Maybe it's a rationalization or an excuse that enables me and my degenerate gambling ways, but I feel like I am learning something every time I finish a session of play. Be it a tournament or a cash game, I come away with information on my opponents, situational play, and my position.
I was playing well with the cards I was dealt. I didn't have monsters, but I played my position and bet well to pick up a few pots. I got caught a few times with mid-pairs and the flop never tripped me up except for one time where I raked in a huge pot. I also made some key calls to get information and I actually had the nuts when i thought I was just paying the other player off.
In the meetup tourney's we use a white chip to force the other player to show what they had if you should fold to their bet. I never like to use mine. If they don't use that in bigger tournaments or cash games I won't make it a habit now.
Here are a few key hands from last nights game:
Hand #1:
I'm dealt a pair of 4's in late position...a few limpers, and I raise 3x BB, a couple more fold and button calls me...the rest muck. Flop comes K-J-3. I continuation bet the pot. Button calls. Turn comes 8 and we both check. Turn brings Ace. I bet feeler bet of $300 into a $1100 pot...button raises to $600...I call to see what he has...A-3 caught his two pair on river but here's the key...I learned something about Andre the maniac. He is in love with the A-rag. More than 3x he called or check down a hand to reveal "Ace high" 50% of the time he actually won. Not so scary as I thought he was.
More soon...
Friday, June 29, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Bay Area Poker Meetup #1
Is it wrong that I get slightly excited when I put an ultra aggressive player on tilt? I don't think so.
I did just that the other night when, in the BB I re-raised "all-in" to a 3x raise...he thought about it and decided to fold. He threw in a "white chip" to see my cards and I show (As 10s) He steams. Musta had a pair. Probably shoulda called. I felt kinda bad but like I said...it was kind of cool putting someone else to the test for once.
So here's how key hands went down that evening...as much as I can recall anyway.
Hand #1: On the button (Jc 10s) call BB ($50) Flop comes (Jh-8s-3d) I bet pot-sized bet to round of checking...I win the first pot I play wahoo!
Hand #2: I'm holding pocket Jacks to the right of the button...I chase away limpers with 3x BB bet except for button who calls. Flop is rainbow (K-7-3) I do pot-sized continuation bet ($600) button calls. We both check the turn and the river which are blanks. The button turns over K-Q offsuit and I lose some chips...d'oh!!! At least I slowed her down with the continuation but I'd rather she had low pocket pair...see Hand #5
Hand #3: On the button I have Ad-Qd and player under the gun raises 3x BB and he gets call from player to his left and me. Flop comes (10-Q-10) all checks to me and I bet the pot (~$1200)...after all I have top pair with Ace kicker. The player under the gun folds and I get a call from player #4. We check turn and river. Player #4 has pocket Kings...do'h..I donkey off more chips.
Hand #4: With the low chip stack and the BB I get (As-10s)...player under the gun folds then next player raises to $600, I make note of his chip stack (I gots more)...everyone else folds...back to me. I think for exactly 3 seconds and then go all in. As he sighs and stares me down I try to look uninterested...lol...he angrily folds and throws white chip in. I show my As-10s and he slams his cards down in disgust...oh well...I win some more chips.
Hand#5 : The very next hand I try to ride the rush..."DUMB"...I pick up pocket 7's on the button. All players fold except for 1 player who raises 3x BB...more folding to me and I notice I have more chips than the raiser (and he's the one who got me with Cowboys) so I go over the top "All-In" I say and he immediately calls...to reveal pocket Jacks d'oh!!!! This makes Mr Tilty from Hand #4 extremely happy as if his revenge will be exercised through another player's hand. Rags come on the flop and the turn is yet another Jack making my hand dead. I lose most of my chips. (I'm down to $650 with blinds @ $100-200)...as if to get the greatest amount of pleasure from my loss, Mr Tilty counts out the chips I owe to player who turned trip Jacks.
Hand #6: The very next hand I pick up pocket Aces so I act tilty and go all in after a few limpers...then they all muck...no play for me...I take the blinds and a few of the limpers chips...that's ok, blinds are gettin' bigger.
Over the next round I actually pick up good cards, pocket Queens, Kings, AQ a few times, AJ suited. I raise with them but get no action. Hand over your blinds!!! My stack is actually increasing.
Final hand: With a low stack I try to make a play with As-Qc,...I go all in for about $2300. Thankfully, I get one caller who must have thought I was bluffing. She has (Jh-10d)...I'm ahead but then I say "I fear that J-10 will be the end of I me..." and sure enough the flop comes (7-8-9) in friggin' order...I smell a mechanic...ha ha just kidding. Oh well...it was a blast.
