My game had picked up over the last couple of weeks resulting in some steady cash game profit and better than before tournament finishes. This resulted in doubling my bankroll in 17 days without major tournament finishes, although I did cash frequently. I am getting respect from the regulars at the Titan cashgame tables and battle my way through tournaments.
One hand I remember playing very bad was the following:
Texas Holdem NL $0.50/$1
Seat 1: ghoom ( $84.50 )
Seat 3: EdmeC ($210.55)
Seat 4: head2head ( $36.15 )
Seat 5: expekt12345123 ($47.95 )
Seat 6: Surfmster ( $18.86 )
Seat 8: hot3het ( $101.55 )
Seat 10: Slaibbiis ( $140.22 )
hot3het posts Small Blind $0.50
Slaibbiis posts Big Blind $1
Dealing cards
Your cards Qc Qh [EdmeC]
ghoom raises $4 <- played very tight
EdmeC calls $4 <- I call in EP
Head2head folds
expekt12345123 folds
Surfmster folds
hot3het folds
Slaibbiis calls $3
Dealing Flop Jd Ts 4h <- I have an overpairSlaibbiis checks
ghoom bets $5 <- Weak bet (1/3 pot) could be AK??
EdmeC raises $15 <- Raise 3x bet
Slaibbiis folds
Ghoom raises $20 <- Shows major strength
EdmeC calls $10 <- Dubious call?
Dealing Turn Jd Ts 4h 7c
Ghoom goes all-in $55.50 <- all-in
EdmeC calls $55.50 <- Why? I do not beat anything except AJ or a bluff
Dealing River Jd Ts 4h 7c 2d
Winner is Ghoom $173.50
EdmeC mucks hand
Basically every play is bad. Not raising for info on the flop even though I expected him to have JJ+. I call the turn all-in, where I should have known I was beat.
Tournaments are ok. Finished 17th in a 10K VIP freeroll with 200 entrants banking $100. Ugly exit though. Shortstack all-in with KT suited. Called qith AQo. Flop came KsTs5d giving me top two pair. Obviously a jacks on the turn give him the nuts straight. I also won a $55 ticket in a rebuy event, which cost me $11. Sub-qualifier for Pokerface 2007 tournament is hosted tonight.
Besides this I find Titan poker being in ugly condition lately. Terrible connection. Response after clicking is terrible with me clicking "Fold" and the host responding 3 seconds later. Sometimes I can not enter cash tables. Yesterday a lot of tournaments were cancelled due to connection problems. When tournaments proceed sometimes the game stalls for a few minutes. Lots of people are complaining. Moreover they no longer offer Neteller for withdrawals. Makes me wonder if I am willing to proceed with Titan, even though I like the the site a lot. Any other people experiencing similar difficulties?
By the end of the month I will post this months accomplishments.
Quote of the Day
Monday, February 26, 2007
Friday, February 23, 2007
Untilted
Since we are approaching the end of the month I want to reflect on the goals I set for this month. Let's start with the bankroll growth. I wanted to have a bankroll of 4K by 28 February. Am I going to make it? I am not quite sure. Since I tilted of half of my bankroll in the first week (stupid me) I made up a lot of ground and can now report a 10% increase of my bankroll compared to the beginning of the month. It is an interesting graph that will be posted on 28 February. So to say, I have 6 more days to make $1,000. Not entirely impossible, but hard, yes.
Did I make 3 final tables in MTT's this month? Yes. However, it were low buy-in or even freeroll tournaments in which I reached places 4, 7 and 5. Besides that I secured some tickets for larger events. Goal for next month will be to finish top 3 in three MTT's.
Did I qualify for a major live event? No. Entered two direct qualifiers and exited early in both.
However, I feel I did improve in my tournament game. I finished top 30 in the now 4,5K gtd (500+ entrants) 5 times over the last two weeks. So I am pleased with that, although I really want to win it. There has been a change of attitude towards finishing barely ITM or finishing at the final table. When I used to aim at top 80, while usually 80 place paid, now final table and even top 3 is the goal, because for the time I spend at a tournament I could have made $50 at one cash table easily. $50 is for places 11-20… A good example was yesterday's tournament when 100 players were left and I found 99 UTG+1. My stack was just below average and when I would have folded I know I would have reached the money. However, I raised, was reraised and simply pushed for a double up and the opponent showed AK and hit a K on the flop. Had I won it I would have been on my way to at least top 30. Had I folded I would have exited with a prize little higher then my $11 buy in. Which is more satisfying?
Cashgames are still the best source of income for developing a decent bankroll. However in February so far at 100NL I get 3,5/100 hands and on 50 NL 25,30/100 hands. Because I played way more hands at 100 NL profit there is bigger. I am still looking to improve my game by watching videos and posting hands and asking for feedback on hands played.
In order to further increase my bankroll before the month has ended I am playing continuing playing cashgames at 100 NL. Furthermore there will be a 10K freeroll at Titan for which only 110 players have entered so far. I am also looking to build up my roll on Absolute. At this site I still find it hard to play, because of the annoying layout and the fact there are only 6-max tables. When I have cleared the bonus or blew the amount of money left on that site I will certainly withdraw the money and/or stop playing immediately. I don't like it a bit. I will probably deposit at Full Tilt, because I heard some nice stories about that site. I am also looking to deposit a decent amount at Pokerstars to play the tournaments there, which are still the most attractive in online Poker. However, first I want to have a big enough bankroll at one site to be playing 200NL. This means at least $6,000 after cashing out the amount to play at another site.
Did I make 3 final tables in MTT's this month? Yes. However, it were low buy-in or even freeroll tournaments in which I reached places 4, 7 and 5. Besides that I secured some tickets for larger events. Goal for next month will be to finish top 3 in three MTT's.
Did I qualify for a major live event? No. Entered two direct qualifiers and exited early in both.
However, I feel I did improve in my tournament game. I finished top 30 in the now 4,5K gtd (500+ entrants) 5 times over the last two weeks. So I am pleased with that, although I really want to win it. There has been a change of attitude towards finishing barely ITM or finishing at the final table. When I used to aim at top 80, while usually 80 place paid, now final table and even top 3 is the goal, because for the time I spend at a tournament I could have made $50 at one cash table easily. $50 is for places 11-20… A good example was yesterday's tournament when 100 players were left and I found 99 UTG+1. My stack was just below average and when I would have folded I know I would have reached the money. However, I raised, was reraised and simply pushed for a double up and the opponent showed AK and hit a K on the flop. Had I won it I would have been on my way to at least top 30. Had I folded I would have exited with a prize little higher then my $11 buy in. Which is more satisfying?
