I’m struggling to find an interesting hand from the $215. This is the best I came up with. It may look like a straight-forward spot, but in my experience a lot of less experienced players will just call the flop (which, to be fair, is probably what I would have done too a few years ago):

PokerStars – 800/1600 Ante 200 NL (8 max) – Holdem – 8 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4: http://www.pokertracker.com

SB: 24.59 BB (VPIP: 20.00, PFR: 15.56, 3Bet Preflop: 4.17, Hands: 45)
Hero (BB): 76.47 BB
UTG: 42.8 BB (VPIP: 21.13, PFR: 14.25, 3Bet Preflop: 6.29, Hands: 427)
UTG+1: 19.79 BB (VPIP: 19.32, PFR: 15.97, 3Bet Preflop: 5.83, Hands: 266)
MP: 59.01 BB (VPIP: 29.84, PFR: 17.74, 3Bet Preflop: 5.88, Hands: 124)
MP+1: 90.76 BB (VPIP: 20.97, PFR: 15.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 124)
CO: 58.3 BB (VPIP: 31.22, PFR: 20.78, 3Bet Preflop: 10.58, Hands: 238)
BTN: 31 BB (VPIP: 19.48, PFR: 13.25, 3Bet Preflop: 7.22, Hands: 578)

8 players post ante of 0.13 BB, SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.5 BB) Hero has Js Kc
fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, BTN raises to 2 BB, fold, Hero calls 1 BB

Flop : (5.5 BB, 2 players) 5h Td Jc
Hero checks, BTN bets 2 BB, Hero raises to 6.75 BB, BTN raises to 28.6 BB, Hero raises to 50.45 BB, BTN calls 0.28 BB and is all-in

Turn : (63.25 BB, 2 players) As

River : (63.25 BB, 2 players) Ac

Hero shows Js Kc (Two Pair, Aces and Jacks)
(Pre 25%, Flop 69%, Turn 9%)

BTN shows Ad Kd (Three of a Kind, Aces)
(Pre 75%, Flop 31%, Turn 91%)

BTN wins 63.25 BB

I also max late registered the $530 Courchevel, which is a game I really enjoy, though I’m not sure I’m a favorite in a $530 field. With the late register, though, I got in with about 120 players remaining and 35 getting paid, so that’s how I justified it. For those who don’t know, Courchevel is a five-card PLO8 game where one of the flop cards is revealed before the pre-flop betting.

I didn’t last long at all – had QQ with a Q in the door, got all in pre against someone holding AA with a nut suit of the door card and some wrap potential. There’s no equity calculator for Courchevel so I’m not really sure whether I was favored there, but I doubt it was dramatic one way or the other.

Anyway, the big news is that I won the $44 Bounty Builder, which is a daily Progressive Knock-Out event on PokerStars. In the past, during COOPs, I used to fill screen space with Zoom games, and I still do that sometimes. But early in a session, I’ve started using smaller buy-in tournaments instead. I find it helps not to have to switch back and forth between tournament and cash mentality, and in many cases these tournaments may be better value anyway, the drawback being that sometimes it sucks when your session is extended by a few hours for a tournament you didn’t really want to play anyway. But it’s all good when you win it!

Even better, I recorded the last few hours live for Tournament Poker Edge. I started recording because I was in a bunch of events that were tough to cover in a replayer: some PKOs, the $55 Razz, and eventually the $530 Courchevel. So I thought it would be fun to record live. Then I just kept recording as I made the final table and eventually won the tournament!

I’m not going to post any hands from that just yet because you’ll have a chance to see lots of the important action on TPE soon enough.

The 2015 Nitcast Las Vegas Meetup will take place on July 6th, which is Day 1b of the WSOP Main Event. Don’t worry, though! The meetup will start at 10AM, so even if you’re playing that day, you can start off on the right foot by stopping in to say hello. We’ll meet at the Gold Coast bowling alley and will be there until at least Noon, possibly later. If you’re in town, please stop in and see us!

