Peppermill 6:30 $65 Bounty - 06.07.12
We had 29 runners for this one. I started with 9000 chips, and the levels were 15 minutes long with a fast structure. There is a $10 Bounty, which seems like a waste of time. You need to knock out seven players to get your buy-in back. If someone does that, then they will probably win the tourney.
I got off to a good start, and collected three bounties by the first break. Normally, my goal is to get to 15k by the break, which is before the 500/1000/100 level. This time, I got to almost 28k, and was one of the big stacks at my table.
However, things didn't go as well after the break. There was a young player at the table who we will call Alex. I've never seen him before, but he seemed to play straight forward. He limped in for 1000. I raised to 3100 from the Button with 77. Alex and the BB called. Flop was K94. They checked, I bet 6100, and only Alex called. Turn [K94] 9. We both checked. Alex bet 8000 on the River, and I folded.
I went rather card dead after that hand, but Alex kept scooping up pots without showing his cards. It was really annoying how he kept sucking up all the pots at my table. I don't know if he was getting hit with the deck, or just had wonderful timing when he stabbed at a pot.
Showing posts with label LOL Donkaments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LOL Donkaments. Show all posts
Friday, June 8, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
LOL Donkaments #9
Grand Sierra 6:30 $80 Bounty ~ 03.17.12
I haven't played a Daily Donkament at GSR in a long time. But since this is now the biggest buy-in donkament in Reno, I will playing this one most Saturday nights. They give us 20k chips, but the levels start at 100/200. At least the levels are 20 minutes long. There is a $20 bounty, and we have 15 players.
Only two Reno Regulars that I recognize in this field. One at my table is an old Super-Nit with a cowboy hat. At the other table is a very loose, active player named Allen. There are a couple of others who seem to have a poker brain, but the rest of the field seems rather clueless. There is also a charity tourney outside the poker room. Not sure what it's for, or why it's on St Patty's Day, but they are very loud.
Things started very slowly for me, as I was in Observer mode. In Level 2 (200/400), I got moved to the other table. I won two sweet pots in consecutive hands. Both pots were limped preflop by a few players. I was the BB and then SB with a baby Ace, and just limped. I flopped Top Pair with the Ace, and then hit my kicker on the Turn for Two Pair.
I haven't played a Daily Donkament at GSR in a long time. But since this is now the biggest buy-in donkament in Reno, I will playing this one most Saturday nights. They give us 20k chips, but the levels start at 100/200. At least the levels are 20 minutes long. There is a $20 bounty, and we have 15 players.
Only two Reno Regulars that I recognize in this field. One at my table is an old Super-Nit with a cowboy hat. At the other table is a very loose, active player named Allen. There are a couple of others who seem to have a poker brain, but the rest of the field seems rather clueless. There is also a charity tourney outside the poker room. Not sure what it's for, or why it's on St Patty's Day, but they are very loud.
Things started very slowly for me, as I was in Observer mode. In Level 2 (200/400), I got moved to the other table. I won two sweet pots in consecutive hands. Both pots were limped preflop by a few players. I was the BB and then SB with a baby Ace, and just limped. I flopped Top Pair with the Ace, and then hit my kicker on the Turn for Two Pair.
Monday, October 24, 2011
LOL Donkaments #8
Harrah's Reno 10am $35 NLHE - 10.21.11
I had a rare day off from work on Friday. And by "rare", I mean my last one was back in late June. So I got some work done on my car, went to the bank, and of course, played some poker.
My first poker stop was at Harrah's for their 10am tourney. Their structures are horrible: 15 min levels, 25/50. 50/100, 100/200, 200/400, 400/800. 500/1000, 1k/2k, 2k/4k, etc. For this one, they gave us 2500 chips, and that includes a $5 add-on for 1k chips.
In spite of all that, I actually like their tourneys, and that's because of the quality of the players. Most of the local grinders stay away from Harrah's because they don't want to waste their time. So the players are those who are staying at the hotel, or live downtown. They are all Level 1 players, or even Level 0. It's not uncommon for someone to be playing in their first casino tournament. And this one was no exception.
We had 15 players, and the staff seemed to be surprised it was that large.
If you've played in a previous tournament, followed by their cash game, you get a coupon for an extra 1000 chips. Starting with 3500 chips is way better than starting with 2500 chips.
I was one of the few player with the extra chips, and it really helped. I hit a couple of hands, and I stole a few pots as the table was playing rather timid. By the break at end of the 100/200 level, I was up to 7300 chips and we had 11 players left.
In the next level (200/400), we had five players at our table, and we're still on the Final Table Bubble. UTG went All-In for 600. The Button called. The SB went All-In for 1100. I was the BB, and looked down at 87o. I was getting great pot odds (call 700 to win 3200), assuming that the Button didn't go All-In. He's an 70's guy who had been playing passive. I called the extra 700, and the Button called the extra 500. Flop was A 8 4, and we both checked. Turn was [A84] 8. I bet 1000, and the Button quickly folded. UTG and the SB didn't even have a Pair yet, and were drawing dead. This sent us to the Final Table with just nine players, and I was the healthy chip leader.
I stayed patient, as there were many short stacks. My next big pot was in the next level (400/800). We were down to five handed, and it folded around the SB. He limped in, and I raise to 2000 with TT from the BB. He called, and the Flop was 9 6 3. He checked, I bet 2600, and he called. Turn was [963] 4. He checked, and I went All-In for 5800. He thought for a moment, and called with Q9o. He missed the River, and I doubled up. He was still in, but had less than 1500 chips left.
I knocked out the 4th place player in a race, AK vs his TT, as I flopped an Ace.
The three handed play lasted in to the next level (500/1000). The Button folded, and the SB limped (the Q9o guy from before), even though he only had 2500 total. I'm the BB with ATd, and put him All-in. He shrugged his shoulders, and called with 32o (Why even limp in, let alone call off your chips?) Surprisingly, he didn't double up.
The Heads-Up match started with me having a 2-1 chip lead. My opponent was an 60's gentleman who had been playing rather tight. However, it was rather obvious from the start that he just wanted to get this over with. He had gotten a phone call, and then started overbetting. It seemed he wanted get his chips in the middle, although there was no mention of a deal by him. I would have done so if he mentioned it, but there was no way I was gonna bring it up.
Unfortunately, I wasn't getting any cards, and he was quickly catching up to me. I did get QQ in the SB, and limped. He didn't raise, and the Flop was K-high. We both checked, and the Turn was an Ace. He checked again, so I bet to end this hand. He quickly folded.
Finally, I limped with A3o. He raised to 4k, and I 3-Bet to 14k. He quickly called, and assumed I was All-In, but I still had 5k - 7k behind. The Flop was 7c 4c 3c. He went All-In. I hate this Flop, as I don't have a Club. But I do have a Pair, so I had to call. He turned over QTh, and missed. We counted the stacks, and I had him covered by one 500 chip.
First place was $240 after the Dealer Tip.
I had a rare day off from work on Friday. And by "rare", I mean my last one was back in late June. So I got some work done on my car, went to the bank, and of course, played some poker.
My first poker stop was at Harrah's for their 10am tourney. Their structures are horrible: 15 min levels, 25/50. 50/100, 100/200, 200/400, 400/800. 500/1000, 1k/2k, 2k/4k, etc. For this one, they gave us 2500 chips, and that includes a $5 add-on for 1k chips.
In spite of all that, I actually like their tourneys, and that's because of the quality of the players. Most of the local grinders stay away from Harrah's because they don't want to waste their time. So the players are those who are staying at the hotel, or live downtown. They are all Level 1 players, or even Level 0. It's not uncommon for someone to be playing in their first casino tournament. And this one was no exception.
We had 15 players, and the staff seemed to be surprised it was that large.
