WSOP $5K 6-Max

It was down to the wire whether I was going to play this, but I managed to cash my check about 10 minutes before the start of the tournament. I ran down to the registration and found a line out the door. It was moving quickly, though, and I managed to register and get to the table at 12:04. The tournament was actually late getting started, so I hadn't missed anything. In fact, I was the first one there. Apparently we were in an overflow room they'd just opened up.

The next player to arrive was a guy I instantly recognized as Shaun Deeb. Two European guys, at least one of whom seemed to be an aggro Scandi, gave us the four we needed to start.

While we were still 4-handed, blinds 50/100, Scandi opens for 250 UTG and Shaun makes it 700 on the button. I find AK in the SB and 4-bet to 2400 planning to puke if Shaun shoves. They both folded quickly, but still, you know it's a tough table when you're cold 4-betting in your second orbit.

Things got a bit better when an older guy joined and started limping into pots. Early on, he open limped his button vs my BB, Shaun folded, and I checked with A4o. The flop came A34, I checked, he bet 150, and I raised 550. He called. The turn brought a 2, not ideal, but it's not real likely he has a 5. I bet 800, and he folded.

Next orbit, limpy old guy limps in for 100, Shaun calls 100, I make it 550 with T9o on the CO. Old guy calls, Shaun folds. The flop comes KQJ. Guy checks, I bet 1000, he raises to 3000. Against a better player, I'd probably just shove now, but live fish don't work like that. They don't think as much as they should about their stack size relative to the pot, but they do get scared by all in bets. So I raise to 7400, he shoves, I call, he has AT. I don't draw out to the chop, so I'm busted within half an hour. Fun.

A Critical Bet Sizing Tell

Let me say up front that I do this whole "check and figure it out" thing entirely too often against good players, and I have to stop. That said, in this case something about his turn bet led me to conclude that I ought to call the river.

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $10.00 BB (6 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

BB ($2000.30)
Hero (UTG) ($2000)
MP ($1543.50)
CO ($1734.80)
Button ($2358.50)
SB ($2077.70)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with 5, A
Hero bets $33, 2 folds, Button raises to $106, 2 folds, Hero raises to $266, Button calls $160

Flop: ($556) 6, A, Q (2 players)
Hero checks, Button checks

Turn: ($556) 2 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $290, Hero calls $290

River: ($1136) 4 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $1801 (All-In), Hero calls $1442.50 (All-In)

Total pot: $4021 | Rake: $3

Results:
Button had 8, 9 (high card, Ace).
Hero had 5, A (one pair, Aces).
Outcome: Hero won $4018


Let me kick this one to you, dear readers. Can you figure out what it is about the sizing of his turn bet that led me to call his overbet shove on the river?

Nice River

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $50.00 BB (6 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

BB ($9000.50)
UTG ($16025)
MP ($5309)
Hero (CO) ($10269)
Button ($10000)
SB ($10391)

Preflop: Hero is CO with A, J
2 folds, Hero bets $175, 1 fold, SB calls $150, 1 fold

Flop: ($400) J, 8, 9 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks

Turn: ($400) K (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $269, SB raises to $1025, Hero calls $756

River: ($2450) K (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $1669, 1 fold

Total pot: $2450 | Rake: $3


A big part of my reason for checking the flop is that I so rarely check back a flush draw, and this is one of the best flush draws to check (ie also having top pair to go along with it, so that the fold equity of a semi-bluff isn't worth much to you). This means that when the flush comes in on the turn, my opponent is going to think I can't have it.

So, OK, I get the raise I wanted, which is probably a bluff but could be two pair or a set that's comfortable bloating the pot since I'll rarely have the flush. When I call, I don't know how often he'll continue bluffing. Rivers that pair the board are definitely going to be scary for him, though, as are diamonds, since my likely holding for calling is either set/two pair or a pair with a diamond.

Given that there are so many rivers that discourage bluffing, plus the fact that he may not continue bluffing anyway, plus the fact that his river bluff wouldn't be that big, I might be better off 3-betting the turn. I imagine he'll bluff less often, but when he does, it will have to be a far bigger amount than a river bluff would be. Plus, if he's check-raising for value, I can win a much bigger pot from him.

Pot Odds!

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $10.00 BB (6 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Button ($1000)
SB ($1195.75)
Hero (BB) ($2396)
UTG ($1232)
MP ($1679)
CO ($1052)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 9, 10
2 folds, CO bets $30, Button calls $30, SB calls $25, Hero raises to $150, CO raises to $300, 2 folds, Hero calls $150

Flop: ($660) 8, J, 4 (2 players)
Hero checks, CO checks

Turn: ($660) 6 (2 players)
Hero checks, CO checks

River: ($660) 4 (2 players)
Hero bets $111, 1 fold

Total pot: $660 | Rake: $3


I hope he wasn't planning on folding to a pre-flop shove. Even putting him on a very strong range, I don't want to fold getting 3.5:1. The flop is a tough decision. I surely fold to a shove, but I can't very well open shove myself. I'm probably just calling if I get the right odds and folding otherwise.

Shoving the turn is probably best. For some reason, I had a feeling he was trapping. I guess it was just that I thought he was really strong pre-flop.

On the river, I just wanted to have some fun. Obviously I don't need him to fold often at all for this to show a profit, plus it just puts a smile on your face when it works.

Even Good Players Suck at Satellites

There were 61 players remaining in a Poker Stars $650 satellite, and 51 seats to be won. We were already at the point where we'd be getting our buyins back. I was in like 49th or so place with 25K chips at 1250/2500 and had a nice spot for stealing. On my right were a far too tight short stack and a guy with a huge stack who was just folding virtually everything. On my left were two stacks about equal to my own, and the guy two to my left was someone I knew to be a successful tournament player. Action folds to me on the button, I shove J9s, "decent" tourney player calls me with AT and wins the flip.

He had me covered, but barely, so it was very near to being a flip for his life. Even if he puts me on any two, which isn't correct but not an unreasonable assumption, he's only a 68-32 favorite. As a good player at this stage of the tournament, he's probably got at least a 70% chance of winning a seat if he folds this hand, and of course busting me doesn't guarantee him a seat anyway.

Thinking about this river play cheers me up a little though:

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $20.00 BB (2 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (SB) ($4931.50)
Button ($8070)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A, Q
Button bets $60, Hero raises to $222, Button calls $162

Flop: ($444) Q, J, 8 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $240, Hero calls $240

Turn: ($924) 4 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button checks

River: ($924) 4 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $420, Hero raises to $1444, Button calls $1024

Total pot: $3812 | Rake: $0.50

Results:
Button had 10, J (two pair, Jacks and fours).
Hero had A, Q (two pair, Queens and fours).
Outcome: Hero won $3811.50

This is a pretty optimistic value bet on his part on the river, though I actually don't mind calling the check-raise. There's actually an outside chance he was betting to induce a check-raise, which I would like far better than value betting (funny how the same play can be good or bad depending on the reasoning), but I doubt that's a play in his arsenal.

Anyway, for me, leading out on the river looks really strong. Not like "set or better" strong, but definitely like a value bet. I think checking is the only option for me, and between his turn check and his small bet sizing, I'm comfortable saying my hand is good 90% of the time here.

I Do Win the Big Ones Sometimes

I know I've whined about some big pots I've lost of late, so I figured I should reassure you all that I win some big ones too. It's actually been a pretty good month. Here's the biggest one of late:

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $50.00 BB (6 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Button ($10916)
SB ($11889)
Hero (BB) ($11684)
UTG ($20794)
MP ($14585)
CO ($10344)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 10, 10
3 folds, Button bets $150, 1 fold, Hero raises to $550, Button calls $400

Flop: ($1185) A, Q, 10 (2 players)
Hero bets $799, Button calls $799

Turn: ($2783) Q (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $1800, Hero calls $1800

River: ($6383) 5 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $7757 (All-In), Hero calls $7757

Total pot: $21897 | Rake: $3

Results:
Button had 8, J (one pair, Queens).
Hero had 10, 10 (full house, tens over Queens).
Outcome: Hero won $21894

To be honest, I actually took my time before calling, so much so that a few railbirds accused me of slowrolling. Most of the big pots I've lost this month have been cold decks where I have the smaller set/flush/quads, so I guess I'm just a little gunshy. Not only is a bluff possible, but this Villain is very capable of big, thin value bets. I wouldn't be shocked to see him show up with as little as AK, and he probably does this for value with any Q. The fact that he can do that makes a bluff like this one more effective.

I believe this is the second largest pot I've won, trailing behind this one which was actually from a 10/20 game.

FTOPS $500 Main Event

Standard tournament garbage. Congratulations, though, to my long-time reader and former student Diego, who made the final table! Diego, why oh why did you back out of our staking deal?!!?

Obviously I'm planning a check-raise here, but given his bet sizing, I actually think I might be better off just calling:

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em Tournament, 25/50 Blinds (8 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

UTG+1 (t5040)
MP1 (t8905)
MP2 (t7335)
CO (t6325)
Button (t6880)
SB (t7750)
Hero (BB) (t10280)
UTG (t2575)

Hero's M: 137.07

Preflop: Hero is BB with J, 8
4 folds, CO bets t150, 1 fold, SB calls t125, Hero calls t100

Flop: (t450) 6, 8, Q (3 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, CO bets t200, 1 fold, Hero calls t200

Turn: (t850) 4 (2 players)
Hero checks, CO checks

River: (t850) 9 (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets t700, Hero raises to t1980, CO raises to t3910, Hero calls t1930

Total pot: t8670

Results:
Hero had J, 8 (flush, Queen high).
CO had A, 4 (flush, Ace high).
Outcome: CO won t8670


That one was far less annoying than this:

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $50.00 BB (6 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

UTG ($7653.50)
MP ($1972)
CO ($9506)
Button ($4900)
SB ($5025)
Hero (BB) ($5075)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 10, K
3 folds, Button bets $150, 1 fold, Hero calls $100

Flop: ($325) 5, Q, 9 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button checks

Turn: ($325) 7 (2 players)
Hero bets $222, Button calls $222

River: ($769) 3 (2 players)
Hero bets $555, Button raises to $1655, Hero raises to $4703 (All-In), Button calls $2873 (All-In)

Total pot: $9825 | Rake: $3

Results:
Button had A, 9 (flush, Ace high).
Hero had 10, K (flush, King high).
Outcome: Button won $9822

Villain is usually a short-stacker, though he occasionally buys in full. He's definitely borderline scared money when he does, but I still can't see how this isn't a shove on the river (even though I had a sick feeling when he raised and had to force my fingers not to be weak-tight). The only thing is that he may be weighted towards the nuts because of the flop check, which he's far more likely to do with Ace-high than with a random suited connector. But given what he had here, it seems plausible he would play 98s or 65s the same way. I don't know though, come to think of it, he probably still has more combinations of Axs pre-flop then lower flushes. Ugh, maybe this isn't a good shove either.

1K WSOP Satellite

Played the 1K WSOP satellite on Stars tonight. There were 21 runners, meaning 2 seats and a lot of cash paid out. I came into the final table in second place, and had the lead by the time we got down to 5. I was running roughshod over everyone, and with four left I had as many chips as the other three combined. I definitely felt I was the strongest of the remaining players, but there were two other guys (none of whom I recognized) who seemed to get satellite strategy pretty well and one guy who was awful. One of the good players busted the other, so we got down to 3-handed with me and the other good player in a substantial lead.

At some point the fish doubled through him, which wasn't ideal (I'd prefer the fish to bust and lock up my seat) but certainly an improvement. I took a shot at busting the now-short good player, but it didn't end well:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $1000+$50 Tournament, 400/800 Blinds 100 Ante (3 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (Button) (t36843)
SB (t39582)
BB (t16575)

Hero's M: 24.56

Preflop: Hero is Button with 10, 10
Hero bets t1600, SB calls t1200, BB raises to t16475 (All-In), Hero raises to t31350, 1 fold

Flop: (t34850) 9, K, J (2 players, 1 all-in)

Turn: (t34850) 2 (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: (t34850) 5 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: t34850

Results:
Hero had 10, 10 (one pair, tens).
BB had J, K (two pair, Kings and Jacks).
Outcome: BB won t3485


I'm not 100% sure about this call. My range for raising the button here is like top 85%, and the fish is calling way wider than he should. I doubt he ever has a hand that calls a shove. If I am BB I am shoving any two here, and while he may not be quite that wide, he'd certainly shown a willingness to take advantage of good resteal spots before.

Then again, it sucks to gamble with the chiplead when three seats pay. But fishy as SB was, he was smart enough not to play a lot of big pots. It wasn't as though I was going to sit back and watch the two of them automatically butt heads. I wouldn't have called for all my chips, but since the worst case scenario is just that I have to hack it out, I went for it.

I did indeed manage to steal and then eventually double my way back into the chiplead, thanks to some godawful play from fishy:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $1000+$50 Tournament, 400/800 Blinds 100 Ante (3 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (BB) (t26068)
Button (t33182)
SB (t33750)

Hero's M: 17.38

Preflop: Hero is BB with 10, A
Button bets t1600, 1 fold, Hero calls t800

Flop: (t3900) 10, 10, 7 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets t1600, Hero raises to t3200, Button calls t1600

Turn: (t10300) 5 (2 players)
Hero bets t5555, Button calls t5555

River: (t21410) 5 (2 players)
Hero bets t11111, Button raises to t22222, Hero calls t4502 (All-In)

Total pot: t52636

Results:
Button had 7, 5 (full house, fives over tens).
Hero had 10, A (full house, tens over fives).
Outcome: Hero won t52636

Obviously I played this in a pretty non-standard way. Basically he had zero hand-reading skill and didn't like to fold. So I didn't worry about what I was representing but just tried to lay him the price that I felt would make me the most overall. On the river, I was still putting him on something less than a monster and figured he would be far more inclined to call less than all in than to call all in. Shockingly, he did the work for me with a low full house. I was also assuming that he'd be crippled whether I got the maximum or not, but that proved not to be true:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $1000+$50 Tournament, 400/800 Blinds 100 Ante (3 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (Button) (t53636)
SB (t6214)
BB (t33150)

Hero's M: 35.76

Preflop: Hero is Button with Q, A
Hero bets t1600, SB raises to t6114 (All-In), 1 fold, Hero calls t4514

Flop: (t13328) J, Q, K (2 players, 1 all-in)

Turn: (t13328) 8 (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: (t13328) 6 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: t13328

Results:
Hero had Q, A (one pair, Queens).
SB had K, 10 (one pair, Kings).
Outcome: SB won t13328

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $1000+$50 Tournament, 400/800 Blinds 100 Ante (3 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (SB) (t48022)
BB (t13228)
Button (t31750)

Hero's M: 32.01

Preflop: Hero is SB with A, J
Button bets t2200, Hero calls t1800, BB calls t1400

Flop: (t6900) A, 4, 2 (3 players)
Hero checks, BB checks, Button bets t3200, Hero calls t3200, BB calls t3200

Turn: (t16500) 8 (3 players)
Hero bets t2222, BB calls t2222, 1 fold

River: (t20944) 8 (2 players)
Hero bets t40300 (All-In), BB calls t5506 (All-In)

Total pot: t31956

Results:
Hero had A, J (two pair, Aces and eights).
BB had 10, 9 (flush, Ace high).
Outcome: BB won t31956

On the turn I'm hoping to get it in with the fishy short stack and get the big stack out from behind me. On the river, I'm pretty sure he hit the flush, but at this point I don't think check-folding is an option, so value betting is best. Sucks, but what are you gonna do?


Finally, I had to take yet another coin flip against the good player:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $1000+$50 Tournament, 600/1200 Blinds 150 Ante (3 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (SB) (t25662)
BB (t30274)
Button (t37064)

Hero's M: 11.41

Preflop: Hero is SB with 9, 9
Button bets t3000, Hero raises to t25512 (All-In), 1 fold, Button calls t22512

Flop: (t52674) 10, 10, K (2 players, 1 all-in)

Turn: (t52674) 3 (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: (t52674) 4 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: t52674

Results:
Button had K, A (two pair, Kings and tens).
Hero had 9, 9 (two pair, tens and nines).
Outcome: Button won t52674


Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand I snatched a bubble from the jaws of victory. :-(

Gross Spot Vs. Peter Eastgate

Yesterday, PeteEastgate was sitting at something like 8 25/50 tables on Stars. After confirming that this was the actual 2009 WSOP Champion and not some clever shark impersonating a tourney donk, I hopped on a few of the tables to try my luck. It was indeed trying:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $50.00 BB (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

SB ($5122)
BB ($7944)
UTG ($5223)
MP ($15570)
CO ($5000)
Hero (Button) ($5824)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 4, 4
1 fold, MP bets $150, 1 fold, Hero calls $150, 2 folds

Flop: ($375) 2, 9, 4 (2 players)
MP checks, Hero checks

Turn: ($375) 9 (2 players)
MP checks, Hero bets $222, MP raises to $850, Hero calls $628

River: ($2075) 4 (2 players)
MP bets $14570 (All-In), Hero calls $4824 (All-In)

Total pot: $11723 | Rake: $3

Results:
Hero mucked 4, 4 (four of a kind, fours).
MP had 9, 9 (four of a kind, nines).
Outcome: MP won $11720


I've made four or five royal flushes in my lifetime, but I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've been on either end of quads vs. quads. The worst part is that it's actually pretty tough to put him on anything but better quads given the way he played it. Not that I'm about to lose sleep over paying off with quads, but still.

