Stopped Clock Poker

"Even a stopped clock is correct twice a day".

Sometimes I am truly amazed at how bad some folks play poker and yet win due to unbelievable luck.  Last night at the Legion I both witnessed it and was victimized by it.  For instance, a very good player with a big stack managed to be eliminated in 5th place when he called a bluff all-in with his pair of 8's.  The bluffer had K/7 and of course hit his king.  I got a chunk of his chips when he shoved a 4/5/6- 3 club flop holding the K of clubs and a 7.  I called with K/6 and his multiple outs failed to come in.  With 20 outs (twice), I was technically way behind on the flop.  He took a couple of other hits for similar to this.

As dealer for the final table, I was hoping to cash.  We had found a gift for granddaughter Eva and I was on a mission to pay for it from poker winnings.  With 4 tables going I was assured of freerolling my buy in from the tip pool, so any winnings would be net.  I made the final table with a short stack but got fortunate several times (with the best starting hand) and we got down to 3 players.  Some discussion went on about a 3 way chop for around $300 each but one player (chip leader) wanted to play 5 more minutes until the next blind level.  Fine.  The first hand I dealt myself was 3/3, and with about 17,000 in chips, I shoved from the small blind.  The big blind, an incredibly lucky and frankly clueless player called for over half his chips with......K/4 unsuited.  I really did not want the call, as figured I was behind or definitely in a coin flip.  He managed to river a king and eliminate me in 3rd place for $170 win.  The remaining 2 players....one of which got the lucky king on the river earlier to survive..... played a few hands then chopped with the leader getting $30 more (chop was around $800 total).  I felt very cheated for a couple of reasons.  1st, not chopping 3 ways cost me $130.  His catch of the king cost me another $100 as I would have been chip leader if my 3's had held up.  The good news is, I paid for Eva's gift, a building block set, which will be delivered next week.

Mutiny on the Bounty

It has been a full two years since I have made the arduous trek to Spirit Mountain casino in Grande Ronde, Oregon.  It is almost a two hour drive each way around very curvy roads and usually in the rain.  I decided years ago just not worth it during the summer do to heavy tourist traffic and during the winter due to early darkness.  So, I figured it was time for a visit with daylight savings time and nice weather lately.  Mike, my poker friend and I have been talking about it for a while and decided Saturday was the day.  I picked him up in Wheeler, just South of me at 9:00 and we headed out.  It was a much more enjoyable drive with company and Mike and I arrived in plenty of time to get player's cards and get extra chips for early sign up for the noon tournament.  There was even time for some live poker, so I bought in for $200 in the $1-3 no limit game just starting.  Clearly it was filled with big time gamblers as most bought in for the full $300 limit, and most of them were on the list for the bigger game $2-5.  I watched one player get stacked early on, re-buy then get stacked again.  Another player was felted and I was not playing many hands as straddles were almost always in effect and pre-flop raises were common.  A straddle was in effect with a couple of limpers when I picked up K/K.  I made it $26 to go and everyone folded.  I was the only stranger at the table so they probably picked up on my tight play and gave me credit for a big hand.  Later I played AK deceptively by checking an un-raised pot out of the blinds and betting on the king high flop.  I had one caller who had not lost a hand.  He called my turn bet as well (20 flop, 25 turn), but folded to a 20 river bet.  Tournament time was starting so I racked up my $31 win and drew a seat.

I did not realize that this was a $25 bounty tournament until after we began playing.  I never do well on bounties but basically only want to reclaim mine at the very end.  Still, it was a compelling reason to call a short stack shove.  I was on the same table as Mike and neither of us gained much traction.  Mike collected one bounty while the kid two to my right had a monster stack and 3 bounty buttons.  He later donked off all of his chips, including doubling me up once (9/9  vs. J/7 hearts).  I doubled up once more with AA vs. A10, but the player had me covered so no bounty!  Mike missed a huge opportunity but made a wise fold in a juicy pot, calling a big raise with AJ, but folding to AQ shove with a caller.  The AQ held up, but with a jack on the flop would have really chipped Mike up.  We talked about that hand later and both agreed that it was the right action given stacks, action, etc.  Missed another bounty when calling a small raise with A/3 of clubs and flopping the flush.  The original bettor continuation bet, I called, then check raised him on the turn.  He called, and I felt he was pot committed so I shoved the river only to get his shorter stack to fold.  Like I said, I seldom collect bounties.

