Thursday, February 21, 2008

Update

Sorry for the lack of updates, I have been swamped with work recently.

A few updates:

1. I am in a minor downswing. I am down maybe 6 or so buyins over the past 10 days. Nothing major, and I was on such a major upswing between the two downswings that it seems really minor. There have been some truly nasty beats, but also, as usual, a couple hands I probably should have played differently.

2. I have played a few SNGs on Cake Poker and have really enjoyed them. I used to play $55 turbos on stars and FT poker often and did pretty well. I might get back into them for a while - at least while I am enjoying them. I still think I understand the endgame quite well, although I should probably play around with my Sit N' Go power tools to refresh a bit.

3. I played some tourneys Sunday afternoon. I don't think I played bad overall, but I think I am pushing a tad too lightly when I get short-stacked. I will focus on being (slightly) more patient when down to an M of 3 to 5.

Life will be crazy for the next couple weeks, so I don't know how often I will be able to play or post - but I will try to provide updates on anything exciting.

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Quite a good 16 hours.


Since getting home from work yesterday evening, I haven't played much - but what an incredible run.


I won multiple buyins at Full Tilt from HU NL cash and a little from 1/2 NLFR (short stacking). I was up at Full Tilt, then sat down with a guy who had $160 in front of him at a NL table. I searched his name and he was only playing the one table, so I sat down. The table with him was quite an adventure, and I will post details with the hands later, but it was a good run with him. (It is too good a story to ruin here - it will get it's own post :) )


This morning I played 3 satellites on stars - all for EPT event qualifiers (worth 800 W$ or 650 W$).


After starting off rough on the first $20R for 800 W$, I ended the rebuy period at 2000 chips, but spent 3 buyins (which would give me an EV of 3000 chips). I added on, and was in for 80. From there, however, things took off - and I ended up winning one of the two 800 W$ seats.


I was still in another sat for a 650 W$ satellite (busted in one). This one was a roller coaster. My stack yo-yo'd largely because I got called more often than expected. Sometimes I won, sometimes I lost. I made it down to the bubble as second shortie. 4 people get 650 W$ seats and there are 5 left. I am 2nd shortie but shortest stack is in the big blind.

The following is a crazy hand, IMO. I get AKs utg. What should I do? I could argue a fold, since shortie only has 3 big blinds left. Further, two players behind me are a bit reckless and aggro and I think they would put shortie all in 80% of the time.

I decided to push, as should shortie survive, I am next on the chopping block, and will have to take the big blind. Further, AKs is very rarely dominated, so at worst I should have a 47% chance of winning if called. Well, here is the hand.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t3000 (5 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)



Hero (t20800)

MP (t35741)

Button (t39500)

SB (t45313)

BB (t9146)



Preflop: Hero is UTG with Ad, Kd.

UTGA raises to t20500, MP calls t20500, 3 folds.



Flop: (t42200) 8s, 3c, Jc (2 players)



Turn: (t42200) 8d (2 players)



River: (t42200) As (2 players)



Final Pot: t42200



Results in white below:

Hero has Ad Kd (two pair, aces and eights).

MP has 9s 9c (two pair, nines and eights).

Outcome: Hero wins t42200.



It came down to a river card. I was surprised that a big stack would risk so much of his stack with 99 there when I was short and so was big blind. But, these kinds of errors are part of why these sats are so profitable. Unfortunately, it almost cost me here, but thankfully I made it through the hand.

After this hand, shortie lasted about one more orbit, but busted. I actually put the "99 villain" all in during his big blind with 88, but he called with A4o and hit his ace. I won 650 W$ in this sat, for a very profitable morning. Recall I won 800 W$ last month - since then, I spent about 400 W$ in sats, and have won two more, which brings me to over 1800 in W$. I am now in super shape to keep playing these turbo-rebuy sats, while also having enough join in some WSOP satellites when they start up.

Friday, February 08, 2008

Adventures vs. guy who played me at two-tables, part two: he returns for more!

I told you yesterday about the guy who I played HU against at two different tables. He was only playing two-tables, and joined the waiting list to play me on a 2nd table so we were both only playing two tables - both HU against each other. I took 6 buyins from him.

Well, last night, he returned. I was going to play just for a 15-20 minutes, but out of curiosity searched his name prior to sitting down. He was not playing. So I start a new table, and some random donk joins. After 5 minutes, though, the donk leaves, and who should sit down but the guy I beat the night before for several buyins. I am stunned at this point. It has been 5 minutes and he was not playing before. I felt like I was being stalked. I checked my other table, and he was on the waiting list there too. I asked him if he thought I was so bad that he had to put me on his waiting list. He said no, he just wanted to win his money back from me.

Looking at this choice - it is clearly bad. There is no reason why he should have been playing me unless he thought I was really bad. There are dozens of people playing, the reason to waitlist someone is if you think there is a reasonable chance they are the best to win money from. Vengance generally is not a good trait to have as a poker player. He eventually joined the 2nd table, and we were off. He was playing a bit better last night. He was reraising me PF from the bb more often (he almost never did before this) and was value betting more often. I was down about a full buyin at one point. I considered leaving, figuring he might be good, and there is no reason to play a neutral EV game. I started winning back some funds, however.

