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Well, my rebuy tournament didn't go as I planned. It went so poorly, in fact, that I can recap it in only a few sentences. Basically, I caught a brutal table draw of good players and add in 3 wild card players who redefined the term loose and it became a terror zone. Any pot entered was likely to become a decision for my stack after one of the wild guys tripled up and then subsequently doubled up again. He politely donated back to a few strong players around me but I had dreck to look at. He then busted me twice in quick order when I got it in with A,J against his 8,8 (8s played well for him in the time I was there) and then when I had As10s against his A4 off. An ace flopped for both of us and gave me a four flush to the nuts. Unfortunately, he turned a non-spade 4 to best me again and that was that. Barely played any hands, didn't make it out of the 3rd level, even with 2 rebuys.
Moving on to a more successful tale, I have run well in cash games for a couple weeks and had hands hold up in big pots. K,K in multi way action and no ace hit the board, a set faded a straight draw, top pairs have been good for small/medium pots. Only time I can remember even throwing a moderately bad beat on a guy was when I had K,J and the flop came K, 8, 4. I bet at it the whole way and the board threw a J on the river for me, which was enough to best a guy's 4, 8 two pair flop.
One hand that I lost for a decent amount is one that I question if there is any way to avoid losing the amount I did. I'll put it out there and see what everyone thinks. Preflop, I raised to $10 and was called by 2 players when I held AhQh. The flop came with an ace and one heart. I felt I was likely ahead and had just accumulated a few big pots so decided to mix up my play since my opponents were both playing a bit tight. I checked-called the flop for $15 with one of the players dropping out. Turn brought me the nut flush draw to go with my aces. I check-raised a $20 bet to $60 and was then set all in by my opponent for an additional $65 or so, an opponent who, again, was playing tight previously. I called and she had flopped a set of 7s. Now, I don't think that there probably would have been any way I could avoid doubling her up (I missed my flush on the river) since I'm not going anywhere on the flop or the turn unless she raises me out of the pot (likely on the flop) for some reason, but I have been running through various scenarios that might have allowed me to perhaps make a big laydown. I'm not saying that I believe that I could have or should have done it, as I had her easily covered at the time but am just speculating and wondering if there is any way that hand could have played out to allow me to scram.
Any thoughts?
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Controlling Pot Size
As the title of this post suggests, I have been focusing on the aspect of controlling pot size, be it trying to play small ball or trying to maximize winning hands. I noticed that I tended to always make a continuation bet post flop after raising preflop and on the occasions that I missed the flop entirely, that is, almost all the time, I was getting myself into situations where the size of the pot was making decisions for me about my play, rather than my holding or my read of the situation and opponent. Basically speaking, I was forcing myself to play hands by creating bigger pots, whether or not I was ahead or behind, and in doing so, was systematically whittling my stack in the event of a no-draw/bluff only type of situation. Now, I am not saying that I am not a believer in making continuation bets, only that I realized that I was doing it systematically, as if by rote and as with any mechanical, repetitive type of play, it becomes obvious to opponents what is happening and they adjust and react. So in talking with a friend about my play, he suggested trying to control pots with check/calls and check/raises to mix things up, to make the 3-bet or 4-bet preflop to weed out speculative hands when playing from ahead and go back to playing a more fundamental game from position. He also suggested that in the rebuy tournaments that I play often, in trying to trap a lot more with the big pairs early on, as the structure is such that the starting stack size can get committed to a pot awfully quickly early on. In essence, using that to my advantage, as opposed to seeing it as a hindrance. The same with trying to play small ball and keeping pots reasonable when flopping something like middle pair or a decent draw.
In any event, I am playing one of these tourneys tonight and will report back on how it goes.
In any event, I am playing one of these tourneys tonight and will report back on how it goes.
Monday, February 9, 2009
The Four Aces
I should have won, no doubt. The cards ran me down in the way that I always dream they will, in the way that I always complain that others always luck into, but never me, unlike every other card player in the known universe. The way that always leaves me assuredly stating that "if I had gotten run over like that, I would have won too."