It was even more frustrating coming on the heels of this, which was not against Eastgate:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $50.00 BB (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

UTG ($13257)
MP ($15487)
CO ($5000)
Button ($8292)
Hero (SB) ($5000)
BB ($6147)

Preflop: Hero is SB with 10, 10
UTG bets $150, MP calls $150, 1 fold, Button calls $150, Hero raises to $750, 1 fold, UTG calls $600, MP calls $600, Button calls $600

Flop: ($3050) 10, Q, 6 (4 players)
Hero checks, UTG checks, MP bets $1725, 1 fold, Hero raises to $4250 (All-In), 1 fold, MP calls $2525

Turn: ($11550) K (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($11550) 3 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $11550 | Rake: $3

Results:
Hero had 10, 10 (three of a kind, tens).
MP had Q, Q (three of a kind, Queens).
Outcome: MP won $11547

Well, this was not exactly not against Eastgate. He was the initial raiser, but not the guy who cold decked me. I'm actually a little surprised that the QQ didn't re-squeeze pre-flop. I'm pretty sure I would have stacked off anyway, and his hand's going to be a bitch to play in a multiway pot post-flop. Unless he flops set over set, of course.

Anyway, from what I could tell Eastgate was pretty solid. While I'm not yet convinced that he's 25/50 material, he had respectable stacks on nearly every table he was on, and he certainly wasn't enough of a mark to justify my continuing to sit frustrated against other very good players.

FTOPS Event 1: $200 6-Max

I donked my way out of this one with a quickness, lost my ass with QQ on a 972 board with two clubs. Worse, it was to a guy who'd previously called KJ on a J74 flop, potted the turn when I checked to him, then made a half pot bet on the river (I had KJ also). Thing is, although he was kinda overvaluing top pair, he didn't raise it on the flop. So when he did raise the 972, I probably shouldn't have lost 100+ BB's with QQ. Oh well.

SCOOP Event 21: Heads Up NLHE

I didn't play the $25K, but the $2500 was plenty big enough for me. Emily and I even rearranged Easter brunch plans so that I could play it, which turned out to be a huge disappointment, as I lasted fewer than ten minutes against AJKHoosier1, my first round opponent. Obviously one of the most respected tournament players online was no slouch, but he also seemed to be running pretty hot. To wit:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $2500+$100 Tournament, 25/50 Blinds (2 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (SB) (t4975)
Button (t5025)

Hero's M: 66.33

Preflop: Hero is SB with 3, K
Button bets t100, Hero calls t50

Flop: (t200) 6, 2, J (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets t125, Hero calls t125

Turn: (t450) 6 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button checks

River: (t450) 5 (2 players)
Hero bets t250, Button calls t250

Total pot: t950

Results:
Button had J, 4 (two pair, Jacks and sixes).
Hero had 3, K (one pair, sixes).
Outcome: Button won t950


This might not seem like "running hot", but the outcome of run-of-the-mill spots like this often determine the winner of a heads up tournament between two good players. The variance is through the room. This is just a standard spot where his range ought to be ridiculously wide, I turn my hand into a bluff on the river to knock out Ax and better Kx, and he has top pair.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $2500+$100 Tournament, 25/50 Blinds (2 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (Button) (t3175)
SB (t6825)

Hero's M: 42.33

Preflop: Hero is Button with 8, 9
Hero bets t150, SB calls t100

Flop: (t300) Q, 10, 9 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks

Turn: (t300) 10 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets t125, SB raises to t450, Hero calls t325

River: (t1200) 7 (2 players)
SB bets t950, Hero folds

Total pot: t1200

Results:
SB didn't show
Outcome: SB won t1200


Obviously didn't get to see his hand here, so I may just have been outplayed, but based on his timing and just generally how he plays, I'm pretty sure he had it.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $2500+$100 Tournament, 25/50 Blinds (2 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (SB) (t4525)
Button (t5475)

Hero's M: 60.33

Preflop: Hero is SB with J, Q
Button bets t100, Hero calls t50

Flop: (t200) Q, A, 2 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets t125, Hero calls t125

Turn: (t450) 5 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets t325, Hero calls t325

River: (t1100) 10 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets t750, Hero calls t750

Total pot: t2600

Results:
Button had 8, Q (flush, Ace high).
Hero mucked J, Q (flush, Ace high).
Outcome: Button won t2600


PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $2500+$100 Tournament, 25/50 Blinds (2 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (Button) (t2925)
SB (t7075)

Hero's M: 39.00

Preflop: Hero is Button with A, K
Hero bets t100, SB calls t50

Flop: (t200) 2, Q, 5 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks

Turn: (t200) A (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets t125, SB raises to t440, Hero raises to t1010, SB raises to t6975 (All-In), Hero calls t1815 (All-In)

River: (t5850) 6 (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: t5850

Results:
Hero had A, K (one pair, Aces).
SB had 5, 5 (three of a kind, fives).
Outcome: SB won t5850


Honestly, this last one might have been a little tilty, though it's obviously a shit spot. I was trying to get him to 4-bet shove a draw on the turn, which I doubt he does.

In the $250, I draw a Round 1 Bye, which is pretty crazy considering that I'm pretty sure only one person out of the 1500+ field got one. In Round 2, I drew the curiously named Roothlus2. A quick google revealed that his last name is Levy, leading me to conclude that he is likely the brother of Adam "Roothlus" Levy. I say brother and not multi-account because he was way weaker than the real Roothlus, and I polished him off pretty handily.

My Round 3 opponent wasn't super-tough either, but he was better at making small bluffs than randoms usually are and I didn't adapt well. I never really caught the cards I wanted to play back at him, and eventually we got pretty shallow with him having a substantial chiplead. I open jammed KJs for about 12BB, he called with A5, and the flop came K52, giving me some hope of doubling back up to even, but the turn 5 drove the nail into the coffin.

SCOOP Event 20: FLHE 6-Max

I hate and suck at FLHE, so I didn't play this one. I just wanted to give a big congratulations to Terrence "Unassigned" Chan, who won both the $500 and $5000 tournaments. I had the privilege of meeting, playing with, and losing a big pot to Terrence in Barcelona. He was a very nice guy, and I've been following his blog ever since. He's also a phenomenal poker player, probably one of the best FLHE players in the world, and it's hard to think of a guy more deserving of a big win than Terrence.

SCOOP Event 14: 6-Max NLHE ($5000)

I had some fierce competition in this one, but I guess that's to be expected in a 5K. There was dpeters17, Timex, psyduck, and Poker Savvy's very own Christian "charder30" Harder, but the player who ended up giving me the most trouble was a Pocket Fivers guy named Wretchy. I don't think this was because Wretchy was the best of these players- quite the opposite- but he did make hands at the right times against me (or pull off some very well-timed bluffs, in which case there's egg on my face, but I'm pretty sure he had it).

The first big pot he won off of me, he flopped top pair top kicker and I flopped the nut flush draw in a multi-way pot. Unfortunately, that meant he had my Ace dominated, so I was drawing to fewer outs than I expected, and I didn't get there. None of the rest were that clean. I think this line is actually OK on my part and may have saved me some money:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $5000+$200 Tournament, 40/80 Blinds (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Button (t7804)
SB (t6930)
BB (t15071)
UTG (t4438)
Hero (MP) (t7982)
CO (t9352)

Hero's M: 66.52

Preflop: Hero is MP with 10, 10
1 fold, Hero bets t160, 1 fold, Button calls t160, SB raises to t777, 1 fold, Hero calls t617, 1 fold

Flop: (t1794) 3, 6, 6 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets t555, SB raises to t1888, Hero calls t1333

Turn: (t5570) 5 (2 players)
SB bets t1999, Hero folds

Total pot: t5570


As long as I'm making this same flop bet-call with stuff like AA and trips, which I absolutely am, then I think this is a pretty effective way of playing TT. It has the potential to induce calls from worse and sometimes even spazzy bluffs (though hopefully not here!). It sucks, but I seriously doubt Wretchy is sophisticated enough to have a bluff here.

Then there was this smaller one where he took me off a hand. For some reason I had a feeling he was gonna 4-bet, but I sucked it up and 3-bet anyway:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $5000+$200 Tournament, 50/100 Blinds 10 Ante (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP (t6360)
CO (t8621)
Button (t14288)
SB (t16510)
Hero (BB) (t9682)
UTG (t9064)

Hero's M: 46.10

Preflop: Hero is BB with Q, A
2 folds, CO bets t233, 2 folds, Hero raises to t699, CO raises to t1888, 1 fold

Total pot: t1508


For better or for worse, I probably would have shoved AQs here. I dunno, I just don't see tourney regs 4-betting without the goods very often, particularly when the 4-bet is less than all in. Then again, BelowAbove was cheering for this dude in chat, so who knows. Maybe I just don't play enough of the bigger buy-in weekly tournies to know what the regs are up to these days.

My bustout hand was another in my neverending series of "Goddammit this is not a cash game!" hands. This is maaaaybe an OK line against someone who is gonna float and bluff turns, but that's just not who I'm likely to be up against here. Even the 3-bet is pretty questionable, I think:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $5000+$200 Tournament, 50/100 Blinds 10 Ante (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP (t8670)
CO (t18710)
Button (t14753)
SB (t10410)
Hero (BB) (t8608)
UTG (t3374)

Hero's M: 40.99

Preflop: Hero is BB with 10, 10
1 fold, MP bets t275, 3 folds, Hero raises to t888, MP calls t613

Flop: (t1886) 2, 7, K (2 players)
Hero bets t910, MP calls t910

Turn: (t3706) K (2 players)
Hero checks, MP bets t2222, Hero raises to t6800 (All-In), MP calls t4578

River: (t17306) J (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: t17306

Results:
Hero had 10, 10 (two pair, Kings and tens).
MP had K, A (three of a kind, Kings).
Outcome: MP won t17306


With a spade, it's a completely different story and an easy shove, I think.

SCOOP Event 14: 6-Max NLHE ($500)

I made a decent run in the $500 6-max on Wednesday, and though I didn't do as well in the $5K, there were interesting hands from both, so I'm going to do two different posts.

I lost about half my stack early on in the $500, but managed to recover. Then there was this hand that really gave me a boost:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $500+$30 Tournament, 100/200 Blinds 25 Ante (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (SB) (t11229)
BB (t7109)
UTG (t4199)
MP (t11233)
CO (t11561)
Button (t21931)

Hero's M: 24.95

Preflop: Hero is SB with 7, A
3 folds, Button calls t200, Hero calls t100, BB checks

Flop: (t750) Q, A, K (3 players)
Hero checks, BB checks, Button bets t500, Hero calls t500, 1 fold

Turn: (t1750) 3 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets t2000, Hero calls t2000

River: (t5750) 10 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets t5200, Hero calls t5200

Total pot: t16150

Results:
Button had 9, 7 (high card, Ace).
Hero had 7, A (one pair, Aces).
Outcome: Hero won t16150


Not that his line makes a whole lot of sense anyway, but I'd previously seen him check the flop and lead out for half pot on the turn with a set, so I was even less inclined to believe his overbet. I doubt he's open limping AQ, AK, QQ, KK, or AA on the button, so JT is literally the only made hand I could expect him to have.

So things were going well, and I had a not-too-tough table, except for a guy some of you may know who plays under the handle teacuppoker. He's a good player who's been around for a while- I played with him in person at the 2007 WSOP, and recognized his screenname from before that. Sadly, I got into a tough spot against him and didn't play it brilliantly.

It just goes to show you how much it sucks to be out of position against a good player, when you can flop top pair top kicker and your first thought is "Shit, what am I going to do?" It's not that I was worried about getting beat, but just that I didn't know what line to take to get paid off without getting bluff out or paying off to much to the occasional better hand myself. I ultimately went for three streets of value, which in a cash game would be fine but is probably too optimistic in a tournament, even against a guy who does play MSNL and HSNL:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $500+$30 Tournament, 150/300 Blinds 40 Ante (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (UTG) (t19208)
MP (t26465)
CO (t23634)
Button (t9160)
SB (t5430)
BB (t11357)

Hero's M: 27.84

Preflop: Hero is UTG with K, A
Hero bets t777, 1 fold, CO calls t777, 3 folds

Flop: (t2244) 10, 4, K (2 players)
Hero bets t1111, CO calls t1111

Turn: (t4466) 3 (2 players)
Hero bets t2888, CO calls t2888

River: (t10242) 9 (2 players)
Hero bets t6666, CO calls t6666

Total pot: t23574

Results:
Hero had K, A (one pair, Kings).
CO had 10, 10 (three of a kind, tens).
Outcome: CO won t23574


Of course, I was destined to lose a big pot here. But check-folding the river might actually have been better. The most obvious draw got there, and although I'm sure he's capable, he doesn't have much reason to turn a pair into a bluff here.

Then I fought around for a while and eventually got sort of coolered in a blind battle, though based on how passive this guy had been on his big blind, I maybe could have just called flop. Even if I do, though, I don't see how we don't get it on this turn:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $500+$30 Tournament, 250/500 Blinds 60 Ante (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (SB) (t13506)
BB (t19033)
UTG (t40954)
MP (t8136)
CO (t5030)
Button (t8595)

Hero's M: 12.17

Preflop: Hero is SB with 9, J
4 folds, Hero calls t250, BB checks

Flop: (t1360) 7, 10, 9 (2 players)
Hero checks, BB bets t897, Hero raises to t2444, BB raises to t18473 (All-In), Hero calls t10502 (All-In)

Turn: (t27252) 3 (2 players, 2 all-in)

River: (t27252) K (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: t27252

Results:
Hero had 9, J (one pair, nines).
BB had 9, 10 (two pair, tens and nines).
Outcome: BB won t27252

SCOOP 5: NLHE Shootout

I even knew they were putting a cap on registration for these, but I waited until the last minute to register anyway. Both the $150 (at 1000) and the $1500 (at freaking 100) buy-in events were locked, so I played the $15 for a lark. I don't know if it was locked at 10K, but it got damn near that, with more than 9000 runners. I saw the field in the $1500 and was kind of glad I didn't play it, though it presumably would have been softer with a larger field.

The structure was great and the opposition terrible, so with a lot of patience I was able to grind my way through my first table with no real difficulty. I roll my eyes whenever Daniel Negreanu mentions "small ball", but against a weak field it really is an awesome strategy. No one was playing back at me ever, so I just stole like a demon pre- and post-flop without ever putting much at risk until I had a huge hand. The few times I did, I lost one big flip with AQ vs. 66 against a guy who limp-shoved on me from the SB (that one I think was mandatory) and when I reshoved 99 into KK (and probably I should have just folded pre-flop, even four-handed to a CO raise, given stacks, reads, etc.).

A very similar strategy worked well for me at the second table

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $15.00+$1.50 Tournament, 1250/2500 Blinds 300 Ante (5 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Button (t39651)
SB (t131070)
Hero (BB) (t196924)
UTG (t41296)
MP (t91059)

Hero's M: 37.51

Preflop: Hero is BB with K, A
UTG bets t7500, MP raises to t90759 (All-In), 4 folds

Total pot: t20250


Towards the end of the second table, there were two hands where I got away from small ball and swung for the fences. They were the end of me:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $15.00+$1.50 Tournament, 1250/2500 Blinds 300 Ante (3 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

BB (t203211)
Hero (Button) (t193874)
SB (t102915)

Hero's M: 41.69

Preflop: Hero is Button with J, J
Hero bets t5555, SB raises to t17500, 1 fold, Hero raises to t193574 (All-In), SB calls t85115 (All-In)

Flop: (t208630) K, 2, 9 (2 players, 2 all-in)

Turn: (t208630) K (2 players, 2 all-in)

River: (t208630) 7 (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: t208630

Results:
Hero had J, J (two pair, Kings and Jacks).
SB had Q, Q (two pair, Kings and Queens).
Outcome: SB won t208630


Although it sounds absurd since I was raising 60-70% of my hands on the button, I think I should have folded this pre-flop. This was the first time this player had re-raised me all tournament, and I was picking up chips so easily that there wasn't a need to felt him here. Obviously not folding JJ pre-flop with 30BB effective stacks and an insane image isn't going to be a huge leak, but I do think folding would have been correct here. And then a few hands later, there was the one that did me in:


PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $15.00+$1.50 Tournament, 1250/2500 Blinds 300 Ante (3 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Button (t118106)
Hero (SB) (t94614)
BB (t287280)

Hero's M: 20.35

Preflop: Hero is SB with A, A
1 fold, Hero bets t7500, BB calls t5000

Flop: (t15900) 10, 8, 2 (2 players)
Hero bets t8888, BB calls t8888

Turn: (t33676) 6 (2 players)
Hero bets t22222, BB raises to t270592 (All-In), Hero calls t55704 (All-In)

River: (t189528) Q (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: t189528

Results:
Hero had A, A (one pair, Aces).
BB had 6, 8 (two pair, eights and sixes).
Outcome: BB won t189528


I'm definitely going to lose some money here, but I think it's a too optimistic to go for his stack. I'd rather check turn and then either bet-fold river (if he checks back the turn) or check-call turn and bet-fold or check-fold river depending on the card and his turn bet size.