This was one of the points where I decided to play a game that was not exceptionally positive EV, but was playing because I think this player was playing pretty well and it was good practice. I actually told the guy that he was not good for making profits against tonight, but good practice for playing well and we started chatting about the previous night. He seems like a good player and a nice guy who just had some bad luck the previous night and started tilting just a bit. We were about even and I stacked him for 1.5 buyins with KK vs. QQ. I won another 1/2 buyin for a total of 2 buyins that night. We chatted friendly most of that session, and he said he did not want to play me again.

It was fascinating to chat with him, though. He said, I know now that you are a good player, but last night I did not think so. (I recommended Taylor and Hilger's Poker Mindset). He also said he was very frustrated by my aggression throughout the match and by the very thin value bets that I made against him on the river. When he mentioned the last, I knew he was a serious player. He studied the hands after we played and made a good effort to come after me again. I give him credit for ambition, but more credit for realizing he does not want to play me anymore.

It was a pretty fascinating experience, and I am glad I came out on the winning side again. But long after I remember the money I won I will remember playing this guy at 2-tables two nights in a row.

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Update

I am going to be swamped with work for February, so I am not sure how much I will be able to play (several papers to write/revise, along with a couple grant applications due).

I have played some cash games recently. I tried limit cash for a while - it went great for a while and I won a ton at 3/6 and 5/10 - the players seemed so bad! Then of course, I lost most of it back, and the players didn't seem so horrible anymore. That sent me back to NL - where things have gone OK. I have mostly short-stacked NL cash on FT poker, but have also played some HU ($1 bb, $100 buyin). Tonight I played HU NL for a short while while I lost a couple buyins to one player. I was down 3.5 buyins but the player was so mediocre I stayed and won 1.5 buyins back.

A short while later I decided to two-table HU NL for a while ($100 buyin, again). I was playing a guy and won about a buyin from him. I searched his name, and he was only playing one table. Then, however, on my other table the player left and this guy joined my other table. So I was playing two tables, both against the same player. Since he was only playing these two, I don't think this was a coincidence. He must have thought I was a donk. I ended up taking this guy for almost 6 buyins - after he was down 2.5 buyins, I was about to go. I actually left one table, but on the other, I ch-raised all in on a JJ62 flop w 99 and he called with A9 and lost. I felt bad about hitting-and-running, but I had sat out. I told him I was planning to leave, but would stay for another 15 minutes since I did not want to hit-and-run. He asked me to get back on the other table, which I did. He started playing pretty bad after that - and I took another couple buyins from him. I perhaps should have stuck around, but my wife and I were going to watch TV - sometimes +EV poker is not +EV life, so I left. I am generally happy taking 6-buyins from someone, however.

Saturday, February 02, 2008

Always cool to quadruple up in NL cash

I had a good day at cash games yesterday, although most of my winnings came from one hand. It think I was up $600 or so for the day in cash games - and this hand helped ...

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $4 BB (9 handed) Full Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)

SB ($365.35)
BB ($176.20)
Hero ($117)
UTG+1 ($233)
MP1 ($422.50)
MP2 ($411.20)
MP3 ($407)
CO ($394)
Button ($853.55)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with Ac, Ah.
UTGA raises to $14, 4 folds, CO raises to $44, Button calls $44, SB calls $42, 1 fold, UTGA raises to $131 (All-In), CO calls $73, Button calls $73, SB calls $73.

Flop: ($472) 8c, 2s, Jc (4 players, 1 all-in)

Turn: ($472) Ad (4 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($472) 8h (4 players, 1 all-in)

Final Pot: $486

Results in white below:
SB has Jh Jd (full house, jacks full of eights).
Hero has Ac Ah (full house, aces full of eights).
CO doesn't show.
Button doesn't show.
Outcome:





I also played 9 tourneys last night ($30 on bodog, $25 on FT poker and stars at 8:00, $20 rebuy on FT, $3 turbo rebuy on tilt, and several sats). I won a sunday million seat on stars and cashed in the $20 rebuy. I was doing very well, but my A7 lost to A6, then I ran AJ into an uber-aggro guys AQ and AK within 2 orbits and was out. I finished 17th - but was happy how I played. I feel like I am getting my tourney-groove back. Overall, I finished about even in the cash tourneys and won a bit because of the satellite win. Naturally, however, the big money comes from getting a top 3 finish. I think I am playing well so if I keep putting myself in the top 30 of tourneys the big score will happen soon.

I also feel like I am completely in synch with satellites right now. I have played so many turbo rebuy sats that I really know when to sit back, when to push trash, when to stall, etc. I think I might have a 50% + ROI on those stars turbo sats. In fact, in the past three weeks, playing a limited number of satellites, I have won 3 Sunday million seats (one was a $530, too), an 800 W$ seat, two 530 UB T$ seats and one 215 T$ seat through UB. I also am good at the non-turbo sats, but of course those take much longer. I am running a bit hot to win this much, naturally.

A reminder - I am now offering lessons - right now my best games are probably NL cash and satellites. http://pokerelmo.blogspot.com/2008/01/pokerelmo-offering-private-poker.html

I will probably play some this weekend - but nothing Sunday evening as I will be watching the super bowl.