If you've played in a previous tournament, followed by their cash game, you get a coupon for an extra 1000 chips. Starting with 3500 chips is way better than starting with 2500 chips.
I was one of the few player with the extra chips, and it really helped. I hit a couple of hands, and I stole a few pots as the table was playing rather timid. By the break at end of the 100/200 level, I was up to 7300 chips and we had 11 players left.
In the next level (200/400), we had five players at our table, and we're still on the Final Table Bubble. UTG went All-In for 600. The Button called. The SB went All-In for 1100. I was the BB, and looked down at 87o. I was getting great pot odds (call 700 to win 3200), assuming that the Button didn't go All-In. He's an 70's guy who had been playing passive. I called the extra 700, and the Button called the extra 500. Flop was A 8 4, and we both checked. Turn was [A84] 8. I bet 1000, and the Button quickly folded. UTG and the SB didn't even have a Pair yet, and were drawing dead. This sent us to the Final Table with just nine players, and I was the healthy chip leader.
I stayed patient, as there were many short stacks. My next big pot was in the next level (400/800). We were down to five handed, and it folded around the SB. He limped in, and I raise to 2000 with TT from the BB. He called, and the Flop was 9 6 3. He checked, I bet 2600, and he called. Turn was [963] 4. He checked, and I went All-In for 5800. He thought for a moment, and called with Q9o. He missed the River, and I doubled up. He was still in, but had less than 1500 chips left.
I knocked out the 4th place player in a race, AK vs his TT, as I flopped an Ace.
The three handed play lasted in to the next level (500/1000). The Button folded, and the SB limped (the Q9o guy from before), even though he only had 2500 total. I'm the BB with ATd, and put him All-in. He shrugged his shoulders, and called with 32o (Why even limp in, let alone call off your chips?) Surprisingly, he didn't double up.
The Heads-Up match started with me having a 2-1 chip lead. My opponent was an 60's gentleman who had been playing rather tight. However, it was rather obvious from the start that he just wanted to get this over with. He had gotten a phone call, and then started overbetting. It seemed he wanted get his chips in the middle, although there was no mention of a deal by him. I would have done so if he mentioned it, but there was no way I was gonna bring it up.
Unfortunately, I wasn't getting any cards, and he was quickly catching up to me. I did get QQ in the SB, and limped. He didn't raise, and the Flop was K-high. We both checked, and the Turn was an Ace. He checked again, so I bet to end this hand. He quickly folded.
Finally, I limped with A3o. He raised to 4k, and I 3-Bet to 14k. He quickly called, and assumed I was All-In, but I still had 5k - 7k behind. The Flop was 7c 4c 3c. He went All-In. I hate this Flop, as I don't have a Club. But I do have a Pair, so I had to call. He turned over QTh, and missed. We counted the stacks, and I had him covered by one 500 chip.
First place was $240 after the Dealer Tip.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
LOL Donkaments #7
Peppermill 6:30 $95 Cash Me Out - 09.25.11
It was a small crowd for this one, as we eventually had 26 runners when the late buy-in period ended.
There was a player at my table who we will call Fred. He is a 60's gentleman with an Indian accent. He said he had never played this game before. As it turned out, Fred had no idea what this game was, or anything about the game. He didn't understand things like blinds, betting, how hands were determined, or what beat what. He seemed to think this was a table game, as he held his cards like he was at a Blackjack table, and asked the Dealer a couple of times what he should do with his cards. You can do this at various table games, like Pia-Gow. The Dealer said that he could not give Fred any advice, and he could only tell Fred what his options were. I've played a lot of home games with some very new players, but I have never played with someone who was a complete blank slate.
Once I realized what was going on with Fred, I tried to play in every pot that he was in. For example, I limped from early position with 76o because it was Fred's Big Blind. It folded around to the SB, who called. Fred min-raised to 100. Naturally, I called, but the SB folded. Flop was 4 3 2. Fred bet 50, and I called with Two Overs and a Gutshot. Turn [4 3 2] 6. Once again, he bet 50, and I called. River [4 3 2 6] 6. Now Fred goes All-In, and I quickly call. He proudly turned over AQo, and I showed my Trip 6s. The Dealer gathered up the pot, and shipped it to me. Fred didn't understand why he lost, because an Ace and a Queen are bigger than a Seven and a Six. (No, I'm not making this up. He actually said that.) The Dealer did his best to explain how the game worked, but I'm not sure that Fred got it.
However, Fred did pull out $30 to use his first rebuy, in spite of various players at the table saying that he should save his money. I was not one of those players, as I mentioned that tournaments are a good way to learn the game. One of my poker sayings is, "Tournaments are for teaching, and Cash Games are to get schooled."
On a side note, I have often been critical of the Peppermill on this blog. This is mostly because of how disorganized they are about various things. But this time, I have to give some major props to the dealers for how they handled a complete newbie at the table. The first one was a full-time dealer named Francis. He was very patient, courteous, and professional with Fred. It's a very frustrating situation for a dealer to constantly answer the same basic questions over and over, and he did a wonderful job of it. The other dealers after him also did very professional job.
Anyways, back to the action. Shortly after I got Fred's first buy-in, I limped for 100 in the Cutoff with 44 . The BB raised to 250, and I was the only caller. Flop was Kd Qh 4c. The BB bet 250 or 300. He's a 50's gentleman whom I know nothing about. I just called, as I thought the bet was weak, and I didn't want to scare him off. Turn was [Kd Qh 4c] 2d. Now the BB checked. I grabbed a 500 chip, and tossed it forward. The BB thought for a moment, and called. River was [Kd Qh 4c 2d] 7d. The BB checked again. For some reason, my Spider-Sense was tingling, as I thought that he could be slowplaying a big hand. But I had a Set, so I bet another 500 chip. The BB went All-In for around 1300 more. I thought for a little bit, and made the crying call. After all, I was up from the hand with Fred. The BB showed A8d for a backdoor Nut Flush. Nice Hand, Sir.
Play continued, but a rather slow pace due to Fred. He had tightened up, and was playing considerably less hands. But when he played, he either limped or was All-In. He hadn't figured out that you could raise something between a min-raise and everything. He was still asking a lot of questions, and slowing the game down. Eventually some of the old nits started snapping at Fred for being so slow. I was getting annoyed at the old nits for "taping on the 'tank", and almost spoke up. I didn't want to cause any problems, so I simply bit my tongue.
There was a group of guys who showed up late, and were able to buy-in. One of them was seated on my direct Right, and he bought in using all his rebuys. He's a large 40's guy, and we'll call him Larry. (By the way, I'm completely making up these names.) I remember seeing Larry earlier in the day when I was playing 3-Card Poker. He was with his buddies at a roulette table, and was very loud and rude with everyone around him. A supervisor came to that table, and warned Larry about his unfriendly language concerning the lady dealer. I could tell before he even played a hand that he was going to be a bullshit artist. And I seemed to be right, as he raised his very first hand, and took it down on the Flop. A few hands later, Larry raised again, and got one caller. Larry bet on the Flop, got called, and then put the other player All-In on the Turn. The other player called with AK, no pair. It was good as Larry had AJ, no pair.
A little later (maybe in the 100/200/25 level), Larry raised again. I had AJo, and considered a 3-Bet. But I thought that Larry might 4-Bet All-In, and I didn't want to call everything with AJ, so I just called the initial raise. The Flop was Js 9s 5s. Surprisingly, Larry checked, so I bet 800 with Top Top. Larry looked over at my stack, and pushed his big chips forward. Even though I didn't have a Spade, I insta-called. Larry had KQo (no spade) for a Gutshot, and proceeded to hit it on the River. Nice Hand, Sir.
I used my last rebuy for 4000 chips, and was rather card dead. Larry kept hitting hands, and stayed very active. Since I had position on him, I was able to stay out of his way. But the blind of 100/200/25 and 150/300/50 started eating away at my stack, and I got short-stacked.