Cashgames are still the best source of income for developing a decent bankroll. However in February so far at 100NL I get 3,5/100 hands and on 50 NL 25,30/100 hands. Because I played way more hands at 100 NL profit there is bigger. I am still looking to improve my game by watching videos and posting hands and asking for feedback on hands played.
In order to further increase my bankroll before the month has ended I am playing continuing playing cashgames at 100 NL. Furthermore there will be a 10K freeroll at Titan for which only 110 players have entered so far. I am also looking to build up my roll on Absolute. At this site I still find it hard to play, because of the annoying layout and the fact there are only 6-max tables. When I have cleared the bonus or blew the amount of money left on that site I will certainly withdraw the money and/or stop playing immediately. I don't like it a bit. I will probably deposit at Full Tilt, because I heard some nice stories about that site. I am also looking to deposit a decent amount at Pokerstars to play the tournaments there, which are still the most attractive in online Poker. However, first I want to have a big enough bankroll at one site to be playing 200NL. This means at least $6,000 after cashing out the amount to play at another site.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Continuation bet
I found an article by Daniel Negreanu on c-bets. It is quite interesting and I added a few hands to point out why a c-bet is not always necessary. Even though I think about 70% of the time you should make a c-bet, even if you missed the flop completely.
There's a myth among No Limit Texas Hold'em players that goes like this: If you raise before the flop, then you must continue to bet on the flop. Yes, in Limit Hold'em you should bet the flop a high percentage of the time if you raised before the flop, regardless of what comes. In No Limit, however, you should be a little more cautious with your continuation bet.
For example, let's say you're in a No Limit tournament, with blinds at $50 to $100. Holding Ac-Ks, you make it $250 to go. The player on the button calls, as does the player in the small blind. The flop comes Qh-10s-9d. The player in the small blind checks. What would you do? Well, if you believe the myth, you'd probably bet about $600. However, that's not the move I'd make.
While you have a nice starting hand, and might even catch a jack for the nuts straight, you have to consider what type of hands your two opponents could
have.
Commonly played hands they might call your raise with include K-J, 10-J, A-Q, 9-9, K-Q, A-10, and 6-6. Most of those hands, with the exception of the sixes, are substantial favorites over yours. If both of your opponents have small pairs, which they probably don't, your continuation bet might work. It's also unlikely that both of your opponents completely missed this coordinated board.
Keep this in mind: Saving bets at the poker table is just as good as earning bets.
Money you don't lose is money that stays in your stack. Making an automatic bet after the flop, in a situation where it's highly likely that one, or both, of your opponents will call, is a play that will lose you money in the long run.
In our example, if you check the flop you give yourself a free chance to catch up — provided the button doesn't bet. By betting, you not only cost yourself money, but also open up the possibility that the small blind could check-raise.
Studying will help
If you've studied your opponents for a while, you'll pick up patterns in their play. At the very least, you'll know what type of hands they play before the flop.
That information will help you decide when it looks safe to make continuation bets.
Let's look at another hand. You raise pre-flop with Qh-Jh, and the player seated next to you calls. The flop is 2s-3s-3c. What you've learned about your opponent is that he wouldn't call your raise with small cards like those, so you feel safe about him not catching any of that flop. You also know that he usually re-raises before the flop when he has a pocket pair.
Preserve your stack Well, he didn't re-raise, so chances are he has a hand like A-Q. If you make a continuation bet in this situation, your success rate on the bluff should be fairly high.
In Limit Hold'em, betting the flop only costs you one unit, but in No Limit, several failed continuation bets will add up to a significant amount of money.
What is to learn is that you should not c-bet all the time. Then it is easy for opponents to set a trap and you loose a bigger amount of money then you wanted to. Situations in which there is no automatic c-bet could be when the board is really dangerous, when being out-of-position, when really tight players call raises, when being OOP and a a lot of players (3+) called the bet, for plain variation in your game, because there is a big draw, etc.
A few examples:
Texas Holdem NL $0.50/1.00
Seat 4: lukcylooser ( $106.10 )
Seat 6: EdmeC ( $115.05 )
lukcylooser posts Small Blind $0.50
EdmeC posts Big Blind $1
Dealing cards
Your cards Ks Ah [EdmeC]
lukcylooser raises $3
EdmeC raises $10 <- I reraise here
lukcylooser calls $7.50 <- He shows strength by calling
Dealing Flop 4d 3c 6h <- Missed the flop
EdmeC checks
lukcylooser checks
Dealing Turn 4d 3c 6h 9c
EdmeC checks
lukcylooser checks
Dealing River 4d 3c 6h 9c 7h
EdmeC checks <- There is no point in betting, since he would have called. Any weaker ace without a pair I would beat here
lukcylooser checks
lukcylooser shows 8s 8h
Winner is lukcylooser $21 <- Minimized the loss
Texas Holdem NL $0.50/$1 Seat 1: Kikamoons ( $81.50 )
Seat 2: EdmeC ( $86.20 )
Seat 4: bebrian ( $18.05 )
Seat 5: kaljasieppo ( $74.40 )
Seat 7: EisAmStiel ( $86.50 )
Seat 9: astonM ( $99.99 )
Seat 10: paitonku ( $64.90 )
EdmeC posts Small Blind $0.50
bebrian posts Big Blind $1
Dealing cards
Your cards Ac Ks [EdmeC]
kaljasieppo folds
EisAmStiel folds
astonM calls $1 <- Very LAG
paitonku folds
Kikamoons calls $1 <- Very LAG
EdmeC raises $3.50
bebrian folds
astonM calls $3
Kikamoons calls $3
Dealing Flop 5s 3s 8c
EdmeC checks <- OOP and missing the flop against very LAG players
astonM bets $6
Kikamoons raises $24
EdmeC folds <- obvious fold after raise and reraise
astonM folds
Winner is Kikamoons $41.75
Texas Holdem NL $0.50/$1
Seat 1: gegoom ( $64.50 )
Seat 3: jmguap ( $36.15 )
Seat 5: jorjo24 ( $47.95 )
Seat 6: Scarfmaster ( $118.86 )
Seat 8: het123het ( $105.55 )
Seat 10: EdmeC ( $140.22 )
gegoom posts Small Blind $0.50
jmguap posts Big Blind $1
Dealing cards
Your cards Qc Qh [EdmeC]
jorjo24 folds
Scarfmaster folds
het123het folds
EdmeC raises $4 <- standard raise without limpers
gegoom calls $3.50
jmguap folds
Dealing Flop Ah Ad Kh <- Probably the worst flop for queens
gegoom checks <- could be slowplay
EdmeC checks
Dealing Turn Ah Ad Kh As
gegoom checks <- more slowplay
EdmeC checks
Dealing River Ah Ad Kh As 5h
gegoom goes All-in $60.50 <- Big bluff, but likely AQ or AK.