Most Psychotic Bluff I've Ever Seen

Hmmm, 80:1 odds? I think I'll call:

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $10.00 BB (6 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (Button) ($1802)
SB ($490)
BB ($1424)
UTG ($985)
MP ($1884)
CO ($1442.45)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 6, 8
1 fold, MP bets $35, 1 fold, Hero calls $35, 2 folds

Flop: ($85) 5, 7, 8 (2 players)
MP bets $45, Hero raises to $122, MP raises to $320, Hero raises to $678, MP raises to $1200, Hero raises to $1722, MP raises to $1849 (All-In), Hero calls $45 (All-In)

Turn: ($3619) 2 (2 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($3619) Q (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $3619 | Rake: $3

Results:
Hero had 6, 8 (one pair, eights).
MP had J, 2 (one pair, twos).
Outcome: Hero won $3616


I tried to make the flop 3-bet kinda sketchy to maximize fold equity versus overpairs. Guess I was a little off there....

Not only is this an awful board to expect me to show up with air, but when he 7-bet bluffs (wow, what an awesome thing to be able to say), I have to call $45 into a $3600 pot. The best part is that I thought my 6-bet was all in. I just hit the raise button, but apparently that left me with just enough room to give him the illusion of fold equity.

You don't know you how nervous I was when that deuce rolled off on the turn.

Back in Black

For the second time this year, I've dug myself out of a big old hole. Let's hope it's the last (that I need to). Here's the hand that did it:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $50.00 BB (5 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Button ($9411)
SB ($5550)
BB ($20776)
UTG ($5000)
Hero (MP) ($5444)

Preflop: Hero is MP with K, K
1 fold, Hero bets $150, 2 folds, BB calls $100

Flop: ($325) 5, 6, Q (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $222, BB raises to $950, Hero raises to $5294 (All-In), BB calls $4344

Turn: ($10913) 10 (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($10913) 10 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $10913 | Rake: $2

Results:
BB had K, 5 (two pair, tens and fives).
Hero had K, K (two pair, Kings and tens).
Outcome: Hero won $10911


I actually thought for a bit on the flop about whether I wanted to ship it in or just call and look for a non-club turn. I think based on his bet-sizing he has clubs pretty much always, and most of the time he'll have other outs that will make him basically a coin flip with me (either a 5, an A, or a straight draw). That would seem to argue for a call, since I have position and this information about his hand.

Truthfully, though, I think a call gives him the advantage even though he's out of position. He knows his hand looks like a flush draw, and if I just call, he'll know that I'm looking for a non-club turn. So he has pretty much the same information that I do, but he also knows which other cards help his hand, which I do not.

Take this case, for instance. Say I just call. What if an Ace turns and he shoves? I could end up getting bluffed off the best hand. Better to suck it up, get it in, and hope I've got his kicker covered!

It was one of those nights where things were just going well. I was getting a lot of decisions right, even those I usually get wrong:

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $10.00 BB (4 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Button ($1880)
Hero (SB) ($2047)
BB ($1005)
UTG ($5521)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A, A
UTG bets $35, 1 fold, Hero raises to $123, 1 fold, UTG calls $88

Flop: ($256) J, J, 10 (2 players)
Hero bets $188, UTG calls $188

Turn: ($632) 9 (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets $410, Hero calls $410

River: ($1452) 2 (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets $4800 (All-In), Hero calls $1326 (All-In)

Total pot: $4104 | Rake: $2

Results:
Hero had A, A (two pair, Aces and Jacks).
UTG had A, K (one pair, Jacks).
Outcome: Hero won $4102


Actually, I wasn't getting everything right. I made some big, questionable river bluffs in a heads up match. But, even that crazy image paid off eventually:

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $6.00 BB (2 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (SB) ($2983.75)
Button ($2026.25)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A, A
Button bets $15, Hero raises to $55, Button raises to $149, Hero raises to $444, Button raises to $852, Hero raises to $2983.75 (All-In), Button calls $1174.25 (All-In)

Flop: ($4052.50) 2, Q, 4 (2 players, 2 all-in)

Turn: ($4052.50) 7 (2 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($4052.50) 2 (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $4052.50 | Rake: $0.50

Results:

Button had K, A (one pair, twos).
Hero had A, A (two pair, Aces and twos).
Outcome: Hero won $4052


This was really the first time we'd gone to war pre-flop, too. I mean, there are times when it might be reasonable to stack off 340 BBs to me with AK pre-flop, but this wasn't one of them.

Deeeep Bluff

When you get to about the 2/4 or 3/6 level, an important goal to set for yourself is to make it hell for your opponents to show down marginal hands against you when they are out of position. The deeper you get, the wider the definition of marginal becomes, and here the stars really aligned nicely for me. The Villain is an occasional short stacker, and although he had a bunch of money spread out across a few 10/20 tables tonight, I still felt that he'd be a little uncomfortable with the idea of a $17K pot:

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $20.00 BB (6 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

BB ($6735)
UTG ($2000)
MP ($11444)
Hero (CO) ($8761)
Button ($3940)
SB ($6294)

Preflop: Hero is CO with 6, 9
1 fold, MP bets $70, Hero calls $70, 2 folds, BB calls $50

Flop: ($220) 10, 2, 8 (3 players)
BB checks, MP bets $160, Hero calls $160, 1 fold

Turn: ($540) Q (2 players)
MP bets $400, Hero raises to $1555, MP calls $1155

River: ($3650) 5 (2 players)
MP checks, Hero bets $2977, 1 fold

Total pot: $3650 | Rake: $3


Honestly, my initial plan was not to bluff again on the river. I felt that the turn raise would be enough to threaten his stack and get him off of an overpair or AQ-type hand. He called so quickly, though, that I just felt he couldn't have a set. With the interest I'm showing in the pot and the draws on the board, I think he would at least consider jamming the turn with a big hand like that. So, I decided to throw a big river bluff at him to represent a set or straight.

Someone Needs to Learn Hand Reading

What a donkey. I'm never 3-betting worse for value here, and it's not a spot where I'm prone to bluff, either.

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $20.00 BB (2 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Button ($2030)
Hero (SB) ($4011.75)

Preflop: Hero is SB with 10, Q
Button raises to $60, Hero calls $40

Flop: ($120) 10, 2, J (2 players)
Hero checks, Button checks

Turn: ($120) 4 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button checks

River: ($120) K (2 players)
Hero bets $90, Button raises to $242, Hero raises to $666, Button calls $424

Total pot: $1452 | Rake: $0.50

Results:
Button had 4, K (two pair, Kings and fours).
Hero had 10, Q (one pair, tens).
Outcome: Button won $1451.50


Thing is, I mis-read my hand and thought I had a straight. I honestly wasn't sure I could 3-bet it, because AQ is definitely in Villain's range, and I was afraid if I did 3-bet it would be obvious I had a straight such that I'd only get action from better. But really the only way K4 is good here is if I mis-read my hand.

FTOPS $17: $300 Rebuy 6-Max NLHE

Given the deep stacks, short-handed format, and substantial buy-in, this was probably the FTOPS event I was looking forward to the most. Sadly, the other players at my table were giant nits during the rebuy period. I got AK on the first hand and open shoved, then shoved a more times just trying to get up a kinda crazy image, but no one would play along. I even tried trash talking in the chat box, but they kept folding anyway.

Finally I got 22 in the SB and open raised 3x. The player in the BB re-raised, and I shoved because for like 40 BB's in a rebuy I really ought to be able to get 22 in pre-flop profitably in a blind battle, but of course nitbag showed up with TT. I'm pretty sure mine was the only rebuy our table had- most players didn't even double buy initially, and at least one didn't take the add-on.

After the rebuy period was over, I tightened up for half an hour or so until the blinds got appreciable and then started min-raising a lot of hands. I'm increasingly convinced that, especially in 6-max tournaments, that's the way to go. People are already not adjusting well to the short-handed format, and smaller raises is the best way to exploit their excessive tightness. When people did re-raise me, it was usually some amont like a full 3x my raise which was way larger than it needed to be. Basically no one was calling as light as he should out of the BB, and even when they did call, they sucked enough at post-flop play that it was fine anyway.

I built up a nice stack this way, though there were two guys on my right doing something kind of similar. I was making money picking spots to 3-bet them until someone behind woke up with a hand and cold 4-bet shoved.

After a few of those re-raises, this happened:

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em Tournament, 170/340 Blinds 25 Ante (6 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP (t20502)
CO (t18250
Button (t5100)
Hero (SB) (t8221)
BB (t5270)
UTG (t9409)

Hero's M: 12.46

Preflop: Hero is SB with A, A
1 fold, MP raises to t750, CO calls t750, 1 fold, Hero raises to t2000, 2 folds, CO calls t1250

Flop: (t5240) 8, Q, 5 (2 players)
Hero checks, CO checks

Turn: (t5240) 6 (2 players)
Hero bets t6196 (All-In), CO calls t6196

River: (t17632) K (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: t17632

Results:
Hero had A, A (one pair, Aces).
CO had 9, 7 (straight, nine high).
Outcome: CO won t17632

If the BB had been any good, I would have just called pre-flop and counted on him to shove over the three of us. I wasn't confident he would recognize what a good spot it was for him, though, so I had to re-raise myself.

On the flop, there was only one pot-sized bet left in my stacks. I figured that most hands that would call a flop shove would call a turn shove as well- maybe even more. Plus I give Villain the chance to bluff shove. This is exactly the kind of hand I wanted him to shove, though, and instead he drills the gutter on the turn. Bah.

Right Line, Wrong Guy

I like this line a lot in this spot, but not against the table fish:

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $20.00 BB (6 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP ($2000)
CO ($1850)
Button ($1329)
SB ($8366)
Hero (BB) ($2197)
UTG ($2274)

Preflop: Hero is BB with Q, K
3 folds, Button raises to $40, 1 fold, Hero raises to $144, Button calls $104

Flop: ($298) J, A, 3 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button checks

Turn: ($298) 2 (2 players)
Hero bets $203, Button calls $203

River: ($704) 7 (2 players)
Hero bets $550, Button calls $550

Total pot: $1804 | Rake: $3

Results:
Button had A, 10 (one pair, Aces).
Hero had Q, K (high card, Ace).
Outcome: Button won $1801


Most of the time that I check this flop after 3-betting pre-flop, I'm going to have something with some showdown value. And if I then bet hard at the turn and river, it will be because I was slowplaying a monster or at least pot controlling something pretty good like AK.

So, I like a similar line with a big draw, as compared to just betting the flop and then making a pot-committing turn bet. Maybe I'll get to check-raise the flop if Villain throws out a feeler bet/bluff, or make a concealed flush (since he probably wouldn't expect me to check a flush draw on the flop)- with all my outs, I certainly don't mind seeing a free turn card.

AT is exactly the kind of hand I'd expect a better player to drop on the river. But this was not a better player, and I should have known better.

Oh You Wanna Get Stubborn?

I'll get you off of it eventually...

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $6.00 BB (6 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

SB ($4886.05)
BB ($300)
UTG ($600)
Hero (MP) ($1311.80)
CO ($1318.60)
Button ($1711.10)

Preflop: Hero is MP with 10, A
1 fold, Hero raises to $21, CO calls $21, 1 fold, SB raises to $84, 1 fold, Hero raises to $190, 1 fold, SB calls $106

Flop: ($407) 7, 3, Q (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $166, SB calls $166

Turn: ($739) 6 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $255, SB calls $255

River: ($1249) K (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $700.80 (All-In), 1 fold

Total pot: $1249 | Rake: $3


I like this because the value of my opponent's hand is so clearly capped (if he had a QQ+ or AK, he'd have shoved pre-flop, if he had a set he'd have shoved before the river) while I've shown strength at every opportunity. The river K is icing on the cake, connecting with AK, the single most plausible hand he was still beating on the turn with whatever pocket pair he had.

I imagine he realized all of this as well, because he tanked for a really long time but eventually gave it up.

I Got One Right

Since I just posted a bunch of whines, here's a brag. The SB was the table fish, the BB is a very tough and aggressive opponent. I could just 4-bet pre-flop but I think he'd find a way to own me. I decided I was just going to play my position and go with the assumption that he didn't have much:

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $10.00 BB (6 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

UTG ($2753)
MP ($1837)
CO ($4028.25)
Hero (Button) ($2697)
SB ($2045.70)
BB ($2032)

Preflop: Hero is Button with K, J
3 folds, Hero raises to $35, SB calls $30, BB raises to $170, Hero calls $135, 1 fold

Flop: ($375) 4, 2, Q (2 players)
BB bets $210, Hero calls $210

Turn: ($795) 2 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $333, BB calls $333

River: ($1461) 5 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $1984 (All-In), 1 fold

Total pot: $1461 | Rake: $3


I like floating the flop because even if he fires a second barrel there's a lot of ways I can continue. If I turn a pair, I'll call him down, and if I turn a draw, I'll shove. The turn bet was calculated to set up a roughly pot-sized river shove (Villain had like $1300 left) and/or win the pot immediately. It doesn't give him a great price to check-raise, so I think he's mostly going to raise only when he has a legit hand. The small bet also works as a feeler to show me that he probably doesn't have a legit hand, which means it'll be tough for him to call a river shove. He tanked forever, which was pretty nerve-racking, but eventually went away.

Aces Suck

As of today, I am in the red for the year. Obviously not a big deal just two weeks in, but it's annoying. It has a lot to do with my pocket Aces never winning the damn pot. In fact, I am in the red for the year with specifically that hand as well:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $50.00 BB (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

UTG ($16395.35)
MP ($5000)
CO ($11776)
Button ($5609)
Hero (SB) ($6300)
BB ($3437)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A, A
3 folds, Button raises to $150, Hero raises to $555, 1 fold, Button raises to $1400, Hero raises to $6300 (All-In), Button calls $4209 (All-In)

Flop: ($11268) Q, 4, 7 (2 players, 2 all-in)

Turn: ($11268) 6 (2 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($11268) 9 (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $11268 | Rake: $3

Results:
Button had Q, Q (three of a kind, Queens).
Hero had A, A (one pair, Aces).
Outcome: Button won $11265


Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $50.00 BB (6 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Button ($12792)
SB ($5000)
BB ($5000)
Hero (UTG) ($6736)
MP ($12400)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with A, A
Hero raises to $175, MP calls $175, 1 fold, SB raises to $700, 1 fold, Hero calls $525, MP calls $525

Flop: ($2150) 2, 8, J (3 players)
SB bets $1350, Hero calls $1350, 1 fold

Turn: ($4850) 4 (2 players)
SB bets $2950 (All-In), Hero calls $2950

River: ($10750) 10 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $10750 | Rake: $3

Results:
SB had 10, 10 (three of a kind, tens).
Hero had A, A (one pair, Aces).

