Friday, December 22, 2006
The Beatdown at Greektown
So I played a little poker at Greektown yesterday. Before I get to that, I won another H.O.R.S.E SnG on Full Tilt last night. That'll take away just a fraction of the sting that I'm feeling from my beatdown at Greektown.
So a new table of $1/$2 blinds NL Hold'Em with a $100 max buy in opens. I along with 9 other hopefuls take our seats, arrange our chips, and make ready for battle. There were several 'buddies' that joined the table. I'm always leary of playing with a group of guys that know each other. I'm worried they'll soft-play each other, give clues via table talk (i.e., "I'm holding the same hand I took you out with last Saturday at Jimbo's house so ya better fold"), or even sort of partner-up to squeeze some players in the middle. Anyway, as it turned out, I was just being parinoid. They were cool.
The day didn't go so well. The stacks are so short in this game that it quickly degraded to an all-in fest right from the beginning. I now realize that it is so important to get off to a good start, otherwise you and the other short stacks end up sticking all of your money in with marginal cards and there's really no chance to play poker.
My stragegy going in was to take alot of flops, keep the pots small, but play hands that stood a real good chance of busting another player.
A small blunder.
On one hand, I have about $75 left, I'm in middle postion. It's limped in 3 spots to me. I find AKs. I raise to $15. I get called by 2 of the early position limpers. The flop comes 4h-5h-6s. It goes check, check to me. I have $60 left and am looking at a $50 pot. I bet $30. Why I bet $30, I have no idea. It just felt like $30 was the right bet. I'm probably putting all of my money in with this hand anyway, I might as well do it on the flop. My mistake!
Anyway, both limpers call. The flop comes off a 9c, so the board reads 4h-5h-6s-9c. This looked like a safe card for me, so after it goes check, check, I go all in for my remaining $30 into a $140 pot. Both limpers agonize and call. The first one says, "I ain't shit, but I'll call. I know you have a pair". He was all-in for his last $25. The second player says, "I ain't got shit either, but I'll call so that I can reload." He's all in for his last $20. EP1 shows AKo. EP2 shows QJo. So I chop a pot with with another AK. The outcome was favorable. Had I went all in after the flop I would have won $50. As it turns out, I won $60.
A cool Deck
So like I said, my strategy was to take some flops, when in postion, with marginal hands that have pretty good value after the flop if they connect. In retrospect this is not such a good strategy since the stacks are so short I really can't afford to be calling $10 raises on every 4th hand. Anyway, I played a handful of pocket pairs that way (5s 3s and 8s), but had to give them up on the flop. On one key hand, I was on the button with 8s 5s. It's limped in 2 spots to me. I limp. The SB raised to $12. The BB calls. I call. We're 3 handed.
The flop come gin. 8x-5x-9x. It goes check, check to me. I bet $15 into this $40 pot. SB calls. BB goes all in for $45 more. I call. Then the SB goes all in for his last $35. I'm in great shape to win this monster. The main pot has $115. SB tables 6h-9h for top pair with a gut shot. BB tables Ac-9c for top pair top kicker. I'm in good shape (55%) to win. The turn comes a Qd. I'm in great shape 66% to win. The river comes another Q. I'm toast. First suckout of the day. No problem.
A Cold deck.
So this time in late postion with 10sQh. Action is limp to me. I call. The big blind, a guy who just joined the table is already down to about $40, raised it to $15. EP limper calls. I call. The pot has $46
The flop comes J-J-K. It goes check, check, and I take my free straight draw. The turn is a blank. Action goes check, check to me. I think a while and decide to take my free straight draw. The river is an A. I have a straight but the board is paird. Finally, the BB bets. He goes all in for his last $25. I call. He tables AJ for a rivered boat. Is it getting chili in here?
A Friggen Iceberg
Last hand of the night. I'm bought in for $200 and I'm down to may last $36. The UTG player straddles for his last $15. This is the guy from above that called all in with QJo. He was pretty wild. I figured Karma would set in and he'd be dealt the worst possible hand and I'd get a monster here. UTG+1 folds. I look down and find KK. I thought about smooth calling here, but I know the other players will view that $15 straddle like it was crack cocain to an addict and I don't want to play these Ks against 6 players. So I go all in for $36. The small blind thinks and says something like "yada yada yada...pot odds. I call." The big blind says something like, "duh, I guess...pot odds right? I call."
The flop comes Q-J-x. The SB checks. The big blind bets into a dry side pot. The SB goes all in. The big blind calls off his last $40.
SB shows AA for the boss overpair.
BB shows Q8 for top pair poor kicker.
UTG straddler shows 10 9 for an open ended.