Strategy

I opened 2.5x from the CO with As Tc, a good player in the small blind called, and the big blind folded. Flop came 7s 9h Js. Villan donked about half pot, I raised 3.5x, he folded.

Blinds 100/200 button opened to 450 SB called and I called Ks Ts in the BB. Flop Qs 9d 8d SB checked I bet 900 button folded SB called. Turn 5, SB checks, I bet 1800 with 4500 behind, he folded. Plan was to jam most rivers if he called.

I opened 44 UTG, Button made a small 3bet, I called. Flop K94r I bet 4500 into 6700 he called. Turn was an T, I checked, he jammed his last 15K, I called and beat his KQ.

I open to $30 with Kd Jd in EP. Two players in EP call, and the BB calls.

Flop ($120 in pot) Td 3s 2s BB bets $40, everyone calls

Turn ($280 in pot) 9c BB bets $60, I call, one more call

River ($460 in pot) 6h BB checks, I bet $300, both fold

Villain is a well-known Australian pro, a very successful tournament player whose specialty is NLHE but whom I’ve often encountered in non-hold ’em games and surely has a better idea of what he’s doing than I do.

PokerStars Hand #121971038991: Tournament #948919234, $500+$30 USD Razz Limit – Level IX (300/600) – 2014/09/23 17:04:54 ET
Table ‘948919234 12′ 8-max
Seat 1: AceSpades11 (6520 in chips)
Seat 2: V-MAX261 (14197 in chips)
Seat 3: thegosu2 (4974 in chips)
Seat 4: kalthor (6978 in chips)
Seat 5: Koziammo (13562 in chips)
Seat 6: dimmmmi1 (7353 in chips)
Seat 7: Andy McLEOD (13680 in chips)
Seat 8: foucault82 (8505 in chips)

*** 3rd STREET ***
Dealt to AceSpades11 [Qs]
Dealt to V-MAX261 [2s]
Dealt to thegosu2 [Jh]
Dealt to kalthor [8h]
Dealt to Koziammo [6d]
Dealt to dimmmmi1 [Tc]
Dealt to Andy McLEOD [5c]
Dealt to foucault82 [5h Qc 2h]
AceSpades11: brings in for 90
V-MAX261: folds
thegosu2: folds
kalthor: folds
Koziammo: folds
dimmmmi1: folds
Andy McLEOD: raises 210 to 300
foucault82: calls 300
AceSpades11: folds
*** 4th STREET ***
Dealt to Andy McLEOD [5c] [9h]
Dealt to foucault82 [5h Qc 2h] [7s]
foucault82: bets 300
Andy McLEOD: calls 300
*** 5th STREET ***
Dealt to Andy McLEOD [5c 9h] [5s]
Dealt to foucault82 [5h Qc 2h 7s] [Ks]
foucault82: bets 600
Andy McLEOD: raises 600 to 1200
foucault82: calls 600
*** 6th STREET ***
Dealt to Andy McLEOD [5c 9h 5s] [Js]
Dealt to foucault82 [5h Qc 2h 7s Ks] [3c]
foucault82: bets 600
Andy McLEOD: calls 600
*** RIVER ***
Dealt to foucault82 [5h Qc 2h 7s Ks 3c] [4s]
foucault82: checks
Andy McLEOD: bets 600
foucault82: raises 600 to 1200
Andy McLEOD: calls 600
*** SHOW DOWN ***
foucault82: shows [5h Qc 2h 7s Ks 3c 4s] (Lo: 7,5,4,3,2)
Andy McLEOD: mucks [2c 8s 5c 9h 5s Js As] (Lo: 9,8,5,2,A)
foucault82 collected 7770 from pot

If you look at the situation on 3rd street, the action folds to him with just a 2 and a Q behind him. Between the antes and the bring-in, there’s 570 in the pot, and his raise risks 300 to steal it. That means that between myself and the bring-in, we need to defend at least two-thirds of the time to make Andy indifferent from raising with any two down cards.