Outcome: SB won $10747


PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $20.00 BB (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP ($2292)
CO ($2000)
Button ($2000)
SB ($828.85)
BB ($2773)
Hero (UTG) ($1904)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with A, A
Hero raises to $60, MP raises to $200, 4 folds, Hero raises to $555, MP calls $355

Flop: ($1140) J, Q, 2 (2 players)
Hero checks, MP bets $500, Hero raises to $1349 (All-In), MP calls $849

Turn: ($3838) 4 (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($3838) 5 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $3838 | Rake: $3

Results:
Hero had A, A (one pair, Aces).
MP had Q, Q (three of a kind, Queens).
Outcome: MP won $3835


Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $50.00 BB (6 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Button ($925)
SB ($13384)
BB ($15243)
UTG ($5000)
Hero (MP) ($5797)
CO ($9200)

Preflop: Hero is MP with A, A
1 fold, Hero raises to $175, 2 folds, SB calls $150, 1 fold

Flop: ($400) 8, 10, J (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $288, SB calls $288

Turn: ($976) 5 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $678, SB calls $678

River: ($2332) 9 (2 players)
SB bets $1488, Hero folds

Total pot: $2332 | Rake: $3

Results:
SB didn't show
Outcome: SB won $2329


Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $20.00 BB (5 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (BB) ($4000)
UTG ($2101)
MP ($2000)
Button ($2612)
SB ($6337)

Preflop: Hero is BB with A, A
3 folds, SB raises to $60, Hero raises to $180, SB calls $120

Flop: ($360) 3, Q, 10 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $270, SB raises to $700, Hero raises to $3820 (All-In), SB calls $3120

Turn: ($8000) 7 (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($8000) Q (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $8000 | Rake: $3

Results:
SB had Q, Q (four of a kind, Queens).
Hero had A, A (two pair, Aces and Queens).

You Got Potrippered!

Of course I couldn't actually see my opponent's hold cards, but it sure looks like I could when you see the results:

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $10.00 BB (6 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

UTG ($3706.55)
MP ($1875)
Hero (CO) ($3852)
Button ($4474)
SB ($1325)
BB ($2872.95)

Preflop: Hero is CO with 10, J
1 fold, MP raises to $35, Hero calls $35, Button raises to $140, 3 folds, Hero calls $105

Flop: ($330) K, 2, 4 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $225, Hero raises to $777, Button calls $552

Turn: ($1884) 10 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button checks

River: ($1884) 6 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button checks

Total pot: $1884 | Rake: $3

Results:
Button had 8, 10 (one pair, tens).
Hero had 10, J (one pair, tens).
Outcome: Hero won $1881


This is the sort of hand that I think just looks crazy to people who aren't very adept at reading poker situations. I'll try to translate. First off, we're really deep. It's a decent spot for the Button to squeeze pre-flop, and I make a light call with a big implied odds/semi-bluffing hand given how much money is still behind.

Villain's pre-flop range is fairly wide, and I think he bets nearly all of it (excluding some of his good but not great hands, which is actually good for me because it means more air in his range) on this flop. I check-raise, knowing that he probably has nothing.

I'm also aware that my line doesn't make a lot of sense, but I've got a plan for that. He may well call me light, both with a lot of marginal hands that he thinks are best and also, as here, with air hoping to take it away on a later street. But there are a lot of ways for me to turn a draw. I'm going to fire another barrel at most turns, and if I do pick up a draw, we're going to get the money in.

As it happens, I turned a pair. That changed my plans completely, and I checked. To be honest, I'm not sure what I was going to do if he bet, but I do think we'll often check it through. Whether he has a better or a worse hand, I don't expect him to bet many hands that have showdown value since I represented either a monster or air on the flop.

Thankfully, the turn card not only made my hand but also convinced my opponent to give up on his bluff. We checked it down, and I looked like a psychic when the hands were revealed. Sweet value check-raise on the flop huh? A river value bet would have really been sick....

Check-Folding AA for 100BB in a 3-Bet Pot

At least I wish I did...

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $20.00 BB (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP ($2292)
CO ($2000)
Button ($2000)
SB ($828.85)
BB ($2773)
Hero (UTG) ($1904)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with A, A
Hero raises to $60, MP raises to $200, 4 folds, Hero raises to $555, MP calls $355

Flop: ($1140) J, Q, 2 (2 players)
Hero checks, MP bets $500, Hero raises to $1349 (All-In), MP calls $849

Turn: ($3838) 4 (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($3838) 5 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $3838 | Rake: $3


Obviously it's not too often that I'm check-folding AA for a single pot-sized bet on the flop. In this case, though, I think I can put Villain on a very narrow range of hands. To be generous, I'd say he almost always has JJ+ or AK, and given that he didn't 5-bet, I'm inclined to weight that towards JJ-QQ. In any event, he also puts me on a similarly narrow range, meaning that if has AK he probably isn't going to bluff and if he has KK he can't bet because what can he expect action from? I thought about all of that but then said, "Fuck it, it's one pot-sized bet" and was promptly shown QQ.

2009 Poker Resolutions

Resolution One: Keep Grinding NLHE Cash Games

This is my bread and butter game, and even if I don't do anything to improve, just maintaining my current winrate and putting in hours will be very valuable to me. Of course I do want to get better, but my general focus will be on playing rather than doing stuff to improve (posting hands, watching instructional videos, etc.).

Also, I'm not going to worry too much about non-NLHE games. I tried to do it last year, but it didn't prove too productive. I'll play/study them when I feel like it, but it's not going to be a priority. I'm confident in my ability to pick them up quickly should that become necessary/desirable and I choose to devote all my time to it, such that I don't think I need to prioritize working on them now.

Goal 1: Earn $X in NLHE Cash Games

It's very tough to predict or control what you earn playing tournaments. With cash games, though, it's mostly a question of game selection and putting in hours. My goal for 2009 is to earn in NLHE cash games what I made playing any form of poker in 2008, so that anything from tournaments is just a perk. Hopefully this will help me to keep my focus even if I do make a big tournament score, since that won't count towards the goal.

Goal 2: Earn Supernova status on PokerStars

This shouldn't be tough, and I'm already off to a good start. Basically I need to earn 100,000 VPP's (PokerStars' frequent player reward) over the course of the year. Having earned 3200 already, I'm on course to do this by September.

Last year, I played on Full Tilt almost exclusively because they have rakeback. My understanding is that the Stars VPP program is actually worth more if you devote the time to getting into the top tiers of it, though. Plus bigger games seem to go more frequently and are maybe a little softer.

There are a couple of drawbacks, though. For one thing, I have way more money on FTP than on Stars and it's not that easy to reload. At the moment I'm mostly grinding up my balance playing 5/10 full ring games, and that's going OK, so hopefully this won't be a barrier. But I've already passed on a few potentially good 25/50 games for lack of funds.

Also, Stars doesn't have Deep tables, which are getting really popular on FTP. They do have some tables with a 50BB minimum buy-in, which helps with the short-stacking problem, but I really like playing deep. There are a lot of regulars who can handle a 100BB stack very well but make mistakes playing 200BB deep. Since the bigger games are comprised mostly of regulars, that makes a big difference.

Still, I don't think Supernova status will be tough to get, so I'm going to go for it. The next level, Supernova Elite, require 10 times as many VPP's, though, and I don't think I have any prayer for that.

Resolution Two: Diversify My Income Streams

I laid the foundation for this last year, but I really haven't capitalized on it yet. Now that I'm starting to get a higher profile in the poker world, I think there are ways for me both to generate passive income and to combine poker with some of my other interests, such as writing and teaching.

Goal 3: Monetize This Blog

I was surprised by how much I made off of blog ads last year with virtually no effort. In general do find internet ads to be tacky and intrusive, but in this case I am giving away a lot of very valuable information at no cost to you, so I hope my dear readers will understand if there are a few ads on the page. I'll try to keep it minimally intrusive, and the plus side for you will likely be a nicer layout and better content. Expect to see a new look later this month.

Goal 4: Get Back Into Coaching

I'm not going to set an hourly goal for this because I don't want to force it, but I think I ought to do some more coaching. With the right students, it is in fact very enjoyable and rewarding. Plus, Poker Savvy tells me I can offer my students a free three-month subscription, which hopefully will sweeten the value of the package without costing me any more time. I may also consider doing group sessions that lower the costs for any individual person while helping to get me an hourly rate comparable to that of actually playing poker. Expect to see more information about this soon.

Goal 5: Market My Writing

I'm still just doing the easy stuff, writing for the occasional people who approach me. I think I want to get my name out there a little bit more and publish in some more high-profile ways. I don't know about writing my own book, but I'm in discussions with a well-known player now about contributing a chapter to a book he's doing.

Resolution Three: Improve My NLHE Skills

This is a lower priority than just putting in hours. Then again, practice is the single best way to improve, so I want to do what I can to maximize the learning value of my time at the tables.

Goal 6: Use Poker Tracker More Effectively

I barely use Poker Tracker for anything beyond record keeping, and I know I'm only getting like 10% of its value. I often don't even use the HUD because it distracts me when I'm playing a lot of tables. But I want to be able to do at least some basic evaluation of my play to try to identify some leaks, such as I found with suited connectors in one of my year-end posts. Plus I want to put together a HUD layout that is truly useful for me.

Goal 7: Finish the Year with a 4BB/100 Win-Rate at 5/10 NL.

This is somewhat beyond my control because I won't play a large enough sample size (there are good players who have had 100K hand break-even streaks), but if I can maintain this win-rate, which I think is about twice what my "true" rate is now, I'll be in great shape.

Goal 8: Play 50,000 Hands of Heads Up NLHE

If I'm not going to do PLO, heads up is probably the next best game for me to get better at. At stakes above 10/20, it's often the only way to get action, and that's even more true the higher you get. Not to mention that thinking through heads up situations makes you better at playing marginal hands in general. Maybe I'll read and review Moshman's new book as well....

2008 Year in Review

Having already posted an analysis of last year's resolutions (One, Two, and Three), I'll turn now to some year-end miscellany:

Largest Pot Won

Though I played as high as 50/100 last year, my biggest win was in a recent 10/20 heads up game. It's both the largest pot I've won in absolute dollars and also (I think) the largest in BB's, nearly 1200 of them.

Full Tilt Poker, $10/$20 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

Hero (SB): $16,884.50
BB: $11,606

Pre-Flop: 6 T dealt to Hero (SB)
Hero raises to $60, BB raises to $220, Hero raises to $588, BB raises to $1,225, Hero calls $637

Flop: ($2,450) 6 J 6 (2 Players)
BB bets $1,425, Hero raises to $3,659, BB raises to $10,381 and is All-In, Hero calls $6,722

Turn: ($23,212) T (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

River: ($23,212) 9 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: $23,212 Pot ($0.50 Rake)
Hero showed 6 T (a full house, Sixes full of Tens) and WON $23,211.50 (+$11,605.50 NET)
BB showed A A (two pair, Aces and Sixes) and LOST (-$11,606 NET)


A little epilogue here: I saw this guy sitting alone at a 50/100 table recently and took a seat. He played one hand and quit.

Largest Pot Lost

I wish I could say it was a bad beat or cold deck, but mostly it was just bad play:

Full Tilt Poker, $25/$50 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

Hero (BB): $10,050
SB: $24,967.75

Pre-Flop: 4 A dealt to Hero (BB)
SB raises to $124, Hero raises to $411, SB calls $287

Flop: ($822) Q 8 Q (2 Players)
Hero bets $589, SB raises to $1,670, Hero calls $1,081

Turn: ($4,162) 2 (2 Players)
Hero checks, SB bets $2,575, Hero raises to $7,969 and is All-In, SB calls $5,394

River: ($20,100) 9 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: $20,100 Pot ($0.50 Rake)
Hero showed 4 A (a pair of Queens) and LOST (-$10,050 NET)
SB showed K Q (three of a kind, Queens) and WON $20,099.50 (+$10,049.50 NET)


Worst Bad Beat

As it happens, those are both from December. But I had to go all the way back to March and my days in the UB 25/50 heads up game to find the most annoying bad beat, defined as some combination of long odds and big pot:

Free hand converter brought to you by CardRunners

Seat 0: GASSITT ($4297.50) -
Seat 1: Foucault ($4500) - -

PRE-FLOP:

Foucault posts small blind $25
GASSITT posts BIG blind $50
Dealt To: Foucault


RAISE Foucault ($150)
CALL GASSITT ($150)


FLOP:

Pot: $350


CHECK GASSITT
BET Foucault ($200)
CALL Foucault ($200)


TURN:

Pot: $750


BET GASSITT ($525)
RAISE Foucault ($1650)
RAISE GASSITT ($3947.50)
CALL Foucault ($3947.50)


RIVER:

Pot: $10295




SHOWDOWN:
GASSITT:

MUCK Foucault

GASSITT collected $8594.5 from main pot with full house, fives full of jacks

SUMMARY:
Total pot: $8595 Rake: $.50

Final Board:


Seat 0: 5s Js 5h 5d Jd: full house, fives full of jacks. - Net Gain/Loss: ($3772)



Free hand converter brought to you by CardRunners

Largest Tournament Score



Yearly Profits Graph

Thanks to you all for following along this year, and best of luck at the tables (or wherever you ply your trade) in 2009.

Happy New Year!

2008 Resolution One: Focus on Short-Handed NLHE Cash Games

At the beginning of last year, I set some poker resolutions and goals for myself. It's time now to see how I've fared during the course of 2008.

Resolution 1: Focus on Short-Handed NLHE Cash Games

I pretty well kicked the tournament habit, but my focus wasn't exclusively on short-handed play. I played a fair bit of full ring NLHE as well when the games were good, and I don't regret it. Over about 170K hands played at 6-max tables at Poker Stars and Full Tilt Poker (Poker Tracker 3 doesn't collect UB stats), I ran at about 2 BB/100. This covers stakes from $.5/$1 (for a Poker Savvy video I was recording) to $50/$100, which is the biggest I've played.

Over 27K hands of heads up NLHE, I ran at nearly 4 BB/100. Sadly, a few ill-fated forays into 25/50 heads up nevertheless left me down about $35,000.

I say that I don't regret expanding into full ring because over 60K hands I ran at about 4 BB/100.

As most of you know, tournaments did still prove profitable for me thanks to a very deep run in the main event of the WSOP. For the year, I had an ROI of just over 100%, which is in line with what I hear the best tournament players tend to expect. Of course, with a sample size of 261 mostly huge-field tournaments, that's not a very meaningful number. It's scary to think how much a single card could have changed the course of my year. Change a few rivered Aces to deuces and I leave Las Vegas penniless. Then again, gimme an Ace on the river against Scott Montgomery and maybe I leave Las Vegas a millionaire. That's tournament poker.

The real issue with tournaments is that they are mostly a lot less interesting than cash and it's much harder to put an equivalent amount of money in play. Basically I could either chase the circuit around the gruddiest parts of the US (Reno! Atlantic City! Tunica!) or spend less time playing more money 8-tabling 5/10 NL Deep in the comfort of my own apartment (and underwear, if I damn well please).

Goal 1: Play no more than 400 tournaments (Achieved)

This one wasn't even close. I played just 261 tournaments, almost exclusively big buy-in, large-field events. In fact, the average prize pool in the tournaments I played was over $900,000. I still enjoy playing the biggest events like the Sunday majors, the FTOPS, and the WCOOP. However, I no longer feel any urge to play something like the 100K Guarantee on a random Thursday night.

The one good thing about tournaments is that they force me to put in hours. If I'm playing one or two tournaments, I'll generally have 6-8 cash games going on the side for 4-5 hours whereas playing exclusively cash I'd probably play 8-10 tables for just 2-3 hours before getting bored.

Goal 2: The average buy-in of the tournaments I play will be at least $500. (Failed)

I missed this one, coming in at an average buy-in of $427. If you disregard four freerolls that I played, I can get this number up to about $460, but I still played too many small buy-in events. I was also thinking I would play at least one other big B&M event besides the WSOP, which I didn't end up doing.

Goal 3: Play at least 250,000 hands of NLHE cash. (Achieved)

This was a very modest goal, and I would have been pretty ashamed if I couldn't hit it. There are people who play this much in a month. In fact, a guy from 2+2 recently won a prop bet that required him to play 600,000 hands in November! Granted I have no desire to 24-table 50NL for 13 hours a day every day, but still I really ought to play more.

Not even counting UB or the occasional live game, I played 256, 587 hands. Over that sample, I came out at 2.54 BB/100, which is good but far from spectacular. Even in the biggest games the best players are making twice that.

Of the limits where I spent most of my time, here's how it shook out:

30K hands at 10/20 NL 6-max at 3.9 BB/100

50K hands at 5/10 NL FR at 3.9 BB/100

66K hands at 5/10 6-max 0.4 BB/100

31K hands at 3/6 6-max, 1.1 BB/100

13K hands 2/4 6-max 4.9 BB/100

And for those who are curious about my play style, here are a few of my numbers with exactly 6 players at the table:

VP$IP 21 PFR 16 W$WSF 45% WTSD 24% W$SD 53%

For those who don't speak Poker Trackerese, I played 21% of my hands, open raising or 3-betting a raiser 16% of the time. This is just slightly on the tight passive side. I think a style like 22/18 would be a little better, and in general I probably call too many raises.

When I saw the flop, I won 45% of the time, which is on the low end of acceptable. Again, this could be a result of calling raises with too many speculative hands, of giving up too easily, or of not playing aggressively enough.

