Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Fun Times at MGM
So I left work a little early on Friday and met a friend at the beautiful MGM poker lounge (first time for me). They spread a little deeper game ($1/$2 blinds - $300 max).
First, the poker room is very comfortable and clean. The dealers and floor were noticeable nicer (except when they were issuing a warning to Skalony about his table talk during a hand). Plus, the players were a rich mix of aggressive young internet poker punks, middle aged pseudo-intellectuals (me), and a few “wanna have fun” retirees. This is different than the NL game a Greektown where the entire table is made up of poker pro apprentices in training who can quote the drawing odds% within decimal precision for every all-in situation.
I played for like 3 hours, won $174, all is good!
I had to grind it out though. I really only had 1 good pre-flop hand and 2 good post flop hands. The rest of my wins were made just by playing aggressively from late position.
Unfortunately, 3 out of my 4 interesting hands came up against Skalony.
On the first hand, the pot is limped in 5 spots to me in the big blind. I have 3-5 and check. Flop come J-3-5. I bet $15 into a $10 pot. Only T calls. The turn is sort of blank 7 [J-3-5-7]. I bet $30. T goes all in for like $65. I call and fill up and win.
Then, there’s this young aggressive internet poker punk (YAIPP) to my right. He has been uber-aggressive from the blinds/early position. On one hand, he raises a 5 way limped pot from the BB. He continues his aggressiveness all the way to showdown and then shows a K-10o. So I start to thinking that he may be a bit of a manic.
So, on this one hand, the YAIPP raised to $15 from UTG. This smelled like a scared bet to me (i.e., AQ or 44), so I raise to $45 with Ac-10c. The table folds. YAIPP calls. The flop comes 6-9-5. YAIPP checks. I ask for his chip count ($115). I bet $75 and win it. Nice play me….at least it worked.
Then toward the end of the session, I’m in middle position with 4s-7s. I think I had been playing kinda tight, so I raise to like $8. I get the pot HU vs. Skalony. The flop comes 4x-7x-X. I bet. T calls. The turn looks like a blank. I bet. T folds. I show 4-7 for a flopped 2 pair, win the pot and some “crazy player” equity.
Then on the next round, I’m UTG, and pick up AA. I raise. Only Skalony calls. The flop is something like J-4-6. I bet. T calls. Turn is a 7 [J-4-6-7]. I check. T bets smallish (1/2 pot). I was planning to check-raise, but I seriously considered taking one off and letting Tony bluff the river. My better sense took hold, and with a draw heavy board, I check-raise but only 2.5x (dumb, I know). Skalony calls. My plan is to check/call just about any river. A 3 comes on the river. The betting goes check-check.
Good fun. I’ll play at MGM anytime! Such a nice contrast to Greektown.
First, the poker room is very comfortable and clean. The dealers and floor were noticeable nicer (except when they were issuing a warning to Skalony about his table talk during a hand). Plus, the players were a rich mix of aggressive young internet poker punks, middle aged pseudo-intellectuals (me), and a few “wanna have fun” retirees. This is different than the NL game a Greektown where the entire table is made up of poker pro apprentices in training who can quote the drawing odds% within decimal precision for every all-in situation.
I played for like 3 hours, won $174, all is good!
I had to grind it out though. I really only had 1 good pre-flop hand and 2 good post flop hands. The rest of my wins were made just by playing aggressively from late position.
Unfortunately, 3 out of my 4 interesting hands came up against Skalony.
On the first hand, the pot is limped in 5 spots to me in the big blind. I have 3-5 and check. Flop come J-3-5. I bet $15 into a $10 pot. Only T calls. The turn is sort of blank 7 [J-3-5-7]. I bet $30. T goes all in for like $65. I call and fill up and win.
Then, there’s this young aggressive internet poker punk (YAIPP) to my right. He has been uber-aggressive from the blinds/early position. On one hand, he raises a 5 way limped pot from the BB. He continues his aggressiveness all the way to showdown and then shows a K-10o. So I start to thinking that he may be a bit of a manic.
So, on this one hand, the YAIPP raised to $15 from UTG. This smelled like a scared bet to me (i.e., AQ or 44), so I raise to $45 with Ac-10c. The table folds. YAIPP calls. The flop comes 6-9-5. YAIPP checks. I ask for his chip count ($115). I bet $75 and win it. Nice play me….at least it worked.
Then toward the end of the session, I’m in middle position with 4s-7s. I think I had been playing kinda tight, so I raise to like $8. I get the pot HU vs. Skalony. The flop comes 4x-7x-X. I bet. T calls. The turn looks like a blank. I bet. T folds. I show 4-7 for a flopped 2 pair, win the pot and some “crazy player” equity.
Then on the next round, I’m UTG, and pick up AA. I raise. Only Skalony calls. The flop is something like J-4-6. I bet. T calls. Turn is a 7 [J-4-6-7]. I check. T bets smallish (1/2 pot). I was planning to check-raise, but I seriously considered taking one off and letting Tony bluff the river. My better sense took hold, and with a draw heavy board, I check-raise but only 2.5x (dumb, I know). Skalony calls. My plan is to check/call just about any river. A 3 comes on the river. The betting goes check-check.