Because I’m showing a 2 while the bring-in is showing a Queen, my range is much stronger than his and consequently the majority of that burden falls on me. To keep it simple, let’s just say that I need to defend twice as many hands as he, or about 44%.

There are four As, four 3s, four 4s, three 5s, three 6s, four 7s, three 8s, and three 9s left among the 44 unexposed cards. Thus the odds are (28/44) * (20/43) ~ 36% that I’ll have three to a 9 when I’m showing a 2. There’s an additional (15/44) * (18/43) ~ 14% chance that I’ll two cards to a wheel plus a T or worse. Playing all of those hands to the raise would have me defending 50%, which is a bit too much.

I’m not entirely sure whether calling with a Q and a wheel card is worse than calling with a pair and a wheel card (in which case I’d block a strong card from the opener’s range), and I don’t think I need to do both. So it’s possible that this should be a fold on third, but I think it’s close.

Perhaps you can see where this is going. Much as in hold ’em, we’re going to end up with an aggressive late position dynamic here where all players have a lot of incentive to play marginal hands.

My bet on fourth street is mandatory. Even though Andy has not caught a complete brick, he may fold now if I caught him stealing a particularly weak hand or if the 9 paired him, and even if he does not fold I have 37% equity against four to a 9.

It’s possible that I err in betting fifth street. When we both brick, my equity drops to 30%, and Andy is savvy enough to recognize that I probably two-bet the better hands in my range on third street, which means that if he actually has four to a 9, especially when he pairs a baby, there’s a good chance he’s ahead, and he raises for value. I have to call. Weaker Razz players won’t raise here but may bet when checked to, which makes betting much more attractive against them.

After catching well on 6th, I’m a slight favorite and can bet.

Even though I make a lock hand on the river, I check because I know he’s drawing. Although he will check some hands that would call a bet, I also think he’ll bluff some bricks and bet some worse hands for value.

I’m curious about his river bet. I probably have to call no matter what, because of how easily he could make two-pair, but if he’s going to pay off a check-raise, then he loses two bets when I improve as opposed to rarely winning more than one when I do not (occasionally he picks off a check-raise bluff). He can assume that I have four to at least a 97, and against his board I can confidently raise any 8, so without crunching the numbers, my hunch is that he needs to assume I’m betting some of my stronger hands on the river to make bet-calling a 98 a good idea.

Strategy Segment

Dead cards are Q, Q, 7, and a few I wasn’t able to write down. Other upcards are K and 5, who play with me.

Ante is $1 and we’re playing 8-handed. $3 bring-in. The 5 brings it in. I raise third to act with (Q9)A.

I get called in two places, by the K and the 5, which is unusual for the game.

Fourth street:
(Q9)A9
(xx)K8
(xx)5x

I bet, both call.

Fifth street:
(Q9)A9K
(xx)K88
(xx)5xx

K88 bets, 5xx calls, I call

Sixth street:

(Q9)A9Kx
(xx)K88x
(xx)5xx5

Now the eights check and the fives bet. Hero folds.

This was my first time flying into Canada, having previously driven across the border. No exaggeration, there were easily 2000 people in line at passport control. This was a good opportunity to practice my patience, which will surely be tested in the coming weeks. I took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and surveyed my surroundings.

We were quite a diverse bunch. They probably just jumped out at me more, but it seemed like I saw a lot more Europeans, Africans, and people from the Caribbean than I did Americans. I suppose that isn’t so surprising, given how much French is spoken in those regions. There were very few Asians in line, which is quite different from what you’d see on the west coast of Canada.

When I finally got to the front of the line, I told the officer that I was here to play poker. He was unfazed, asking only if that was all I would do for three weeks. I smiled, because it probably was, but I told him, “Well I hope to see a bit of the city as well.”

He nodded and handed my passport back to me. “Enjoy your stay.”

