Okay, so today is Labor Day and I made the mistake of trying to last minute satellite into the big Labor Day 200k event. The formats were REDONKULOUS 300 and 100 starting chips with blinds of 15/30 in 3 minute rounds. I was rivered with crazy suckouts in two satellites in a row- lost 12 bucks- and called it quits. Meanwhile I had joined the 15k 1 dollar event and was sucked out on there too. I decided that big Labor Day special events could collectively fuck off.
Next I rocked a single table 5.50 SNG and took first. Go team!
I took a little break to setup the blog- dinner was almost ready- and now am in an 18 seat SNG also at 5.50. I am currently 5th in chips with 13 people left to go. From here on out I will update on that tourney and get you up to date on my current poker theory and plans for improvement.
Pocket Kings in early position- 4x raise, stole the blinds. Limped with KQ suited and took down the pot when I hit the king. Limped with QJ suited and took down the pot when I hit the J. Folded KJoff in early because- well, people are probably getting sick of my shit. None of those hands showed down.
My poker environment is TERRIBLE about half the time. I live with Truth, who is awesome at everything except not pissing me off with bad hip hop, and another guy who we will call The Big Dumb Loud One for the sake of accuracy. The Big Dumb Loud One likes to blare the TV, yell into his computer’s microphone while playing online games, and generally do a terrible job of not shutting the fuck up- ever. He is a friend from the olden days and we love him deeply- it’s the only reason I haven’t chopped him up and fed him to the garbage disposal yet. His two famous moves are to come home- Truth and I usually have some music playing and are talking while playing poker- and turn on the TV to the most insanely distracting and IQ damaging crap in the world. He often amplifies the murderous assault on our attention spans by channel surfing. Can you imaging the cacophony generated by flipping between Rock of Love, Charm School, and Ghost Huners UK? Seriously, wtf. Anyway, once the TV is blaring really good he will either go to his computer, thus ignoring the TV, or fall asleep. In both cases he will claim he is still invested in the TV show- yes, even while sleeping.
I mention this because I managed to slowly reduce the volume and get the TV to mute a minute ago after he passed out.
Poker update. Was in 5 of 10th with 2kish in chips and I donked off half my stack calling a guy when I had a flush draw. This was a total break in discipline and my Achilles Heel right now. I can offer a lot of excuses for why I did it- but none of them make it okay.
Stole the blinds and a limper with 55 when I bet 5x. Now in 9 of 9 at the final table with an M of around 7. 4 pay slots.
So, I was floundering a little with the poker until a few days ago. I knew my game was not what it needed to be. I wasn’t really sure how to improve or where to look. I could certainly read more, I was seeing lots of hands, but nothing was motivating or guiding me. I did a few searches for good online sources and came up empty.
Then I found the Poker Wannabe blog by Columbo. Link here:
http://pokerwannabe.blogspot.com
It sounded believable-
JJ on the button- here we go.
Many limpers- all in to make a 2x the pot raise- all folds… 8 of 9 now.
Once I had decided that Poker Wannabe sounded okay- I went to the start of the archive so I could read it in the narrative format. Wow, this is awesome. At the start of the blog I think he had had less success than me- but was technically more proficient player. MANY of his frustrations (at the time of writing) match my frustrations today. We will talk more about this as I read forward.
Folding KJ off in early position.
7 of 9 somehow.
8 of 8 with JJ in the big blind now. Two limpers- 5x raise. One caller. Flop had an over card- small probe bet- called- turn gave me an opened ended straight but two over cards… no bet- checked. River is a nothing- I make another small bet like I am trying to get a little something since he clearly is a checker… he calls- he hit second pair on the flop. 330 chips now. Blinds are 60/120
Chip and a chair guys- fingers crossed.
If I go out I will blame the donk call earlier. I could have given up the JJ with one over card or gone all in to play that hand better… not sure I had enough chips to chase him out. Oh well.
Blinds 80/160 and I fold Q8off.
All in with 88 from early. Doubled up against A3suited.
580 now in the big blind.
Called from the little blind with J8 off. Flop came all little cards. And I pushed all in. He folded.
Pocket Aces from mid- decided to slow play them. I will explain this strategy later. Second to last guy went all in over me so the decision was taken out of my hands. AA held up against AJsuited.
6 of 8 with an M of 7ish. 1880 chips.
Slow playing aces from the grave: When your stack gets so low that doubling up won’t get you out of last place I believe the potential of maximizing potential profit- while accepting greater risk- by slow playing aces is worthwhile. It’s awkward but nobody has sold me that it is wrong yet. At this situation in a tourney you need a miracle- this is how to get one.
Big blind with 23off. Little blind calls, flop is over cards- he checks I bet he folds.
6 of 7 now.
Need to pee something fierce.
The Big Dumb Loud One is groaning in his sleep on the couch, but it’s better than the TV.
Fold city right now- there is either aggression or no cards.