I went to showdown in 24% of the hands that I played and had the best hand at showdown 53% of the time. The latter figure is good, but the former is a little high and suggests that I am not bluffing or value betting quite as much as I should.

My ten most profitable hands, in order: AA, KK, AKs, TT, AKo, 33, QQ, JJ, AJs, 99. This is pretty much what I'd expect, though obviously TT belongs behind JJ and I've probably just been running good with it. And of course AQs probably belongs up there ahead of 33, again just a result of variance I suspect. Actually I do tend to use AQ as a pre-flop semi-bluff quite a bit to 4- or 5-bet all in, and when called I'm usually dominated, so that could also be what's holding AQ down.

I think the more interesting thing to see is my ten least profitable hands: 86s, A3s, 98s, AQs, 42s, 97s, 43s, 65s, JTs, 54s. I was surprised to see that they are all suited. Probably this is because I generally don't play the off-suit versions, but apparently I am not playing my suited connectors so well either. Again, this corroborates the theory that I may be calling too many raises. I'll have to work on that.

The other confounding factor here is that, as with AQ above, I tend to use suited connectors as range-balancing hands. This can be tough to conceptualize, but the fact that I am 5-betting all-in with AQ may make my entire 5-betting range more profitable because it generates additional action for my AA and KK even though it costs me money in isolation. The same could be said for the suited connectors. This is what makes it so difficult to analyze poker hands discretely.


Tomorrow, I'll discuss my progress towards my second resolution for 2008: Keep Getting Better at Other Games.

Folding Kings

This is from my laptop, so sorry for the lack of converted HH. It was from a 5/10 deep game, people's stack sizes are in parentheses after their names:

UTG ($2000) raises to $40, UTG+1 ($2000) re-raises to $120, CO folds, I ($2000) call the $120 cold, SB folds, BB ($1200) 4-bets cold to $300, UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, action is back to me. I have to call $180 into a $700 pot with $900 or so left in the effective stacks. I contemplated folding right here cuz it's hard to put BB on anything but AA. But I hate making tight folds like this and set odds were close anyway so I called. Flop came Q75 he shoved and I folded. Doubt he shoves AK and QQ just got there.

Npnpnpnpnpasd

Absolutely murdered this guy at 10/20 heads up this afternoon. He was decent but overly loose and aggressive and did not adapt well to playing super-deep. As you'll see, we had a very aggressive pre-flop dynamic going on, but it occurred almost exclusively on my button. The deeper we got, the more I kept pots small when I was out of position, since he was so willing to play big ones when I had the button. I won't give a lot of commentary on each hand but you can get a general sense of how the game went.

He started off with a 150BB lead but it didnt' last:

Full Tilt Poker, $10/$20 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

Hero (BB): $4,000
SB: $7,053.50

Pre-Flop: T 7 dealt to Hero (BB)
SB raises to $60, Hero raises to $222, SB calls $162

Flop: ($444) 2 K 3 (2 Players)
Hero bets $333, SB calls $333

Turn: ($1,110) 2 (2 Players)
Hero checks, SB checks

River: ($1,110) 4 (2 Players)
Hero bets $895, SB raises to $1,790, Hero raises to $3,445 and is All-In, SB calls $1,655

Results: $8,000 Pot ($0.50 Rake)
Hero showed T 7 (a flush, King high) and WON $7,999.50 (+$3,999.50 NET)
SB mucked 5 6 (a straight, Six high) and LOST (-$4,000 NET)


Full Tilt Poker, $10/$20 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

Hero (SB): $9,832.50
BB: $4,030

Pre-Flop: A A dealt to Hero (SB)
Hero raises to $60, BB raises to $220, Hero raises to $555, BB raises to $4,030 and is All-In, Hero calls $3,475

Flop: ($8,060) 9 T T (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Turn: ($8,060) 9 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

River: ($8,060) 3 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: $8,060 Pot ($0.50 Rake)
Hero showed A A (two pair, Aces and Tens) and WON $8,059.50 (+$4,029.50 NET)
BB showed A K (two pair, Tens and Nines) and LOST (-$4,030 NET)


Full Tilt Poker, $10/$20 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

Hero (SB): $16,180
BB: $4,337.50

Pre-Flop: Q A dealt to Hero (SB)
Hero raises to $60, BB raises to $220, Hero raises to $555, BB raises to $1,125, Hero calls $570

Flop: ($2,250) A 9 A (2 Players)
BB bets $1,750, Hero raises to $3,500, BB calls $1,462.50 and is All-In

Turn: ($8,675) 8 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

River: ($8,675) 9 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: $8,675 Pot ($0.50 Rake)
Hero showed Q A (a full house, Aces full of Nines) and WON $8,674.50 (+$4,337 NET)
BB showed K 4 (two pair, Aces and Nines) and LOST (-$4,337.50 NET)


Full Tilt Poker, $10/$20 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

Hero (SB): $18,454.50
BB: $6,05

Pre-Flop: K Q dealt to Hero (SB)
Hero raises to $60, BB raises to $220, Hero raises to $588, BB calls $368

Flop: ($1,176) Q 9 8 (2 Players)
BB checks, Hero checks

Turn: ($1,176) 6 (2 Players)
BB bets $900, Hero calls $900

River: ($2,976) 7 (2 Players)
BB bets $2,750, Hero calls $2,750

Results: $8,476 Pot ($0.50 Rake)
Hero mucked K Q (a pair of Queens) and LOST (-$4,238 NET)
BB showed 5 4 (a straight, Nine high) and WON $8,475.50 (+$4,237.50 NET)


On the one hand that's a scary river but for precisely that reason I felt obliged to call. I was playing my hand to induce a bluff so I can't very well fold to a very aggressive opponent when the perfect bluff card hits.

Full Tilt Poker, $10/$20 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

Hero (SB): $16,308
BB: $8,195.50

Pre-Flop: A J dealt to Hero (SB)
Hero raises to $60, BB raises to $220, Hero raises to $588, BB calls $368

Flop: ($1,176) Q 7 A (2 Players)
BB checks, Hero bets $777, BB calls $777

Turn: ($2,730) J (2 Players)
BB checks, Hero bets $1,643, BB raises to $6,830.50 and is All-In, Hero calls $5,187.50

River: ($16,391) 2 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: $16,391 Pot ($0.50 Rake)
Hero showed A J (two pair, Aces and Jacks) and WON $16,390.50 (+$8,195 NET)
BB showed 9 8 (Ace Queen high) and LOST (-$8,195.50 NET)


This one is just fucked up:

Full Tilt Poker, $10/$20 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

Hero (SB): $16,884.50
BB: $11,606

Pre-Flop: 6 T dealt to Hero (SB)
Hero raises to $60, BB raises to $220, Hero raises to $588, BB raises to $1,225, Hero calls $637

Flop: ($2,450) 6 J 6 (2 Players)
BB bets $1,425, Hero raises to $3,659, BB raises to $10,381 and is All-In, Hero calls $6,722

Turn: ($23,212) T (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

River: ($23,212) 9 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: $23,212 Pot ($0.50 Rake)
Hero showed 6 T (a full house, Sixes full of Tens) and WON $23,211.50 (+$11,605.50 NET)
BB showed A A (two pair, Aces and Sixes) and LOST (-$11,606 NET)


Felt kinda bad for him but come on we are 600BB deep don't min-5-bet your Aces.

Full Tilt Poker, $10/$20 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

Hero (SB): $28,557
BB: $3,931.50

Pre-Flop: 7 7 dealt to Hero (SB)
Hero raises to $60, BB raises to $220, Hero calls $160

Flop: ($440) 2 6 T (2 Players)
BB bets $310, Hero calls $310

Turn: ($1,060) 9 (2 Players)
BB bets $780, Hero calls $780

River: ($2,620) 8 (2 Players)
BB bets $2,621.50 and is All-In, Hero calls $2,621.50

Results: $7,863 Pot ($0.50 Rake)
Hero showed 7 7 (a straight, Ten high) and WON $7,862.50 (+$3,931 NET)
BB showed 9 T (two pair, Tens and Nines) and LOST (-$3,931.50 NET)


Villain: np i win 23k in 5 bet pots np with 6T npnpnpnpnpnppasd
Villain: f'
Villain: asgkjaf'lsdf
Villain is sitting out
Villain: sd
Villain: h


The Boston Debate League had an even bigger day than I did, though, receiving a $35,000 check from the Boston Foundation. They are hands down the most prominent philanthropic foundation in the Boston area, so a grant from them is huge not only for the amount of money involved but because of the visibility and credibility that it will lend us with other members of the philanthropic community.

Now... to celebrate!

Heroic Call

This was an interesting one:

Full Tilt Poker, $5/$10 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 4 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

Hero (BB): $1,050
UTG: $2,182
BTN: $1,186
SB: $1,018.90

Pre-Flop: T A dealt to Hero (BB)
UTG folds, BTN raises to $20, SB folds, Hero raises to $75, BTN calls $55

Flop: ($155) 6 J 3 (2 Players)
Hero bets $111, BTN calls $111

Turn: ($377) T (2 Players)
Hero checks, BTN checks

River: ($377) Q (2 Players)
Hero checks, BTN bets $404, Hero calls $404

Results: $1,185 Pot ($2 Rake)
Hero showed T A (a pair of Tens) and WON $1,183 (+$593 NET)
BTN showed 7 A (Ace Queen high) and LOST (-$590 NET)


I was looking to check-shove the turn because I think his flop calling range is really wide and my T's will be good often enough but if I check-call I'll be in a bad spot on river. Given that the turn checked through and the river was another overcard to my pair (and AK got there), I don't think I can expect to be called by worse if I bet.

I was intending to check-call the river but his overbet threw me off. On the one hand, it makes no sense for him to have a straight, but a lot of guys just don't overbet the river without a monster. There was an outside chance he rivered a set (or slowplayed one, which I guess makes more sense except that it's odd he would then overbet it). I tanked down to one second left, mostly because I was on a bunch of other tables, and finally made a kind of impulsive call.

Quads Get Paid

The frustrating thing about monster hands like Quads is that they rarely get paid off, since it's so hard for your opponents to make second best hands. But I managed to win two stacks with quads tonight:

Full Tilt Poker, $10/$20 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 5 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

Hero (CO): $4,802
BTN: $5,473
SB: $2,040
BB: $3,671
UTG: $3,813

Pre-Flop: A A dealt to Hero (CO)
UTG raises to $60, Hero raises to $210, 3 folds, UTG calls $150

Flop: ($450) A 8 A (2 Players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $277, UTG calls $277

Turn: ($1,004) 5 (2 Players)
UTG checks, Hero checks

River: ($1,004) K (2 Players)
UTG bets $740, Hero raises to $4,315 and is All-In, UTG calls $2,586 and is All-In

Results: $7,656 Pot ($3 Rake)
Hero showed A A (four of a kind, Aces) and WON $7,653 (+$3,840 NET)
UTG mucked K K (a full house, Kings full of Aces) and LOST (-$3,813 NET)


Obviously this is a pretty cold deck for Villain. I think I have to check the turn just because it's far too likely I have trips or better if I bet. Honestly Villain can almost find a fold on the river, and in fact he did tank for a long time. It's just so unlikely I'm jamming here with less than Aces full.

Naturally the other hand was a cold deck as well:

Full Tilt Poker, $5/$10 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

CO: $1,826
Hero (BTN): $2,042
SB: $2,333
BB: $3,868
UTG: $4,341
MP: $561.55

Pre-Flop: 3 3 dealt to Hero (BTN)
3 folds, Hero raises to $35, SB raises to $130, BB folds, Hero calls $95

Flop: ($270) 9 3 A (2 Players)
SB bets $140, Hero calls $140

Turn: ($550) T (2 Players)
SB checks, Hero bets $277, SB calls $277

River: ($1,104) 3 (2 Players)
SB checks, Hero bets $777, SB raises to $1,786 and is All-In, Hero calls $718 and is All-In

Results: $4,094 Pot ($3 Rake)
Hero showed 3 3 (four of a kind, Threes) and WON $4,091 (+$2,049 NET)
SB showed J Q (a flush, Queen high) and LOST (-$2,042 NET)

Big Triple Barrel

I guess this is fairly standard and notable mostly for the sum of money involved:

Full Tilt Poker, $25/$50 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

CO: $12,483
BTN: $16,645
Hero (SB): $10,000
BB: $17,688
UTG: $5,000
MP: $9,875

Pre-Flop: 9 8 dealt to Hero (SB)
3 folds, BTN raises to $150, Hero raises to $555, BB folds, BTN calls $405

Flop: ($1,160) 7 4 2 (2 Players)
Hero bets $777, BTN calls $777

Turn: ($2,714) J (2 Players)
Hero bets $1,888, BTN calls $1,888

River: ($6,490) 2 (2 Players)
Hero bets $6,780 and is All-In, BTN folds

Results: $6,490 Pot ($3 Rake)
Hero mucked 9 8 and WON $6,487 (+$3,267 NET)


Naturally I double barrel when I turn the gut shot and a potential overcard to whatever pair my opponent may have. I do wish I had bet a hair more so that river would be a slightly less than pot shove rather than slightly more. Basically I think without history and at stakes that are higher than either of us usually play, I am getting called only by AQ or better (and even AQ is close). Given that the deuce on the river makes sets less likely and Villain is probably 4-betting QQ-AA a decent amount of the time pre-flop, I think this is a highly profitable shove in a vaccuum. Of course, a reputation for stuff like this will get you called down by 66- which then again is not bad at all as long as you can adjust.

Standard River 3-Bet Bluff

Full Tilt Poker, $5/$10 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 4 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

BB: $1,154
Hero (UTG): $2,707
BTN: $1,072
SB: $5,637.50

Pre-Flop: 2 2 dealt to Hero (UTG)
Hero raises to $35, BTN folds, SB calls $30, BB folds

Flop: ($80) 5 8 Q (2 Players)
SB checks, Hero bets $55, SB calls $55

Turn: ($190) A (2 Players)
SB checks, Hero checks

River: ($190) J (2 Players)
SB checks, Hero bets $144, SB raises to $622, Hero raises to $2,617 and is All-In, SB folds

Results: $1,434 Pot ($2 Rake)
Hero mucked 2 2 and WON $1,432 (+$720 NET)


To the extent that there is a "standard" spot for such a play, this is it. Opponent is either bluffing with a hand that is better than mine (hard to put him on air when he calls out of position on a dry flop) or trying to value raise something like two-pair, but it's extremely unlikely that he has the nuts or something close to it (doubtful he calls pre-flop or flop with KT or T9, strange line with JJ/QQ/AA as well).

Pull the Trigger!

There was a great 25/50 deep game going last night, with two really big fish sitting on $10,000+ each. I had to compete with three very good players for them, but it was still a great spot. Unfortunately, I missed a pretty important bluff against one of the sharks.

The less good of the two fish doubled up the other one and quit not long after. For some reason, one of the good players left as well- apparently one soft spot wasn't enough for him. The button in this hand is the fish, the SB a good player:

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $50.00 BB (4 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Button ($16848)
SB ($16386)
Foucault (BB) ($10799.80)
UTG ($11847)

Preflop: Foucault is BB with J, 10
1 fold, Button raises to $175, SB calls $150, Foucault calls $125

Flop: ($525) K, 2, Q (3 players)
SB bets $405, Foucault calls $405, 1 fold

Turn: ($1335) 8 (2 players)
SB bets $905, Foucault calls $905

River: ($3145) J (2 players)
SB checks, Foucault checks

Total pot: $3145 | Rake: $2

Results in white below:

SB had K, A (one pair, Kings).

Foucault had J, 10 (one pair, Jacks).

Outcome: SB won $3143
This isn't a standard call pre-flop but with a fish in the hand I'm trying to get into pots. While I suspect SB has something, there are very few strong hands I would expect him to play like this. Especially on the turn, I'm calling not just for my draw but because I think I can sometimes steal on the river. Basically I was thinking SB would sometimes have something like a flush draw.

When the flush came in on the river but he checked, it confused me. I didn't think he'd check a flush, and he probably would have bluffed if he had nothing, so I can concluded that my pair doesn't have much show down value. More importantly, the bet bet check line means he probably isn't calling. It was a great spot to turn my hand into a bluff but I just didn't pull the trigger. Granted AK was a little stronger than I expected from him but I still think there's a good chance he folds it.

Why no off-suit A on the river?!?!