EdmeC folds
Winner is gegoom $69.05
Ps. I am going to do a strategy kind of article a bit more regularly. Let me know if you like it and on what topic...
There's a myth among No Limit Texas Hold'em players that goes like this: If you raise before the flop, then you must continue to bet on the flop. Yes, in Limit Hold'em you should bet the flop a high percentage of the time if you raised before the flop, regardless of what comes. In No Limit, however, you should be a little more cautious with your continuation bet.
For example, let's say you're in a No Limit tournament, with blinds at $50 to $100. Holding Ac-Ks, you make it $250 to go. The player on the button calls, as does the player in the small blind. The flop comes Qh-10s-9d. The player in the small blind checks. What would you do? Well, if you believe the myth, you'd probably bet about $600. However, that's not the move I'd make.
While you have a nice starting hand, and might even catch a jack for the nuts straight, you have to consider what type of hands your two opponents could
have.
Commonly played hands they might call your raise with include K-J, 10-J, A-Q, 9-9, K-Q, A-10, and 6-6. Most of those hands, with the exception of the sixes, are substantial favorites over yours. If both of your opponents have small pairs, which they probably don't, your continuation bet might work. It's also unlikely that both of your opponents completely missed this coordinated board.
Keep this in mind: Saving bets at the poker table is just as good as earning bets.
Money you don't lose is money that stays in your stack. Making an automatic bet after the flop, in a situation where it's highly likely that one, or both, of your opponents will call, is a play that will lose you money in the long run.
In our example, if you check the flop you give yourself a free chance to catch up — provided the button doesn't bet. By betting, you not only cost yourself money, but also open up the possibility that the small blind could check-raise.
Studying will help
If you've studied your opponents for a while, you'll pick up patterns in their play. At the very least, you'll know what type of hands they play before the flop.
That information will help you decide when it looks safe to make continuation bets.
Let's look at another hand. You raise pre-flop with Qh-Jh, and the player seated next to you calls. The flop is 2s-3s-3c. What you've learned about your opponent is that he wouldn't call your raise with small cards like those, so you feel safe about him not catching any of that flop. You also know that he usually re-raises before the flop when he has a pocket pair.
Preserve your stack Well, he didn't re-raise, so chances are he has a hand like A-Q. If you make a continuation bet in this situation, your success rate on the bluff should be fairly high.
In Limit Hold'em, betting the flop only costs you one unit, but in No Limit, several failed continuation bets will add up to a significant amount of money.
What is to learn is that you should not c-bet all the time. Then it is easy for opponents to set a trap and you loose a bigger amount of money then you wanted to. Situations in which there is no automatic c-bet could be when the board is really dangerous, when being out-of-position, when really tight players call raises, when being OOP and a a lot of players (3+) called the bet, for plain variation in your game, because there is a big draw, etc.
A few examples:
Texas Holdem NL $0.50/1.00
Seat 4: lukcylooser ( $106.10 )
Seat 6: EdmeC ( $115.05 )
lukcylooser posts Small Blind $0.50
EdmeC posts Big Blind $1
Dealing cards
Your cards Ks Ah [EdmeC]
lukcylooser raises $3
EdmeC raises $10 <- I reraise here
lukcylooser calls $7.50 <- He shows strength by calling
Dealing Flop 4d 3c 6h <- Missed the flop
EdmeC checks
lukcylooser checks
Dealing Turn 4d 3c 6h 9c
EdmeC checks
lukcylooser checks
Dealing River 4d 3c 6h 9c 7h
EdmeC checks <- There is no point in betting, since he would have called. Any weaker ace without a pair I would beat here
lukcylooser checks
lukcylooser shows 8s 8h
Winner is lukcylooser $21 <- Minimized the loss
Texas Holdem NL $0.50/$1 Seat 1: Kikamoons ( $81.50 )
Seat 2: EdmeC ( $86.20 )
Seat 4: bebrian ( $18.05 )
Seat 5: kaljasieppo ( $74.40 )
Seat 7: EisAmStiel ( $86.50 )
Seat 9: astonM ( $99.99 )
Seat 10: paitonku ( $64.90 )
EdmeC posts Small Blind $0.50
bebrian posts Big Blind $1
Dealing cards
Your cards Ac Ks [EdmeC]
kaljasieppo folds
EisAmStiel folds
astonM calls $1 <- Very LAG
paitonku folds
Kikamoons calls $1 <- Very LAG
EdmeC raises $3.50
bebrian folds
astonM calls $3
Kikamoons calls $3
Dealing Flop 5s 3s 8c
EdmeC checks <- OOP and missing the flop against very LAG players
astonM bets $6
Kikamoons raises $24
EdmeC folds <- obvious fold after raise and reraise
astonM folds
Winner is Kikamoons $41.75
Texas Holdem NL $0.50/$1
Seat 1: gegoom ( $64.50 )
Seat 3: jmguap ( $36.15 )
Seat 5: jorjo24 ( $47.95 )
Seat 6: Scarfmaster ( $118.86 )
Seat 8: het123het ( $105.55 )
Seat 10: EdmeC ( $140.22 )
gegoom posts Small Blind $0.50
jmguap posts Big Blind $1
Dealing cards
Your cards Qc Qh [EdmeC]
jorjo24 folds
Scarfmaster folds
het123het folds
EdmeC raises $4 <- standard raise without limpers
gegoom calls $3.50
jmguap folds
Dealing Flop Ah Ad Kh <- Probably the worst flop for queens
gegoom checks <- could be slowplay
EdmeC checks
Dealing Turn Ah Ad Kh As
gegoom checks <- more slowplay
EdmeC checks
Dealing River Ah Ad Kh As 5h
gegoom goes All-in $60.50 <- Big bluff, but likely AQ or AK.
EdmeC folds
Winner is gegoom $69.05
Ps. I am going to do a strategy kind of article a bit more regularly. Let me know if you like it and on what topic...
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Having 600 BB
Yesterday I played quite a bit of hands at 100 NL and I entered one 50 NL table. The latter was really great. I entered this 6 max table because a fish was at work there. Moreover, the fish had 300BB!! I was positioned to his left, so had position on him. I gradually took small chunks of his stack, while he took large chunks out of the other players' stacks, because of the most amazing suck outs and hitting two pair with called raises on 24o, while the other had queens. The same almost happened to me. Almost...