The Big Dumb Loud One just woke up and turned the volume back up. Even though he has been asleep for 40 minutes he won’t go to bed. At least its Band of Brothers instead of some VH1 reality show.
My vision is turning yellow from the urine.
Folded through position with Q8off and aggression and 35off without- I just don’t have chips to fuck around with a pure bluff.
Truth is all in in another tourney and he paid off a small stack when AK didn’t hold up to a set of 3s.
I am out in 7th. I thought I had enough chips to “play” 33 from latish position rather than push all in. One caller. Board is Q22. I bet half my stack- effectively committing. He goes over me- I call because… why not… and he turns over KQ. Turn river is JJ and I am out.
I might have folded the 33 but for my need to piss. Not sure if that caused a crack in the discipline or if it was the right move but made too weak or what.
BRB.
Okay, single table SNG 5.50 buy in.
Truth is rocking. 13th of 233 with a starting group of 589… GO COWBOY!
First hand is 63off. Fold from 2nd position.
76off under the gun.
A3suited in BB. One limper, 2.5x raise from hijack, button calls, I call, limper calls. I hit the 3 and make a small bet. Everyone but the button goes away. We check it to the river which completes a flush, I check, he makes a SMALL bet and I call. He had nothing. I take down a decent pot.
I am in first. Woo hoo. I call 26off in the small blind with one limper- board is 355.
I have to give it up after the flop.
QK off on the button. Min raise from UTG, one caller, I call, LB folds, BBfolds. Flop is JQK. Original raiser makes a min raise, limper reraises pot sized, I go all in and immediately regret it. I am thinking of AT or A or T drawing. There were also two diamonds out there. Everyone goes away but reraiser who thinks then folds. Whew.
AK suited from mid- 5x raise- reraise all in from a guy who has only folded. I call for half my stack. Board is KTJ58 and I take it down.
Now I have a big lead and AKoff in the BB. Two are out.
Three limpers- 5x raise. One caller- board is AA5. I check, he checks, turn is a Q. I start thinking of all the Ax suckouts I could face and make a small bet- he folds.
Called a small raise from late position with A8suited but had to give it up after missing the flop and getting action in front of me.
The Big Loud Dumb One is now eating chips or something on the couch with crunching and a rattling bag and channel surfing. I will need to go back to headphones in a minute. Truth is on break, The Big Loud Dumb One is exercising his not shutting the fuck up skills.
T4off in the BB. 3 people out. I’ve got 3930 chips, there is a guy with 3100, and a 2560. Then guys at starting or less… BB folded after flop, little blind limped then folded.
Called a 3x raise from UTG from the button with 88. I’d been pushing a lot so some cheap weak play with hidden cards is okay I think. I had reraise this guy out the hand before too btw. Flop was T high and he made a weak raise- I could have reraised with some confidence but decided to call instead- again with “giving them a break” and putting down whatever frustrations I created. I called micro raises to the river and his A9 hit a nine on the river- if I had bet back at any point he probably would have folded his nothing. I lost maybe 400 chips- but hopefully what it did for my image will help.
That guy guys all in preflop next hand.
Called an early position min raise from the BB with 9Toff, folded SB preflop to a raise.
The guy who I paid off now has more chips than me.
Raise with K8off from button and take blinds.
I talk about being chip leader and minor changes in relative stack sizes- but I am not motivated by them I just think it makes good TV. He is all in again and stealing blinds. He shows JJ.
I limp from UTG with KTsuited. Flop is 787 with two of my suit- all under cards. I call a pot sized pet against my better judgement. He bets the turn which was a blank… another pot sized. I think he has nothing but am going to let it go. I constantly have to remind myself that my job is not to be the hall monitor. I didn’t have a ton of chips out- I had nothing- he could have had a set or full house or even a pair with only one street to save me- why chase a flush?
I get a walk in the BB and then fold my SB.
I am in 2 of 6.
All in guy is at 3445
Then there are 1650, 1980, me at 3080, 2075, and 590.
Pays 3 places but only first pays well.
Folding K8suited UTG.
83suited in BB Calling min raise.
One of my suite- overcards- check then fold.
Why do I call min raises with poop cards from the big blind? Pot odds. I am getting 4-to-1 or better when I do it. Unless I need the fold equity or have super poop I make this call.
Limp from SB, bet the missed flop, and take the pot.
3x raise with KJoff from button- take blinds.
Fold 52 off… more folding.
The other person in our house is The Cute Helpful One. She is just staying for the summer and I just had her play my game so I could use the bathroom. While I was gone she limped with JJ UTG- then checked it down to win after the flop had over cards. I came back just as AA got walked in the BB (WTF!) and then, three hands later- AA UTG- small raise and I steal the blinds- dang it.
Called min raise from BB with J2. Flop was 299. I am with the All In Guy and I check thinking I might reraise but he raises pot size and I decide to get out.
A mid stack busted another mid stack and now I am third in chips.
