Just getting crushed with work – poker on the back-burner. But, in 3 hours Sunday …

I am super-busy with work right now. A colleague at work had a baby and I am taking over her course for the last 7 weeks of the semester. I am also busy with a couple research projects and we are in the middle of advising which always takes a lot of time. So, I have had little time for poker.

I played Sunday night a week ago in 4 tourneys – crashed and burned in 3 tourneys, but in the 4th tourney I cashed in the $30 rebuy on tilt. Unfortunately, shortly after the money bubble burst, I ran JJ into AA (stacks are so thin there is no way to avoid going broke there).

I did well throughout the week at PLO, both 6-max and HU, although I gave a lot of it back in a bad hour yesterday (Sunday) morning. I still have a positive week, despite only playing a few hours (4 hours total, I think).

This week was crazy – Friday I was working until 8:30 PM, Saturday I worked from 6:45 AM to 5:30 PM, and Sunday I had work from 12:15-2:15. I got home Sunday, my wife was going to rest for a bit, and my kids wanted a bit of computer time. So I logged in on my laptop just in time for a Rd 2 tourney at bugsysclub and the 2:30 stars satellite to the $1050 buy in million. After a tough week, I felt like I earned a little poker-time. I started by doing well in the satellite, and built a stack. I picked up hands and they held, and I won a seat. If I have a minute, I will post a couple interesting hands. The most fascinating two (IMO) involved what to do with TT vs. the chipleader and 99 utg with only 2 players left.

It felt really great to win $1050 T$. Plus, I was still in the bugsys tourney, although just rolling around at slightly below average. After the 2nd break, I had 20K and the average was 30K with blinds of 1K/2K and 200 antes (M=4). I got into a showdown with 76s, 33, and Q4s on 3 consecutive hands but ended up with 40K after those 3. I stole some more, won some showdowns, and ended up with the chiplead with 12 left. I took my foot off of the accelerator as we hit the final table, just playing ABC poker. With 5 left, we were all about average, I turned up the heat. I got lucky to tie with 22 vs. 55 against a short stack. I would have still be in, but had 200K chips instead of 100K chips. The next hand, utg raised to 30K and I pushed with AK. He called and I held to pick up a big chip lead. From there I whittled and got all in when I was dominating players and got heads up with 700K in chips vs. 220K. I whittled him down to 100K in chips, then got all in with AT vs. A2 and won.

Great 3 hour stretch on Sunday. The funny thing is, these were the only two things I had up. Normally I have other tourneys up, but just these two open yesterday, and I went 2-2 for a $1500 afternoon.

A lousy 24 hours

Wow, did the variance tax hit me hard. I decided to play a bit of full buy-in $2/$4 NL.

2 big hands - once where I hit a set, we get all in on the turn, and someone hits their 12 outer on the river. Another, I flop a nut flush draw and gutshot straight draw and get all in on the flop vs. a set and don't hit.

Then today I played some $2/$4 NL for $100 buy ins, and lost QQ vs. AK (all in PF), KJ vs. AA (all in on the flop where J flopped - certainly this is not a bad beat, however), and QQ vs. TT (all in PF). After this, I then made a really bad call for a big pot.

Overall, it was one of the worst 24-hour periods I have ever experienced.

Oh well, I guess this is why I have large bankroll, so that stuff like this can happen without putting a serious dent in my bankroll. I was going to make a run for 3000 points on FTP this week (Thursday to Wednesday), but after this bad start I am not certain if I will or if I will take a short break.

Short Update

I still have to complete the rest of my trip report, but thought I would update on what has happened since I have been home.

Cash games

I have been on a nice run. I am up a bit, mostly playing $1/$2 blind NL and $0.50/$1.00 blind NL. Some 6 max, some heads up. I have also played and won a bit playing PLO. The competition online is much, much, tougher than live play. I am a bit surprised I have not hit a downswing (as I often have after returning from live play). Thankfully I am making correct decisions.

Tourneys – Satellites

I have a bunch of stars W$. I have played several satellites for entries into WSOP satellites (the $650) or the EPT final (the $800). I have not succeeded, but came close in the $800. Unfortunately I found the right big blind to raise with junk while I still have folding equity, but the small blind picked up KK and knocked me out – refunding my buyin in 8th place when top 6 got 800 W$. I also used some W$ to enter the WSOP $160 double shootout. I played tight with little for cards (blinds go up real slow which makes this possible), but lost a flip with JJ to AQ and was bounced.