When I had 260BB, compared to his 600BB I found QQ. I made a standard raise to 5xBB from UTG, which he called. He could have had anything. Anything from 23o to AA. That was his range for calling raises. I bet $5 on the flop, which he called, with a flop 294r. Turn came 5, on which I bet $10 and he went all-in. I decided to call. I should have known he had something. However, I convinced myself I had the best hand (top pair??). He showed 95o for two pair. Luck was on my side, when the river gave me a queen for trips :). Ship it. Up to 520BB on a 50NL 6 max table. I increased my stack to 600BB and then I lost $30 when I met higher trips 88 against JJ with a jack and an eight on the flop.
Furthermore I finished 17th out of a 600 player field in the $4500 gtd. I increased my stack with little risk. Had an all-in against a bigstack with A5, while he showed KQ. Last two hands were key, when I called a shortstack all-in with KJ and he showed A7o. All-in stayed in. Had I won the hand the next hand would have been exit, when the chipleader raised and I pushed with pocket cowboys. It ended up a threeway all-in and (as always) an ace saw the flop, when the chipleader showed AK. I made one mistake when I look back at the hands (besides calling the all-in with KJ, although I was the BB and the all-in was three times the BB). I didnt limp/raise with 77. Worse was when a 7 high flop popped up after the fold. Just moving on up!
When I had 260BB, compared to his 600BB I found QQ. I made a standard raise to 5xBB from UTG, which he called. He could have had anything. Anything from 23o to AA. That was his range for calling raises. I bet $5 on the flop, which he called, with a flop 294r. Turn came 5, on which I bet $10 and he went all-in. I decided to call. I should have known he had something. However, I convinced myself I had the best hand (top pair??). He showed 95o for two pair. Luck was on my side, when the river gave me a queen for trips :). Ship it. Up to 520BB on a 50NL 6 max table. I increased my stack to 600BB and then I lost $30 when I met higher trips 88 against JJ with a jack and an eight on the flop.
Furthermore I finished 17th out of a 600 player field in the $4500 gtd. I increased my stack with little risk. Had an all-in against a bigstack with A5, while he showed KQ. Last two hands were key, when I called a shortstack all-in with KJ and he showed A7o. All-in stayed in. Had I won the hand the next hand would have been exit, when the chipleader raised and I pushed with pocket cowboys. It ended up a threeway all-in and (as always) an ace saw the flop, when the chipleader showed AK. I made one mistake when I look back at the hands (besides calling the all-in with KJ, although I was the BB and the all-in was three times the BB). I didnt limp/raise with 77. Worse was when a 7 high flop popped up after the fold. Just moving on up!
Monday, February 19, 2007
No EPT (yet)
I played the Montecarlo and Dortmund EPT satellites this weekend. No luck whatsoever. Starting with the Dortmund satellite on Pacific. 42 players started the freeroll. In the tournament I didnt receive to many good hands. I was down to about 1200 (from 2000) rather quickly. Then I doubled up and expanded my stack to 3000. Just before the first break I found 33 in LP. I was raised by a bigstack and I called. Flop came 245. I checked and he minbetted. I decided to push, because I figured he had AJ+ and I had lots of outs. However he showed KK and no outs for me. Out in 26th place.
In the Montecarlo freeroll ($330 entry) three places were receiving a ticket and top 30 received buyin back. 220 people started the tournament. I won the first hand and that was basically it. Got no hands whatsoever, not even small PP. I got AQo. A shortstack pushed preflop and I called on the button. Found A and a Q, but he had trip jacks. When I was shortstacked I stop pushed with 99 and 3 people called. KQ, AJ and a K came on the river. So that was it for those tournaments.
Besides that I did finish at the final table of a small tournament at pacific. I also cashed in a heads up tournament and won some tickets for bigger events. Furthermore, my cashgames are provding a steday bankroll growth. I have almost restored my bankroll to the amount of the beginning of the month, when I tilted half of it away.
I got no special hands today. However I did add a new link for other pokerblogs 1K to 200K challenge. It's worth checking it out.
Edit: he already deleted his blog. Guess he didnt manage!
Besides that you should download a cardrunners video which is available for free at their site. On the Pokernews.nl site Script posted a video of a $3 rebuy which is fun to watch, for those who understand Dutch.
In the Montecarlo freeroll ($330 entry) three places were receiving a ticket and top 30 received buyin back. 220 people started the tournament. I won the first hand and that was basically it. Got no hands whatsoever, not even small PP. I got AQo. A shortstack pushed preflop and I called on the button. Found A and a Q, but he had trip jacks. When I was shortstacked I stop pushed with 99 and 3 people called. KQ, AJ and a K came on the river. So that was it for those tournaments.
Besides that I did finish at the final table of a small tournament at pacific. I also cashed in a heads up tournament and won some tickets for bigger events. Furthermore, my cashgames are provding a steday bankroll growth. I have almost restored my bankroll to the amount of the beginning of the month, when I tilted half of it away.
I got no special hands today. However I did add a new link for other pokerblogs 1K to 200K challenge. It's worth checking it out.
Edit: he already deleted his blog. Guess he didnt manage!
Besides that you should download a cardrunners video which is available for free at their site. On the Pokernews.nl site Script posted a video of a $3 rebuy which is fun to watch, for those who understand Dutch.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Big hand and set value
Basically the biggest winning hands are played when two or more players have huge hands or a draw to a huge hand. These hands, together with monsters like AA and KK take care of the majority of my poker profit or loss. Because when you loose, you loose big time.
An example was the last hand from the previous post. Another example is the following hand: I get 6c6h in EP. I limp and the following players raises 6xBB (100NL). He was playing tight aggressive. I had a pretty TAG image myself. Two callers and I call as well. I called because now there were three other players in the hand, if it would have folded to me I would have folded as well. Flop comes ThJd6s. Again I hit my trips. Looking at the stacks I had everyone covered and the BB was a shortie with 35BB. BB checks, I check and the initial raiser bets 2/3 pot. He is called by villain 3 and villain 1 (on the BB) moves all-in. I am not too worried about him, since he can only dent my stack, however I think I have him beat, mainly due to other plays he made. So I move over the top all-in for 125BB, just to be sure not to give any of the other players odds to call. Villain 2 I put on AA, KK, QQ, AK. He would not have raised that strong with another hand. Villain 3 is difficult to read, however I am confinced he doesn't have JJ, because he would have reraised the initial raiser. He might have TJ or AK, but find the first unlikely to call a 6xBB preflop raise with and still, I would have him beat. Villain 2 (100BB) uses his entire time bank and folds and says he folded AA. Villain 3 uses his entire time bank and calls (100BB)! Turn comes Tc and the River 3s. He shows TJ for his higher full house and a $280 pot. Villain 1 showed 99. So he called with 2 pair a 100BB raise. I am almost certain I would have folded here, being in his situation. Wonder what you would have done in his situation.