Once again, it folded around to Larry on the Button in the 150/300/50 level. He simply grabbed some big chips, and bet them. I looked down in the SB at 76c. Not exactly premium holdings, but Larry's range is more than half the deck. I don't remember exactly how many chips I had, but I figured this was a good spot to gamble. Larry had a better hand than I expected, AJo, but I still had two live cards and a live suit. The Board ran out, and the lowest card was a 9.
I finished in 21st place, and this was the first time in quite a while that I didn't even make the first break. Fred was still at the table. He had some ups and downs, including using his last rebuy. I don't remember the specifics.
I walked out of the tourney room, and into the main poker room. It was kinda slow for a Sunday, with around five tables open. I considered just heading home, and putting an end to this losing day. But it was only 7:45pm, and I did have money in my pocket.
I walked over to the desk to see if they had any open seats. The only one was at the $1/$2 table. So I bought $300 in chips, and walked over to the table.
(To be continued...)
It was a small crowd for this one, as we eventually had 26 runners when the late buy-in period ended.
There was a player at my table who we will call Fred. He is a 60's gentleman with an Indian accent. He said he had never played this game before. As it turned out, Fred had no idea what this game was, or anything about the game. He didn't understand things like blinds, betting, how hands were determined, or what beat what. He seemed to think this was a table game, as he held his cards like he was at a Blackjack table, and asked the Dealer a couple of times what he should do with his cards. You can do this at various table games, like Pia-Gow. The Dealer said that he could not give Fred any advice, and he could only tell Fred what his options were. I've played a lot of home games with some very new players, but I have never played with someone who was a complete blank slate.
Once I realized what was going on with Fred, I tried to play in every pot that he was in. For example, I limped from early position with 76o because it was Fred's Big Blind. It folded around to the SB, who called. Fred min-raised to 100. Naturally, I called, but the SB folded. Flop was 4 3 2. Fred bet 50, and I called with Two Overs and a Gutshot. Turn [4 3 2] 6. Once again, he bet 50, and I called. River [4 3 2 6] 6. Now Fred goes All-In, and I quickly call. He proudly turned over AQo, and I showed my Trip 6s. The Dealer gathered up the pot, and shipped it to me. Fred didn't understand why he lost, because an Ace and a Queen are bigger than a Seven and a Six. (No, I'm not making this up. He actually said that.) The Dealer did his best to explain how the game worked, but I'm not sure that Fred got it.
However, Fred did pull out $30 to use his first rebuy, in spite of various players at the table saying that he should save his money. I was not one of those players, as I mentioned that tournaments are a good way to learn the game. One of my poker sayings is, "Tournaments are for teaching, and Cash Games are to get schooled."
On a side note, I have often been critical of the Peppermill on this blog. This is mostly because of how disorganized they are about various things. But this time, I have to give some major props to the dealers for how they handled a complete newbie at the table. The first one was a full-time dealer named Francis. He was very patient, courteous, and professional with Fred. It's a very frustrating situation for a dealer to constantly answer the same basic questions over and over, and he did a wonderful job of it. The other dealers after him also did very professional job.
Anyways, back to the action. Shortly after I got Fred's first buy-in, I limped for 100 in the Cutoff with 44 . The BB raised to 250, and I was the only caller. Flop was Kd Qh 4c. The BB bet 250 or 300. He's a 50's gentleman whom I know nothing about. I just called, as I thought the bet was weak, and I didn't want to scare him off. Turn was [Kd Qh 4c] 2d. Now the BB checked. I grabbed a 500 chip, and tossed it forward. The BB thought for a moment, and called. River was [Kd Qh 4c 2d] 7d. The BB checked again. For some reason, my Spider-Sense was tingling, as I thought that he could be slowplaying a big hand. But I had a Set, so I bet another 500 chip. The BB went All-In for around 1300 more. I thought for a little bit, and made the crying call. After all, I was up from the hand with Fred. The BB showed A8d for a backdoor Nut Flush. Nice Hand, Sir.
Play continued, but a rather slow pace due to Fred. He had tightened up, and was playing considerably less hands. But when he played, he either limped or was All-In. He hadn't figured out that you could raise something between a min-raise and everything. He was still asking a lot of questions, and slowing the game down. Eventually some of the old nits started snapping at Fred for being so slow. I was getting annoyed at the old nits for "taping on the 'tank", and almost spoke up. I didn't want to cause any problems, so I simply bit my tongue.
There was a group of guys who showed up late, and were able to buy-in. One of them was seated on my direct Right, and he bought in using all his rebuys. He's a large 40's guy, and we'll call him Larry. (By the way, I'm completely making up these names.) I remember seeing Larry earlier in the day when I was playing 3-Card Poker. He was with his buddies at a roulette table, and was very loud and rude with everyone around him. A supervisor came to that table, and warned Larry about his unfriendly language concerning the lady dealer. I could tell before he even played a hand that he was going to be a bullshit artist. And I seemed to be right, as he raised his very first hand, and took it down on the Flop. A few hands later, Larry raised again, and got one caller. Larry bet on the Flop, got called, and then put the other player All-In on the Turn. The other player called with AK, no pair. It was good as Larry had AJ, no pair.
A little later (maybe in the 100/200/25 level), Larry raised again. I had AJo, and considered a 3-Bet. But I thought that Larry might 4-Bet All-In, and I didn't want to call everything with AJ, so I just called the initial raise. The Flop was Js 9s 5s. Surprisingly, Larry checked, so I bet 800 with Top Top. Larry looked over at my stack, and pushed his big chips forward. Even though I didn't have a Spade, I insta-called. Larry had KQo (no spade) for a Gutshot, and proceeded to hit it on the River. Nice Hand, Sir.
I used my last rebuy for 4000 chips, and was rather card dead. Larry kept hitting hands, and stayed very active. Since I had position on him, I was able to stay out of his way. But the blind of 100/200/25 and 150/300/50 started eating away at my stack, and I got short-stacked.
Once again, it folded around to Larry on the Button in the 150/300/50 level. He simply grabbed some big chips, and bet them. I looked down in the SB at 76c. Not exactly premium holdings, but Larry's range is more than half the deck. I don't remember exactly how many chips I had, but I figured this was a good spot to gamble. Larry had a better hand than I expected, AJo, but I still had two live cards and a live suit. The Board ran out, and the lowest card was a 9.
I finished in 21st place, and this was the first time in quite a while that I didn't even make the first break. Fred was still at the table. He had some ups and downs, including using his last rebuy. I don't remember the specifics.
I walked out of the tourney room, and into the main poker room. It was kinda slow for a Sunday, with around five tables open. I considered just heading home, and putting an end to this losing day. But it was only 7:45pm, and I did have money in my pocket.
I walked over to the desk to see if they had any open seats. The only one was at the $1/$2 table. So I bought $300 in chips, and walked over to the table.
(To be continued...)
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
LOL Donkaments #6
Atlantis 11am $80 Bounty - 07.24.11
They had 38 players for this one, which is the most players I've seen for this tourney. This was rather surprising to me, because the Grand Sierra has a their quarterly tournament series going on now. I had assumed that most of the tourney players would be over there. Instead, I recognized a few of the Grand Sierra regulars playing at Atlantis today. I guess they would rather play in the smaller tournaments. I'm not at Grand Sierra today becasue they are having a two day event, so I can't play in it.
Things started slowly for me. I didn't get any cards, so I just stayed patient and observed the other players. We start with 13000 chips, 20 minute levels, and the blinds at 25/50, so I was in no hurry. The play at the table was rather typical for a daily tournament. Lots of limping, some small raises, and generally small pots.
In the 100/200 level, I picked up a few hands, and won pots without much resistance. So I kept raising, and it went well. My stack broke the 20k mark without any problems.