Q5 in LB and I limp- we check to the turn where I get an open ended straight and a small bet wins it.
Min raise from mid with T9 suited and All In Guy goes all in. I let the timer fold for me to punish him for being a douche.
Limp from UTG with KJoff. Board is 236, BB checks, I bet and take the pot.
98off in BB and get walked.
88 in LB. Micro stack goes all in- I reraise for protection- and pocket 8s hold up.
All In Guy takes out bubble guy (calls all in with A9 to beat AQ).
He raises my blind, I have K4. Flop is Kblankblank all diamdons and he goes all in. I decide not to gamble my tourney on top pair and give it to him.
Q8 in the LB and he limps in- I hit two pair- he goes all in- I call and crack his ass.
Big lead now. 6900 for me, 3325, and All In Guy at 2955.
Just need to grind them against one another now.
Folding A3 when All In Guy goes all in- no need to gamble.
I find people tend to get real antsy post bubble in the 9 man SNGs. Real easy to let people knock one another out.
Also, with such a high hand concentration you get a lot of player habit reads. We now have “hoping to fold into second” guy and All In Guy. Just waiting for All In Guy to push on a hand I can call with.
Shit. My own advice. I called with A8off. He had AQ. I made the T high straight to win but it was wrong.
10595 to 2805 chips.
And its done.
He ran top pair into my top two pair after the turn. Woot!
Truth status- 33 out of 105 left. 54 pay slots. M of20.
I am either 3 for 3 or 4 for 4 with 9 seat SNGs today. First each time.
2 table SNG.
AKoff in the second hand- everyone limps- I raise 7x from mid. One caller. Flop is 25T. I bet half the pot- he goes all in. I fold and he shows AK. Dang it- right play though I think.
I try to limp with JT suited. I get raised and am rattled and call. I hit the J but there is a Q on the board. A guy bets, I call, the turn is nothing and he bets again. I decide I want him to be lying and push all in. He calls and shows KQ. My stack is now 1/6th starting.
Sometimes I hate me.
I struggle with it.
Truth just clapped and got animated- I hope it means things are going well but I am too into the self pity to find out right now.
I feel it is appropriate to punish myself for bad play- this isn’t AIMLESS self pity but purposeful.
K6 in BB. I will fold to any bet now.
LB limps- I check, I hit my king- time to hope. He had KT and I am out.
Fucking tilting.
The Big Dumb Loud one is eating ice cream at his computer while the TV blares.
Truth update: 23rd of 93. Blinds are 150/300 with 25 ante- he has 13800. Go cowboy.
I am signed up for a 3 table now. I will lock this up.
The Cute Helpful One wants to take the blame for my loss because while I was deciding to fold the AK to the all in she said “get rid of it” but it was the right play regardless.
The Big Dumb Loud One is back at the TV and I am pretty sure the ice cream is mine. It’s like living with an animal. A yeti. An Italian yeti. I should start calling him Yetio.
I am trying to shake off that poor play donkey loss. Truth just farted and didn’t tell me. Guess how I found out? Fucker. I am going to shit in his laptop bag.
Just watched Truth raise from late position with A5suited… I like to limp with these and hope to crush with monsters. Now he has an all in reraise and had to fold.
The Big Dumb Loud One has changed it to Coyote Ugly. Time for the headphones.
First all in clash at my table puts JJ against AKoff. JJ holds up. I have yet to play a hand. I go into BB next. Second blind for me. K5 off- fold to 3x raise. 35suited is LB. Flop has 2 of my suit- I bet the pot- 3 to act. Two callers. Turn is a blank. Last to act guy takes a stab- we all call. River is a blank. The two guys in that hand with me had hit top and second pair- both pairs higher than my top card.
1/3 my chips are gone- I’ve hit nothing.
54suited from the button- will certainly fold and wait now.
21 of 24 but M is still good at 13 or so.
QQ from cutoff
Guy bet 4x. I reraise 3x that. He goes all in- of course I will call now. He has AJ.
QQ holds up. I am healthy again.
Time to lock it up.
Fold KJoff from mid.
Flop is KJ9. Shit.
5 of 24 now though so I cannot complain.
Minor straight danger on board.
Third pair takes the pot- fucker! :)
I will get his money later.
Okay The Big Dumb Loud One commits to Band of Brothers- I remove headphones and let my classical Pandora station play quietly- we agree it is not a conflict. Band of Brothers is tolerable and I prefer not to wear my headphones.
I call two limpers in the BB with A9suited. I hit the 9 and one of my suit. I call a pot sized raise- not sure why. Turn is a blank. 9 was bottom pair off flop. Turn was a deuce. He is first to act. I should have let it go- we check it down and he hit the Q.
I bet 3x from the SB with TT. I steal the BB.
Lock it up Ninja. Lock it up.
Truth status: 28th of 68- pays 54. He says the field is tight. I ask if he means tightly packed chip stacks or playing tight. He says both. I ask how he is playing and he says “pretty tight, a few liberties with positional play, but not much.”