A hand with AA, where I followed my gut feeling. I am in the CO (125BB). 100NL 8 max. 2 limpers, one raiser to 2xBB, one caller and I reraise to 8xBB. I get one caller (villain 1; 62BB). Flop comes QcQsKc. This flop is about as bad as it gets when you have aces. However, he checks and I bet $13, which is 2/3 pot. He cold calls. What can he have here? On a draw or does he have a monster. Turn 8s. He checks and I bet $20, after which he calls again. River is 3d. He goes all-in. What to do. Basically I have to call. His $32 bet is too small and I have good odds. I call and he shows a donk hand J2o. This is a move a lot of players make, they make a "bluff" while their stack is too small to scare me off.
A hand with KK in MP. One limper and two new joiners to the table who post the big blind. They are both to my left and have to act after me. Both are shortstacked with 20BB. After the limper I raise to 5xBB and both new joiners call, the limper and blinds fold. Flop comes 2J2r. $17 in the pot and I just bet potsize, which puts them both all-in. First folds, other calls. Turn and river are rags and he shows……..K2o. I just smiled and posted the blind. He got his stack up to $70 and then lost it again in 3 or 4 hands.
I think the LAG play is sometimes very rewarding. I see some fish have huge stacks and subsequently leaving the table or loosing it all in a dozen hands. I joined a table with a player called "vvvvincent" at Titan. Have to call his name. At 100 NL 8 max his stack was huge, 530BB. Don't know how he got this stack and had not seen him before. Soon a very nice hand came up between him and another player. He betted 5 BB preflop, which he had done in five previous hands as well and one caller. Flop T65. Riase, reraise, call. Turn was a Ten. Bet and call by vvvvincent. River was a 6 and thus paired the board. The caller bet $12 and vvvvincent called. He showed 33!!! Any 6 high hand would have beaten him. When I left the table he had 300BB left of which i took about 80.
My bankroll is growing again. This weekend I will play two EPT qualifiers, Saturday on Pacific for Dortmund and Sunday on Titan for Monte Carlo. The first is a freeroll for one ticket. The second is a tournament for which I qualified and now have a $330 ticket.
An example was the last hand from the previous post. Another example is the following hand: I get 6c6h in EP. I limp and the following players raises 6xBB (100NL). He was playing tight aggressive. I had a pretty TAG image myself. Two callers and I call as well. I called because now there were three other players in the hand, if it would have folded to me I would have folded as well. Flop comes ThJd6s. Again I hit my trips. Looking at the stacks I had everyone covered and the BB was a shortie with 35BB. BB checks, I check and the initial raiser bets 2/3 pot. He is called by villain 3 and villain 1 (on the BB) moves all-in. I am not too worried about him, since he can only dent my stack, however I think I have him beat, mainly due to other plays he made. So I move over the top all-in for 125BB, just to be sure not to give any of the other players odds to call. Villain 2 I put on AA, KK, QQ, AK. He would not have raised that strong with another hand. Villain 3 is difficult to read, however I am confinced he doesn't have JJ, because he would have reraised the initial raiser. He might have TJ or AK, but find the first unlikely to call a 6xBB preflop raise with and still, I would have him beat. Villain 2 (100BB) uses his entire time bank and folds and says he folded AA. Villain 3 uses his entire time bank and calls (100BB)! Turn comes Tc and the River 3s. He shows TJ for his higher full house and a $280 pot. Villain 1 showed 99. So he called with 2 pair a 100BB raise. I am almost certain I would have folded here, being in his situation. Wonder what you would have done in his situation.
A hand with AA, where I followed my gut feeling. I am in the CO (125BB). 100NL 8 max. 2 limpers, one raiser to 2xBB, one caller and I reraise to 8xBB. I get one caller (villain 1; 62BB). Flop comes QcQsKc. This flop is about as bad as it gets when you have aces. However, he checks and I bet $13, which is 2/3 pot. He cold calls. What can he have here? On a draw or does he have a monster. Turn 8s. He checks and I bet $20, after which he calls again. River is 3d. He goes all-in. What to do. Basically I have to call. His $32 bet is too small and I have good odds. I call and he shows a donk hand J2o. This is a move a lot of players make, they make a "bluff" while their stack is too small to scare me off.
A hand with KK in MP. One limper and two new joiners to the table who post the big blind. They are both to my left and have to act after me. Both are shortstacked with 20BB. After the limper I raise to 5xBB and both new joiners call, the limper and blinds fold. Flop comes 2J2r. $17 in the pot and I just bet potsize, which puts them both all-in. First folds, other calls. Turn and river are rags and he shows……..K2o. I just smiled and posted the blind. He got his stack up to $70 and then lost it again in 3 or 4 hands.
I think the LAG play is sometimes very rewarding. I see some fish have huge stacks and subsequently leaving the table or loosing it all in a dozen hands. I joined a table with a player called "vvvvincent" at Titan. Have to call his name. At 100 NL 8 max his stack was huge, 530BB. Don't know how he got this stack and had not seen him before. Soon a very nice hand came up between him and another player. He betted 5 BB preflop, which he had done in five previous hands as well and one caller. Flop T65. Riase, reraise, call. Turn was a Ten. Bet and call by vvvvincent. River was a 6 and thus paired the board. The caller bet $12 and vvvvincent called. He showed 33!!! Any 6 high hand would have beaten him. When I left the table he had 300BB left of which i took about 80.
My bankroll is growing again. This weekend I will play two EPT qualifiers, Saturday on Pacific for Dortmund and Sunday on Titan for Monte Carlo. The first is a freeroll for one ticket. The second is a tournament for which I qualified and now have a $330 ticket.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Multi table tournaments are getting better
My results at MTTs are slowly increasing. I know better when to call, raise, push and fold and see opportunities for chips better than I previously did. After the 4th place in the $4,000 gtd at Titan last Thursday I added a 7th place in a 500+ field in the $5,000 VIP freeroll. Besides that I won a ticket in for the stage 1 qualifier for the Montecarlo event. Having invested $6,60 at stage 3 qualifier I now have a $330 ticket for Sunday's qualifier for this EPT.
I also won a ticket for the $30,000 gtd, $100+$10, but got a very bad beat in that tournament last Sunday. Nope, no aces cracked, much worse. The field of 350 was down already to about 130, with top 30 ITM. My stack was average. On the Button I get TT. Four limpers and I decide to limp with blinds 100/200 and my stack at 4,800. I could have raised, but I get more value out of this if I hit trips. Flop came JhTh6s, and I am looking at trips on a drawie board. I have position, so I am good. Four people check and the player that had to act before me went all-in with a similar stack as mine. I figured, luck is at my side, since only jacks beat me here. I call and all the others fold. He showed AhJd, making me a 93,1% favourite. Now he needs two cards to beat me and guess what, he made a runner runner flush. It would have been a great step to a top finish with twice the average. Too bad. I think this qualifies as a bad beat.