In the 300/600 level. there was a couple of limpers. I had A3d on the Button. I was gonna raise, but decided to just limp, as a suited Ace plays good in a multi-player hand. However, the SB (an older gentleman) decided to raise to 1800. I was the only caller. The Flop was Q 8 3, and he bet 2000.
Meanwhile, the next Dealer had arrived. The current Dealer hands off the Downs Sheet to the new Dealer so they can keep track of who's dealing in the tournament to split the AddOns and Tips. The new Dealer drops the pen. It hits me in the shoulder (I'm in the 10 Seat next to the Dealer), and the pen rolls under the table.
It's my turn, and I decide to call the 2000 bet with just Bottom Pair, and see what happens on the Turn. Being the awesome guy that I am, I toss out two Yellow 1000 chips, and reach under the table to grab the pen. The Dealer then asks me, "Is that a Raise?" I'm confused by this, so I look up and see a Yellow 1000 chip and Brown 5000 chip. Since I didn't say anything, that meant it was a raise. The SB called the extra 4000. The Turn card didn't help me, and the SB went All-In. I folded in disgust that a stupid pen cost me most of my profit up to this point.
I got to the first Break (before 400/800) with 17800, and there was 26 players left. Shortly after the break, there was one limper. I was the Cutoff with QTo, and raised to 2000. The SB called, but the BB and limper folded. Flop was Qs Qh Th. The SB bet out for 2000. Well, there's no reason to scare off my action, so I just called. Turn [Qs Qh Th] 9d. He checked. I made a value bet of 3000, hoping it's small enough for him to call. He did , and the River [Qs Qh Th 9d] Ad. Once again, he led out, but this time it's for 5000. I really hope I didn't run into a cooler here, but I go All-In for 5800 more. He calls rather quickly with AKo, and I get the monster double up.
The next level was 500/1000/100. Our table was down to seven players as we are the next table to break. UTG (a Lady) raised to 2500. Mid player 3-Bets to 6500, which is half his stack. He's young Cash game player who actually has a clue about Poker. I'm the Button, and look down at Ad Ah. If I shove now, I know that Mid will have to call. But UTG has way more chips, and I want to win a huge pot. I just call the 6500, and hopefully UTG will go All-In. She doesn't, as she calls the extra 4000. Flop Ac 9d 6d. UTG goes All-In. Mid gets that pained look on his face, and goes into deep thought. It's rather obvious that he's got a Big Pair, and hates the Ace. I just sit there watching the ballgame on TV, trying to look as uninterested as possible. He finally folds QQ, and I insta-call with my Top Set. UTG shows KJo, and she's drawing dead. I collect Bounty #1.
This hand broke our table, as we're down to two tables. I'm at my new table for less than an orbit before I got moved to the other table. The shortstack player who had the QQ before now has well over 30k chips, and two more Bounty chips. He thanked me for not shoving preflop with my AA. This didn't bother me because I wanted to knock out the bigger stack, and I did.
Less than an orbit later, it was the 1k/2k/200 level. UTG+1 min-raised to 4000. I'm the Hyjack with AKo. I think for a moment about all my options, and decide to 3-Bet to 10000. I know nothing about this player, other than he's it looks like he's got a lot of chips. He was the only caller, and the Flop was As 5c 2c. He bet 10k. I decided to slow play this, and just called. Turn [As 5c 2c] 5h. He asked how much I got left, and I show him. He thinks for a moment, and bets 10k again. I now go All-In for 15600 more. He called, and turned over A8o. River [As 5c 2c 5h] 8h, and I finished in 15th place.
I also played in the 6:30 $95 Cash Me Out at the Peppermill. I didn't take any notes for this one, but I did min-cash for $145.
The only hand I will mention from this tourney was one of the worst beats I've ever seen, and fortunately I wasn't involved. The Flop was Ac Js 4c. Player A was the biggest stack with 4d 4h for Bottom Set. Player B was the next stack with J6c for Middle Pair and a Flush Draw. Player C is the shortest stack with AJd for Top Two Pair. This hand was in the middle of the tourney, so all the money got in on the Flop. The Board ran out [Ac Js 4c] Jh 6h. Player C more than tripled up with a Jacks Full of Aces. Player B won the decent Side Pot with Jacks Full of Sixes. Player A was left shortstacked, and was out within two orbits.
They had 38 players for this one, which is the most players I've seen for this tourney. This was rather surprising to me, because the Grand Sierra has a their quarterly tournament series going on now. I had assumed that most of the tourney players would be over there. Instead, I recognized a few of the Grand Sierra regulars playing at Atlantis today. I guess they would rather play in the smaller tournaments. I'm not at Grand Sierra today becasue they are having a two day event, so I can't play in it.
Things started slowly for me. I didn't get any cards, so I just stayed patient and observed the other players. We start with 13000 chips, 20 minute levels, and the blinds at 25/50, so I was in no hurry. The play at the table was rather typical for a daily tournament. Lots of limping, some small raises, and generally small pots.
In the 100/200 level, I picked up a few hands, and won pots without much resistance. So I kept raising, and it went well. My stack broke the 20k mark without any problems.
In the 300/600 level. there was a couple of limpers. I had A3d on the Button. I was gonna raise, but decided to just limp, as a suited Ace plays good in a multi-player hand. However, the SB (an older gentleman) decided to raise to 1800. I was the only caller. The Flop was Q 8 3, and he bet 2000.
Meanwhile, the next Dealer had arrived. The current Dealer hands off the Downs Sheet to the new Dealer so they can keep track of who's dealing in the tournament to split the AddOns and Tips. The new Dealer drops the pen. It hits me in the shoulder (I'm in the 10 Seat next to the Dealer), and the pen rolls under the table.
It's my turn, and I decide to call the 2000 bet with just Bottom Pair, and see what happens on the Turn. Being the awesome guy that I am, I toss out two Yellow 1000 chips, and reach under the table to grab the pen. The Dealer then asks me, "Is that a Raise?" I'm confused by this, so I look up and see a Yellow 1000 chip and Brown 5000 chip. Since I didn't say anything, that meant it was a raise. The SB called the extra 4000. The Turn card didn't help me, and the SB went All-In. I folded in disgust that a stupid pen cost me most of my profit up to this point.
I got to the first Break (before 400/800) with 17800, and there was 26 players left. Shortly after the break, there was one limper. I was the Cutoff with QTo, and raised to 2000. The SB called, but the BB and limper folded. Flop was Qs Qh Th. The SB bet out for 2000. Well, there's no reason to scare off my action, so I just called. Turn [Qs Qh Th] 9d. He checked. I made a value bet of 3000, hoping it's small enough for him to call. He did , and the River [Qs Qh Th 9d] Ad. Once again, he led out, but this time it's for 5000. I really hope I didn't run into a cooler here, but I go All-In for 5800 more. He calls rather quickly with AKo, and I get the monster double up.
The next level was 500/1000/100. Our table was down to seven players as we are the next table to break. UTG (a Lady) raised to 2500. Mid player 3-Bets to 6500, which is half his stack. He's young Cash game player who actually has a clue about Poker. I'm the Button, and look down at Ad Ah. If I shove now, I know that Mid will have to call. But UTG has way more chips, and I want to win a huge pot. I just call the 6500, and hopefully UTG will go All-In. She doesn't, as she calls the extra 4000. Flop Ac 9d 6d. UTG goes All-In. Mid gets that pained look on his face, and goes into deep thought. It's rather obvious that he's got a Big Pair, and hates the Ace. I just sit there watching the ballgame on TV, trying to look as uninterested as possible. He finally folds QQ, and I insta-call with my Top Set. UTG shows KJo, and she's drawing dead. I collect Bounty #1.