A Random Call, Part Two

Eugene asked a great question about my recent post, A Random Call, which reminded me that I'd meant to post this hand as well. It happened not long after I snapped off a 2x pot river bluff with top pair, weak kicker. This was against the same opponent but on a different table:

Full Tilt Poker, $10/$20 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

Hero (CO): $4,732.50
BTN: $4,231
SB: $4,144.50
BB: $5,019.50
UTG: $2,000
MP: $7,734.50

Pre-Flop: 9 9 dealt to Hero (CO)
2 folds, Hero raises to $70, BTN raises to $240, 2 folds, Hero calls $170

Flop: ($510) 4 2 2 (2 Players)
Hero bets $222, BTN raises to $700, Hero raises to $1,178, BTN calls $478

Turn: ($2,866) 7 (2 Players)
Hero checks, BTN bets $2,813 and is All-In, Hero calls $2,813

River: ($8,492) 6 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: $8,492 Pot ($3 Rake)
Hero showed 9 9 (two pair, Nines and Twos) and LOST (-$4,231 NET)
BTN showed K K (two pair, Kings and Twos) and WON $8,489 (+$4,258 NET)


I chose this line to induce as many bluffs as possible, but in light of my recent call I think trying to play my hand as a bluff-catcher is a bad idea. Villain is probably not expecting me to make a big fold after he'd just shown down a big bluff, which means he's not going to try to bluff me off an overpair. Of course I could get into the whole, "but does he know that I don't expect him to bluff?" thing, but in this case I don't think he knows enough about me to expect that. He's probably just not going to bluff much in this spot, which means I ought to be playing the 99 with the intention of folding to heavy pressure.

In general, catching an opponent in a big bluff will induce one or both of the following dynamics for at least the near future:

1. Villain will stop bluffing in spots where he can only represent a narrow range or where you clearly have a relatively strong hand (ie better than top pair).

2. Villain will try to restore his ego and/or take advantage of the new table dynamic by running another big bluff.

These are not necessarily mutually exclusive, because the former only assumes he will stop bluffing in certain situations. When you appear to have a relatively weak hand, he may actually bluff with renewed vigor in order to reassert his castrated manhood.

River 3-Bet Bluff

I think the river 3-bet bluff is one of the sexiest plays in poker. Precisely because it's so hard to pull off, it's something I rarely attempt. But today I managed a good one:

Full Tilt Poker, $5/$10 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

SB: $2,829.95
BB: $2,542.50
UTG: $1,143.95
Hero (MP): $2,087
CO: $2,000
BTN: $1,032

Pre-Flop: A K dealt to Hero (MP)
UTG folds, Hero raises to $35, CO calls $35, 3 folds

Flop: ($85) 3 8 2 (2 Players)
Hero bets $66, CO raises to $150, Hero calls $84

Turn: ($385) 7 (2 Players)
Hero checks, CO checks

River: ($385) 5 (2 Players)
Hero bets $277, CO raises to $710, Hero raises to $1,902 and is All-In, CO folds

Results: $1,805 Pot ($3 Rake)
Hero mucked A K and WON $1,802 (+$907 NET)


Let's start with the flop. In a 100BB game, I'm happily 3-betting the flop and getting the money. But with these stacks, his flop raising range is different and when the money goes in I'm usually going to be facing a set, not one pair. AK-high beats most of his bluffs anyway, so I just called.

The turn puts a ton of draws on the board, so when my opponent doesn't bet it, I ruled strong hands out of his range. I'd expect him to check two pair or better almost never on the turn. When I bet the river, it's to represent an overpair and try to bluff him off of one pair.

Because I'd previously ruled out two pair or better on the turn, the river raise is more than a little suspicious. Could the 5 have improved his hand? I doubt he's playing 64 like this pre-flop or on the flop, and if he is, I'd expect him to bluff the turn. 96 seems pretty unlikely for the flop raise. So I conclude that he's almost certainly bluffing.

Frankly, calling with AK would not be bad here, even though initially I was bluffing. But I also think it's very likely that he may be turning a pair into a bluff to get me off of the overpair I'm representing. So I decided that I'd be better off shoving to knock him off better bluffs and maybe even a 53 or something that he was raising for thin value.

A Random Call

I am a strong advocate of exploitive poker strategy. That is, I believe that you ought to tailor your play to exploit specific mistakes that you believe your opponents will make, even if this means that you are yourself open to exploitation. By definition, the more skillful player will do a better job of exploiting his opponents than they will do of exploiting him.

However, should you find yourself in a sticky spot against a player whom you believe to be more skillful than you are, you may occasionally prefer to employ game theory to help you avoid getting exploited rather than focus on exploiting that opponent.

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $20.00 BB (5 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP ($2087)
Button ($4197)
SB ($4659)
Hero (BB) ($8452)
UTG ($6115)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 7, A
2 folds, Button raises to $70, 1 fold, Hero calls $50

Flop: ($150) A, 3, 4 (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $120, Hero calls $120

Turn: ($390) K (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $372, Hero calls $372

River: ($1134) 4 (2 players)

Hero checks, Button bets $2200


The way I've played my hand so far makes it pretty clear that I have a weak Ace. The question is what my opponent will do about that. I generally don't give my opponents credit for being able to overbet bluff the river, at least not with a good frequency. They might do it occasionally, but the vast majority of the time that they overbet the pot, they will have the nuts or very close to it. So in this spot, I would expect them to be overbetting for value, daring me to call with my weak top pair, but not to try to bluff me off of top pair, at least not with an overbet.

This is an easy strategy to exploit. With top pair weak kicker facing a bet like this from a standard opponent, I fold.

Notice how exploiting this tendency of my opponents leaves me open to exploitation as well. If my opponents were to stop overbetting their strong hands and overbet the river any time they don't have a strong hand, I would be in trouble. But for the most part I trust in my ability to adapt to my opponents more quickly than they adapt to me.

Against this particular opponent, however, I didn't feel so confident. I knew him to be smart, creative, and daring. I was sure he put me on exactly the kind of hand that I had, but I didn't know what he would try to do about it. Thus, I was lost as to what I ought to do on the river.

Because he's capable of betting for value or bluffing like this, my decision to call has to be based on what percentage of the time he will be bluffing. His bet lays me odds. If he will bluff here more than 33% of the time, I should call. Otherwise, I should fold.

The problem is that I don't know how often he is bluffing. The best that I can do, then, is choose a calling frequency that cannot be exploited. Since the pot is laying me 2:3, I should call 1/3 of the time.

No matter how often my opponent bluffs in this spot, then, he cannot exploit me. If he bluffs more than 1/3 of the time, he'll steal a few more pots but he'll lose too much on his bluffs. If he bluffs less than 1/3 of the time, he'll win more on his value bets but won't steal as many pots as he could.

If I knew that he was making one or the other of these mistakes, I could adapt my calling frequency to take advantage of them more fully. But then if he figured out what I was doing he could adapt his bluffing frequency to exploit me. Since I was not confident in my ability to win this battle of wits, I decided to default to an unexploitable calling strategy. I would look at the clock, and if the last digit was 7-9, I would call. If it was 1-6, I would fold. If it was 0, I would look at the next digit.

The time was 9:47. I called. He showed K8o, and I won the pot. But that's not the important part.

Triple Barrel Bet Sizing

A triple barrel bluff will by definition involve at least three bets. Especially when dealing with a player who can read hands well, sizing these bets will often be the difference between success and failure.

As I discussed in a previous post, your objective on early streets may actually be to get called. Since you are going to be bluffing later anyway, it behooves you to build a bigger pot to steal. Your other objective on early streets is to lay the groundwork that will enable you to represent a monster by the river. That means your betsizing must be consistent with the hand(s) you want to represent.

On the river, your objective is to make the most +EV bluff that you can. Remember that this is not always the bluff that succeeds most often. Tripling your bet size to double your fold equity is not a winning proposition.

Let's start by looking at how not to do that. I played this hand against a very good player, one of the best at these stakes:

Full Tilt Poker, $5/$10 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

CO: $1,022
Hero (BTN): $2,349.75
SB: $2,169
BB: $3,128
UTG: $779.75
MP: $1,309

Pre-Flop: 8 T dealt to Hero (BTN)
3 folds, Hero raises to $35, SB folds, BB raises to $130, Hero calls $95

Flop: ($265) 4 K 6 (2 Players)
BB checks, Hero bets $111, BB calls $111

Turn: ($487) 4 (2 Players)
BB checks, Hero bets $333, BB calls $333

River: ($1,153) 2 (2 Players)
BB checks, Hero bets $1,275, BB calls $1,275

Results: $3,703 Pot ($3 Rake)
Hero showed 8 T (a pair of Fours) and LOST (-$1,849 NET)
BB showed K Q (two pair, Kings and Fours) and WON $3,700 (+$1,851 NET)


First off, this isn't the greatest spot for a triple barrel bluff. My opponent is announcing that he has a medium-strength hand, but he's also playing it in a way that will invite bluffs. And this particular opponent definitely has the hand-reading skills and the stomach to call down.

Since there aren't any plausible two pair combinations, the river overbet represents either a full house or air (or 53 for a straight, I suppose). And Villain probably expects me to 4-bet KK pre-flop often, so really I can only have three combinations of 66, one combination of 44, or the rare 22 that was bluffing and then backed into a boat. Since he's played his hand to entice a bluff, he's got an easy call with KQ.

I like this one better, even though it didn't work:

Full Tilt Poker, $5/$10 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

BB: $2,203.50
Hero (SB): $6,798

Pre-Flop: 7 9 dealt to Hero (SB)
Hero raises to $30, BB calls $20

Flop: ($60) 4 2 8 (2 Players)
BB checks, Hero bets $44, BB raises to $144, Hero raises to $366, BB calls $222

Turn: ($792) Q (2 Players)
BB checks, Hero bets $444, BB calls $444

River: ($1,680) J (2 Players)
BB checks, Hero bets $888, BB calls $888

Results: $3,456 Pot ($0.50 Rake)
BB showed 7 7 (a pair of Sevens) and WON $3,455.50 (+$1,727.50 NET)
Hero showed 7 9 (Queen Jack high) and LOST (-$1,728 NET)


First off, my range is intrinsically much wider because we are heads up. It's not inconceivable that I have 84, 82, or 42 for two pair. My smallish bet sizing on future streets is consistent with this; by the river, 82 can expect to be best but can't expect worse hands to call a big bet. I also felt this bet sizing would be consistent with air that turned or rivered a pair and is now making a thinnish value bet.

Unfortunately, this was another poorly chosen opponent. He wasn't so much a good hand-reader as he was just plain old-fashioned stubborn. Oh well.

In New York

Sorry for the lack of updates, I was at a BDL tournament on Friday then a wedding reception in New York yesterday. The good news I'm staying in New York with a friend from the old Harvard Law School game I used to play in, so we got in some friendly 3-handed action with another of the guys yesterday. We played a .25/.50 NLHE game with a $100 buyin. I found myself rebuying a few times but somehow managed to avoid playing too many interesting hands.

Probably the most interesting was when I was in the BB with Q8s. Joe opened for $2 on the button, Darren folded in the SB, and I raised to $7.50. I knew Joe was opening up his raising range quite a bit from the button, but he's fundamentally a tight player, so I thought putting some pressure on him would be effective if I kept it up on future streets.

However, I flopped middle pair on an AQ7 flop. So, I checked and called a bet. We both checked a J on the turn, then I checked a 5 river. Joe bet, and while I figured my Q could be good a decent amont of the time, I also felt that he was pretty much never checking the turn with a hand that would call a shove on the river. So I moved all in, and he quickly folded. I showed my Q8, to which Joe replied, "You could have just called" so I guess I was good anyway. I still think it's a good spot to turn the hand into a bluff, though, just because even if a call is profitable a shove is going to win the pot nearly every time.

Strange Play in a Four-Bet Pot

Here's a pretty interesting spot where I made what might be called a pre-emptive blocking bet:

Full Tilt Poker, $5/$10 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

SB: $2,184
BB: $2,000
UTG: $1,000
MP: $1,000
CO: $2,413
Hero (BTN): $4,150

Pre-Flop: K K dealt to Hero (BTN)
2 folds, CO raises to $35, Hero raises to $120, 2 folds, CO raises to $320, Hero calls $200

Flop: ($655) A T 6 (2 Players)
CO checks, Hero bets $333, CO folds

Results: $655 Pot ($3 Rake)
Hero mucked K K and WON $652 (+$332 NET)


First off, let me cover the pre-flop. CO was a decent regular, definitely capable of 4-betting light. However, we didn't have a sufficiently aggressive history that I could expect to get action if I 5-bet him. Calling is very clearly best, then, to maintain some deception about my range.

When he checks the flop as the pre-flop aggressor, I'm putting him on one of three things, from least to most likely:

1) A slowplayed monster- With AA, this is definitely a good time to check; however, that's a small part of his range, checking with TT is a lot less good (because I could well have top pair), and it's not a guarantee he would do it;

2) Air that is giving up- I'd expect him to fire once when an Ace flops if he has nothing, but then again people do tend to play pretty straight-forwardly in 4-bet pots;

3) An underpair playing for pot control- With QQ or JJ, he's definitely checking this flop to show down cheaply and induce bluffs.

4) Top pair playing for pot control/value- With something like AJ, he has a very strong hand that still probably does not want to play for stacks. By checking the flop, he can try to keep the pot smaller, induce bluffs, and get value on a later street from hands that might fold to a flop bet.


This may seem like a bad bet, then. After all, I'm only expecting a narrow category of worse hands to call, and overall I'm expecting to be behind his calling range. I do think I should have bet a little less, but in all likelihood, I'm going to have to pay off at least one bet to hands that are beating me anyway. Unless he does something crazy like overbet shove, I'm going to call at least one street. I think that betting now is the best way to get value from the occasional underpair, as a bet on a later street is going to look stronger than a flop stab.

Plus, this lets me control the size of the bet that I pay off to his Ax and deter the occasional double barrel bluff that I can't pay off. If he check-calls the flop, I'll be very comfortable folding if he leads out on the turn, or if he leads out on the river after the turn checks through. However, if I check now, I'd probably call the turn and fold the river. That means I'd pay off a turn bet of like $450-$500, often to Ax, and then fold to a river bet, which might occasionally be a bluff.

In looking over this now, I think I could accomplish all of this with a slightly smaller bet, probably in the $250-$300 range. But nevertheless, I think it's an interesting spot where position and narrowly defined ranges in a 4-bet pot greatly influence my play.

Literally Killed the Foxwoods 10/25 Game

Yesterday was a long day. It was the first tournament of the BDL's fifth season, and though I'm no longer the director, I still very much wanted and needed to be there. So I woke up around 6AM, spent the next twelve hours on my feet helping to run a debate tournament, then drove straight to Foxwoods to meet some friends from my old home game there.

I played 10/25 NL at the Rio over the summer but had never played in the Foxwoods game. There was only one person ahead of me on the list, but it still took nearly an hour to get seated because there was only one game going.

When I took my seat, it looked like a tough lineup. On my right were two young guys with huge stacks (one had like 25K) talking about 2+2. A few seats to my left was a strong player named John who I imagine was the infamous John the Lawyer whom I've heard about in various Foxwoods threads on 2+2.

However, the game had apparently been going for over 24 hours, and not long after I sat some of the tougher players, including everyone mentioned above, quit. Which was fine with me.

I only had about 6K on me, so I couldn't buy in too deep. I bought 3K and played pretty tight, making the occasional move and getting a ton of credit when I did.

Happy Birthday to Me

I was on the button in a straddled pot. One of the aggressive guys on my right opened to $150, and I made it $500 with KQo. A young Asian guy who seemed to be a regular called cold from the SB, and everyone else, including the raiser, folded. Since I only had a little over 2K behind, I feared that cold call was extremely strong.

My fear turned into hope when the flop came QQ7. Thinking that this kid wasn't going to fold any pair that he flatted for 25% of the effective stacks, I bet $700. Sure enough, he shoved all in, and I of course called. The board ran out J J to give me a boat, and he showed Ts9s nothing but some backdoor draws. Someone should have told him my birthday was last week.

Maximum Overdrive

Soon the game got down to 6-handed, which was fine by me. Not only was I getting in more hands against opponents who didn't know how to play short-handed, but Foxwoods was only charging half time. I abandoned my previously tight image and poured on the aggression. No one was even trying to stand up to me. Their only defense was to call more loosely out of position, which is of course the worst possible response to a good LAG.

Still, I kept thinking that the playback was coming. I tried check-raising the flop against a guy who 3-bet me, but he called and I gave up. Then I got min-checkraised when holding air on an A-high flop. I came back over the top for a small 3-bet, and the guy quickly folded.

Then I raised J4s on the button and got called by a youngish guy with a long pointy beard. The flop came 7s 6x 4s. He checked, I bet $150, and he made it $400. I felt like he might be bluffing, and that regardless, he was definitely weak. I decided to call and decide later in the hand whether bottom pair was good or whether I should turn it into a bluff.