These sub-qualifiers and qualifiers for bigger buyin events are suiting me fine. It usually costs me 10%-33% of the normal ticket price to win a bigger ticket, which I like. Competition is not too good and I find my MTT skills increasing.
I think these qualifiers for bigger events should be approached differently than normal MTTs. Top 5-15 earn tickets and so the game really starts to slow down at some point. It takes a special approach, which I can deal with rather well. Usually some players are really short stacked, these players delay the game and either push or fold. Knowing when to push or fold and from which position is obviously vital for survival. At the final stage blinds are enormous, compared to stack sizes. Many players have an M of less than 5 and only a few between 5 and 10. During the Montecarlo qualifier I had a stack of 4,500 and blinds were 1K/2K. The SB decided to push, while he only had a 3,2K stack. I had A9s, which was an insta-call and I busted him. However, I did have some room to manoeuvre. Had I lost the hand my stack would have been 1,3K and I would have survived the SB. Blind levels were going up in a minute or so, and it would take another orbit for me to see blinds again (Titan uses no antes). With only one player having to get busted before I won a ticket this would’ve been a call with any marginal hand. Of the 11 players left, 3 or 4 would have had an M of less than 1, so I had to call.
This tournament was the example of never to give up. I was down to a mere 700 chips, with 75/150 blinds and averages of 5500 and still about 40 players left and I made a comeback. You ain't dead until you lost your last chip.
Finally, one hand I found rather amusing, although I ended up not winning, nor loosing, is the following. Stacks are not exactly correct, but the hand is. 100NL, 8 max. I am in EP (stack $95) and get dealt 77. UTG limps, I limp and someone raises 4xBB. Three callers including myself. Flop comes 237r. I am first to decide and check. Player 2 goes all-in (stack $35). Player 3 goes all-in (stack $30), Player 4 goes all-in (stack $70). I think wtf??? What is happening, it must be my lucky day with the nuts on the flop. I call. Turn 9, River K. Player 2 shows 66 (?), player 3 (the initial raiser) shows KK for trips on the river, player 4 shows QQ. I end up winning about $10 because of the differences in stack size.
I also won a ticket for the $30,000 gtd, $100+$10, but got a very bad beat in that tournament last Sunday. Nope, no aces cracked, much worse. The field of 350 was down already to about 130, with top 30 ITM. My stack was average. On the Button I get TT. Four limpers and I decide to limp with blinds 100/200 and my stack at 4,800. I could have raised, but I get more value out of this if I hit trips. Flop came JhTh6s, and I am looking at trips on a drawie board. I have position, so I am good. Four people check and the player that had to act before me went all-in with a similar stack as mine. I figured, luck is at my side, since only jacks beat me here. I call and all the others fold. He showed AhJd, making me a 93,1% favourite. Now he needs two cards to beat me and guess what, he made a runner runner flush. It would have been a great step to a top finish with twice the average. Too bad. I think this qualifies as a bad beat.
These sub-qualifiers and qualifiers for bigger buyin events are suiting me fine. It usually costs me 10%-33% of the normal ticket price to win a bigger ticket, which I like. Competition is not too good and I find my MTT skills increasing.
I think these qualifiers for bigger events should be approached differently than normal MTTs. Top 5-15 earn tickets and so the game really starts to slow down at some point. It takes a special approach, which I can deal with rather well. Usually some players are really short stacked, these players delay the game and either push or fold. Knowing when to push or fold and from which position is obviously vital for survival. At the final stage blinds are enormous, compared to stack sizes. Many players have an M of less than 5 and only a few between 5 and 10. During the Montecarlo qualifier I had a stack of 4,500 and blinds were 1K/2K. The SB decided to push, while he only had a 3,2K stack. I had A9s, which was an insta-call and I busted him. However, I did have some room to manoeuvre. Had I lost the hand my stack would have been 1,3K and I would have survived the SB. Blind levels were going up in a minute or so, and it would take another orbit for me to see blinds again (Titan uses no antes). With only one player having to get busted before I won a ticket this would’ve been a call with any marginal hand. Of the 11 players left, 3 or 4 would have had an M of less than 1, so I had to call.
This tournament was the example of never to give up. I was down to a mere 700 chips, with 75/150 blinds and averages of 5500 and still about 40 players left and I made a comeback. You ain't dead until you lost your last chip.
Finally, one hand I found rather amusing, although I ended up not winning, nor loosing, is the following. Stacks are not exactly correct, but the hand is. 100NL, 8 max. I am in EP (stack $95) and get dealt 77. UTG limps, I limp and someone raises 4xBB. Three callers including myself. Flop comes 237r. I am first to decide and check. Player 2 goes all-in (stack $35). Player 3 goes all-in (stack $30), Player 4 goes all-in (stack $70). I think wtf??? What is happening, it must be my lucky day with the nuts on the flop. I call. Turn 9, River K. Player 2 shows 66 (?), player 3 (the initial raiser) shows KK for trips on the river, player 4 shows QQ. I end up winning about $10 because of the differences in stack size.
Friday, February 9, 2007
Back on track?
Just a small update. Day before yesterday I played 50 NL on Absolute. I played well, but still made a little loss. Lost two buyins early on. Once my kings got busted by acces and my queens by trip tens.
Yesterday I played some 100NL on Titan and won one buyin. I also played the 4000GTD at Titan and finished 4th out of 530. Finally a good MTT. I was really happy about my game. I folded at the correct moments and played the good cards very well.
The first hand of the tournament was a nice one. I found AJ in the SB and decided to limp with two limpers already. Flop came QT6r. I decided to make a $60 bet to see where I stand. Two folders and one player raised me to 120. I decided to call. I know, the odds are bad and I should not bother betting into a draw, however, the implied odds were huge and with the small blinds I could take a shot. Turn was my lucky king, completing my straight. And the semi-bluff turned into the nuts where we did go all-in on the turn with him having QT for two pairs on the flop. So first hand double up.
From then on I played pretty tight. I tripled before the first break with AA. After that I just stole some blinds and saw my stack grow bit by bit. I made a few good laydowns when being shortstacked. I had a flushdraw on the flop when someone put me all-in and I didnt call. Luckily, because no other hearts came up. I decided not to bet with 88 in a raised pot, where the other one showed KK. I went all-in with AQs, AKs which were called and I was favourite and won each time. Stole some blinds with marginal hands like K3o and A4o. I really do not like to steal with crap hands like 83o. When you do get called you most likely are beat. It took a long time before the final table was reached. I was continuously average. I defended my big blinds with success, while the stacks behind me were short.