This hand broke our table, as we're down to two tables. I'm at my new table for less than an orbit before I got moved to the other table. The shortstack player who had the QQ before now has well over 30k chips, and two more Bounty chips. He thanked me for not shoving preflop with my AA. This didn't bother me because I wanted to knock out the bigger stack, and I did.
Less than an orbit later, it was the 1k/2k/200 level. UTG+1 min-raised to 4000. I'm the Hyjack with AKo. I think for a moment about all my options, and decide to 3-Bet to 10000. I know nothing about this player, other than he's it looks like he's got a lot of chips. He was the only caller, and the Flop was As 5c 2c. He bet 10k. I decided to slow play this, and just called. Turn [As 5c 2c] 5h. He asked how much I got left, and I show him. He thinks for a moment, and bets 10k again. I now go All-In for 15600 more. He called, and turned over A8o. River [As 5c 2c 5h] 8h, and I finished in 15th place.
I also played in the 6:30 $95 Cash Me Out at the Peppermill. I didn't take any notes for this one, but I did min-cash for $145.
The only hand I will mention from this tourney was one of the worst beats I've ever seen, and fortunately I wasn't involved. The Flop was Ac Js 4c. Player A was the biggest stack with 4d 4h for Bottom Set. Player B was the next stack with J6c for Middle Pair and a Flush Draw. Player C is the shortest stack with AJd for Top Two Pair. This hand was in the middle of the tourney, so all the money got in on the Flop. The Board ran out [Ac Js 4c] Jh 6h. Player C more than tripled up with a Jacks Full of Aces. Player B won the decent Side Pot with Jacks Full of Sixes. Player A was left shortstacked, and was out within two orbits.
Monday, July 18, 2011
LOL Donkaments #5
Peppermill 6:30 $95 Cash Me Out - 07.14.11
I had a rare 8hr work day, so I decided to do something that I haven't been doing lately. I went to the Peppermill to play a weeknight tournament.
They had 42 players for this one, which was above average from what I normally see. I got off to a good start by winning two nice pots with AK in Level 1. After that, I went a little card dead, but I didn't mind. The Dealer was one of the few from Reno that I saw down at the WSOP, and this was his first day back. We were swapping stories, and a couple of other players joined in. A social table is so much more entertaining than a bunch of players who are just sitting there.
Things kept going well, and I got to the first break with 25100 after I bought my last 4k Rebuy. Shortly after the break, our table broke. In the first two hands at my new table, I was dealt 99 and ATs, and raised preflop. I had to fold both of them to raises, one preflop and one post-flop, so I lost a chunk of chips right away.
One of the players I lost to is someone I've played with before in a cash game at Atlantis. He's a Asian kid who's far on the active, loose, psycho side. He's the definition of Action Guy. He normally plays $2/$3 or $3/$5, so I'm surprised that he's playing a tournament. He's also got around 60k - 70k chips, which is a ridiculously large stack for this stage of the tournament. The only good thing is that he's on the other end of the table, so I can try to avoid him.
Overall, I was able to avoid him. Because he was very active and I had just an average stack, I had to stay patient. It helped my table image, but it didn't help my chip stack. I hovered between 8 - 15 BBs for quiet a while. I had to shove All-In a few times, but nobody called. I guess my table image was helping me out.
When we got to the Final Table, I had almost 30k, and Action Guy had around 45k. I had noticed that he tighten up recently. I assume this was because our stack had caught up to his, so he no longer had the Monster Stack. However, in my typical luck, he got seated on my direct Left. I was in Seat 7, and he was in Seat 8.
Being a Cash Me Out, we were gonna convert to Cash at nine players, so we were on the Bubble when the Final Table started with ten players. Not surprisingly, Action Guy was involved in the Bubble bursting hand. He got All-In with KK against an older gentleman's AQ along with another shortstack. An Ace on the Flop gave the older gentleman the monster stack at the Final Table, and left Action Guy with just 1400 chips.
I had 40100 chips, which were converted to $200. Action Guy's 1400 chips were converted to $10. Only one of the nine players cashed out, so play resumed with eight players and the blinds at $5/$10.
As you would expect, Action Guy was All-In in the first hand, and got a couple of callers. He won the $40 pot when his J8o hit a Jack on the River. Next hand, I limped with AK because I knew he would shove his $40 with any hand. He did, and I was the only caller. However, his T9o hit the Flop, and he double up to $95. Crap!
This caused a big problem for me as play continued. The rest of the table played rather passively, as they waited for a few players to get knocked out so they could chop up the remaining prize pool of almost $700. Normally, this means I could be a little aggressive, and slowly build my stack without much resistance. But I know that Action Guy could shove in at any moment, so I had to wait for hands. Both of our stacks stayed in the same range for awhile; his in the $50 - $100 range and mine in the $100-$160 range.
When we got to the next level of $10/$20, we were down to seven players, but nobody wanted to Cash Out because they were all waiting to get down to five players so we could chop. Both Action Guy and myself had roughly the same chip stack as before, so play continued.
Finally, Action Guy shoved All-In from UTG for $70. Two players called rather quickly. It folded to me in the BB, and I looked down at 66. I have $125 total with $20 in the Big Blind. I go into deep thought as I consider shoving All-In. I know I'm probably ahead of Action Guy, but the other two players are playing solid, no-nonsense poker. It's only $55 more, and I'm probably gonna get at least one caller, if not two. There's a decent chance that one of them has a bigger pair than 66, so I make the safe move and fold. The Flop was K-high with two Hearts. First player bet $100, and the other called to make a side pot. The Turn was a brick. The first player went All-In for about $120, and the other player reluctantly called for a little less. The first player had ATh for a Flush Draw, the other player had QJh for a Flush Draw, and Action Guy had whatever random two cards he shoved with. The River missed everyone, and the first player wins a $500+ pot with AT-high. Fuck!
The only good thing about that hand was that it eliminated both the Action Guy and the other player. We were down to five players, and everyone wanted to make a deal. I'm the clear shortstack at this point, so I'm not in a position to argue. The deal was the two Big Stacks got $200 plus their cash chips, and the other three got $90 plus their cash chips. I left the poker room with $185 after the Dealer's Tip.
I had a rare 8hr work day, so I decided to do something that I haven't been doing lately. I went to the Peppermill to play a weeknight tournament.
They had 42 players for this one, which was above average from what I normally see. I got off to a good start by winning two nice pots with AK in Level 1. After that, I went a little card dead, but I didn't mind. The Dealer was one of the few from Reno that I saw down at the WSOP, and this was his first day back. We were swapping stories, and a couple of other players joined in. A social table is so much more entertaining than a bunch of players who are just sitting there.
Things kept going well, and I got to the first break with 25100 after I bought my last 4k Rebuy. Shortly after the break, our table broke. In the first two hands at my new table, I was dealt 99 and ATs, and raised preflop. I had to fold both of them to raises, one preflop and one post-flop, so I lost a chunk of chips right away.
One of the players I lost to is someone I've played with before in a cash game at Atlantis. He's a Asian kid who's far on the active, loose, psycho side. He's the definition of Action Guy. He normally plays $2/$3 or $3/$5, so I'm surprised that he's playing a tournament. He's also got around 60k - 70k chips, which is a ridiculously large stack for this stage of the tournament. The only good thing is that he's on the other end of the table, so I can try to avoid him.
Overall, I was able to avoid him. Because he was very active and I had just an average stack, I had to stay patient. It helped my table image, but it didn't help my chip stack. I hovered between 8 - 15 BBs for quiet a while. I had to shove All-In a few times, but nobody called. I guess my table image was helping me out.
When we got to the Final Table, I had almost 30k, and Action Guy had around 45k. I had noticed that he tighten up recently. I assume this was because our stack had caught up to his, so he no longer had the Monster Stack. However, in my typical luck, he got seated on my direct Left. I was in Seat 7, and he was in Seat 8.