The Big Dumb Loud One is now channel hopping to Coyote Ugly even though I asked if he was committed to Band of Brothers and he said yes. Grrrr…. Oh wait, now we have reality shows. Motherfucker.
Back to headphones. I make a semi bluff move I like. KQ from UTG and I min raise. This usually scares people enough to fold or limp so I can see a flop with a potential monster hand- a big bet will more often win the blinds but risks more chips and is more likely to induce the over the top reraise. It worked- isolating the big blind. I hit the K and he made a small bet- I reraised- he called- we checked it down and I won. He had played 98 and was bluffing and then making a donkey call- probably to show me he wasn’t my bitch. But then, who just paid my rent? WHATS UP NOW FUCKER?
Limp with Q4 in the LB- fold to post flop raise.
77 from the button. One limper- 3x raise. Small stack goes all in for 30 over me- limper reraises to 600 which puts him all in. I have to call now and 77 holds up against A8 suited and QJsuited (same suit) and I bust them both- fuck yeah! Lucky, but I think it was solid. The board dropped 2 more of that suit too. Dang!
I am in 2 of 19 now with 3325 chips- first is to my right with 4280- average is 2131. My M is 30ish.
Truth just went all in preflop with AK vs AQ and the AQ flushed leaving him with less than the ante- 2 people from the bubble. His no choice all in is with 2 5. He hits two pair and triples up. They are hand for hand and he is out of the blinds. He is slow folding every hand hoping to make it pass the bubble.
Some volatility in the game has me down to 5th without playing a hand.
Truth is in the money and is calling all in with K5suited. He hit pocket aces. His 10 buck buy in made him 18 bucks with the two knockouts. Go Truth!
Folding KJoff from mid.
Truth has tempted me into joining him in a 2.25 deep stack, slow format big game. I late reg in 390th or so. I will just play tight while I focus on small game until its done.
Pocket jacks wins a couple of chips in big game- I try to call a min raise post flop in small game with a gutshot straight but somebody later goes all in and I fold.
Puts me in 8 of 16.
87 limp from small blind- give it up post flop.
Guy who pushed in on the last hand raises 2x when I have 66 on the button- I reraise 3x his raise. While I contemplate my error he folds.
Good cards in big game are keeping me from auto piloting it. Danger to watch two.
AKoff on the button in big game. Min raise from hijack- big reraise from me- BB calls- raiser calls. Board is 849suited. I have none of that suit. The check- I make a small bet- one goes away- one calls. Turn and river are both blanks- I keep firing like I am building value- he keeps calling like I am the donkey. He turns over 66- I was the donkey.
Plenty healthy thanks to the minor wins before that.
4 of 15 in small game.
Irked with myself for signing up for big game, but I can’t resist the temptation of those huge prize pools.
Small game I make a 3x raise from late mid with QTsuited and get away with it.
Chip leader is 3 to my left with 3x my chips. What a dick. No microstacks at our table.
FUUUCK
Small game update.
KT in little blind- see it cheap. Flop is JQK. Top pair and open ended. I bet pot and he reraises. 3x. I call- turn is a blank. He goes all in and I call- leaving myself with 700 chips. He had flopped the dummy end. River is a blank. I am crippled. I go all in AT vs. JJ and lose- I am out 13th. I want to cry- I get so mad at myself. Fuck.
That is twice today I’ve been fucked calling an all in wanting a draw. I fall into the trap of feeling due- I have to hit them sometimes… Note to self: No you don’t have to hit them sometimes- you can miss them all fucking day.
363 of 432 in big game- time to focus there and recover.
Truth is rocking AA at his table. Donkey called massive raises to crack AA with Q3. I feel bad for Truth. I would be steaming.
Feeling frustrated so its HARD to fold AToff from third position. Flop is T high and somebody goes all in. Not sure how I feel about it.
We have a live game here tomorrow- our first- and I try to engage Truth in chat about it but he is too busy fuming.
Meanwhile I scoop the BB with a small bluff after we limp to the turn.
Was AFK a few minutes while Truth watched my game. I am at less than half the starting stack. I couldn’t hit the floor with my hole cards- let alone a flop.
M is still over 10 though.
5x raise from hijack with one limper- have AToff- scoop.
Blinds are now 50/100 and I’ve got 1670 chips before I pay my big blind… which I just paid with 37suited. Button raises me out. SB and 9Jsuited now. Folded to a 4x. Maybe too tight…
KJ on the button- call 3x from same guy as last time.
I hit the J for TP and he bets half the pot- I reraise 3x- scoop.
Still only 2/3 the starting stack.
The Big Dumb Loud One is again OFF the Band of Brothers and on a reality prank show. Headphones… Truth goes to bed angry now.
247 of 280- 54 places pay… If I lose this and quit I am still up 15% for the day I think.