But I didn't.
How good was it for me? Really good. Really, really good. I got pocket aces four times in the span of four and a half hours. And regardless of what else may have happened the rest of the night, that should be enough.
But it wasn't.
A brief description: forty-some person home tournament, 30 minute levels, two rebuys available. I won the first hand of the night opening standard 3x from mid-position with king high and getting no takers. A harbinger, perhaps? Just two hands later I look down at my first pleasant surprise of the night, A,A. Unfortunately, it gets folded to me in late position. I again make a standard 3x raise, certain that at the very least one of the blinds will look me up this early on.
But they don't.
And I again sweep only the blinds. This early on, it didn't really bother me too much. Sure, I always want action, lots of action, lots of big action, with aces but with everyone at the same stack and generally just settling into the tournament, it was easy enough to take it in stride and move on to the next hand.
And sure enough not twenty minutes later, still in the first 30 minute level, I look down again at A,A. This time, under the gun limps for 50, second to act also limps and third to act, I raise to 200. The button and the BB both call, as do the two early position limpers. Five to the flop, we see 8, 9, J with two spades. The BB checks, the initial limper bets 250 and the guy next to him calls. At this point, with 1500 in the pot and about 1250 in my stack, a standard raise could price in any and all draws and leave me pot-committed regardless of the turn card. So I put it all in, knowing that if someone has a made hand like Q,10 I can just rebuy and not really be shortstacked, as we're still at 25/50. But it gets folded around to the guy next to me, who chews on a call for a minute or two before finally pitching his hand and I drag a decent pot.
I win a few more before I run into some bad luck, when I raise preflop and my A,J hits a J high flop and I bet at it, get one caller and then shove for about 1100 when the turn brings a rag and again get a call. The caller turns over 9,7 for a pair of 9s (second pair on the flop) and I'm in great shape until the river brings a 7 to felt me. Arg. Rebuy.
I tilt a little and right away shove my stack in when I connect (perhaps middle pair, don't remember specifically) on the first flop post-rebuy. Luckily, no one calls and I remember feeling happy that no one did and recognizing that I had gotten away with an awful play. But winning that hand did settle me down a bit. It went a bit choppy afterward, as I again lost a good-sized pot to a river card but then immediately doubled back up when I lucked into a set with pocket 3s against pocket Ks.
I hover for a level or so and then the big guns come back. A,A on the button at the 300/600 level. Juicy, right? Well, not so much when everyone folds to me, I raise and the blinds (one of which was the chip leader) fold as well. Sweep the blinds, not insignificant, but unlike the earlier fold to my raise, at this point in the tournament, a big pot could indeed propel me to a cushy position, as there are only about 15 players remaining, so not being able to capitalize with them stings.
So not long after, I incredulously stare down at yet another A,A, this time from early position. Under the gun folds, I again raise, this time varying my raise a little, perhaps worried that I am tipping my hands, so I make it an even 2000 to go (still 300/600). No one takes my raise variation as a read of a middle pair or a weak ace and again, it gets folded to me and now I just am dazed. Four times with aces and no flops on three of them? Ouch.
My daze continues when the very next hand I see 9,9 and limp from under the gun, as the button is on a very good, aggressive player. And it folds to him and he shoves. I call, as his range is very big here but he has AcQc and he turns a queen to win a very big pot. I have him covered but now I'm a short stack and the blinds are moving to 400/800 momentarily. I shove shortly thereafter and lose but rebuy again in hopes that perhaps, just perhaps, I can pick up A,A one more time and get back in it.
But I don't.
But I didn't.
How good was it for me? Really good. Really, really good. I got pocket aces four times in the span of four and a half hours. And regardless of what else may have happened the rest of the night, that should be enough.
But it wasn't.
A brief description: forty-some person home tournament, 30 minute levels, two rebuys available. I won the first hand of the night opening standard 3x from mid-position with king high and getting no takers. A harbinger, perhaps? Just two hands later I look down at my first pleasant surprise of the night, A,A. Unfortunately, it gets folded to me in late position. I again make a standard 3x raise, certain that at the very least one of the blinds will look me up this early on.