At the final table in the first couple of hands three players got busted. Always the big stack winning rivering the needed ace when the other was all-in with kings and he hit two pair with QT when the other went all-in with the pocket rockets. I busted the 5th placed player. The shortstack when we were down to 4 got really aggressive and doubled up by hitting 2nd pair on the turn when being all-in on the flop with K5 on a AK3 board and the big stack had the A. Really the story of the dominating hand always ended up on the losing end. I had to make a move while I was shortstacked with another player and found 77. Went all-in with my 70K stack and 10K BB. Got called by Q8 from the big stack and an 8 hit on the flop. Good tournament where only the last hand I got a small bad beat (55% favourite) in which basically was a coinflip situation. Finally some good news. Hope to be back on the way up. Prize was about $280.
Yesterday I played some 100NL on Titan and won one buyin. I also played the 4000GTD at Titan and finished 4th out of 530. Finally a good MTT. I was really happy about my game. I folded at the correct moments and played the good cards very well.
The first hand of the tournament was a nice one. I found AJ in the SB and decided to limp with two limpers already. Flop came QT6r. I decided to make a $60 bet to see where I stand. Two folders and one player raised me to 120. I decided to call. I know, the odds are bad and I should not bother betting into a draw, however, the implied odds were huge and with the small blinds I could take a shot. Turn was my lucky king, completing my straight. And the semi-bluff turned into the nuts where we did go all-in on the turn with him having QT for two pairs on the flop. So first hand double up.
From then on I played pretty tight. I tripled before the first break with AA. After that I just stole some blinds and saw my stack grow bit by bit. I made a few good laydowns when being shortstacked. I had a flushdraw on the flop when someone put me all-in and I didnt call. Luckily, because no other hearts came up. I decided not to bet with 88 in a raised pot, where the other one showed KK. I went all-in with AQs, AKs which were called and I was favourite and won each time. Stole some blinds with marginal hands like K3o and A4o. I really do not like to steal with crap hands like 83o. When you do get called you most likely are beat. It took a long time before the final table was reached. I was continuously average. I defended my big blinds with success, while the stacks behind me were short.
At the final table in the first couple of hands three players got busted. Always the big stack winning rivering the needed ace when the other was all-in with kings and he hit two pair with QT when the other went all-in with the pocket rockets. I busted the 5th placed player. The shortstack when we were down to 4 got really aggressive and doubled up by hitting 2nd pair on the turn when being all-in on the flop with K5 on a AK3 board and the big stack had the A. Really the story of the dominating hand always ended up on the losing end. I had to make a move while I was shortstacked with another player and found 77. Went all-in with my 70K stack and 10K BB. Got called by Q8 from the big stack and an 8 hit on the flop. Good tournament where only the last hand I got a small bad beat (55% favourite) in which basically was a coinflip situation. Finally some good news. Hope to be back on the way up. Prize was about $280.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Catching up
I am embarassed. I just did not stick to my rules and started playing at higher levels than my bankroll could handle. By the end of January my bankroll at Absolute dropped from $750 to $250. On Titan though I was at $1000 at 25 January and back up to $1900 by 2 February. However, over the weekend, I blew half of my bankroll on Titan. I played some 200 NL and even 400 NL. The latter I was doing pretty well untill the last hand where I had to make a bluff and blew $300 or so.
Good back to basics. I will grind my way back up at 50 NL and will only switch to 100 NL when my bankroll at a site reaches $2,500! I am slightly embarassed but I have to pick up on my confidence. Yesterday I managed to grind $200 at Absolute and finished ITM at a $4,000 GTD tournament at Titan. The only hand I really hit was a threeway all-in on the flop where I had hit trip 5s. Was in the top 10 for the first hour and got dream cards. AK, KK and QQ in a row, but no one called my 3xBB raises. After that, completely card dead and finished 50-something.
I managed to double my bankroll on Pacific from $150 to $300 and got sufficient points to enter the EPT qualifier, which will be held on 17 February.
On the other hand my money on Pokerstars is gone, again. I simply can not win at that site. Don't know what it is...
You will understand the goals I stated at the start of the month are somewhat ambitious. I would be happy now to end the month with even the slightest of profits. I am hoping to score in the Titan freerolls ($2.500, $5.000 and $10.000). Now you have to buyin (with points) into these tournaments, so turn out will likely be lower then before. Hope to score some money there. The points should not be a problem, since I have well over 100K. The weekends will be free this month, so more time to play than last month. Wish me luck!
Good back to basics. I will grind my way back up at 50 NL and will only switch to 100 NL when my bankroll at a site reaches $2,500! I am slightly embarassed but I have to pick up on my confidence. Yesterday I managed to grind $200 at Absolute and finished ITM at a $4,000 GTD tournament at Titan. The only hand I really hit was a threeway all-in on the flop where I had hit trip 5s. Was in the top 10 for the first hour and got dream cards. AK, KK and QQ in a row, but no one called my 3xBB raises. After that, completely card dead and finished 50-something.
I managed to double my bankroll on Pacific from $150 to $300 and got sufficient points to enter the EPT qualifier, which will be held on 17 February.
On the other hand my money on Pokerstars is gone, again. I simply can not win at that site. Don't know what it is...
You will understand the goals I stated at the start of the month are somewhat ambitious. I would be happy now to end the month with even the slightest of profits. I am hoping to score in the Titan freerolls ($2.500, $5.000 and $10.000). Now you have to buyin (with points) into these tournaments, so turn out will likely be lower then before. Hope to score some money there. The points should not be a problem, since I have well over 100K. The weekends will be free this month, so more time to play than last month. Wish me luck!
Thursday, February 1, 2007
January round up
January has been a hectic month pokerwise. After a lightning start half way through the month my bankroll soared to 2,6K. I was excited about the progress and took a shot at 100 NL and even 200 NL. Then I suffered a number of bad beats. Not the standard, oops my aces got all-in preflop and got cracked bad beats, but donks going all-in with nothing against trips and making runner runner straights and flushes. My stack went down to 2K, where I had started the month with a little less then 1,7K.