Okay, ace high flush and I am 170 over the starting stack. Folding K4suited in the LB to a small raise.
M is 20 and its time to put things right.
Q7suited in hijack might make move if it folds to me.
5x raise- scoop.
Rockets from mid. No action before me- 4x raise. Scoop. WTF?
Wannabe talks about always raising the same to disguise his play. I like to raise semi-randomly but I’ve had big pairs dodged a lot today so… maybe I need to change my ways.
The guy to my left just had his AA get KK all in but KK four flushed to win it.
198 of 261 and ROCKETS AGAIN
Oh my.
In big blind.
ANOTHER FUCKING WALK!!!!!!!! Dude.
AK off in LB.
Two limpers- 5x raise.
They all fold. Seriously??
Folding KJoff from early.
Oh, I limped A2suited a minute ago and got no love- checked to the river- guy flopped middle pair.
The Big Dumb Loud One is cracking up on the couch to what is basically teenager America’s Funniest Home Videos. My headphones are not loud enough to drown it out.
Oh wait- system volume was not maxed- this helps.
The classical music thing is a new thing for me. I don’t hate any of it- unlike some of the other stations I’ve made and it’s mostly pretty good and makes me feel smart. I’ve certainly been playing better- mostly.
I am in 7 of 9 at my table. M is still 20. 187 of 238 overall.
Are you fucking serious? He has Band of Brothers back on. If he were smarter I would swear he does it on purpose.
Folding T7off in the BB to a 4x raise from the button.
96off in the LB. And I just donked off a third of my chips.
Fuck me.
Flop on 96 limp from SB was Q3T. We check. Turn is 6 of hearts- three was of heartds too. I make a pot size bet- he calls. River is a 5 of hearts- I check he bets pot and I call figuring the steal… he had J2 off. He called a pot sized bet with one street to go.
Next hand I get K9suited one limper ahead- I raise 5 or 6x everyone folds but the limper who calls. I flop top pair on a rainbow board. I bet, he reraises me all in- I call- he turns over AKoff. I hit a set on the turn. I am health(er) again.
173 of 225.
Blinds are now 80/160. My M is 15 or so with 3940 chips.
KJoff in the BB. Early position 3x raise- threel callers- I call too. I hit the J on an all diamond board, my king is a diamond. I push all in- roughly a pot size raise. One caller. He shows down T4 of a different suit- I hit my flush for overkill.
97 of 208 now with 6690 chips- average is 8004.
Fold K9suited UTG.
TT takes out QQ when he four flushes. The QQ guy says “I guess it’s the night for the underdogs” but he was the guy who’s T4 I cracked a minute before.
I call a 4x raise from the LB with T9suited- and have to give it up. Shame on me.
I do not have a good metric for when to gamble on those suited connectors turning into crushing monstrous beasts.
3x raise from cutoff with KJoff- scoop.
Blinds are 100/200 now- my M is 21. Gotta stay disciplined.
I am playing looser than I’d like even though its mostly tight. I guess the solid periodic aggression is protecting me.
Folding 79suited in BB to 3x raise from table captain.
Break in one minute. I am ready for that. Been at it for 6 hours now.
I try to limp with Q5 in the SB but BB raises 4x to drive me and the other limper out.
Folding k4suited late and now on break.
The Big Dumb Loud One is now watching Tool Academy but actively pointing the remote at the TV.
KT off in hijack after break- action folded to me and I threw in a lightening min raise- I’ve found sometimes people aren’t back in time and you can steal a round- as it happens I got one caller- flop was all super low- I bet 60% of the pot and scoop.
100 of 176. M = 23 Chip leader is at 5 or 6x my stack.
QTsuited in BB, LB limps, I raise 3x- he folds.
AKoff in LB. Blinds went up and antes started. One limper- 3x raise- everyone folds.
M is now 12. and I am in 95 of 166. Everyone lower than 120 has an M of less than 10.
89suited from mid- fold.
It is my experience that once antes kick in there is a period of hyper aggressive moves and lots of folding- chaos. I will avoid marginal hands for a bit- it will hurt my position but I will still be here after.
Two all-ins on a made flush board- AKhigh wins it. See what I mean? Note; they were drawing towards the same flush- guy who won would have had the better flush.
23off in the BB and I get a walk- awesome.
Breaking my rules- limping with Q7off from LB- I had odds though with one limper. As it gave me 5 to 1.
AQsuited from the button- min raise under the gun. I just call. Raise came from prefious table captain. Flop is 234. He checks, I make a small bet, he calls. Turn is a Q. He bets ¾ the pot or so- I reraise now with top pair and straight draw- he calls- river is a K and we both check- I take it down. He had AJ and hit 4 to the flush on the turn.
I am now slightly over the average stack in 63 of 153. 3x raise from mid with KJsuited. BB calls. Flop is 456 with a heart- he goes all in. I am not willing to call his obvious bluff.