Being a Cash Me Out, we were gonna convert to Cash at nine players, so we were on the Bubble when the Final Table started with ten players. Not surprisingly, Action Guy was involved in the Bubble bursting hand. He got All-In with KK against an older gentleman's AQ along with another shortstack. An Ace on the Flop gave the older gentleman the monster stack at the Final Table, and left Action Guy with just 1400 chips.
I had 40100 chips, which were converted to $200. Action Guy's 1400 chips were converted to $10. Only one of the nine players cashed out, so play resumed with eight players and the blinds at $5/$10.
As you would expect, Action Guy was All-In in the first hand, and got a couple of callers. He won the $40 pot when his J8o hit a Jack on the River. Next hand, I limped with AK because I knew he would shove his $40 with any hand. He did, and I was the only caller. However, his T9o hit the Flop, and he double up to $95. Crap!
This caused a big problem for me as play continued. The rest of the table played rather passively, as they waited for a few players to get knocked out so they could chop up the remaining prize pool of almost $700. Normally, this means I could be a little aggressive, and slowly build my stack without much resistance. But I know that Action Guy could shove in at any moment, so I had to wait for hands. Both of our stacks stayed in the same range for awhile; his in the $50 - $100 range and mine in the $100-$160 range.
When we got to the next level of $10/$20, we were down to seven players, but nobody wanted to Cash Out because they were all waiting to get down to five players so we could chop. Both Action Guy and myself had roughly the same chip stack as before, so play continued.
Finally, Action Guy shoved All-In from UTG for $70. Two players called rather quickly. It folded to me in the BB, and I looked down at 66. I have $125 total with $20 in the Big Blind. I go into deep thought as I consider shoving All-In. I know I'm probably ahead of Action Guy, but the other two players are playing solid, no-nonsense poker. It's only $55 more, and I'm probably gonna get at least one caller, if not two. There's a decent chance that one of them has a bigger pair than 66, so I make the safe move and fold. The Flop was K-high with two Hearts. First player bet $100, and the other called to make a side pot. The Turn was a brick. The first player went All-In for about $120, and the other player reluctantly called for a little less. The first player had ATh for a Flush Draw, the other player had QJh for a Flush Draw, and Action Guy had whatever random two cards he shoved with. The River missed everyone, and the first player wins a $500+ pot with AT-high. Fuck!
The only good thing about that hand was that it eliminated both the Action Guy and the other player. We were down to five players, and everyone wanted to make a deal. I'm the clear shortstack at this point, so I'm not in a position to argue. The deal was the two Big Stacks got $200 plus their cash chips, and the other three got $90 plus their cash chips. I left the poker room with $185 after the Dealer's Tip.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
LOL Donkaments #4
Harrah's 8pm $80 - 06.17.11
This tournament has a much better structure than the other Harrah's tourney I played. They gave us 8000 chips, added a couple of levels, and started the antes later. They also had a $20 Bounty for this one.
Being a Friday night in Las Vegas during the WSOP, this one had 102 players, which is kinda silly for a daily tournament. All the tables were in use, and that included a couple of $1/$2 NL games.
Things went well in the beginning, and my table draw was good. I was able to slowly build my stack, although I didn't get the monster stack that I had gotten in other tourneys. It took them awhile to break our table, which was good for me. I even got two Bounties before the table finally broke.
I got a really good seat at the new table, as the Big Stack was on my direct Right. Things were going along OK, but the structure started to become a problem. Even though it's a better structure than before, any daily tournament structure will be a problem with 102 players. With only three tables left, all of us were getting shortstack. That's when this hand happened in the 1500/3000/300 level:
It folded around to a Mid player, who min-raised to 6000. Only the SB called, and he was the Big Stack at the table. I'm the BB with 55, and I go All-In for 26500.
I played with the Mid player at the previous table, and he's a passive Super-Nit. He could easily have a bigger pair than me, but I have him covered. I don't think he'll risk his tournament with out a premium hand. However, I haven't been at the new table that long, and I don't know much about the Big Stack. He's got a lot of chips, but my stack would take a serious chunk out of his stack.
Ultimately, I do have a pocket pair, and I'm under 10 Big Blinds. If the Big Stack folds, then picking up the 12k plus antes will be good for my stack. If he calls, then hopefully we are in a coin flip, which wouldn't be a bad thing at this stage of the tournament.
The Mid player thinks for a bit, and folds. The Big Stack thinks for a much longer time. Meanwhile, his Buddy had already busted from the tournament and is watching the action. He comments about how big the pot is. The Dealer quickly chewed out the Buddy for opening his mouth when he's not involved in the hand.
I think the Big Stack listened to his Buddy, because he called right after the comment with KJo. He hit a J on the Flop, but I picked up a Gutshot on the Turn. The River didn't help me, and I was out in 26th place.
Even thought the Buddy should have kept his mouth shut, I really didn't mind the call. With three tables left, winning this coin flip would have given me the monster double-up, and that would have hopefully propelled me to the Final Table. In the Bally's tourney I played just before this one, I got that monster double-up (AQd vs 55) with about 15 players left. That gave me the Big Stack, and I rode it to victory. This time it didn't work out.
Oh, well. That's (tournament) Poker. At least I got two bounties to cover half of my buy-in.
This tournament has a much better structure than the other Harrah's tourney I played. They gave us 8000 chips, added a couple of levels, and started the antes later. They also had a $20 Bounty for this one.
Being a Friday night in Las Vegas during the WSOP, this one had 102 players, which is kinda silly for a daily tournament. All the tables were in use, and that included a couple of $1/$2 NL games.
Things went well in the beginning, and my table draw was good. I was able to slowly build my stack, although I didn't get the monster stack that I had gotten in other tourneys. It took them awhile to break our table, which was good for me. I even got two Bounties before the table finally broke.
I got a really good seat at the new table, as the Big Stack was on my direct Right. Things were going along OK, but the structure started to become a problem. Even though it's a better structure than before, any daily tournament structure will be a problem with 102 players. With only three tables left, all of us were getting shortstack. That's when this hand happened in the 1500/3000/300 level:
It folded around to a Mid player, who min-raised to 6000. Only the SB called, and he was the Big Stack at the table. I'm the BB with 55, and I go All-In for 26500.
I played with the Mid player at the previous table, and he's a passive Super-Nit. He could easily have a bigger pair than me, but I have him covered. I don't think he'll risk his tournament with out a premium hand. However, I haven't been at the new table that long, and I don't know much about the Big Stack. He's got a lot of chips, but my stack would take a serious chunk out of his stack.
Ultimately, I do have a pocket pair, and I'm under 10 Big Blinds. If the Big Stack folds, then picking up the 12k plus antes will be good for my stack. If he calls, then hopefully we are in a coin flip, which wouldn't be a bad thing at this stage of the tournament.
The Mid player thinks for a bit, and folds. The Big Stack thinks for a much longer time. Meanwhile, his Buddy had already busted from the tournament and is watching the action. He comments about how big the pot is. The Dealer quickly chewed out the Buddy for opening his mouth when he's not involved in the hand.
I think the Big Stack listened to his Buddy, because he called right after the comment with KJo. He hit a J on the Flop, but I picked up a Gutshot on the Turn. The River didn't help me, and I was out in 26th place.
Even thought the Buddy should have kept his mouth shut, I really didn't mind the call. With three tables left, winning this coin flip would have given me the monster double-up, and that would have hopefully propelled me to the Final Table. In the Bally's tourney I played just before this one, I got that monster double-up (AQd vs 55) with about 15 players left. That gave me the Big Stack, and I rode it to victory. This time it didn't work out.
Oh, well. That's (tournament) Poker. At least I got two bounties to cover half of my buy-in.