At $2000 I cashed $1,000 from Titan and put the largest part of it in Absolute poker. I got a bonus of $750 and 30% rakeback. However, after a good start on Absolute, I got some beats. I walked into quads three times in two days with my high end fullhouse. For example full house kings over 8s, when the villain showed quad 8s. I can not remember walking into a hand like that since I started out in November. So my stack at Absolute dropped from $750 to $611 at the moment. I put some money in Pacific and Pokerstars, where my stacks are marginally down. On Titan Poker my stack is back up from $1,000 to $1,650 in five days. I switched to 100 NL 4-tabling on Titan. I still play 50 NL on Absolute and Pacific and use my stack on Pokerstars for tournaments and the Pokernews Cup. Below is a graph of the month of January. As soon as my Pokeroffice is updated I will give you the stats. My current bankroll is $2,550. This means I did achieve my bankroll goal for January. However I would like to show a more steady growth, without the big dips that are showing.
Goals for February are the following:
• Increase bankroll from $2,550 to $4,000.
• Qualify for major tournaments such as $250,000 at Titan and Sunday Million at stars.
• Get sufficient point on Pacific to play the EPT Dortmund freeroll.
• Become more proficient in MTT's so I reach at least 3 final tables in February.
• Qualify for live tournaments.
To reach the latter two I am most likely signing up at Cardrunners to get some advice on how to play. They show good instruction videos. Furthermore I am continuously looking to enter live tournaments (and the qualifiers).
Finally, pocket Aces! I love those. By far my most profitable hand. Moreover, because I play them in multiple ways and am not afraid to make a laydown when I think I am beat. Two ways I played them yesterday.
First the slowplay/ smoothcall. Here the hand can not be detected preflop, which is the strength and the weakness of the hand. 100 NL 6 max. UTG I get AA. I limp. Other player limps and the cutt-off raises to 6xBB. This is an unusually large raise, however, I call and the other limper folds. Flop comes 88J. I check, He raises, I reraise and he goes all-in, which I call. Why do I call this? What has me beat here? JJ, J8 and any hand with an 8. I think he most likely has a single J with high kicker or QQ or KK, maybe 9T. I think the unusually high preflop raise is bet to disguise the weakness of the hand, instead of aiming to get callers into a strong hand. In the end he shows QJ with no help on the board. It is obviously foolish to go all-in with TPHK, but who am I to care.
Second hand with Aces is more or less standard. I am not really very TAG. You can't be at 6 max, but I am not loose either. So I raise UTG 4xBB with pocket rockets and get two callers. I am happy to hit an extra ace on the flop which comes Js, As, 8c. I check here and that player to my left leads out with ¾ pot bet. One player folds and I decide to call. I do this because I want his stack and am willing to risk the flush draw. Turn is 8s! Now there is a flush draw and I have a full house. He bets ¾ pot and I call again. River is 4s, with 4 spades on the board I hope he has a spade. So I reckon I can make a pretend bluff by going all-in. He calls and shows AhJc. Not even a spade but still handing me the pot.
Obviously aces are sometimes against me as well. I get AsJs in EP and lead out with a 4xBB bet. One caller and a raiser raises to 14BB. I call. This is definitely a stupid move, since the player was reasonably tight. However, luck seems to be at my side and the flop is J high with rags, but a flush draw. I check and he bets pot size, and I minraise him. He calls. Turn is rag and I bet again and he calls. River is also a rag and I check and he bets. I call and he shows aces.
Going on and aiming for a good month.
At $2000 I cashed $1,000 from Titan and put the largest part of it in Absolute poker. I got a bonus of $750 and 30% rakeback. However, after a good start on Absolute, I got some beats. I walked into quads three times in two days with my high end fullhouse. For example full house kings over 8s, when the villain showed quad 8s. I can not remember walking into a hand like that since I started out in November. So my stack at Absolute dropped from $750 to $611 at the moment. I put some money in Pacific and Pokerstars, where my stacks are marginally down. On Titan Poker my stack is back up from $1,000 to $1,650 in five days. I switched to 100 NL 4-tabling on Titan. I still play 50 NL on Absolute and Pacific and use my stack on Pokerstars for tournaments and the Pokernews Cup. Below is a graph of the month of January. As soon as my Pokeroffice is updated I will give you the stats. My current bankroll is $2,550. This means I did achieve my bankroll goal for January. However I would like to show a more steady growth, without the big dips that are showing.
Goals for February are the following:
• Increase bankroll from $2,550 to $4,000.
• Qualify for major tournaments such as $250,000 at Titan and Sunday Million at stars.
• Get sufficient point on Pacific to play the EPT Dortmund freeroll.
• Become more proficient in MTT's so I reach at least 3 final tables in February.
• Qualify for live tournaments.
To reach the latter two I am most likely signing up at Cardrunners to get some advice on how to play. They show good instruction videos. Furthermore I am continuously looking to enter live tournaments (and the qualifiers).
Finally, pocket Aces! I love those. By far my most profitable hand. Moreover, because I play them in multiple ways and am not afraid to make a laydown when I think I am beat. Two ways I played them yesterday.
First the slowplay/ smoothcall. Here the hand can not be detected preflop, which is the strength and the weakness of the hand. 100 NL 6 max. UTG I get AA. I limp. Other player limps and the cutt-off raises to 6xBB. This is an unusually large raise, however, I call and the other limper folds. Flop comes 88J. I check, He raises, I reraise and he goes all-in, which I call. Why do I call this? What has me beat here? JJ, J8 and any hand with an 8. I think he most likely has a single J with high kicker or QQ or KK, maybe 9T. I think the unusually high preflop raise is bet to disguise the weakness of the hand, instead of aiming to get callers into a strong hand. In the end he shows QJ with no help on the board. It is obviously foolish to go all-in with TPHK, but who am I to care.
Second hand with Aces is more or less standard. I am not really very TAG. You can't be at 6 max, but I am not loose either. So I raise UTG 4xBB with pocket rockets and get two callers. I am happy to hit an extra ace on the flop which comes Js, As, 8c. I check here and that player to my left leads out with ¾ pot bet. One player folds and I decide to call. I do this because I want his stack and am willing to risk the flush draw. Turn is 8s! Now there is a flush draw and I have a full house. He bets ¾ pot and I call again. River is 4s, with 4 spades on the board I hope he has a spade. So I reckon I can make a pretend bluff by going all-in. He calls and shows AhJc. Not even a spade but still handing me the pot.
Obviously aces are sometimes against me as well. I get AsJs in EP and lead out with a 4xBB bet. One caller and a raiser raises to 14BB. I call. This is definitely a stupid move, since the player was reasonably tight. However, luck seems to be at my side and the flop is J high with rags, but a flush draw. I check and he bets pot size, and I minraise him. He calls. Turn is rag and I bet again and he calls. River is also a rag and I check and he bets. I call and he shows aces.
Going on and aiming for a good month.
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