Prolly a middle pair of some kind. Back under average but ahead of mid field. This tourney is top heavy- the big guns are using their chips as bludgeons.
Folding K7off UTG.
K7off in the BB. Guy who all-in’d on me thinks then folds. I check with two limpers. Board is 88Q, check, check, bet, fold.
AQ in the SB. Button makes a slightly less than 3x raise- I call, BB folds. Board is 69J turn is a T, I make a min bet- he folds.
Folding 95suited from button.
60 of 143 but less than average stack. Top 20 must be heavy as I am now only 1/3 of the chip leader.
Folding QTsuited in mid.
Guy to my right is in 11th with 27k chips to my 10885 in 63rd.
Big Dumb Loud One is in the fridge- I hear crackling. That means he is in my food since I know he has none. I was wrong- apologies are due he had cheese.
Folding A4off from early.
T4suited UTG- fold.
Blinds are now 150/300 with 25 ante. This means 650 per round. M = 16
25suited in the BB. One limper- I check. Board is a made flush but gives me an open ended straight- I check even though I should test him- he goes all in- I fold. He was at 20% of my stack and likely to be looking for his spot. I am okay with getting out.
Limp from SB with KT off- hit my T and most of a straight. Small bet- scoop.
61 of 133- still under average.
Just noticed I am 3rd at the table with 11185 though. Captain has 26k now, His Lt. Has 19k. Then me, then a 10.5 then a couple of 9ks then some guys in trouble.
Small stack firing away at pots and getting away with it.
I fold 84off from mid.
Blinds go up to 200/400 and antes stay the same.
J5suited, Q6off, 56suited- I fold.
Small stack gets caught bluffing and makes a very disciplined lay down. He is left with 2k again. All his ill gotten gains lost.
Fold 95off from the BB, get 26suited in the SB- I limp with two limpers ahead of me- flop is 7AA with the 7 of my suit, turn is a Q, I make a min bet just to see. HOLY SHIT I TAKE IT DOWN.
56 of 121- still under starting stack- fold 83, Q5s, off.
Accidentally drank my last Diet Coke without filling the fridge- this is something that would really piss me off if I wasn’t the guilty party. I am thirsty and hot and suffering, but will find a way to make it through. I threw some in at break they will just be warm. I am sweating- I would swear the house is 80degrees but I also know I get all weird physiologically during games. I have socks on and my feet are freezing- that tells me its me not the room.
3x raise from earlish with AQ based on tight table- scoop.
The Big Dumb Loud One just turned off the TV! The ear buds come out! I fold 34off from the BB to a 3x+ raise.
47s in the SB and I limp- we check to the river and I lose to A high.
Blinds went up and I’ve got AKoff in the hijack.
Small raise UTG- I put him all in because he is small- his 22 hold up to fuck me. God damn it.
Now my M is 3ish. Shit.
Okay, so, what went wrong- I decided to gamble for a knock out and a 50% chip bonus with AKoff. The guy indicated something strong but not huge- it was easy to guess a pair in which case I would NEVER make that move. I just made it thoughtlessly. Anything else and I was okay with what I did. So, I should have though, called or made a smaller raise. Hell, he might have folded to a smaller raise knowing he could get pushed off his 22. God damn my eyes.
And I am out 98th. QTsuited in the big blind- 3x raise from early. I decide to call it thinking I am not too much worse if I have to give that up than I am now. Board is all small with two of my suit. I push all in with the last of my equity- he calls me with A8off. My flush does not complete.
All that work and I fall apart in two hands.
I was just reading Wannabe talk about this problem the other day. Maintaining discipline. 90% of the chips are lost in 10% of the time. I feel a DEEP sense of shame right now- I was striking distance from the money and I gave up all my chips. I think my push in the final hand was fine- I had strong draws and 2 overs and he NEVER should have made that call. But the hand before was totally 100% my fault. I put myself in position to be knocked out because I got sloppy.
I should now go to bed- 100% no excuse to keep playing. I am 1 buy-in above where I started today. Who wants to take bets on what I do?
Okay 3 table SNG. I am a sucker. Hopefully just TO play- not while playing.
6 of 19- M is 25ish
Tried to limp with A3s but got pushed out.
KQs in BB had to call a raise- missed the flop- 2 flush cards- we check- third flush card- he checks- small bet- he reraises I fold.
AK in the button- same guy raising preflop again. Reraise him 4xish. He goes all in- I call- we chop. Little fucker. I will watch him closely now.
7 of 18 now
54s in mid- fold
KQsuited in position 2- 4x raise- scoop.
I am scooping WAY more tonight than normal.
97off on the button- fold
66 limp from hijack- board is 29A, everyone checks, I bet pot- scoop.
Nothing has changed but I am cold now.
QJ from early- folding
Called a midraise that had one caller behind it from the BB with J8 off and hit a set of jacks to take about 1k.
Then called a 3x raise from the LB with AToff- and missed the flop. Pair of 6s out there- guy who bets takes it. Sigh.
