Adopting Orphans

Before getting into my main topic, a quick update.  After running spectacularly good, with 4 final tables in a row, have come back to earth.   Not calling them bad beats exactly, but last two tournaments got it in very good but lost.  First one shove with A/K, called by K/Q.  Gotta love the matchup.  He hits a queen.  😥  Next tournament, UTG next to me raises big with A/Q suited, I shove roughly his stack with K/K.  He calls, flops two spades and rivers the third.  Bad luck.  First case am 75% to win, 2nd case am 68%.  Like I said running bad.

So, thinking about the poor orphan pots, you know, the ones you are on the button and everyone checks the flop, the turn and/or the river.  Do you adopt these orphans?  I think we miss an opportunity if we don't.  However, there are dangers.   You leave yourself open to traps and to strong check raise bluffs.  If your opponents are not prone to do either, and you have a hand that cannot win a showdown, I say steal away.  Remembering a game from years ago, this old regular would always bet the river if checked to him on the button.  I watched this happen many times, suspecting shenanigans.   Finally, decided to test my theory the next time he did it by check raising him with nothing.  He folded with a very hurt look and didn't do it again all session.

Luck flipping Asian

Again playing morning tournament enjoying the game as my buddy "Guido" is sitting across from me and we catch up on our lives.  Running good until this Asian guy who has been up and down shoves about 2400.  I call with 9/9.  He has AK and hits one to double up.  A round or two later he shoves again.  I am short, on the button with A /Q.  Call.  He has.........wait for it..........9/9.  Unbelievable.  I miss and am out.  What are those odds?  Lose with 9's, lose against 9's to the same guy😭😭😭😭😢😢😠☠

I retire to the 3/6 cash game, win $5 in an hour or so. I am crushing this game, lol.  At least collected my free lunch which is something.

Missed steaks

No, I have not become a vegan.  Yesterday's bounty tournament started well for me but there were too many "Missed steaks".  The first one was at 100/200 blind level, in the BB.   UTG limps, 2 UTG raises to 600, next player calls.  I fold Q/7, limper calls.  Flop comes 7/7/9, check, check, bet 400.  All fold I go crap, folded 7.  Guy next to me says I was getting 5 or better to one on my money.  He is right.  I hate playing average hands out of position to a raise, but math should have ruled.

Next missed steak was a good decision at the time, but forgot I was playing turbo.  Pocket 2's in early position, blinds 200/400, 3500 in my stack.  A lot of players open shove here, but I am trying to be smarter.  Fold. Late position bigger stack shoves with A/K, called by next player who has Q/Q.  Good fold until a 2 on the flop and I miss my triple up opportunity. 

Last one. Blinds are 500/1000, I am small blind, folded around to me.  I have a total of 3000 chips and lucky me, A/K.  I shove, big blind thinks briefly (He has big stack courtesy of an earlier triple up hitting 2 outer on river vs. flopped set), and calls with 3/6.   Naturally, he hits a 6 and knocks me out.  My missed steak?  Should have just called.  That way he has opportunity to bluff raise preflop or I execute the "stop and go" maneuver.  Either way preferable.  When you have no fold equity be careful with shoves. 

3/6 limit poker

Having just a few hours to play this morning, bought the last seat in a 3/6 game.  Put my name up for 4/8 and 3/300 but they were not to start before I had to leave.  My $60 "investment" ran up to about $120, based on a big kill pot win and aces that held up against 5 hands.  Variance is the key in these games losing a big pot with my A/Q vs. A/9 and 8/9.  Flop came A/Q/9. Despite my raise on flop and bet on turn they both hung in there.  The case 9 came on the river and I folded when bet and called before me.  Unreal.  There were 2 very aggressive Asian guys to my immediate right, which is where I like them.  Was able to call several bluffs and stay out of trouble.  Down to my last $20, went on a small run, quitting with $5 "sugar" after 3 hours.  Tight is the only way to survive these games, and saw some very improbable holdings stay to the end.  Think I could crush this game if I played it regularly. 

No Regerts

Found  great tattoo on the web, "No regerts".  Gotta love it.  My brother and I were talking last week and philosophically he told me that a version of hell was meeting the you that ideally could have been.  That got me thinking about all the possible lives i could have led.  But path leads to path from each fork in the road,  and we try to make the best decisions possible with the information we possess at the time.  This is true in all aspects of life.  In poker, as in all of life, we make the best decisions we can with the information we have, and poker is a game of incomplete information.  There is no perfect way to decide.  Someone once said that bad decisions lead to knowledge.  Guess the more bad ones you make, the wiser you become.

Playing the morning turbo tournament I ran pretty good until this hand.  With a stack of about 6000, blinds at 200/400, I pick up A/K suited 3 UTG.  I raise to 1100, all fold except big blind, big stack loose player, who calls.  Flop comes K/J/8, two clubs (I have hearts).  BB checks, I shove.  He quickly calls with his K/J, and I fail to find an ace.  So, decisionwise, I think I made the right play.  With a 2400 pot and 3600 behind on a draw heavy board, if I bet to give draws bad odds, it would have to be at least 1500, so that would leave me pot committed anyway if he check raises.  By shoving, we get to the natural place anyway and I am willing to "stack off" with top pair, top kicker at this point against any draw.  There are only 7 hands I am behind, A/A, K/K, J/J, K/J, 8/8 and K/8 or J/8 (highly unlikely).  Just bad luck but feel good about the decisions.  No regerts!!!

Here are running bad examples

Kids, don't try this at home!  Drove to Tulalip for my Sunday Omaha game and found out that the "last Sunday of the month" tournament was scheduled.  This is a big deal, 120 players, maybe 60 alternates, $230 entry fee.  I was told there would be no cash games until at least 2:00.  Now, I would ordinarily just have gotten in my car and gone to another Card room, but I-5 was totally blocked southbound due to a multi-car accident.  Well, just gotta play it.  A couple of missed draws left me short when down to 75 players and got it in good with 4/4 against two callers with A/K and A/J on a flop featuring a 4.  The board ran big and the worst starting hand rivered Broadway.  Player down.

Fast forward to Saturday.  86 players at Caribbean casino, running very good until I wasn't. A couple of losses and super short with J/J shove.  J/10 suited overshoves, 9/9 shoves, and K/J calls short all in.  I am in looking good, dominating all hands with one overcard to fade.  Flop has a 9, we are all in bad shape, but winner was 10/J suited rivering a flush.  Worst hand wins again.  According to my poker odds calculator app, my preflop odds are 45% to win.  Player down.

Driving back to Tulalip early Sunday to get my preferred Omaha seat, I wait an hour but no one shows up.  A dealer tells me that the high hands now start at 4:00 rather than 2:00 on Sundays.  I am not sticking around, so frustrated drive home.  This week's poker has sucked.