Aggressive players

I wrote earlier about aggressive players.  I would like to expand on that thought.  While aggression is an important part of poker, it's judicious use must be considered.  In Hold'em it is a key factor in winning, including stealing from late position, taking the lead in pots, bluffing, and raising for value.  Aggressive players are usually winners while passive ones are generally not.  Which brings us to the reasons for raising.

1.  To reduce the number of players competing for the pot. By raising we eliminate random but weak hands that can "flop lucky".  All cards play better heads up rather than in multi-way situations.
2.  To gain positional advantage.  Knocking out players who would act behind you is never a bad thing.
3.  To "take the lead".  The tendency is to check to the raiser so this can work well to either bluff the callers, gain value when you hit big, cover later bluffs, or check behind on big draws.
4.  I almost hesitate to even mention this one, but it is the main reason many weak player do it.  To build a bigger pot.  I will elaborate on this one in reference to limit games and more specifically Omaha hi low.  When you raise in a limit game you do not elicit many folds.  Players with premium hands will play back at you while hands that would have folded to one bet will certainly fold to two.  Earlier limpers will always call, building a pot size that is "protected".  If there is $50 in the pot, no one is folding for a $4. flop bet.  The pot odds have given everyone good odds to call with any draw and gives strong made hands future equity and even reason to re-raise.  The problem continues to the turn, with the only folders on river misses.  The best oh8 starting hand is said to be AA23 double suited, however a low hand only  happens 60% of the time, we all know about flush draws, and a pair of aces is only a single pair.  So, your super premium hand will sometimes win, but often fail.

It gets worse for the straddler, playing random cards out of position in a swollen pot.  Since super aggressive raisers often straddle, this compounds their problems.  I wrote earlier about my success against this type of player who was seated on my immediate left, so Sunday a similar player was seated in the 7 seat while I was in the 2.  She bought in for 4 or 5 hundred which is ridiculous for starters, even commenting about how she planned to use them.  True to her word, she raised the first hand and most of them afterwards.  The saving grace was that she was losing and frequently leaving the table for 20 to 30 minutes.  After a couple of hours I commented about her raises quietly to the player next to me (who was killing the game plus one high hand).  Her bat ears picked it up and she began mouthing off to me about her many premium hands.  I ignored her.  Not long afterwards she racked up $250 and left.  I ultimately cashed up $42.

One more concept about raising.  Pot control.  When you raise big, you put pressure on your hand for subsequent streets.  If you raise 50/100 blind to 250 and get one caller from the sb, there is now 600 in the pot, making your continuation bet of 1/2 pot size only 300.  If you had raised to 450 instead, your continuation (and I hope you are nearly always doing this) would now have to be 500 to bet a 1/2 pot.  The pot has more quickly grown into a monster that you may not be able to get away from with your pair and 2 over-cards showing.

One last raising comment.  In my oh8 game I seldom raise for deception purposes.  By raising only with super premium hands I would announce my hand to the table.  By calling, more players enter, my hand is well disguised, leading the k/K and A/3 hands believing they are best.  This nets more money on the river, particularly from 2nd or 3rd nut low hands.

Fiddy Cents

Wrote last post about "earn rate".  This is an important concept for both recreational and more serious players.  Our time is our life, and the time spent playing poker should hopefully show some return on investment.  Playing poker yesterday started out in the $60 Sunday "no chop".  About 80 entries, so not too daunting a field.  Hated my table (as usual?) because of one loud mouth obnoxious player, arriving late and immediately attempting to become "table captain".  When I have described this player to dealers and other players, they immediately say their name, so I am not the only one.  Said player went on a heater, very aggressive, but lost most of them, then bounced back.  So, since player raises frequently and was the middle position, the raise was an easy call for me and 2 others, the loose big blind, the hijack and me, the button, playing A/10 of clubs.  Flop comes 10 high with 2 hearts.  When checked to me I shove $4300 into the $1600 pot, surely enough to get folds from over-cards and flush draws one would think.  I am called by the big blind who shows A/9 of hearts.  We all know what is coming and I hit the rails.

A seat opens on the Omaha game and I play for 3 hours.  I show a net profit in the game of $42.  When you subtract my tournament buy in of $40 (I used a $20 freeplay to lower cost), ended up netting $2.00 for 4 hours of play, or $.50/ hr.  Fiddy cents earn rate.  Oh yeah, also got another $20 coupon for future tournament play (paid for 2 hours cash game play after tournament).  So there, $5.50/hr. I feel better now, over 1 big blind per hour earnings.