4 of 16 now.
3x raise from the button with Q9 off- two callers- hit the 9, SB checks, BB bets, I reraise, and everyone folds.
3 of 16 now.
Lock it up Ninja. Deep breaths. Play solid.
QQ in mid. Shoot. 4x raise. SB calls, BB goes all in for another 2x, I call, SB calls. Flop has an Ace- we check it down and I take a big pot and bust a guy. They had JJ and KQ.
2 of 15 now.
Sorry, too much excitement there- gotta rein it in.
These cards are great but it means I can’t sit back- KK UTG. 4x raise again- scoop… Bittersweet.
A2off in the BB. Flop is KJQ, I fold to a not quite pot sized bet. T never comes. They are all in- AJ wins it.
3x with QJ off from 2nd position- scoop… totally a table image move.
2 of 14 now.
Tourney pays 5.
74off in the BB- got a walk.
JQoff in the SB. Call a 3x from the button- BB calls too- board comes all small- I check, SB goes all in. He was a small stack- I should have bet to frighten him I think. I did have overcards and a 9 on the board to give me some straight potential.
Wow, small stack guy went all in with J9 and hit a set to knock out another small stack- he is now right behind me.
2 of 13 now.
Folded A5 and A6 back to back.
Previous small stack firing mercilously at pots- scooping every hand.
3 of 12 now- previous small stack now leader.
Patience Grasshopper. We will catch him out.
I limp in SB with 24s… flop is AA7- he bets of course.
99 on the button- 4x from mid- I reraise to double that- scoop.
A7s limp four to flush- raise small- scoop.
2 of 12 now
Guy I went over with the 99 is now all in with A3 and he hits the 3 to really hurt A9.
One microstack at our table now.
Folded K3suited and would have hit the K and had four to nut flush- oh well- can’t blame yourself for making good plays. This is tougher wisdom when the cards are not running your way.
Okay. I got hurt. I think I got bluffed too. Dang it. 6 of 12 now. Can’t think this way.
3x raise from SB with AJoff. He calls. Board is 8Q9 with 1200 in pot- I bet 800 and he calls. Turn is a nothing- I check, he bets 1k into 3800 pot- I call, river is a K and I have nothing- I check and he goes all in. I fold.
I get most of it back next hand.
AKs. 3x raise. He calls. Board comes 955, I check, he bets- I can’t help myself- he is pushing sooo much, I call- and the A comes. I check, he bets- I reraise all in- he folds.
Puts me in 2 of 12 and hurts him pretty good.
3 of 10 now.
AQ off UTG but short handed- 3x raise- BB calls. Flop comes KT5- two clubs- I have no clubs- I check- he bets small- I call. Turn is a 6 of the clubs- we check- river is a Q we check it down and he had played 88.
I fold 88 next hand.
I limp in BB with KT. Flop comes QQJ. I check- guy to my left goes all in again. Not ready to donk out of ANOTHER tourney calling all in on a draw. I let him have it.
I know he was lying- again- but I want the money so I can go to bed happy.
AKoff UTG- 4x raise- guess who calls. Board comes 355- and he bets again… I he is all in every hand- I’ve got him covered by 2x now so I go all in overhim- he calls me with KQoff. I take him out and we go final table with me as captain.
That is what we do with donkeys here at ninja school.
So here is the breakdown…
120/240 blinds
I to the left of the button but we are on break- not sure if I am button or SB- we will start from me.
Ninja – 11835
Brain- 2780
Bratt- 2280
Lucky- 2460
Chi- 6054
BG- 1750
Dfuz- 2510
Knop- 2560
Jim- 8280
Average is 4500.
Solid play now. No call station. I will do this for Truth.
Lukewarm diet coke- can take asprin now.
Some thoughts.
I do not need to knock anyone out. If somebody got all the chips but mine- we would go heads up with 3 to 1. I will take that any day.
Solid play- big hole cards or position.
Min raise from cutoff only because I am hoping for the “nobody is back fold”. Not sure if that was why- but it worked. SCOOP.
Note: I had AToff- which I would be tempted by even without the hope of a free hand.
That strategy post break comes from a heads up tourney I was in a long time ago. I was matched to a guy and made a raise- and he timed out and folded- I was then able to raise and get instanta folds until he clicked “back” poor bastard lost half his stack- came back and raised all in thinking to steal my raise since I was raising EVERY hand… but I had AA.
So, the goal right now is not to miss any gross opportunities and not pay anybody off that isn’t a huge suckout that isn’t my fault. Let these guys grind it out until I am in the money. So many Ms of less than 5 that I think I can fold to the money and still be in strong position. Still, will look for strong position/hole opportunities. Just want to be careful.
Folding 49s in the BB to a 3x raise from a small stack
87off in the SB. Folding to an all in.
I am under 12k from the blinds and I’d like to fix this for intimidation factor- I won’t get silly but I think I am scarier and will get more respect with that additional milestone under my name.