The bright spot was that I played a UB $20 turbo/rebuy satellite for an entry into their $530 Sunday tourney. I played well – then was crushed when my AJ push was called by KT and he hit. There were only 5 left, and 2 get seats. However, I was down to 4000 chips when the average was 30,000 and the big blind was 1600. My chances were very slim. However, I picked up A9 and doubled on the next hand, then stole blinds twice to get to 12K. I picked up another couple blinds to get to 17K. Then I pushed 87 from the big blind when the small blind limped with A9. He called my push and the board came 26J-T-8! I rivered the 8 to get to over 25K. Then, on the next hand in the small blind, I picked up KK. The CO limped, I raised to 8K (bb was 2K now, I think), big blind and CO called. Flop was 773. I bet 10K, big blind folded, CO pushed and I called. He showed 22! My hand held up, and all of a sudden we are 5 handed and I have half the chips in play. I cruised from there, and won 530 T$. I was going to play the event, until Toro basically told me that the tourney is populated by the best players and few fish play. I instead played the UB $120 bounty tourney …

Non-Satellite Tourneys

I played the $120 UB bounty tourney Sunday night, along with the $50 bodog tourney. The bodog tourney was a nightmare. I need to remember to play super-tight there, as the players on bodog are stupid and aggressive. It can be a very profitable place to play, but you have to resort to simple ABC poker. There is no point setting up a bluff when the players can’t think past the fact that “I have QJ on a AQ442 board – I have a pair, I must call”. My mistake on that tourney, and I was out early. The UB $120 went better. I lost some chips early, but the good blind structure and my good play allowed me to get those chips back and hang out at about the average through the first few hours. You get a $20 bounty for each player you bust, and I ended up busting 4, and finishing in the 2nd money level for a $215 cash (plus the other bounty money). I reraised AQ with an M=7.5 and blinds about to go up and was called by AK to bust. This was probably a mistake, but since I was just moved to a new table, I did not have good reads to find out whether a reraise would be a scary proposition there. Before that, I think I played some great poker, especially since I lost a bunch of coin flips that could have given me a much larger stack. I may post a great play by me that really paid off on my next post.

Elmo’s Vegas Report – part 1


Wednesday

I arrive at about 9:30 and get to the hotel at about 10:30. I played a bit of $1/$2 NL to try to get to Vegas time late at night. I was very tired, and ended up winning only $18. It would have been more, but called a short stacks $45 reraise with TT when he had JJ with only a few hands left.

Thursday

My plan of getting on Vegas time failed, as I was up by 7:00 AM. (Which is 10:00 AM eastern. I got a few things ready for my conference, got breakfast, and called my wife early. I am here for a conference, so I checked the schedule, and figured out what I would be doing with the conference that day. Then I walked by the poker room. The only thing available was the $55 donk-a-thon (fast blind structure tourney). Only 19 players in it, actually, so it was not too bad. I knew it would not be a big time committment. It played like a 2-table SNG. I played pretty standard, got lucky with an 89 push when AT called when I was very shortstacked, chiped up a bit, and had 6500 when 4-handed (started with 1500). The other three players all had slightly more than me, so I was happy to take a 4-way chop with blinds of 1000/2000. Nice way to start.

I played some $1/$2 NL in the afternoon, and won a bit – a few hands of note:

I get AA. Someone raised into me (for $15). I reraised to $55 (about 180 behind), other guy pushes and I insta-call. He pushed with 99 for about 70 more, so I picked up a nice pot.

I raise several limpers with JJ – I raise to 20. I get 6 callers!! :0 Flop – JT3. checked to me, I bet about 45. A shortstack pushes for 110 with King-Ten, saying, “I haven’t done anything stupid yet, now seems like a good time”. My top set holds and I win a big pot.

I get AK. Nutjob joined the table, and we were having fun chatting it up. He raisesd. I reraised (I think he raised 10, I reraised 30). A short stack reraises all in for 100. Nutjob folded AQ, I called with AK. Shortstack has 96s (WTF?). He flops 987, and wins.