Eight dollars bought me a ticket on an express bus from the airport to the UQAM (University of Quebec At Montreal – of course the official name is in French, but the acronym works out the same) Metro station plus a 24-hour public transportation pass. I was going to need that, because a train and another bus still stood between my apartment and me. But first: lunch.

The plaze where the bus dropped me off was crowded with students, businesspeople, and homeless who all seemed quite at ease with each other. An employee of a nearby company emerged from a backdoor to scold another man for urinating on the wall of the building. There were six of those life-sized chess sets, each being studied intently by two players and several more onlookers.

I found a quick-looking Thai place near the Metro station. A man in his mid-twenties stood idly behind the counter, but he adopted a deer-in-headlights look as I approached. A girl no older than 16 rushed over. “Bonjour, hello!” she chirped. She spoke English naturally and comfortably as she took my order, and I imagine she could have done much the same in French. She relayed the order in what I guess was Thai to her co-worker. Such comfort in so many different languages, which is of course common among the children of immigrants, never ceases to amaze me.

Sitting by myself at a table for four, I was hardly alone. Several older Québécois men sat near each other but at separate tables reading La Presse, one of the city’s largest French-language newspapers. Occasionally one would wander over to another’s table to exchange a thought with him, but mostly they read in silence. If I had to describe them in one word, it would be grizzled.

The Metro was crowded, but I was only going one stop. Announcing, “Excusez moi! Désolé!” I shoved my way onto and then back off the car. After a short bus ride, I was through the door a few minutes after four, with enough time to make coffee, set up my computer and external monitor, register for the $1050 NLHE WCOOP, and late register the $215 Triple Stud and the $109 Triple Stud Second Chance.

The one thing I didn’t have time for was grocery shopping, so I had to look up a place to get delivery. The woman who answered the phone spoke English, but the delivery guy didn’t (or wouldn’t, but he was Asian, so not likely to be a militant Québécois), so I had to deal with him in broken French while dashing back and forth between the door and my beeping computer.

Four hours in the $1K produced no hands of note, so here are a few from the Second Chance. I realize that many of you probably don’t play Razz, but it’s quite a simple game and these hands draw on hand reading concepts that are quite applicable in hold ’em, so I encourage you to try to follow along anyway.

Poker Stars $100+$9 Limit Razz Tournament – t120/t240 Limit + t24 – 7 players
Hand History Converter

Seat 2: t4726 M = 13.58
Seat 3: t5418 M = 15.57
Seat 4: t5028 M = 14.45
Seat 5: t4280 M = 12.30
Hero (): t4026 M = 11.57
Seat 7: t7956 M = 22.86
Seat 8: t4186 M = 12.03

3rd Street: (1.4 SB)
Seat 2: xx xx 6____Seat 2 folds
Seat 3: xx xx J____Seat 3 folds
Seat 4: xx xx 9____Seat 4 folds
Seat 5: xx xx 2____Seat 5 folds
Hero: K 3 T___Hero completes___Hero calls
Seat 7: xx xx Q____Seat 7 raises
Seat 8: xx xx K____Seat 8 brings in for $36____Seat 8 folds

4th Street: (5.7 SB) (2 players)
Hero: K 3 T 7___Hero checks___Hero calls
Seat 7: xx xx Q 7____Seat 7 bets

5th Street: (3.85 BB) (2 players)
Hero: K 3 T 7 A___Hero bets
Seat 7: xx xx Q 7 A____Seat 7 calls

6th Street: (5.85 BB) (2 players)
Hero: K 3 T 7 A 2___Hero bets
Seat 7: xx xx Q 7 A T____Seat 7 calls

7th Street: (7.85 BB) (2 players)
Hero: K 3 T 7 A 2 2___Hero checks___Hero calls
Seat 7: xx xx Q 7 A T xx____Seat 7 bets

Final Pot: 9.85 BB
Hero shows K 3 T 7 A 2 2 (Lo: T,7,3,2,A)
Seat 7 shows 7 Q Q 7 A T 5 (Lo: Q,T,7,5,A)
Hero wins 9.85 BB

In retrospect, it seems like Villain probably just got confused about which game we were playing. But I think, not knowing that, the hand is interesting from my perspective.