The turn brought a K, and we both checked. The river was the Js, giving me two pair and putting a possible flush on the board. My opponent bet $400. I contemplated a bluff-raise but figured two pair was probably good anyway. I called. He showed T7o and proceeded to berate me for "calling $400 with a pair of 4's." I love live donks.

Flip

Same pointy-bearded donk is getting ground down and now has only like $1300. For some reason I call anyway with K8s when he makes it $100 from the SB. Flop is T-high and gives me a flush draw. He bets $400 (yes twice the pot) but I shoved anyway and he called and his QT held up. Bummer. I'm not sure this was actually a good shove, because he may well play AA, KK, and the nut flush draw like this also. But whatever, it's not like this was the internet where doubling the donkey risks causing him to quit. This guy was in it for the long haul. In fact, he eventually retrieved more cash from the cage, though I was disappointed to see it was only another thousand.

Heads Up

As players dropped out, the game continued to dwindle until only me and Beardy were left. He seemed to eager to play heads up with the guy who calls $400 with fours, and I was glad to oblige.

Hand 1- He open folds his button.

Hand 2- I raise AQo on the button, he calls. Flop QT5, all clubs. I don't have a club. He bets $300, I raise to $900, he jams for $3000 or so, and I snap call. The board runs out Q T to give me Queens full, but from the way he mucks I'm sure I was good all along. I definitely would have heard about it if I had bad beat him.

He quit, and just like that, I was the last man standing in the biggest game at Foxwoods!

Those who do not learn from history...

Here are two fun hands played in pretty close succession. Although I finished down over all, I feel like I owned Villain pretty hard in both:

Full Tilt Poker, $10/$20 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

MP: $2,391
CO: $7,159.50
BTN: $3,358
SB: $2,000
Hero (BB): $4,850
UTG: $5,768

Pre-Flop: K 6 dealt to Hero (BB)
4 folds, SB raises to $60, Hero calls $40

Flop: ($120) 4 3 Q (2 Players)
SB bets $85, Hero raises to $240, SB raises to $455, Hero calls $215

Turn: ($1,030) T (2 Players)
SB checks, Hero bets $555, SB calls $555

River: ($2,140) 9 (2 Players)
SB checks, Hero checks

Results: $2,140 Pot ($3 Rake)
SB showed J 9 (a pair of Nines) and WON $2,137 (+$1,067 NET)
Hero showed K 6 (King Queen high) and LOST (-$1,070 NET)


Sooooo frustrating to bluff-call with the best hand and end up losing the pot on a "bad beat". It would have been so sick if the river had gone check-check and I'd won the pot with K-high. But I got the guy back the next orbit:


Full Tilt Poker, $10/$20 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 5 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

CO: $8,688.50
BTN: $3,389
SB: $5,115
Hero (BB): $5,580
UTG: $10,411

Pre-Flop: 8 T dealt to Hero (BB)
3 folds, SB raises to $60, Hero calls $40

Flop: ($120) 4 Q 5 (2 Players)
SB bets $88, Hero raises to $222, SB raises to $455, Hero raises to $999, SB folds

Results: $1,030 Pot ($3 Rake)
Hero mucked 8 T and WON $1,027 (+$512 NET)


Stack sizes were just perfect for this. There was like 4K left in the effective stacks. Villain's options if he has air here are pretty much to shove 200BB or fold. He can easily shove continue with sets and open-ended straight draws, but I think everything else is even kind of tough for him. Like, even if he thinks I'm full of it, shoving on me with JJ kind of sucks cuz I am never calling with worse.

Plus there's the whole leveling thing going on where each of us knows the other knows he's very capable of having air here. I kind of win that battle by making the best use of leverage. I have position and my bet-sizing risks only about 1K to put 5K of Villain's money at risk.

When in Doubt, Pull the Trigger

Here's a fun hand against a smart and very aggressive player who was playing pretty strangely tonight:

Full Tilt Poker, $5/$10 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

SB: $1,643
BB: $1,399
UTG: $2,084.75
Hero (MP): $2,363
CO: $2,040
BTN: $1,000

Pre-Flop: 7 A dealt to Hero (MP)
UTG raises to $20, Hero raises to $75, CO folds, BTN calls $75, SB folds, BB calls $65, UTG raises to $255, Hero raises to $2,363 and is All-In, 3 folds

Results: $665 Pot
Hero mucked 7 A and WON $665 (+$410 NET)


He was minraising a ton pre-flop and making a lot of small flop bets. I'd been playing back at him quite a bit, and he'd been playing back at my play backs, etc. So there's a lot of interesting stuff going on here:

1. His UTG range is way wider than your average UTG raising range.

2. This means I can profitably 3-bet a wider range for value and make more bluff 3-bets.

3. But, I've been 3-betting him a lot and I know he knows that and he knows I know he knows so there is the whole leveling thing going on.

4. BTN is kind of a LAGtard and is probaby calling more hands than he should here but also is probably not cold calling with KK or AA.

5. BB is getting a decent price and also probably not playing KK or AA like this.

6. There's a lot of money in the pot now, and UTG can be pretty sure that two of his three opponents are going to fold to a 4-bet. I'm the only x-factor, but given the price he's getting and the fact that there is at least some reason to think I am going to go away, it's a great spot for him to squeeze.

7. Naturally he is playing JJ+ and AK like this for value. Nothing I can do about that. But recognizing (7), and that there's a lot of money in the pot and that I have 30% equity against his calling range, I'm sticking it in.

I also tend towards a maxim of "when in doubt, pull the trigger". Not only does this encourage you to experiment and grow as a player, but it also gives you a good image. When my opponents are contemplating a 4-bet, they have to fear not only that I will actually have a hand but also that I will re-bluff them. Even if a play turns out to be -EV in a vaccuum, it can make future hands easier to play by forcing opponents to play more straight-forwardly against you. And that's worth a lot.

WCOOP Event 29: $500 NLHE Rebuy 6-Max

I'm skipping past some of the other WCOOP events I played because I've fallen behind on them and don't remember much of what happened, which is because there really wasn't much of interest anyway. The $500 rebuy 6-max did produce some neat hands, though. My table wasn't soft, but that's to be expected in a big event like this. There were a few good tournament players, most notably Timex, who weren't making huge mistakes but weren't necessarily going to play great deep stack 6-max poker either.

The X-factor was Poker Stars pro William Thorson, who's been a long-time cash player on that site. I've never seen him sitting in the bigger NLHE games, so I wasn't sure what to make of or expect from him. He was definitely too loose and aggressive at times, but overall he was pretty decent, especially when we were deep. In particular, he was doing a good job of betting big, as is often called for in deep stack poker. He won a huge pot againt the table fish because he overbet the pot all the way with a flopped set.

But he was only and always betting big when he had big hands, which made him a little too easy to read sometimes. For example, he once made a small 3-bet out of the SB against my CO raise. Even though we weren't all that deep, he had priced me in to call with 98o, since I was pretty sure he didn't have a big pair. Then he bet out small on a QJx flop, and I decided to float him. Sure enough, he check-folded to a small turn bet.

My next float didn't work out so well. We were down to the last 25% or so of the field, and I was rolling along in pretty good shape. There was another of those tournament specialists on my right, and he was opening a lot of pots. Effective stacks were good for me to 3-bet him occasionally, which I'd been doing. So at 200/400, he opened to 1100, and I made it 3000 with A9s on the button. He called for something like 8% of the effective stacks. Giving him too much credit, I assumed he would pretty much only do this with a decent pair: maybe a slow-played AA/KK, or maybe something lik 88, but I didn't think he'd call out of positon with a suited connector or Ax.

The flop came QQ5, and we both checked. Remember, I was putting him on a pair, which I didn't think he would fold. The turn was a King and put a diamond draw on the board. He bet out something weird like a third of the pot. I called, putting him squarely on a pair lower than Kings that he would have to check-fold on the river. The river was a third diamond, and he requested time before finally betting one-half the pot, or about 25% of the remaining stacks. Still stuck in this mindset of moving him off a pair, I shoved all in, and he called pretty quickly with Ad 4d for the nut flush.

I'm not a fan of his pre-flop call, but I really hate myself for shoving that river. I didn't do enough to re-evaluate his range when he bet out there. I seriously doubt he's doing that with something like 88, and he's probably calling pretty much always. Thankfully I was having a pretty huge cash session, so I was still well up on the day, despite another failed bluff shove that occurred almost simultaneously at a Stars 5/10 full-ring table:

UTG+1 raised to $40, and I called in early middle position with Ac Kc. The flop came 844 with two clubs, and I called his bet. He bet again on a 5 turn, and I shoved in my stack drawing dead to his 88. I actually like this shove though, because usually he has a pair when he bets again here and even with AA he can't be thrilled when I shove into him, and of course if he does decide to call with a smaller pair I'll have 15 outs. So I don't hate this shove, even though it didn't work out here.

WCOOP Event 22: $530 O/8 Mixed 6Max

This was a great idea for a tournament format, with half the hands playing as O/8 and half as PLO8. Many people are going to be good at one game but not the other. Personally, I'm pretty strong in PLO8 but not so good at O/8. Naturally, plenty of people suck at both as well.

I got off to a nice start, playing well in PLO8 and running well at O/8. There was an awful player on my left who was giving me a lot of chips, but eventually he monkeyed his way into winning a huge pot:

Poker Stars
Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo Tournament
Blinds: t25/t50
6 players
Converter

Stack sizes:
UTG: t6903
UTG+1: t2857
CO: t2540
Button: t3590
Hero: t12500
BB: t6035

Pre-flop: (6 players) Hero is SB with :ah :ks :6h :3h
4 folds, Hero raises to t150, BB calls t100 (pot was t200).

Flop: :2d :qh :7h (t300, 2 players)
Hero bets t250, BB raises to t1050, Hero raises to t3450, BB raises to t5850, Hero raises to t8250, BB calls all-in t35.
Uncalled bets: t2365 returned to Hero.

Turn: :tc (t12070, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: t12070)

River: :3d (t12070, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: t12070)

Results:
Final pot: t12070


I flopped the nut flush draw and the nut low draw with counterfeit protection, and this guy got it all in with me for 120 BB's with the second nut low draw and an underpair to the board: Td As 4s 4c. The board bricks out, and I lose a pot that would have put me in top 1%.

I did get him back eventually though:

Poker Stars
Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo Tournament
Blinds: t40/t80
6 players
Converter

Stack sizes:
UTG: t7156
UTG+1: t2234
CO: t8584
Button: t8394
Hero: t5035
BB: t11526

Pre-flop: (6 players) Hero is SB with :6h :ah :3c :7c
3 folds, Button raises to t240, Hero calls t200 (pot was t360), BB calls t160 (pot was t560).

Flop: :js :3h :as (t720, 3 players)
Hero checks, BB bets t80, Button raises to t160, Hero raises to t1280, BB calls t1200 (pot was t2240), Button folds.

Turn: :4s (t3440, 2 players)
Hero bets t2515, BB calls t2515 (pot was t5955).

River: :qc (t8470, 2 players)
Hero checks, BB checks.

Results:
Final pot: t8470


I couldn't believe it when I scooped this pot. There was only about 1000 left in the effective stacks, but I was so sure I was smoked that I didn't even think I had good equity against his checking range. I was just hoping he would check it back and I could escape with half. Turns out he had 4d Qh 3d 5s, having called the turn with nothing but a bad low draw and two pair.

I lasted for about 6 hours, which only got me through 75% of the field or so, before getting pretty short and busting in some nondescript way.

WCOOP Event 17: $530 PLHE

I continued my poor luck with table draws and got Steve Paul-Ambrose on my left in a tournament where the field in general was a giant donkfest. Steve didn't get too out of line, but his presence alone deterred me from a few hands I otherwise would have played. You just can't play as many hands from any position with a good player still to act behind you.

Anyway, I don't think anything too interesting happened. Eventually I ran AK into AA for the last of my chips.

I was also playing the weekly FTP $300 6-max, where I fired a second barrel in a spot where I would ordinarily never attempt such a thing.

Full Tilt Poker, NL Hold'em Tournament, 100/200 Blinds, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

UTG: 17,658
MP: 6,912
CO: 5,030
Hero (BTN): 8,630
SB: 14,724
BB: 1,078

Pre-Flop: (300) 2 A dealt to Hero (BTN)
3 folds, Hero raises to 530, SB calls 430, BB folds

Flop: (1,260) T 9 7 (2 Players)
SB checks, Hero bets 750, SB calls 750

Turn: (2,760) K (2 Players)
SB checks, Hero bets 1,850, SB calls 1,850

River: (6,460) 3 (2 Players)
SB checks, Hero checks

Results: 6,460 Pot
Hero showed 2 A (Ace King high) and LOST (-3,130 NET)
SB showed K J (a pair of Kings) and WON 6,460 (+3,330 NET)


Ordinarily, I would put SB on like a small-mid pair or a suited connector. However, because the BB was short and fairly likely to shove, re-opening the betting, I didn't think SB would call here with such an "implied odds" hand. Instead, I put him on big cards that could take a little more heat. There was some chance he was trapping with a big pair- it was a good spot for it- but I thought his range would be much wider than that.

When he didn't check-raise the flop, I eliminated the big pairs from his range as well as two pair, sets, and big draws. That didn't leave much except for one pair hands and weak draws. In addition, the K is a good scare card for me to bet again.

Although the bluff didn't work, the results really don't contradict my read at all. He did have a broadway hand as I suspected. It just happened to be one that could call the flop. And I was right that he had only a weak draw on the flop- it just happened to be the only one that could be improved by a K on the turn. So in conclusion, I am never wrong. I am not always right, I admit it, but I am never wrong.

WCOOP Event 12 $320 Mixed Hold 'Em 6-Max

I am just not very good at FLHE. The generic advice I've gotten about this game is to make tons of thin value bets and calls, which I try to do, but I think I'm choosing bad spots. My opponents yesterday did not even seem particularly good, but they were owning me left and right. A few examples:

I raise AK on the button, BB calls. Flop 776 with two hearts, I bet, he check-raises, I call. Turn 9 he bets I call. River 2 he bets I think his range is busted heart draw or trips+ so I call and he takes me on a tour of Valuetown with his 55.

Another one, guy raises UTG, I 3-bet JJ, and he calls. Flop 664, he checks, I bet, he calls. Turn blank, he checks, I bet, he raises, I call. River blank, he checks, I bet, he raises, I puke and call, he shows me 65o. Pretty questionable UTG raise even in 6max, but I must admit that he owned me pretty hard with the double check-raise. It's humiliating to get served like this by fish.

I wasn't catching much in the NLHE portion, certainly not enough to compensate for my fishiness in FLHE, so I was out pretty quickly. I did like the structure of this event. Instead of alternating between games at the level change, as happens in most mixed game tournaments, they alternated every fifteen minutes. Since there were half hour levels, that meant playing both game at every level instead of going back and forth between them. It was a good idea, though it probably wouldn't work as well in tournaments with shorter blind levels.

WCOOP Event 9: $215 NLHE 4-Max

This was an interesting tournament format, with only four players per table. My starting table actually had only three, and the other two were of course terrible. I doubled up fairly early on when a guy called my raise with 73s, flopped trip 7's, then shoved the river after I turned a boat with 99 and made two big bets. Of course a bit of a cooler for him but he made two terrible decisions as well.

So I was actually playing heads up for a bit against this giant calling station. It took some adaptation, since Stars didn't made the SB the Button as is customary for a HU match. Against this particular opponent, I found it best to call most raises when I was in the BB/BTN, raise most of his limps, and limp most of my range from the SB.

As usual, I didn't adapt as well as I should have to playing with really loose opponents. I'm accustomed to playing a very aggressive short-handed game, as that's the winning strategy in mid- and high-stakes cash games. But it doesn't work as well against tournament monkeys, and I was back down to my starting chips after a few failed double barrels. For a while I kept my head above water short stacking, shoving when appropriate, etc.

This brings up one point I want to address. When blinds were 100/200, I was in the BB with about 2500. There were no antes. The SB, who was a decent player I've seen around Stars tournaments for several years, open raised to 800 with QJo and called my shove. This may seem minor, but there's just no reason to raise to 800 here. I do sometimes vary my pre-flop raise sizes, but this is an awful spot for it. When we are this shallow, you are only revealing information about your hand. My opponent is telling me that he has a hand he's willing to take all in but that isn't so strong that he wants me to shove. He raises to 800 to tell me that he's committed to the pot. Well, if you're going to do that, just shove yourself. Or limp-jam, or raise a smaller amount where you can fold to a shove, or do something that allows you to keep your range a little wider.

Believe it or not, this information helps me to make marginal decisions. I'm more likely to shove stuff like Kx, since I know my opponent doesn't have too strong a hand, and less likely to shove hands worse than QJ since I know I have no fold equity.