Mixed results

My poker game has been yielding mixed but mostly bad results lately.  One tournament cash for $220 out of maybe 6 played, including a $290 buy in giant.  Had a terrible seat, to the right of a good but talkative player.  Another player owned me when I turned 2 pair vs. His A/K, then was counterfeiters on the river.  He later got the rest of my chips on a 5/6/7 flop, me playing 7/8 while he had 8/9, 2 spades, turned the flush to ruin a possible chop.

Have played few cash games, last Thursday my first win in a bit in 4/8 Omaha hi/low.  Again, bad seat.  The player to my immediate left straddled constantly, raised every hand.  Fortunately, my cards were running good and was able to hog several big pots.  Still prefer a more passive omaha game as there are so many flops that destroy good starting hands and like to see them cheap multi-way.  The aforementioned player was stuck over $300 while I cashed out for a $174 profit after only 3 hours of play.  It was a great earn rate of $60 an hour, and phenomenal 15 Big blinds per hour. 

To finish this post would like to quote Sir Winston Churchill (just watched "The Darkest Hour").

  "Success is not final, failure is not fatal.  It is the courage to continue that counts".

And one more, for you fellow senior citizens.

"When youth departs may wisdom prove enough."

Busy with Buying and Guido

Apologies for lack of posting, the last 3 weeks have been a little crazy.  For starters, on March 1st I found a house ad in Bothell.  Called my realtor friend who set up viewing for the next day.  The ad had posted at a few minutes past midnight Thursday morning, we toured the townhouse at 2:30 Fri.  Loved it but found out an over asking price offer had already been made that expired at 11:00 Saturday morning.  Gulp.

A quick word about Seattle housing market.  It is 2nd hottest in the country, with barely 30 day supply.  Similar houses or 2 br apartments are renting North of $2500 a month.  We were paying 2k for a 1 bedroom apartment.  Our daughter spent a frustrating year before outbidding for her house 2 years ago.  A racquetball buddy sold his 1700 sq. Ft. Split level 2 weeks ago for $135k over the $750 asking price.  There were 120 viewings and 13 offers within 2 days.

So, we decided to go in fast and strong meeting our realtor Satuday morning to write an offer.  Bottom line, we got it by noon that day with escalation, full cash, no contingencies, and a non-refundable $75,000 deposit (not an Ernest money), beating the other offer by $10k.

Now the fun begins.  I must deposit the $75 by Monday and show proof of funds for purchase.  The deposit funds were my sweat with most of my assets invested and some lag time for clearing.  I had 1/2 available but needed $35 cash (not check) immediately.  This is where "Guido" comes in.  I saw a poker buddy Saturday night and described my dilemma.  He asked how much I needed.  I replied $35k, cash.  No problem, he would loan it to me.  Really, $35k cash? Yep.  Poker players are such sick f_cks!  We walk around with more money than most people have in checking accounts (not me of course in case some bad person reads this).  So, I meet him the next day, he hands me a thick manilla envelope secured by rubber bands.  We don't count it.  Turns out i didn't need it, but it did raise the banker's eyebrows when I told him I was bringing it in.  Explaining it was poker money led to a discussion of Hold'em with him being a player!

So, deal closed on 16th while we were in Missouri on family visit, we moved on the 21st.  Like I said, a crazy month.

Swedish Club

My last visit to the Swedish Club with its killer view of Lake Union was probably in the early 90's at a company Christmas party.  Last Saturday afternoon there was a private poker tournament held there.  Lucky to get a last minute invitation to the $250 buy in event from an old buddy who is more of a poker degenerate than even me.  Food and drink was provided, along with professional dealers.  The only weird thing was the lack of poker tables.  Long banquet tables were loosely covered with felt, which kept bunching up.  Also with 40 players they were short one dealer so we did a rotating self deal that was awkward.  I have had reoccurring dreams about this for a long time with long tables, awkward dealing.  Deja vu? 

The structure was good, 30 minute blinds, 12000 starting chips, reentry 3 levels, and 5000 chip $60 add-on at end of reentry.  Didn't hear size of prize pool, but paid 6 spots with over $4000 first place.  Unfortunately unable to cash in 8th place after 7+ hours of play.  Mistakes were made, which I will outline.

Mistake 1:  flopping a set of 3's on a 10 high dry board I let a very aggressive player off the hook who had flopped top pair.  A queen was on the turn and he folded to my large turn bet.  Had I checked pretty sure he would have bet, drawing dead with the A/10 that he showed.  An ace or 10 on the river would always get all the chips in.