But they don't.
And I again sweep only the blinds. This early on, it didn't really bother me too much. Sure, I always want action, lots of action, lots of big action, with aces but with everyone at the same stack and generally just settling into the tournament, it was easy enough to take it in stride and move on to the next hand.
And sure enough not twenty minutes later, still in the first 30 minute level, I look down again at A,A. This time, under the gun limps for 50, second to act also limps and third to act, I raise to 200. The button and the BB both call, as do the two early position limpers. Five to the flop, we see 8, 9, J with two spades. The BB checks, the initial limper bets 250 and the guy next to him calls. At this point, with 1500 in the pot and about 1250 in my stack, a standard raise could price in any and all draws and leave me pot-committed regardless of the turn card. So I put it all in, knowing that if someone has a made hand like Q,10 I can just rebuy and not really be shortstacked, as we're still at 25/50. But it gets folded around to the guy next to me, who chews on a call for a minute or two before finally pitching his hand and I drag a decent pot.
I win a few more before I run into some bad luck, when I raise preflop and my A,J hits a J high flop and I bet at it, get one caller and then shove for about 1100 when the turn brings a rag and again get a call. The caller turns over 9,7 for a pair of 9s (second pair on the flop) and I'm in great shape until the river brings a 7 to felt me. Arg. Rebuy.
I tilt a little and right away shove my stack in when I connect (perhaps middle pair, don't remember specifically) on the first flop post-rebuy. Luckily, no one calls and I remember feeling happy that no one did and recognizing that I had gotten away with an awful play. But winning that hand did settle me down a bit. It went a bit choppy afterward, as I again lost a good-sized pot to a river card but then immediately doubled back up when I lucked into a set with pocket 3s against pocket Ks.
I hover for a level or so and then the big guns come back. A,A on the button at the 300/600 level. Juicy, right? Well, not so much when everyone folds to me, I raise and the blinds (one of which was the chip leader) fold as well. Sweep the blinds, not insignificant, but unlike the earlier fold to my raise, at this point in the tournament, a big pot could indeed propel me to a cushy position, as there are only about 15 players remaining, so not being able to capitalize with them stings.
So not long after, I incredulously stare down at yet another A,A, this time from early position. Under the gun folds, I again raise, this time varying my raise a little, perhaps worried that I am tipping my hands, so I make it an even 2000 to go (still 300/600). No one takes my raise variation as a read of a middle pair or a weak ace and again, it gets folded to me and now I just am dazed. Four times with aces and no flops on three of them? Ouch.
My daze continues when the very next hand I see 9,9 and limp from under the gun, as the button is on a very good, aggressive player. And it folds to him and he shoves. I call, as his range is very big here but he has AcQc and he turns a queen to win a very big pot. I have him covered but now I'm a short stack and the blinds are moving to 400/800 momentarily. I shove shortly thereafter and lose but rebuy again in hopes that perhaps, just perhaps, I can pick up A,A one more time and get back in it.
But I don't.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Bombs away...
Been playing more frequently the past few weeks, mixing in cash games with home tourneys and generally feel like I'm getting back into step. Of course, I have made a couple of boneheaded plays in each game to go along with some quality moves so I feel like I have come out about even in terms of my overall play.
Here is a key hand to note from one of my cash games (home game, NLHE, 1,2 blinds).
From early position a player raised the $2 BB to $7 and got an early position caller, a mid-position caller and a call from the button. In the BB, I looked down at A,J off and raised it up to $21. Both early position players folded, the mid-position player called and the button folded. Now, I have played with the caller previously and know him to be a very good, smart player. I suspected that his call (both of the $7 and then of the $14) was a speculative one, as he is definitely the type who would have raised the early position raisers with any good holding and absolutely the type who would have come over the top of my reraise with a premium holding. Though out of position, I felt good about my read and all signs told me that I was ahead.