This isn't sour grapes- I shoved with A7 and doubled up. But it's a point I consider worth making.

I eventually limped 87s in the SB, flopped overs, a gutshot, and a flush draw, and lost to middle pair with a better flush draw. It was a shame, because the 4-max was a good format for the WCOOP and I felt that at my best I would have a pretty big edge.

FTOPS Event 9

I went pretty deep in the $500 heads up matches, finishing in the top 64. Here's a blow-by-blow:

Round 1

My first two opponents were ridiculously soft. I polished the first off in minutes, then waited over an hour for round two.

Round 2

I was so busy playing other tables that I didn't even notice we had started up again. My opponent was happily stealing my blinds. But I got there before too long, and he was so terrible it didn't matter. He never bluffed and always revealed exactly what he had with the size of his bets. Somehow, the match still lasted forever. It had a lot with his 87s beating my ATo all-in pre-flop, then his QJ beat my KK, then he flopped a higher flush than I did. I still came back and eventually pulled off a little suckout to win with K5 > A8s.

Round 3

This was the toughest match of the day. My opponent was very aggressive, and I found myself on the defensive, which is not a good place to be heads up. It was tough to play back at him without cards, but I managed my image well and pulled off some well-timed check-raise and 3-bet bluffs. Eventually we got it all in pre-flop on a flip and my 99 held vs his AJ.

Round 4

Initially, this guy was solid but overly tight. I grinded him down and got in some good value bets. My favorite one was when I raised 43s on the button, and he called in the BB. The flop came K32, and he checked and called a bet. The turn was a K, and we both checked. The river came a Q, he checked, and I bet like 65% of the pot. He called with A5. Ship it!

I think that tilted him a bit, which actually led him to play better in some sense because he got more aggressive. I called a raise with KJ on my BB and checked and called a K64 flop. I was planning to check-call down, but then a 5 came on the turn. Not wanting to see the board check through and turn ugly, I led out for half the pot. My opponent shoved, and I called him instantly. His T8 was much weaker than I expected to see, and I knocked him out on that one.

Round 5

This guy was not good. I googled his name and one of the hits was literally for a ranking of "Most Passive Online Players". I swear I am not making that up.

Unfortunately, he was calling everything pre-flop and hitting every flop. He also wasn't that passive. He raised his button a lot and tended to bet or raise whenever he got a piece of the flop. Eventually I raised JTo on the button and he called. The flop was 983 with two diamonds (I had Jd). He checked, I bet, and he min-check-raised. He'd been doing that a fair bit, and while it meant he had something, it didn't necessarily signify a monster. I shoved, but he tanked and eventually called with K9, which held up.

The fact that he had to think with K9 was a good sign. I'm sure he would have played T9 or K8 the same way, so K9 was very much the top of his range. If he was thinking of folding that, it means my shove was definitely good. Sucks to keep getting so close, but the FTOPS has always been like that for me.

FTOPS Event 8

This was a $200 6-max tournament with a $40 bounty on each player. I lasted a few hours but only won one bounty. Because it was 6-max, I was able to accumulate chips without a lot of big hands. Eventually JCarver got moved to my left, which cramped my style. I started getting blinded down, then flatted his UTG raise with AA on my BB. I check-raised all in on an 855 flop, but he had 88 for a full house. Bah.

FTOPS Event 6

I'm not great at PLO, but I played the $500 PLO 6-max FTOPS event because I want to get better and I was sure there would be plenty of worse players. There were. Unfortunately, they ran good:

Full Tilt Poker
Pot Limit Omaha Ring game
Blinds: $20/$40
6 players
Converter


Stack sizes:
UTG: $4660
UTG+1: $7183
CO: $4980
Hero: $4790
SB: $4870
BB: $3517


Pre-flop: (6 players) Hero is Button with :ts :tc :kc :as
3 folds, Hero raises to $140, SB folds, BB calls.


Flop: :5s :7s :th ($300, 2 players)
BB bets $300, Hero raises to $900, BB calls.


Turn: :8h ($2100, 2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $1250, BB calls.


River: :4d ($4600, 2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks.


Results:
Final pot: $4600
Hero showed Ts Tc Kc As
BB showed 6s 8s Kd Qs

Sorry it's tough to follow. I flopped top set and the nut flush draw and lost to an open-ender with a worse flush draw. Money only went in when I was ahead, though.

Eventually I busted raising JJAx from the button and calling a shove from AAKx.

Ramping Up the Aggression

With deeper stacks (these hands are all from deep tables), you need to be, not necessarily more aggressive, but aggressive in more situations. With 100 BBs's, a 4-bet squeeze will almost always commit your stack, which means there's only a narrow range of hands with which you can make this play. Showdown equity is always important.

But as stacks get deeper, there is more room to maneuver. You can put in more bets in more spots and still have room to fold. That doesn't mean you can go crazy against just anyone. Reads are important, as you need to know that your opponents are capable of letting go of a hand and/or having a less-than-stellar hand in the first place.

In this first one, MP and CO were both very aggressive pre-flop. I was certain they'd fold often enough to make this profitable. The only x-factor was the Button. I wasn't sure what would be his standards for cold calling a 3-bet. But he was also deep, and I figured that coming in cold for the fourth bet would get him off of even some pretty strong holdings:

Full Tilt Poker, $2/$4 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

BB: $458
UTG: $400
MP: $1,303.30
CO: $1,099
BTN: $827.40
Hero (SB): $915

Pre-Flop: T 8 dealt to Hero (SB)
UTG folds, MP raises to $14, CO raises to $48, BTN calls $48, Hero raises to $210, 4 folds

Results: $162 Pot
Hero mucked T 8 and WON $162 (+$114 NET)


In this second one, the SB and I had both been aggressive, and this was the second time I'd seen the BB put in a cold 4-bet. This is definitely a riskier play to make, but for that reason I think it will also have better fold equity. BB and I have some history together, but I still think this is a tough spot for him if he holds QQ.

Full Tilt Poker, $5/$10 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

UTG: $1,033.75
Hero (MP): $3,620
CO: $2,026
BTN: $1,010
SB: $2,005
BB: $4,111

Pre-Flop: J 9 dealt to Hero (MP)
UTG folds, Hero raises to $35, 2 folds, SB raises to $125, BB raises to $350, Hero raises to $1,000, SB folds, BB calls $650

Flop: ($2,125) 3 A K (2 Players)
BB bets $700, Hero folds

Results: $2,125 Pot ($3 Rake)
BB mucked and WON $2,122 (+$1,122 NET)


While waiting for BB to act, I regretted raising quite so much. I wished I had made it 900 instead of 1000. I felt it would have put him to essentially the same decision, as I really didn't think he would ever flat call this raise. When he did, that confused me. I think he definitely would have shoved or folded AK pre-flop, and probably would have shoved in with AA and KK as well.

At the same time, this is a really bad board for him to lead out on as a bluff, and it's hard to put him on a hand that would need to bluff pre-flop. Maybe he was doing this as a probe with QQ? I don't know, it was tempting to shove in, and maybe with second pair or a gut shot or something with even a little equity against his calling range, I would have. In retrospect, floating seems like a good option, looking to bet the turn if he checks. I really don't think he could fire a second bluff if I called the flop. Meh, folding can't be that bad.

Reads didn't play as big of a role in this one, I think my hand pretty much plays itself here:

Full Tilt Poker, $3/$6 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

MP: $692.70
CO: $1,659
BTN: $1,142.25
Hero (SB): $1,725.25
BB: $691.60
UTG: $813

Pre-Flop: A K dealt to Hero (SB)
UTG raises to $21, MP calls $21, CO folds, BTN raises to $72, Hero raises to $225, 4 folds

Results: $192 Pot
Hero mucked A K and WON $192 (+$120 NET)


If the Button shoves in, it's a crappy spot, but with AK and 20% of the effective stacks in pre-flop against an aggressive opponent (I've seen him shove in some dumb spots before), I think I've got to call it off. The more important thing is that that won't happen that often, and there really isn't a better option than re-raising with AK. Flat calling and playing out of position isn't appealing, nor is folding.


That doesn't mean I'm incapable of 4-bet/folding AK pre-flop- it just depends on the opponent:

Full Tilt Poker, $2/$4 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

Hero (SB): $800
BB: $523.30
UTG: $974.30
MP: $936.40
CO: $150.50
BTN: $1,771.40

Pre-Flop: K A dealt to Hero (SB)
2 folds, CO raises to $12, BTN raises to $44, Hero raises to $155, 2 folds, BTN raises to $1,771.40 and is All-In, Hero folds

Results: $326 Pot
BTN mucked and WON $326 (+$171 NET)


My only regret here is that if I'm going to fold, I ought to raise a little less. $125 would probably do the trick.

What's in a Name?

I was playing a bit lower than usual tonight, as I'm wont to do when on a downswing, and that means that I was up against a lot of players I'd never seen before. When trying to get a read on unknowns at a 6-max table, there are some really basic questions I am looking to answer about their level of knowledge and the plays in their arsenal. I'm thinking of stuff like the following:

1. Does he 3-bet light out of the blinds?

2. Does he 3-bet his button aggressively (especially important to know at Deep tables)

3. Is he capable of making a light 4-bet?

4. Does he know what a squeeze play is? Does he make squeeze plays? Does he play back at squeeze plays?

5. Can he fire multiple barrels?

6. Does he check-raise bluff dry flops?

7. Does he isolate limers

Usually, it takes some substantial observation to figure this stuff out. But sometimes players are nice enough to choose screennames that make their level of knowledge very clear. This is just giving away free information and helping me play better against them. For instance, here's a hand I played against "MyNameisBusto".

For those who don't know, "busto" is slang for a poker player who has lost his bankroll. It's very likely that a player who chooses a name like this is a serious player, quite possibly a professional. Moreover, the fact that he chose to take his screenname from popular poker culture suggests that he's somewhat immersed in this culture, probably as an active participant on 2+2 or another big poker forum. Thus, I'm going to expect him to be up on popular plays like the squeeze play, the continuation bet, and the CiB:


Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $4 BB (5 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

UTG ($1721.30)
Hero ($951.30)
Button ($798)
SB ($847)
BB ($269.60)

Preflop: Hero is MP with Ac, 7c.
UTG raises to $14, Hero calls $14, 1 fold, SB raises to $72, 1 fold, UTG folds, Hero calls $58.

Flop: ($162) 6c, 6s, 4c (2 players)
SB bets $100, Hero raises to $279, SB raises to $458, Hero raises to $879.3 (All-In), SB folds.

Final Pot: $1499.30


I would usually throw this away pre-flop against an unknown, but since I figured this guy's range could be quite wide, and we were deep, I planned to take it away post-flop. Then I get a sweet flop, and I nearly made a pot-committing raise on the flop, but then I thought, "Let's see if I can get this guy to make another crazy play." Sure enough, he clicked it back, then folded getting a gazillion to one, allowing me to win a huge pot with no showdown.

May

15K hands at -2.5 BB/100 is the short version of the story. And despite a final table appearance in an FTP $100 rebuy, I lost money on tournaments as well, thought I didn't play that many. I very nearly rallied on the last day of the month, only to get myself into some flush trouble. This first one may just be bad luck. It was against Jason Strasser. Though we'd never sat together before, I have some idea of how he plays, and I'm pretty sure this is a reasonable line to take against him. Guess I'm just going to lose some money when I hold the third nuts to his nuts:

Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $20 BB (5 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

SB ($3338.50)
BB ($2272)
Hero ($5000)
MP ($4314)
Button ($11909)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with Ks, Kd.
Hero raises to $70, 1 fold, Button calls $70, 2 folds.

Flop: ($170) 8s, Qs, Js (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $120, Hero calls $120.

Turn: ($410) 3s (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $320, Hero calls $320.

River: ($1050) 7s (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $800, Hero calls $800.

Final Pot: $2650

Results in white below:

Button has 9s Ts (straight flush, queen high).

Hero has Ks Kd (flush, king high).

Outcome: Button wins $2650.


This one I believe I played badly, though not for the reasons you might think:

Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $20 BB (6 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

UTG ($5459.50)
MP ($6787)
Hero ($9459.75)
Button ($1582)
SB ($4198)
BB ($3796)

Preflop: Hero is CO with 2s, 4s.
1 fold, MP calls $20, Hero raises to $90, 3 folds, MP calls $70.

Flop: ($210) Qs, As, Jc (2 players)
MP bets $200, Hero raises to $819, MP calls $619.

Turn: ($1848) Kh (2 players)
MP checks, Hero bets $1550, MP calls $1550.

River: ($4948) Ts (2 players)
MP bets $2020, Hero raises to $7000.75 (All-In), MP calls $2308 (All-In).

Final Pot: $16276.75

Results in white below:

MP has 9s 6s (flush, ace high).

Hero has 2s 4s (flush, ace high).

Outcome: MP wins $13604. Hero wins $2672.75.

Note that we are nearly 350 BB deep here. You'll also need to know that my opponent was absolutely terrible and loved to play loose and passive from out of position. I was happy to oblige by raising roughly 90% of his limps, potting most flops, and then proceeding from there. So I think raising him with 42s is actually fine/good.

He didn't lead into me that often, though, and I'm not a fan of my flop raise. He isn't very likely to fold, and he'll probably pay off if I hit my flush, so I'm almost surely better off calling and keeping stacks deeper for later streets. Having raised flop, I guess the turn bet is OK. There's probably a good-sized gap between his range for calling the flop and his range for continuing on this turn, and I'm 99% sure he's not raising with anything less than a pretty unlikely straight.

Alarm bells went off when he led the river, though. I really hadn't been thinking enough about his range, but this is very consistent with his having a flush draw. Yes, I'd seen him check call pot on the turn with a bare flush draw and no plans for bluffing the river. If there weren't a straight on the board, I wouldn't even thinking about jamming on him. But here there is both a plausible reason for him to bet this river without a flush (even if I do call he's probably chopping, since my hand doesn't look very much like a flush) and a good reason for him to call a shove with less than a flush, since a chop is so likely.

That's what should be the case. But this guy was bad and predictable and I was just pretty damn sure he had a better flush. But I convinced myself I was being a wuss and shoved the last 100 BB into the pot. I got to tell you, as much getting bad beat out of a big pot sucks, losing a monster because of your own mistakes is ten times worse. Ugh, if I had just called the flop, I could have avoided such a catastrophe.

Suicide Bluffs

I like trying to bluff into multiple players. Not only do I sometimes surprise myself with the fold equity I have, but it's also nice for balancing my ranges and helping me to get paid off the many times that I have big hands in these spots. Here are two from tonight's session:

Full Tilt Poker, $5/$10 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 8 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

MP2: $2,916.40
CO: $492.60
BTN: $579.50
SB: $1,813.20
Hero (BB): $2,057
UTG: $1,002
UTG+1: $1,803
MP1: $470

Pre-Flop: 7 A dealt to Hero (BB)
4 folds, CO raises to $28, BTN folds, SB calls $23, Hero calls $18

Flop: ($84) 8 9 K (3 Players)
SB checks, Hero checks, CO checks

Turn: ($84) 5 (3 Players)
SB bets $49, Hero raises to $229, CO calls $229, SB calls $180

River: ($771) J (3 Players)
SB checks, Hero bets $550, CO calls $235.60 and is All-In, SB raises to $1,100, Hero folds

Results: $2,106.60 Pot ($2,106.60 Rake)
CO showed Jd 9d and LOST
SB showed Th 7h and WON

On the river here I'm bluffing into two people, one of whom is getting better than 3:1 to call given his stack size. But based on the turn action and CO's stack size, I was very sure they were both looking to catch on the river. If CO liked his hand on the turn, he would have stuck the rest of his chips in. And if SB liked his, he would have done the same, since CO was clearly drawing and going to call. The Jc on the river missed all the obvious draws, but unfortunately my opponents had some non-obvious draws. That's the price of doing business.


Full Tilt Poker, $10/$20 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

SB: $2,000
BB: $1,975
UTG: $501
MP: $4,509
Hero (CO): $2,895.50
BTN: $2,030

Pre-Flop: J 9 dealt to Hero (CO)
2 folds, Hero raises to $70, BTN folds, SB calls $60, BB calls $50

Flop: ($210) 4 Q K (3 Players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $175, SB calls $175, BB calls $175

Turn: ($735) 2 (3 Players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $550, 2 folds

Results: $735 Pot ($3 Rake)
Hero mucked J 9 and WON $732 (+$487 NET)


This one really isn't suicidal at all. BB never has a monster here, and SB could have 44 or KQ, but it's way more likely he's got one pair. I don't think either of them is going any further with less than two pair, and obviously I've got plenty of outs even if I am unlucky enough to run into a big hand (or a stubborn opponent).