Mistake 2:  flopped a set of 3's (are you seeing a pattern here?) On a 7/3/2 board.  Flop action, with a player calling my bet.  Like a rookie donkey I opened my mouth, saying "7 2?".  He folded to my turn bet commenting about my comment.  He was one of the chip leaders at the final table.

Mistake 3?:  Not sure about this one. Playing A/K, hit an ace on the flop.  The aggressive guy from before raised my bet.  The turn was a king, putting 3 Broadway cards on the board.  I bet into him, he re-raised all in.  I tanked, then folded.  Live to play again as it was early.

Mistake 4: also involving same guy.  On the final table, he shoves in late position.  I have him barely covered but will be the shortest stack if I lose, all in with small blind.  I have 9/9 in the big blind.  I go into the tank.  Finally, after agonizing, I fold.  He shows A/K.  You are nearly always going to coin flip at some point late, and think I should have here.  The really bad part was the player next to me later took him out and then took me out with his enhanced stack.  My last hand was 4/8 in the big blind vs his 10/J in small blind.  I was pot committed with only 1 blind if folded.

There were several very good players and I learned a few things, particularly about late position aggression.

Momentum in Turbos

What is there to say about Turbos? They are the gambling side of tournament play, particularly in the latter stages when no one at the table has more than 10 or 15 big blinds.  Also, they are low buy in, so the payouts are not so good.  Played Monday at Tulalip cause decided it was important to get back on the horse that threw me.  There were 81 entries in the $25 event so it paid 8 spots.  Had a couple of amazing hands.  The first came in my big blind.  A short stack shoved, followed by another slightly bigger stack.  I had to call a few hundred but with great pot odds did so with my "Doyle Brunson" offsuit 10/2.   The board ran out with 4 spades (My 10 was a spade), giving me a straight and a flush, and wait....A jack high straight flush!!!  Two players down.  Getting to the final table, I was never in great shape but survived a couple of all ins including one with 6/9.  A player had shoved with A/5 who had survived earlier with 6/9 making a straight.  I flopped 2 9's and rivered a 6, which was just showing off.  Finally was eliminated in 6 th place which paid only $90, but a win is a win.

Tuesday, another turbo.  Better buy in $40, more chips, 4000 vs 2000 in Modays, 16 minute blinds, around 80 players.  Going deep, down to 14 players, went for the gold  vs. Just cashing.  A player I had beaten a couple of hands min raised under the gun.  He was raising very light, so I shoved a pretty big stack to isolate with my A/Q.  He called along with short stack big blind.  Raiser has 9/9, big blind 2/3. Flop is pretty good for me, J/10/x, giving me nut gutshot straight draw with 2 overs for 10 outs.  Turn is a 3, giving shorty 5 outs.  River is a 9 eliminating both of us in 14th and 13th place.  I literally could have folded to the money (paid 10), but where is the fun in that?  I am playing to win.    Overall think I am playing well and will eventually crush these games.

Anticipation

All week I have been anticipating the big ($230) end of month tournament at Tulalip.  I was the 96th entry an hour before starting time.  There were over 60 alternates after me, so big money.  The wheels started coming off early with my pocket queens folding on a scary flush/straight/ace high board.  Losing a couple more hands I made a big time laydown to the player to my immediate right.  He raised to $200 With blinds 25/50.  Looking at my pocket kings I re-raised to $800.  He then quickly 4 bet it to $6000.  I folded my kings face up and he then showed his pocket aces.  Several players praised my fold.  His hand was face up to me as I knew queens or jacks would not be in his range with this action.

A little later, I ran into trouble again with him.  A player raised to 275 and he flat called.  I had k/10 off, which I realize is not strong, but already in blind with other callers hoped for a great flop with one of my favorite hands.  The flop came down k/10/6 With 2 hearts.  I liked it, but bet right out due to flush draw.  The original raiser called the 800 bet, then my nemesis re-raised big.  I thought briefly (probably too briefly), putting him on either A/K, or even possibly A/A, and remotely 6/6.  I had these hands either drawing thin, or in the case of 6/6, had outs.  I shoved.  The other guy folded, villain paused briefly and called, turning over K/K.  Ouch.  Player down with no saving runner runner 10's.  I was either 2nd or 3rd player out.  Leaving dazed and confused was really upset.  Really bad luck combined with questionable play.