Flop brought out 9,9,x and I continued for $25 into $64. He immediately came over and upped it to $75 and I broke the play down. And here is where I needed to perhaps adjust my thought process a bit and I'll point out why. Having put him on nothing preflop, and based on our past playing history together, I felt he believed he could take the pot away with this raise, even with what I suspected was a nothing hand. He knows me to be a conservative player and figures that this raise will make me go away unless I have a 9. Well, let me out play him this time, is what I thought. So I called the $50, intending to scare him into thinking I had the 9 and was trapping. When an ace hit on the turn, giving me a pair of aces, I led out for $70 and he went into the tank and I thought I had him. My conservative style was paying dividends and he was giving me credit, convinced I had the hand.
Until, that is, he said the following: "I can't believe an ace hit" and my stomach lurched. Why would he worry about an ace? He didn't have an overpair to the board, he would have raised preflop with it. Which could only mean...
...that he has the 9 and is putting me, because of my tight game, because of my call of his $50 raise post-flop, on pocket aces and thinks he just got outdrawn by the ace on the turn. All the while I had him on nothing, because of my preflop read, and I was right, but I never varied my thinking to consider that his nothing may have included that 9. That he was playing off my style and using it against me, that I was the one being trapped. My only hope now was that he would consider himself beaten and fold to my $70 bet and $95 behind it, not wanting to toss $165 at a one-outer if he really had convinced himself I had the bullets.
So I wait for his decision, chagrined at my mistake, and eventually he called with a resigned "I have to see what you have." The river brought a blank and I checked, certain I was beaten and knowing not to put any more into the pot, as he would certainly call, and he checked behind, certain he was beaten, content not to risk any more money against what he felt I must be holding.
Only one of us was correct. And sadly, belatedly, it was me.
Here is a key hand to note from one of my cash games (home game, NLHE, 1,2 blinds).
From early position a player raised the $2 BB to $7 and got an early position caller, a mid-position caller and a call from the button. In the BB, I looked down at A,J off and raised it up to $21. Both early position players folded, the mid-position player called and the button folded. Now, I have played with the caller previously and know him to be a very good, smart player. I suspected that his call (both of the $7 and then of the $14) was a speculative one, as he is definitely the type who would have raised the early position raisers with any good holding and absolutely the type who would have come over the top of my reraise with a premium holding. Though out of position, I felt good about my read and all signs told me that I was ahead.
Flop brought out 9,9,x and I continued for $25 into $64. He immediately came over and upped it to $75 and I broke the play down. And here is where I needed to perhaps adjust my thought process a bit and I'll point out why. Having put him on nothing preflop, and based on our past playing history together, I felt he believed he could take the pot away with this raise, even with what I suspected was a nothing hand. He knows me to be a conservative player and figures that this raise will make me go away unless I have a 9. Well, let me out play him this time, is what I thought. So I called the $50, intending to scare him into thinking I had the 9 and was trapping. When an ace hit on the turn, giving me a pair of aces, I led out for $70 and he went into the tank and I thought I had him. My conservative style was paying dividends and he was giving me credit, convinced I had the hand.
Until, that is, he said the following: "I can't believe an ace hit" and my stomach lurched. Why would he worry about an ace? He didn't have an overpair to the board, he would have raised preflop with it. Which could only mean...
...that he has the 9 and is putting me, because of my tight game, because of my call of his $50 raise post-flop, on pocket aces and thinks he just got outdrawn by the ace on the turn. All the while I had him on nothing, because of my preflop read, and I was right, but I never varied my thinking to consider that his nothing may have included that 9. That he was playing off my style and using it against me, that I was the one being trapped. My only hope now was that he would consider himself beaten and fold to my $70 bet and $95 behind it, not wanting to toss $165 at a one-outer if he really had convinced himself I had the bullets.
So I wait for his decision, chagrined at my mistake, and eventually he called with a resigned "I have to see what you have." The river brought a blank and I checked, certain I was beaten and knowing not to put any more into the pot, as he would certainly call, and he checked behind, certain he was beaten, content not to risk any more money against what he felt I must be holding.
Only one of us was correct. And sadly, belatedly, it was me.
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