Of course, I'm left with garbage. My 2 king outs are no good for the main pot.
The turn brings an 8. The straddler made his straight. I need a King for the side pot. Not today.
So a new table of $1/$2 blinds NL Hold'Em with a $100 max buy in opens. I along with 9 other hopefuls take our seats, arrange our chips, and make ready for battle. There were several 'buddies' that joined the table. I'm always leary of playing with a group of guys that know each other. I'm worried they'll soft-play each other, give clues via table talk (i.e., "I'm holding the same hand I took you out with last Saturday at Jimbo's house so ya better fold"), or even sort of partner-up to squeeze some players in the middle. Anyway, as it turned out, I was just being parinoid. They were cool.
The day didn't go so well. The stacks are so short in this game that it quickly degraded to an all-in fest right from the beginning. I now realize that it is so important to get off to a good start, otherwise you and the other short stacks end up sticking all of your money in with marginal cards and there's really no chance to play poker.
My stragegy going in was to take alot of flops, keep the pots small, but play hands that stood a real good chance of busting another player.
A small blunder.
On one hand, I have about $75 left, I'm in middle postion. It's limped in 3 spots to me. I find AKs. I raise to $15. I get called by 2 of the early position limpers. The flop comes 4h-5h-6s. It goes check, check to me. I have $60 left and am looking at a $50 pot. I bet $30. Why I bet $30, I have no idea. It just felt like $30 was the right bet. I'm probably putting all of my money in with this hand anyway, I might as well do it on the flop. My mistake!
Anyway, both limpers call. The flop comes off a 9c, so the board reads 4h-5h-6s-9c. This looked like a safe card for me, so after it goes check, check, I go all in for my remaining $30 into a $140 pot. Both limpers agonize and call. The first one says, "I ain't shit, but I'll call. I know you have a pair". He was all-in for his last $25. The second player says, "I ain't got shit either, but I'll call so that I can reload." He's all in for his last $20. EP1 shows AKo. EP2 shows QJo. So I chop a pot with with another AK. The outcome was favorable. Had I went all in after the flop I would have won $50. As it turns out, I won $60.
A cool DeckSo like I said, my strategy was to take some flops, when in postion, with marginal hands that have pretty good value after the flop if they connect. In retrospect this is not such a good strategy since the stacks are so short I really can't afford to be calling $10 raises on every 4th hand. Anyway, I played a handful of pocket pairs that way (5s 3s and 8s), but had to give them up on the flop. On one key hand, I was on the button with 8s 5s. It's limped in 2 spots to me. I limp. The SB raised to $12. The BB calls. I call. We're 3 handed.
The flop come gin. 8x-5x-9x. It goes check, check to me. I bet $15 into this $40 pot. SB calls. BB goes all in for $45 more. I call. Then the SB goes all in for his last $35. I'm in great shape to win this monster. The main pot has $115. SB tables 6h-9h for top pair with a gut shot. BB tables Ac-9c for top pair top kicker. I'm in good shape (55%) to win. The turn comes a Qd. I'm in great shape 66% to win. The river comes another Q. I'm toast. First suckout of the day. No problem.
A Cold deck.
So this time in late postion with 10sQh. Action is limp to me. I call. The big blind, a guy who just joined the table is already down to about $40, raised it to $15. EP limper calls. I call. The pot has $46
The flop comes J-J-K. It goes check, check, and I take my free straight draw. The turn is a blank. Action goes check, check to me. I think a while and decide to take my free straight draw. The river is an A. I have a straight but the board is paird. Finally, the BB bets. He goes all in for his last $25. I call. He tables AJ for a rivered boat. Is it getting chili in here?
A Friggen IcebergLast hand of the night. I'm bought in for $200 and I'm down to may last $36. The UTG player straddles for his last $15. This is the guy from above that called all in with QJo. He was pretty wild. I figured Karma would set in and he'd be dealt the worst possible hand and I'd get a monster here. UTG+1 folds. I look down and find KK. I thought about smooth calling here, but I know the other players will view that $15 straddle like it was crack cocain to an addict and I don't want to play these Ks against 6 players. So I go all in for $36. The small blind thinks and says something like "yada yada yada...pot odds. I call." The big blind says something like, "duh, I guess...pot odds right? I call."
The flop comes Q-J-x. The SB checks. The big blind bets into a dry side pot. The SB goes all in. The big blind calls off his last $40.
SB shows AA for the boss overpair.
BB shows Q8 for top pair poor kicker.
UTG straddler shows 10 9 for an open ended.
Of course, I'm left with garbage. My 2 king outs are no good for the main pot.
The turn brings an 8. The straddler made his straight. I need a King for the side pot. Not today.