Mike went down and I continued on to the final table.  There were two eliminations with one player to my immediate right catching fire knocking both of them out.  He took a big stack out with his A7 vs A2 on a A/7/x/2 board.  He next got me with blinds at 1200/2400 and 300 antes.  He limped in with K/10 and I shoved on the button with A9 and a stack size of around 7000.  When other hands folded to him he had good odds (2400 antes, 1200 small blind, 2400 big blind, 2400 limper, his 2400, my 7000 = 17,800 pot, with "only" 4600 to call giving him 4/1 odds with a monster stack remaining if he lost.  He turned a king and my day at Spirit Mountain was over in 8th place with only 3 places paid (35 entrants).  Mike and I commented on the lousy pay structure and small payouts...1st was only $750.  With bounties and rake it is definitely not worth the long drive.

We made the trip safely back in the rain and agreed that it was fun if not profitable. 

Emery

I missed my Wednesday Wheeler tournament this week.  Instead I went to Portland to attend a memorial service.  2 weeks ago a Cannon Beach friend, Emery Sundberg, succumbed to complications from a surgical procedure he had months ago.  His home was a couple of blocks from our ice cream store (now bakery/coffee shop) and he and his family were frequent visitors.  After closing our place I would see him occasionally and we would talk for a few minutes.  Every once in a while we would have coffee with another friend.  I dubbed our coffee group the "Young Liberal Democrats" to serve as cover for the roaring liberal population here.  Emery had me on his email forward list and I got tons of political comment and cartoons on a regular basis, and even set up a file for them because I hated to delete them.  I just counted them and there are 542 of them.  The last one was in December.  I am very sorry that I did not know about his illness, but it would not have been like him to talk about it, or himself.  He was a gentleman, a patriot (Seabees in Korea), and a good friend.  We will all miss him, RIP.

Americas Cardroom Win

With my bankroll down to about $5.00 I decided to give a $25 guaranteed tournament a try.  I had earlier been blown out of the $10 freeroll and had a horrible beat on Zynga.  I was not feeling the love.  Sure enough, I took some hits early but fought back.  The payouts were to the top 18 and I just tried to hang in long enough to get an .83 return on my .55 investment.  Once the bubble was broken several players busted out and moved me up in the money.  I had several great hands, flopping sets, big pairs, KK, AA, QQ that held up.  Once I knocked the top stack off it was all gravy for me heads-up.  I think I lost only a couple of small pots, putting lots of pressure on the short stack (had him about 9 to 1).

93 entries, no re-buys from me.  Total win $11.62.  Sweet.

Pain in The Backside

Woke up this morning with horrible pain in my back.  Military grade Naproxin is helping some, but man I can hardly move.  My wife is recommending more excercise and some stretching on the floor but am afraid that if I get down there will not be able to get back up.  Is this some diabolical age-related stuff or have I hurt something?  No idea.  My plan for today was to drive over to the rock quarry and pick up some flat stones to deal with my perpetually wet side of the yard that happens to be the entry to the backyard.  Guess that plan will have to wait.

You know, they say that good health is something we just take for granted, until we no longer have it.  This I believe just as fish never see the water.  So, my new plan today is to play on the computer (just like most days), watch t.v., and hope for some pain relief.

