Royalty

The Sunday Omaha game started later than usual due to the giant end of month tournament.  I grabbed the next to last seat but it was my favorite, the #9.  Good choice as I hit 3 high hands worth $100 each.  Getting stuck early is my worst nightmare as you then have a hole to dig out of.  The very first hand flopped a set of 8's but the player next to me flopped a set of queens.  Had many killer flops of 2 and 3 pairs which seldom won or improved, even two 4 pair hands which is tough to do!!!  Won my first high hand with a baby full house 77733, the second with aces full of kings, and the third.....may I refer you to the picture above.  Playing A/Q of spades, the K/J flopped with the 10 on the river.  Sweet.  Funny thing, my buddy Bruce, sitting in the 8 seat had a queen high straight flush on the board.  We were just talking about how you could never relax but looked nearly impossible to beat, then 2 hands later.....

It was a table for big hands as the 1 seat had hit a royal earlier and sadly there was a bad beat in the muck with 8/9 suited.  Over 9000 in bad beat, my table share would have been 500 or so.  Also, i mucked a hand that would have made an 8 high straight flush.  Starting cards were 6/7/9 spades, with Q clubs.  Folded preflop, flop came 4/5 spades with 8 on river.  Could have played it in this very loose game with 7+ players most flops. Overall happy with results and average play, netted $165.

Monday tournament saw me with little more than starting chip stack but wormed my way onto final table and $90 (net $50) win for 5th place.

Avoiding a Win

Sometimes I seem hellbent on avoiding an easy win.  That was the case this week in back to back tournaments.  The first one was the Wednesday bounty tournament.  True to form I made the final table, cashing in my own plus one more $10. bounty.  Great, that would normally put me in the money as the final table usually gets buy in back.  However, there were only 29 players rather than the typical 40 plus, so only 5 spots paid.  3 players were eliminated and there were a couple of short stacks sweating it when this hand came up.  I am in the big blind for 2000 with folds to the small blind who min-raises.  My stack was at least 12k so I defended with Q/J.  The raiser is a very good player, also chip leader, and had folded his small blind to me twice in a row, so pretty tight.  The flop came out J/9/8 giving me top pair with gutshot straight draw.  He bet big and I foolishly and quickly shoved.  He turned over K/K leaving me with 9 outs.  A king on the turn changed nothing and the river bricked.  Sadly, I could have folded my way into the $65 fifth place money.

Thursday was not as good.  Arriving early found a seat in the $3/6 game.  Bought in for $100, and soon ran it up to $180.  Got a lot of pairs which hit sets and full houses.  Took a couple of losses and cashed out for a net $45. win, basically freerolling the tournament.  My cards cooled off and unlike my usual play took too many risks and bluffed off half my chips in one hand.  I am constantly amazed at the poor play in these turbos where people call raises with garbage, limp constantly, and call very light.  Just the nature of the beast I fear.  Last hand, only 3 big blinds, I limp with A/9 and call a big raise from the small blind who unfortunately has 9/9.  He even manages to find the case 9 on the river.

So, two day total was a $25. loss.  Not earth shaking but a loss nonetheless.  Tighter play would have seen much better results.

Cash

Back on winning streak with 2 final tables, but crashed hard today.  2nd hand of the tournament I have K/K in small blind.  Limp or two, then a raise to $250.  I re-raise to $500 and one limper plus raiser call.  Flop is Q/Q/3.  I bet $1000 into the $1550 pot (starting chips are 4000).  Both players call.  Turn is a jack, I go all in.  Limper folds, raiser calls with J/J for the 2 outer boat.  Player down.  I slink off to the 3/6 limit game telling my sad story to the players there, adding that they might as well chop up my $100 buy in now.   Didn't work out that way as I cashed out for $188 3 hours later.

Cash games are running good right now, last Thursday bought in for $100 in the 4/8 Omaha, cashing out 7 hours later for $586, with one $100 high hand helping out.  It was a fun one, knocking off a full house with flopped quad 6's.  The player was in the hand and made a weak attempt to delay the game as there was less than a minute left.  Tabled the hand with 15 seconds to go.  Said player is loose and annoying so glad to bust him.  Love getting the last minute one as nothing is ever safe.  I had lost one earlier queens full of 6's to queens full of 9's with 5 minutes on the clock.  Have seen quads beaten many times and even had my straight flush topped twice, all in a half hour.

So far a good week of poker.

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.