Overall, I feel like I did well except for the all in w/pocket sevens..I know now that Eugene (pocket Kings) will bet only if he has a premium hand and Odessa will call a medium raise with face cards...and that Aaron (Mr. Tilty) will get pretty steamed when he lays down the best hand. Well, who wouldn't?
Even though I didn't get into the money it was a really fun experience and hope to play at least one live game a week. I really want to get better at live tournaments and get away from the online garbage play.
That's it for now...more soon.
I did just that the other night when, in the BB I re-raised "all-in" to a 3x raise...he thought about it and decided to fold. He threw in a "white chip" to see my cards and I show (As 10s) He steams. Musta had a pair. Probably shoulda called. I felt kinda bad but like I said...it was kind of cool putting someone else to the test for once.
So here's how key hands went down that evening...as much as I can recall anyway.
Hand #1: On the button (Jc 10s) call BB ($50) Flop comes (Jh-8s-3d) I bet pot-sized bet to round of checking...I win the first pot I play wahoo!
Hand #2: I'm holding pocket Jacks to the right of the button...I chase away limpers with 3x BB bet except for button who calls. Flop is rainbow (K-7-3) I do pot-sized continuation bet ($600) button calls. We both check the turn and the river which are blanks. The button turns over K-Q offsuit and I lose some chips...d'oh!!! At least I slowed her down with the continuation but I'd rather she had low pocket pair...see Hand #5
Hand #3: On the button I have Ad-Qd and player under the gun raises 3x BB and he gets call from player to his left and me. Flop comes (10-Q-10) all checks to me and I bet the pot (~$1200)...after all I have top pair with Ace kicker. The player under the gun folds and I get a call from player #4. We check turn and river. Player #4 has pocket Kings...do'h..I donkey off more chips.
Hand #4: With the low chip stack and the BB I get (As-10s)...player under the gun folds then next player raises to $600, I make note of his chip stack (I gots more)...everyone else folds...back to me. I think for exactly 3 seconds and then go all in. As he sighs and stares me down I try to look uninterested...lol...he angrily folds and throws white chip in. I show my As-10s and he slams his cards down in disgust...oh well...I win some more chips.
Hand#5 : The very next hand I try to ride the rush..."DUMB"...I pick up pocket 7's on the button. All players fold except for 1 player who raises 3x BB...more folding to me and I notice I have more chips than the raiser (and he's the one who got me with Cowboys) so I go over the top "All-In" I say and he immediately calls...to reveal pocket Jacks d'oh!!!! This makes Mr Tilty from Hand #4 extremely happy as if his revenge will be exercised through another player's hand. Rags come on the flop and the turn is yet another Jack making my hand dead. I lose most of my chips. (I'm down to $650 with blinds @ $100-200)...as if to get the greatest amount of pleasure from my loss, Mr Tilty counts out the chips I owe to player who turned trip Jacks.
Hand #6: The very next hand I pick up pocket Aces so I act tilty and go all in after a few limpers...then they all muck...no play for me...I take the blinds and a few of the limpers chips...that's ok, blinds are gettin' bigger.
Over the next round I actually pick up good cards, pocket Queens, Kings, AQ a few times, AJ suited. I raise with them but get no action. Hand over your blinds!!! My stack is actually increasing.
Final hand: With a low stack I try to make a play with As-Qc,...I go all in for about $2300. Thankfully, I get one caller who must have thought I was bluffing. She has (Jh-10d)...I'm ahead but then I say "I fear that J-10 will be the end of I me..." and sure enough the flop comes (7-8-9) in friggin' order...I smell a mechanic...ha ha just kidding. Oh well...it was a blast.
Overall, I feel like I did well except for the all in w/pocket sevens..I know now that Eugene (pocket Kings) will bet only if he has a premium hand and Odessa will call a medium raise with face cards...and that Aaron (Mr. Tilty) will get pretty steamed when he lays down the best hand. Well, who wouldn't?
Even though I didn't get into the money it was a really fun experience and hope to play at least one live game a week. I really want to get better at live tournaments and get away from the online garbage play.
That's it for now...more soon.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Online Poker
There's always some assclown on FullTilt who likes to get a significant chip lead and then go all-in every hand...what a Donk.
Online poker is getting old...I need live gameage.
Online poker is getting old...I need live gameage.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Inaugural Post
Even though I have a poker blog on PageFlakes, I thought I'd start one here to get a little more exposure. There's probably a million other poker blogs floating around cyberspace but I am hoping to incorporate stories, events and insight that will reach out to the modest poker community I am connected to.
More soon.
"Hellraiser"
More soon.
"Hellraiser"
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