Friday, June 24, 2011
LOL Donkaments #3
Bally's 4pm $75 - 06.17.11
I played in this tourney because it was the only one on my list for 4pm. Although if I knew how bad the structure was, I probably wouldn't have played it. They give us 5000 chips, which is ok. But the Blinds start at 100/200, and double double double after that (100/200, 200/400, 400/800, 500/1000, 1000/2000, 2000/4000, 4000/8000).
Since this was such a terrible structure starting out with 25 Big Blinds, I decided to go with an all Preflop strategy. No limping or calling, just raise or 3-Bet. Overall, I did a decent job of sticking to it, and it worked beautifully. I won the first few pots I played, and I was steadily building my stack, while I rarely had to show my cards. By the time we got to the break, I had around 13k - 15k. The field of 47 players was down to three tables.
Things kept going well as I stuck to the plan. When we got down around 15 players, I made a standard raise from UTG with AQd. The SB moved All-In, and had me covered as we were the two Big Stacks at the table. He was at my first table, and he didn't mind getting his chips in the middle. That means his range of hand for 3-Betting is rather wide, so I quickly called. He had 55, and I won the race. This left him very shortstack, and I knocked him out on the next hand.
When we got to the Final Table, I had the dominate stack of 58k, which was 25% of the chips. I stuck to the plan, and was able to avoid any bad luck. The weirdest thing about the Final Table was there was no mention of a chop, bubble save, or any other type of deal. I would have had no problem discussing some sort of deal due to the retarded blind structure, just as long as I got the big chunk of money.
Even when the Bubble popped with five players getting paid, there was not a word uttered. This was bizarre to me because there is almost always something mentioned in Reno tournaments. I guess I got lucky in getting a Final Table full of tourists.
When it got to three handed, I had the Tower of Power with over 160k chips, and the other two players were close together around 35k each. Even with the Big Stack, I brought up making a deal. I wanted to protect my equity because the blinds were 4k/8k, and my chip dominance could be in trouble with a bad River card followed by a lost coin flip.
At first, I suggested that I get 1st place, and they chop 2nd and 3rd for $517. One of them said he would rather just play it out, as he doesn't get to play short handed very often. I was certainly not afraid to play it out with these two, but I kinda wanted to get some dinner. I made one more offer. I suggested they both get $550, and I'll take the rest. They looked at each other, and agreed to it.
So by giving up $70, I walked out of the poker room with $955 after the Dealer Tip.
I played in this tourney because it was the only one on my list for 4pm. Although if I knew how bad the structure was, I probably wouldn't have played it. They give us 5000 chips, which is ok. But the Blinds start at 100/200, and double double double after that (100/200, 200/400, 400/800, 500/1000, 1000/2000, 2000/4000, 4000/8000).
Since this was such a terrible structure starting out with 25 Big Blinds, I decided to go with an all Preflop strategy. No limping or calling, just raise or 3-Bet. Overall, I did a decent job of sticking to it, and it worked beautifully. I won the first few pots I played, and I was steadily building my stack, while I rarely had to show my cards. By the time we got to the break, I had around 13k - 15k. The field of 47 players was down to three tables.
Things kept going well as I stuck to the plan. When we got down around 15 players, I made a standard raise from UTG with AQd. The SB moved All-In, and had me covered as we were the two Big Stacks at the table. He was at my first table, and he didn't mind getting his chips in the middle. That means his range of hand for 3-Betting is rather wide, so I quickly called. He had 55, and I won the race. This left him very shortstack, and I knocked him out on the next hand.
When we got to the Final Table, I had the dominate stack of 58k, which was 25% of the chips. I stuck to the plan, and was able to avoid any bad luck. The weirdest thing about the Final Table was there was no mention of a chop, bubble save, or any other type of deal. I would have had no problem discussing some sort of deal due to the retarded blind structure, just as long as I got the big chunk of money.
Even when the Bubble popped with five players getting paid, there was not a word uttered. This was bizarre to me because there is almost always something mentioned in Reno tournaments. I guess I got lucky in getting a Final Table full of tourists.
When it got to three handed, I had the Tower of Power with over 160k chips, and the other two players were close together around 35k each. Even with the Big Stack, I brought up making a deal. I wanted to protect my equity because the blinds were 4k/8k, and my chip dominance could be in trouble with a bad River card followed by a lost coin flip.
At first, I suggested that I get 1st place, and they chop 2nd and 3rd for $517. One of them said he would rather just play it out, as he doesn't get to play short handed very often. I was certainly not afraid to play it out with these two, but I kinda wanted to get some dinner. I made one more offer. I suggested they both get $550, and I'll take the rest. They looked at each other, and agreed to it.
So by giving up $70, I walked out of the poker room with $955 after the Dealer Tip.
Monday, June 20, 2011
LOL Donkaments #2
Harrah's 3pm $60 - 06.15.11
They give you 6000 chips for this one and 20 minute levels, but the structure is not even close to the Caesars' structure. 48 players signed up for this one.
I was extremely card dead for this start. I guess it was making up the the Caesars' tourney. I basically blinded off down to 2600 at the break.
The next level was 300/600/75. The player in front of me raised to 1500. I looked down at QJo, and shipped in my 2525. I'm in the mode of "Get Me Chips Or Get Me Out Of Here", as I will just run to the next tournament on my list. But then the SB goes All-In. He seemed like he was a goofball who was catching cards. The original raiser thought for a bit, and folded. SB had AK, but I flopped a Queen to almost triple up.
Right after this hand, they broke our table. In one of my first hands at the new table, I get 88, and win a decent pot to knock out a player. Shortly after that, I 3-Bet with AK in the SB, and win a good pot from the chip leader of the table. By the end of the 300/600/75 level, I have over 18k chips. Sometimes this is a funny game.
After that, I really didn't get many hands to play. But I was able to maintain my chipstack in the 15k - 25k range through naked aggression. Nobody at my table was doing anything but playing their own cards, so I took advantage of it when I could. But the structure was on the fast side, so there wasn't much room to maneuver.
When we got to the Final Table, I had 24k and was one of the shortstacks. The blinds were 1500/3000/400, so I was in Push-N-Pray mode. It went ok, as I was able to maintain my stack. But I never got the big double up you need at a Final Table. Also, the structure got retarded. It went from 1500/3k/400 to 3k/6k/800 to 5k/10k/1k.
I did have a chance to get some chips when I shoved with A5o, and a shorter stacked called with A4d. But a 4 on the Flop took a nice chunk of my stack that I had manage to build through stealing.
Shortly after that hand, the level went up to 5k/10k/1k, and I was the BB. I only had 25k, which meant I was almost pot committed. But I just couldn't commit the last of my stack with 93s. It was a good thing I folded, because I got A8h in the SB. However, the BB woke up with AA. I did pick up a Flush Draw on the Turn, but it wasn't meant to be. I finished in 7th, which was the Bubble. Officially, five players got paid, but the Bubble Save talk started before the next hand was even dealt. I don't blame them, as they are just flipping coins at this point.
I did manage to place a $50 moneyline bet (+115) on the Boston Bruins to win Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. I won $57.50, so that basically covered this buy-in.
They give you 6000 chips for this one and 20 minute levels, but the structure is not even close to the Caesars' structure. 48 players signed up for this one.
I was extremely card dead for this start. I guess it was making up the the Caesars' tourney. I basically blinded off down to 2600 at the break.
The next level was 300/600/75. The player in front of me raised to 1500. I looked down at QJo, and shipped in my 2525. I'm in the mode of "Get Me Chips Or Get Me Out Of Here", as I will just run to the next tournament on my list. But then the SB goes All-In. He seemed like he was a goofball who was catching cards. The original raiser thought for a bit, and folded. SB had AK, but I flopped a Queen to almost triple up.