3T off on the button- not this hand.
Q3 off- not this hand either.
Note- all-ins every hand- this is a good thing for me right now.
TJoff, folding from cutoff
And our first casualty. Hidden middle pocket pair went all in against smaller pocket pair who already had a set.
K2off- folded.
36off- folded.
Blinds are 200/400 now.
48off- folded
73s- UTG- folded
83off- in BB. Limper, all in, I fold. Limper calls- both have KK. Holy chop Batman!
Q9off- in SB. 3x raise- calls me- and has 800 chips left- I hit the Q for top pair- I put him all in- he calls with nothing- I hit a set- game set match!
7 left- 2 to the money.
Another all in but he doubles up through second place guy- changes table dynamic a bit.
KT on the button- fold to min raise.
Blinds are 250/500 now.
Folding J8off.- Small stack went all in- got a caller. Small stack doubles up when KJ beats out callers 99.
A2off- fold.
Folding 87s.
The money is spreading around such that my lead is increasing.
Three way pot with A2 on the board- they turned over AA and 22. 22 hit quads to win it.
Called a 3x raise from the big blind with A9suited- missed my flush- folded post flop. They spread more money around.
Folded QT to a raise from my right.
Folding 7Js.
Below 12 again but that is fine. Almost double second place right now. 11765 to 6170.
Folding 52off.
Folding 37off.
Neck spasming- been here about 9 hours now.
6Toff- folding.
Folding A6off UTG
They have evened up in a way that reduces some of the desperation but my lead is solid and my discipline will hold.
3x raise got reraised all in and folded- (not me)
KToff in BB- 2 limpers then an all in. I folded. One caller. TT vs AQoff- TT holds up- another empty seat- I am in second now.
New chip leader raises 3x and I fold SB of T8off.
Chip leader 3x raises again- I fold Q3s.
I fold 97off- chip leader is in BB- lets see if he raises. Nope- he gets a walk.
76off- folding.
We are on the button BTW.
All in battle- small stack doubles up to healthy again.
Folding 83s.
Blinds went up to 300/600
Small stack raised “all in” post flop for less than the pot- scooped it.
AQs in the BB. FUCK. Chip leader raised 3x. Small stack went all in- I raised 2x that for protection- chip leader called. We checked it down like good lads and he had AK to beat me out- small stack ahd TT and it held up.
4 of 6 now- FUUUCK
Self hate.
FUCK.
I am not sure I was wrong- maybe a smaller raise given the original raise… but once he took the chip lead he raised 3x on HALF THE POTS pretty much. It felt like bullying and I thought he would get out.
Folding J9off.
Small stack is all in for 2x the blind. He gets away with it. Insane.
QJ off UTG- min raise. Scoop.
Blinds are 400/800 now.
Folding 59off in the BB.
Q8s in SB- limp- call- board has Q and an A- I bet the pot and he folds. Why not raise preflop- seems so volatile that is why.
Small stack busts- we are in the money.
8T off- fold.
One small stack right now.
Folding T2off.
Small stack got a walk in the BB.
Folding T3off.
This is going to end in gambling. Blinds just too big.
Small stack is at M3, but nobody is at 10.
I am out. Dang it- again with a slip although having realized what was about to happen I feel okay about my move. 55 in the BB. 3x raise from UTG- I go all in over him. He calls with 99. Game over. Doubled my money plus some. Another 30% increase to the 4th place guy- so I gave 4 bucks to the small stack. Heh, second largest just went out to largest- I could have nailed 3rd if I’d sat tight. Fuck me. Oh well, this was a strong finish I can’t hate myself too bad. I just thought my all in would get a fold- it would have crippled him to lose that hand.
First and second place are handing one another money- I am watching to see if small stack makes second. I made 12.50 and second will make 31+… oh I will be full of rage.
Omfg. Small stack went all in with 97s and got doubled up. What a dick- and he beat 55 to do it.
Well, while I watch this let’s recap. I started the day with 30ish bucks. I am on my new high discipline play mode- I deviated some but overall was pretty strong. The lessons stung- need to make sure that conservativism doesn’t turn to weak play. Note: Small stack doubled up again. Big stack guy is out. Little fucker. I will now watch him LOSE (I hope) (oh man I am bitter).
I WILL NOT PLAY ANOTHER ONE EVEN THOUGH I WANT TO.
Anyway, I am finishing at 43.24. Solid 30% increase in my bankroll. I cannot complain about that.
And this little fucker might pull it off. He is up to almost half the other guy’s stack.
I am almost starting to root for him. Bastard just doubled up to take the lead (from the guy who busted me) with 55- the hand I went out on. He gave it all back the next hand when he had 55 again. Funny.
Small stack lost but won 31 bucks to my 12- why? His discipline held. I tried to MAKE something happen. The table imploded as soon as I left- one hand of holding the line and I might have won it instead of going out 5th. Shame on me- I will do better.
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