Lately I have been the victim of bad matchups. You know the kind, you have a hand that you are never folding vs. the only or one of the only hands that can beat you. So, jumping back a couple of weeks to my first WSOP circuit event. I am on the button with starting chip stack 4 hours into the tournament with KQ suited. With blinds I think at around 500/1000 this is a hand I will normally shove with. The only problem is a big stack very tricky player has limped in UTG. I watched him do this earlier with KK and when it was raised, he shoved, you know.....So, this has put a major damper on my shove plan. The small blind has just been moved to our table, he is also short with exactly my chip count. He has no read on Mr. Tricky, so he completes the blinds....priced in I guess. The flop is Q/7/x and as first to act, he shoves. The big blind and UTG both fold so I call for all my chips. He tables.......Q/7 off. Nice flop sir. I am done here.
So, that is bad matchup #1. Fast forward to the Senior tournament. I am playing well, double starting stack 5 hours in. I have been moved to a new table seated with my Phoenix/Liberty, MO pal Uncle Donnie. He has starting chip stack, which is to say he is short. Don is a good and cagey player, so when he limps in late position I immediately put him on a big hand looking to trap. As unraised big blind I see 9/3 off. No action here, or will there be? The flop comes down Q/9/3 with 2 spades. I bet half my stack and Don calls. I am shaking my head, not wanting to knock my buddy out (though there is a $5 last longer side bet pending), trying to tell him to fold his aces already. Nope, he has called with pocket queens, a flopped set. Well that sucks, though I would damn sure rather give my chips to him than another player. That is it for bad matchup #2. I am out 2 hands later when I shove on the button with 5/5 and the big blind calls with A/9, flopping not one but 2 aces.
Fast forward to last night. I am getting decent cards but not connecting much or again getting nightmare matchups. For example, first hand dealt in the tournament, I am UTG with AQ. I raise and get 3 callers (where is the respect for UTG raises???). The flop is j/9/x and after checks to me I continuation bet. Two players call. The turn is a king. I now have a gutshot draw to the nuggets, I bet again. Two callers. Hmmm. The river is a brick and suddenly the small blind bets out. Easy fold but the other caller pays to see Q/10 for the straight. He has slow played his pocket 9's flopped set into a losing hand. My final hand of the night after many frustrating limp or raise with re-raises, calls, folds is also with my old "friend" AQ. A player in the small blind min-reraises my 2 utg raise. The flop is A/9/x. He checks the flop and I bet pot size (which in retrospect was a mistake, it was more than 3/4 of my stack, should have either bet smaller to fold on a re-raise or just shoved). He flat calls, then when a king comes on the turn he shoves. Pot committed and short stacked I have no choice but to call, expecting to see a slow played AK. Nope, worse, pocket 9's for a flopped set.
So kids, that is what I mean about bad matchups. In each of these hands I had little or no choice and just had a worst case scenario. If I miss hitting big on any of these I am so gone.
Next blog I promise to tell you about how I dispensed poker advice and philosophical wisdom to a well known poker pro in Vegas for 4 hours. He must have been laughing so hard.....
So, that is bad matchup #1. Fast forward to the Senior tournament. I am playing well, double starting stack 5 hours in. I have been moved to a new table seated with my Phoenix/Liberty, MO pal Uncle Donnie. He has starting chip stack, which is to say he is short. Don is a good and cagey player, so when he limps in late position I immediately put him on a big hand looking to trap. As unraised big blind I see 9/3 off. No action here, or will there be? The flop comes down Q/9/3 with 2 spades. I bet half my stack and Don calls. I am shaking my head, not wanting to knock my buddy out (though there is a $5 last longer side bet pending), trying to tell him to fold his aces already. Nope, he has called with pocket queens, a flopped set. Well that sucks, though I would damn sure rather give my chips to him than another player. That is it for bad matchup #2. I am out 2 hands later when I shove on the button with 5/5 and the big blind calls with A/9, flopping not one but 2 aces.
Fast forward to last night. I am getting decent cards but not connecting much or again getting nightmare matchups. For example, first hand dealt in the tournament, I am UTG with AQ. I raise and get 3 callers (where is the respect for UTG raises???). The flop is j/9/x and after checks to me I continuation bet. Two players call. The turn is a king. I now have a gutshot draw to the nuggets, I bet again. Two callers. Hmmm. The river is a brick and suddenly the small blind bets out. Easy fold but the other caller pays to see Q/10 for the straight. He has slow played his pocket 9's flopped set into a losing hand. My final hand of the night after many frustrating limp or raise with re-raises, calls, folds is also with my old "friend" AQ. A player in the small blind min-reraises my 2 utg raise. The flop is A/9/x. He checks the flop and I bet pot size (which in retrospect was a mistake, it was more than 3/4 of my stack, should have either bet smaller to fold on a re-raise or just shoved). He flat calls, then when a king comes on the turn he shoves. Pot committed and short stacked I have no choice but to call, expecting to see a slow played AK. Nope, worse, pocket 9's for a flopped set.
So kids, that is what I mean about bad matchups. In each of these hands I had little or no choice and just had a worst case scenario. If I miss hitting big on any of these I am so gone.
Next blog I promise to tell you about how I dispensed poker advice and philosophical wisdom to a well known poker pro in Vegas for 4 hours. He must have been laughing so hard.....
No comments:
Post a Comment