Right after this hand, they broke our table. In one of my first hands at the new table, I get 88, and win a decent pot to knock out a player. Shortly after that, I 3-Bet with AK in the SB, and win a good pot from the chip leader of the table. By the end of the 300/600/75 level, I have over 18k chips. Sometimes this is a funny game.
After that, I really didn't get many hands to play. But I was able to maintain my chipstack in the 15k - 25k range through naked aggression. Nobody at my table was doing anything but playing their own cards, so I took advantage of it when I could. But the structure was on the fast side, so there wasn't much room to maneuver.
When we got to the Final Table, I had 24k and was one of the shortstacks. The blinds were 1500/3000/400, so I was in Push-N-Pray mode. It went ok, as I was able to maintain my stack. But I never got the big double up you need at a Final Table. Also, the structure got retarded. It went from 1500/3k/400 to 3k/6k/800 to 5k/10k/1k.
I did have a chance to get some chips when I shoved with A5o, and a shorter stacked called with A4d. But a 4 on the Flop took a nice chunk of my stack that I had manage to build through stealing.
Shortly after that hand, the level went up to 5k/10k/1k, and I was the BB. I only had 25k, which meant I was almost pot committed. But I just couldn't commit the last of my stack with 93s. It was a good thing I folded, because I got A8h in the SB. However, the BB woke up with AA. I did pick up a Flush Draw on the Turn, but it wasn't meant to be. I finished in 7th, which was the Bubble. Officially, five players got paid, but the Bubble Save talk started before the next hand was even dealt. I don't blame them, as they are just flipping coins at this point.
I did manage to place a $50 moneyline bet (+115) on the Boston Bruins to win Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. I won $57.50, so that basically covered this buy-in.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
LOL Donkaments #1
Caesars Palace 9am $70 - 06/15/11
You get 4000 chips, and 20 minute levels with a decent structure for a daily tournament. They got 44 players on three tables. They have Re-Entry, and a lot of players used it.
Very first hand, I limped in Mid with J9d. Four players saw the Flop of Js 9c 8c. UTG+1 bet 150. I raised to 400 to either isolate, or just win the pot. It folded to him, and he called. Turn was [Js 9c 8c] 7s. Yuck! We both checked. River was [Js 9c 8c 7s] Jh. He led out for 600. It's rather obvious that he had a J, so I raised to 1500. He called with KJ.
Things kept going well for me. I knocked out a few more players, including my AKs vs an AKo when I hit a Flush. I had 11200 at the first break.
The carnage continued at our table, which became the Table Of Death. I wish this was a Bounty tournament, as I was the main head hunter. When we got to the Final Table, I had 48100, almost triple the average of 17600. Nobody else even had 20000. I had only one thought going through my head... Don't screw this up!
Well, the good news is that I didn't screw it up, but Lady Luck definitely put up a fight. I had numerous situations and suckouts to deal with. It started in the first orbit when I raised to 2000 with QQ. Next player went All-In for 9800. I made the call, and he had AA. I also had other hands that I raised with, but had to fold after another player went All-In, including AJ when the other guy had KK.
There was an old guy who was to my Left+1, which meant he's the BB when I'm the Button. He was a terrible calling station. This would be wonderful if it was a Cash game, but it can be very annoying at a Final Table. He also had the toughness of a cockroach, as he just would not die. I raise with KK on the Button. He went All-In with A6c, and flopped an Ace. He kept calling bets, almost never raised, and just would not die.
By the time we got to the next break, we had just popped the Bubble, and had five players left. The stacks had evened up considerably, and I was no longer chip leader. The leader had around 28k, I had 25k, and the short stack was around 12k - 15k. Since I couldn't raise to steal blinds because of the old geezer, I shifted gears down in to Small Pot Poker. I limped on the Button three consecutive times. The SB and BB (old geezer) called. I would make a small bet on the Flop or Turn with Middle Pair, the Geezer would call with Bottom Pair, and I would be good at showdown. With the Blinds at 1000/2000 and 1500/3000, these were good sized pots, and I was successful at rebuilding my chip lead through stealthy aggression.
After I got my stack over 40k, I started to raise a little more. I had bled the Old Geezer down to the point that he was hanging on for dear life, and he actually started to fold. By the time he finally got knocked out in 5th place, I had almost 70k.
During three handed play, I raised the Button with AQo. The SB moved All-In with a decent stack, and I called. He had AJh, and flopped the Flush. That took over half of my stack, and I had to go into survival mode. I carefully maneuvered with small pots, some All-Ins, and a few good folds. Once again, I was able to slowly get my chips lead back thanks to a rather good blind structure.
Eventually, the AJh guy knocked out the 3rd place player. We did a quick chip count, and I was ahead by only 4000 or 5000 chips. We decided to do an even chop. I left the Poker Room at 1:40pm with $705 after the Dealer's Tip.
You get 4000 chips, and 20 minute levels with a decent structure for a daily tournament. They got 44 players on three tables. They have Re-Entry, and a lot of players used it.
Very first hand, I limped in Mid with J9d. Four players saw the Flop of Js 9c 8c. UTG+1 bet 150. I raised to 400 to either isolate, or just win the pot. It folded to him, and he called. Turn was [Js 9c 8c] 7s. Yuck! We both checked. River was [Js 9c 8c 7s] Jh. He led out for 600. It's rather obvious that he had a J, so I raised to 1500. He called with KJ.
Things kept going well for me. I knocked out a few more players, including my AKs vs an AKo when I hit a Flush. I had 11200 at the first break.
The carnage continued at our table, which became the Table Of Death. I wish this was a Bounty tournament, as I was the main head hunter. When we got to the Final Table, I had 48100, almost triple the average of 17600. Nobody else even had 20000. I had only one thought going through my head... Don't screw this up!
Well, the good news is that I didn't screw it up, but Lady Luck definitely put up a fight. I had numerous situations and suckouts to deal with. It started in the first orbit when I raised to 2000 with QQ. Next player went All-In for 9800. I made the call, and he had AA. I also had other hands that I raised with, but had to fold after another player went All-In, including AJ when the other guy had KK.
There was an old guy who was to my Left+1, which meant he's the BB when I'm the Button. He was a terrible calling station. This would be wonderful if it was a Cash game, but it can be very annoying at a Final Table. He also had the toughness of a cockroach, as he just would not die. I raise with KK on the Button. He went All-In with A6c, and flopped an Ace. He kept calling bets, almost never raised, and just would not die.
By the time we got to the next break, we had just popped the Bubble, and had five players left. The stacks had evened up considerably, and I was no longer chip leader. The leader had around 28k, I had 25k, and the short stack was around 12k - 15k. Since I couldn't raise to steal blinds because of the old geezer, I shifted gears down in to Small Pot Poker. I limped on the Button three consecutive times. The SB and BB (old geezer) called. I would make a small bet on the Flop or Turn with Middle Pair, the Geezer would call with Bottom Pair, and I would be good at showdown. With the Blinds at 1000/2000 and 1500/3000, these were good sized pots, and I was successful at rebuilding my chip lead through stealthy aggression.
After I got my stack over 40k, I started to raise a little more. I had bled the Old Geezer down to the point that he was hanging on for dear life, and he actually started to fold. By the time he finally got knocked out in 5th place, I had almost 70k.
During three handed play, I raised the Button with AQo. The SB moved All-In with a decent stack, and I called. He had AJh, and flopped the Flush. That took over half of my stack, and I had to go into survival mode. I carefully maneuvered with small pots, some All-Ins, and a few good folds. Once again, I was able to slowly get my chips lead back thanks to a rather good blind structure.
Eventually, the AJh guy knocked out the 3rd place player. We did a quick chip count, and I was ahead by only 4000 or 5000 chips. We decided to do an even chop. I left the Poker Room at 1:40pm with $705 after the Dealer's Tip.
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