Good fun. I’ll play at MGM anytime! Such a nice contrast to Greektown.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Sorry Bro
So, I took 2 weeks off from Poker and then came back by hosting a home game this weekend.
Played pretty good in the tournament ($70 buyin - 20 players). I chopped 1st with the chip leader, Gillis, right after 3rd place (Stacey C.) was eliminated. He had a 3:1 chip lead, and I chopped for 33% of the difference between 1st and 2nd. Seemed fair for me.
I didn't really have too many interesting hands in the tourney. I just played solid, straight forward poker and was blessed with enough winning hands to make the final table.
Then when we were about 8 handed, it seemed like I was really reading the table well. I know, I know, people say that all the time..., "my reads were dead on" etc..., but I swear, I was really being conscience of my reads and I felt like I was really locked in.
Here's the problem, I only had gonads to make plays 3 or 4 times. Each time it worked. This really helped accumulate enough chips to keep going. I need to get some gonads. I'll work on that.
Then, when the blinds were at about 500/1000, we were 6 handed, I open shove with 9h-10h for about 12x (12000???) and get called by Compton, who was nursing a big stack like it was his infant child. I was in big trouble. He had A-Q. Flop comes x-x-10. I take the lead. Turn is a Q. I loose the lead. River is a 10. I double up and am in really good shape.
Side note earlier in the evening. I raise with A9s. Compton calls. We're HU. Flop comes J-J-9. Compton bets. I call. Turn is a blank. Compton bets. I call. River. Compton bets about 20% of the pot. I call and look like a fool after Compton claims, "boat". Then, everyone gives me a hard time. Like, "dude, that's Compton, what were you thinking?"
I win like $60 at the cash game by playing really bad.
There's this one hand where I somehow ended up in a capped pot of Limit Holdem with 5-6 of clubs. The flop comes 9x-10c-Jx. Checked to Compton who bets. I start figuring some odds. Let's see. 4 bets times 4 players = 16 small bets. Plus Compton's flop bet = 17 bets. Let's see. I'd need to call one bet, chasing 17. That's a fabulous price. But I need to have some sort of draw, a gutshot, something.
In this case, I just keep staring at that one lone club on the flop. I start imagining it being joined by a couple other members of the club family.
That's right. I'd need to catch runner-runner. I don't know the odds exactly but I think runner-runner clubs is about 5% (actually, it's closer to 2%), so I toss in the $2 and try to get lucky. Turn is a club. I pick up a flush draw. Compton bets. There are now 10 big bets in the pot. I need to call 1. Getting 10:1, but being a 5 or 6 to 1 dog is the right price. River is a club. Compton check/calls and I bust up his set of 9s by going runner-runner.
Sorry Bro!
Played pretty good in the tournament ($70 buyin - 20 players). I chopped 1st with the chip leader, Gillis, right after 3rd place (Stacey C.) was eliminated. He had a 3:1 chip lead, and I chopped for 33% of the difference between 1st and 2nd. Seemed fair for me.
I didn't really have too many interesting hands in the tourney. I just played solid, straight forward poker and was blessed with enough winning hands to make the final table.
Then when we were about 8 handed, it seemed like I was really reading the table well. I know, I know, people say that all the time..., "my reads were dead on" etc..., but I swear, I was really being conscience of my reads and I felt like I was really locked in.
Here's the problem, I only had gonads to make plays 3 or 4 times. Each time it worked. This really helped accumulate enough chips to keep going. I need to get some gonads. I'll work on that.
Then, when the blinds were at about 500/1000, we were 6 handed, I open shove with 9h-10h for about 12x (12000???) and get called by Compton, who was nursing a big stack like it was his infant child. I was in big trouble. He had A-Q. Flop comes x-x-10. I take the lead. Turn is a Q. I loose the lead. River is a 10. I double up and am in really good shape.
Side note earlier in the evening. I raise with A9s. Compton calls. We're HU. Flop comes J-J-9. Compton bets. I call. Turn is a blank. Compton bets. I call. River. Compton bets about 20% of the pot. I call and look like a fool after Compton claims, "boat". Then, everyone gives me a hard time. Like, "dude, that's Compton, what were you thinking?"
I win like $60 at the cash game by playing really bad.
There's this one hand where I somehow ended up in a capped pot of Limit Holdem with 5-6 of clubs. The flop comes 9x-10c-Jx. Checked to Compton who bets. I start figuring some odds. Let's see. 4 bets times 4 players = 16 small bets. Plus Compton's flop bet = 17 bets. Let's see. I'd need to call one bet, chasing 17. That's a fabulous price. But I need to have some sort of draw, a gutshot, something.
In this case, I just keep staring at that one lone club on the flop. I start imagining it being joined by a couple other members of the club family.
That's right. I'd need to catch runner-runner. I don't know the odds exactly but I think runner-runner clubs is about 5% (actually, it's closer to 2%), so I toss in the $2 and try to get lucky. Turn is a club. I pick up a flush draw. Compton bets. There are now 10 big bets in the pot. I need to call 1. Getting 10:1, but being a 5 or 6 to 1 dog is the right price. River is a club. Compton check/calls and I bust up his set of 9s by going runner-runner.
Sorry Bro!
