chris to my immediate left raises big (500) with A/K suited. I call for the additional 400 and the flop comes down perfect for me, 6/A/x. I check, he shoves, I call. Player down.
At the break I am up about 3x initial chips and already thinking about the final table. I win a few and lose a few after we get down to 2 tables, and easily make the final table with a healthy chip stack. I lose a big blind vs. blind hand to Robert (a.k.a.RB...or Rat Bastard) for a healthy chunk of my chips when he rivers a flush vs. my top pair. He also short stacks the dealer when he had K/10 vs. K/J on a king high flop by rivering a 10. He is one very lucky player we all concede. Later I get most of those chips back from him. We play down to 6, agree to pay the bubble, then 2 more players are eliminated. Now 4 handed I am chip leader, we take a break, and at the end of the break agree to a 4 way chop which gives us all 2nd place money. I take the silly points for 1st place, which absolutely no one cares about except me who has been point deficient all year. Total win, $237 less buy-in and tip netting $177. Hey, nobody said you get rich playing this stupid game.
Oh yes, I was dressed all in black, wearing my black fedora. Might be my new poker look.
2 comments:
Gotta disagree with you Phil about the points not mattering. Alot of us use them as a gauge of how we are doing compared to other players and our previous years. And then there are the significant bragging rights if you are running good.
The pick
These games you play in sound like a lot of fun. I promise I'm coming to Seaside and/or Lincoln City either next April or September. Obviously not carved in stone at this point. I must play in at least one of these games. Do you think they can handle Ms. Seven Dewey LOL?
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