I get 53s. I decide that even though it isn’t 53o, I will play it. Folded to me, I raise to $6. button is moderately tight and standard player, reraises to $15. Both stacks are deep, so I call. Flop is J34. I check, he bets $10. I figure he could easily have missed the flop, so decide to call and reevaluate. Turn is a 7. I check, he bets $30 (pot is close to $60 prior to his bet. I am still not convinced he has a J, but think he does. Now I likely win with a 3, 6, or 5, however. I call. River comes a 6 giving me a straight. I bet $20 trying to sucker him to a raise or at least get some value for my turn call. He just calls and is pretty disgusted with me. He says “I thought you were better than that”, which I did not hear. (Nutjob did). Then he says “I did not think you were so, uh, uh”, when I decide to complete it and say “bad”? He says yes. Then nutjob and I start talking about how bad of a player I am for the next half hour. None of this seemed to cheer up the guy who I outdrew. (I figure I won $110 for my $30 turn call, so I was getting an OK price. Plus it sets up my image as someone who is unbluffable with someone who would be playing for the next few days. I like that image.)

Shortly after this, ChrisJP stopped by to pick up me and Nutjob to go to dinner at a steakhouse in Paris. There we met nside and suited, NukeDuke and Mrs. Nuke, Taz and Tara, Nardo and his friend, and Tanya. Dinner with this group was a great time – it is just fun to chat with so many ITHers. Nside can tell the story of Nutjob giving the headlock really well – his written version does not do it justice.

After this we play some ITH donk-poker. I play a bit of NL after it is over then crash for the night. Overall I lost a bit in the night session, but not much.

FRIDAY

The next day I spent a lot of time working. I was attending sessions, preparing my presentation, and presenting until 3:00 PM. After that, I walked over to the Wynn where Nutjob, nside, taz, and Nuke were playing the $500 two-day event. Suited told me dinner was at 6:30 at the Wynn restaurant right next to the poker room. I went and played some 1/3 NL at the Wynn while I waited for the dinner break. One key hand:

2 limpers and I am in MP with QJ clubs. I limp. 2 more limpers and the blinds come in and we are 7-handed to the flop. The flop is KT8. While I have an OESD – with 6 others in the pot this is not the time to get too aggressive. It is checked to me and I check. Thankfully the others check as well and we see a free card. The turn brings a 6 of clubs that puts two clubs on the board. One of the blinds bets $18 (into $20 pot). There are 2 callers. I figure the better could have anything. Further, the callers must not be too strong (unless they have 97) and I have a monster draw with 15 straight or flush cards. I raise to $120. Folded to the original bettor who calls. The others fold. The key thing for me to determine is “what would he call with?” I ruled out a set, as the board has so many draws that he should want to push. Also, a 97 for a straight is possible, but with all the other straight draws and the flush draw, that seems unlikely. A flush draw seems most likely, to me, so I will fire the river. The river is a 10, pairing the board. He checks to me. I have about 155 behind. I pause, start counting out a bet, then put all the chips together and push all in. He waits about 5 seconds or so before folding K6 face up. I guess I got that read wrong, but it turned out right.

Lets think about this hand. I think I played it right, although you could certain argue that I should have only called the turn and played it much more cautiously. With all the players in the hand, that would have been acceptable. I don’t think I played it wrong, however. The villain with K6, however, made a big mistake IMO. By calling on the turn, he allowed himself to be put in the position to make a huge mistake, folding a pot worth over $450 after my all in for $150 with the best hand. If he reraises the flop, he does not get put into this situation. The problem he was facing is that he was not closing the action on the turn. He might have thought he calls the turn and folds if one of the other players reraises. Perhaps he even thinks he plays almost any river card except the disaster cards (which a ten and eight were awful for him). I guess this is where my aggression helped. He was facing two unpleasant possibilities, and he chose the one that allowed me to bluff him out of the pot.

There was a complete and total donk who bought in for $600 at this table. He called off a pot bet of $150 on the turn with an OESD on a board w 3 spades! He ended up winning the hand and had a big stack. I left the table (and the donk) to eat with nside, suited, nutjob, taz, tara, nuke, and mrs. Nuke. I am not sure I made the right decision with that donk there, although dinner was very nice (and extremely tasty). Thankfully nside can interpret food written in any language, and he helped me make a good choice.

I watched nside make it to day 2 of the Wynn event, while Taz and Nuke got unlucky. Then I went back to my hotel and played some ½ NL. There was a total donk (worst I have ever seen). He would raise to $50 PF with 1 limper, bet the flop then show everyone his hand (e.g. J82 board, he bets $50 then shows his QJ), etc. Unfortunately, I could not take advantage and actually lost money at the table.

I crashed again at a reasonable hour – because the next morning I had more work to do for the conference.

Part 2 coming soon ….