Some 'Splaing About How I Bubbled Last Night

By all rights, I should have finished in no worse than 3rd place at Wheeler last night.  Let me run down the evening's game for you.  I was above average chip stack early but ran into a trouble hand.  Playing K/10 against a min-raise with another caller or two out of position in a blind, the flop was A/K/x.  I decided to lead out to "find out where I was".  The initial raiser, an unknown young kid off the street who had wandered into our game raised me from $300 to $600.  He had chipped up big and was leader on our table.  He played aggressively, and I thought pretty well.  When Robert to my immediate right called his raise I folded, even though that left me below starting chip stack (we only begin with 1300...very slow blind structure so not as short a stack as you think).  Robert ended up winning with A/9...had I stayed in making a very poor decision....would have tripled up as I went runners for a broadway straight.  Oh well, a good decision is a good decision.  One thing led to another and I was down to a single big blind at the 75/150 level.  Our table broke and I drew great position, cutoff, so I could see quite a few hands before having to act.  I chose wisely in a big volume unraised pot with my Q/10 off.  The aggressive kid had followed me, and raised big on the flop with his 10/J no pair straight draw which folded the table.  My queen high won and I was back in business.

Making the final table (23 total players) was a mini-miracle, but I was still short.  Had a couple of good hands to double up and we were down to 5 players with 4 being paid (plus the bubble).  Gary, one of the bigger stacks lost most of his chips (down to 500) with a bad beat...his A/10 vs. Q/10.  Robert lost almost his entire big stack against the chip leader, Mike.  The chip stacks stood as follows:

Mike Thousands
Robert:  1200
Kyle:  Thousands
Gary:  500
Me:  1700

This hand came up:  Blinds are at 500/1000.  Robert shoves, everyone folds to me with K/K in the big blind, I call.  Robert tables Q/Q.  Nice to play with you, bubble boy!!!  Except I forgot that Robert is a luckbox and hits his 2 outer.  This is important.  Notice that I now have exactly one small blind.  Had Robert had 200 less, I could then fold my small blind and still have 200 left with Gary forced into a pot before me.  So now I am all-in small blind.  Mike is big blind with tonnage of chips, but surprisingly folds when Robert shoves.  Heads up, he shows Q/9 and happily I have 5/5 so am again ahead.  The flop brings a 9, the turn a queen and I am out on the bubble.  With any breaks at all I finish no worse than 3rd.  Ouch and double ouch.    

Final Table Finally!

There are a couple of ways to "make the final table".  I did it both ways last night.  Arriving after a drive from Seattle an hour before the game I was in no condition to deal.  However, I can never say no to the organizers who work so hard to put the game on.  There were more players signed up than normal (33), so we had to break out the 4th table.  I had agreed to deal if needed, and was asked to deal table 1, the final table.  Oh great, now I am stuck here until at least 11 p.m.  The upside of course is the 40% of tips which will definitely cover my buy-in.

I was running pretty good early and had chipped up to over 3000 when I raised with the dreaded AQ that definitely is not my best friend and was re-raised all-in by a short stack about 1/2 my chips.  I call, he turns over 9/9 and we are racing.  His 9's hold up and now I am short.  I win a few pots, and am up to around 4000 when a tricky good player with a giant stack raises in early position with an oversize bet...around 2500 I believe.  It is folded to me with.....pocket aces.  I re-raise all-in and he tanks for a while, counts the pot and finally calls with fair pot odds.  He tables 8/9 suited.  Rut row.  The flop however has an ace (I am recalling the lady on table 2 who got knocked out earlier tonight when she flopped a set of aces), and sure enough, he has a straight draw.  Thankfully the board pairs the jack and I am doubled up plus.....It goes on the board for high hand of the night.  I am not overly optimistic as I have never won this ($2 from each player goes into high hand fund), even when I had quad 8's which were snapped heads up on the final table.

I get it most of it all in again with AQ vs. 9/9 (unbelievable) against a guy who just won $5000 in a big Lincoln City tournament last weekend.  This time I win the flip, and eliminate him.  Unbelievable.  We are down to two tables and I go heater knocking 4 players out.  I am 3rd in chips when we form the final 9.  Down to 7, we pay the bubble, get down to 5 with one player holding over 50% of the chips in play.  He was one of the co-winners in Lincoln City for $5000 (they did a 3 way chop).  He plays aggressively and often any two cards so danger was in the air.  Three of us each had 10000 in chips and one had 13000.  It was proposed that the leader take 1st and we chop the rest for $165 each.  Done deal.

Total for the night
$165 win
    66 high hand
   41  tips for dealing final table
less $40 buy-in
less $ 12 dealer tip
Net:  $220