As you might imagine, (K3)T is a pretty junky Razz hand. But a K and Q showing behind me, it’s an auto-raise because I have the lowest card showing. In other words, I fold (T3)K.

Villain and I had tangled a bit before and he’d showed some awareness of steal dynamics and a willingness to re-raise lighter against late position opens. When he raised I assumed he had two good cards in the hole, something like (23)Q, and knew how wide my range is. Even so, I think a call is better than a raise for him.

If he has that kind of hand, I’m a dog, but I call anyway because, with a Q in the door, his hand is going to be really difficult to play. This is like a float: I’m calling to represent better hole cards than I have, expecting many good opportunities to steal on a later street.

I start betting into him as we both catch well, hoping that he paired – the A in particular is likely to pair him given the hole cards he’d need to raise me legitimately. By 6th street I’m ahead unless he has exactly 23 in the hole, in which case we’re chopping.

That makes the river an easy check-call, since he won’t call with much worse but could bluff a busted draw. Or, he could have misread the game this entire time! Oh well, I’ll take it.

Poker Stars $100+$9 Limit Razz Tournament – t120/t240 Limit + t24 – 7 players
Hand History Converter

Seat 2: t4642 M = 13.34
Seat 3: t5370 M = 15.43
Seat 4: t4980 M = 14.31
Seat 5: t4232 M = 12.16
Hero (): t5466 M = 15.71
Seat 7: t6828 M = 19.62
Seat 8: t4102 M = 11.79

3rd Street: (1.4 SB)
Seat 2: xx xx A____Seat 2 calls
Seat 3: xx xx 6____Seat 3 folds
Seat 4: xx xx 6____Seat 4 folds
Seat 5: xx xx 2____Seat 5 folds
Hero: 5 A 7___Hero brings in for $36
Seat 7: xx xx 3____Seat 7 folds
Seat 8: xx xx 4____Seat 8 folds

4th Street: (2 SB) (2 players)
Seat 2: xx xx A T____Seat 2 bets
Hero: 5 A 7 J___Hero calls

5th Street: (2 BB) (2 players)
Seat 2: xx xx A T 9____Seat 2 bets____Seat 2 calls
Hero: 5 A 7 J 8___Hero raises

6th Street: (6 BB) (2 players)
Seat 2: xx xx A T 9 3____Seat 2 checks
Hero: 5 A 7 J 8 9___Hero checks

7th Street: (6 BB) (2 players)
Seat 2: xx xx A T 9 3 xx____Seat 2 bets
Hero: 5 A 7 J 8 9 5___Hero calls

Final Pot: 8 BB
Seat 2 shows 7 A A T 9 3 K (Lo: T,9,7,3,A)
Hero shows 5 A 7 J 8 9 5 (Lo: 9,8,7,5,A)
Hero wins 8 BB

The fact that Villain open limps third street rather than completing the bet suggests that he has a brick (or at least a semi-brick like a T or 9) in the hole. So even though I catch worse than he does on fourth, I could easily be ahead and if not I still have a decent draw.

Sticking with that read, I raise him on fifth even though his board is stronger than mine. He actually typed something like, “LOL what are you doing” before calling, which suggests that he thought I wasn’t “supposed” to raise showing a J. Note, however, that even he is “supposed” to be ahead, he doesn’t 3-bet me. Even if he does have a made T9, I’m drawing live.

When he catches good on sixth, I’m happy to check behind.

I was probably calling seventh anyway, but he bet so quickly that it was an easy decision. My check on sixth suggests that I’m still trying to improve my hand, so there’s not a lot of reason for him to value bet me thinly. Most likely I’ll either miss and fold or hit and be ahead, so it’s probably better for him to check and call with a smooth 9, which is the best hand he can have if I’m right about his limp. At the very least, he’d have to think about whether to bet it. The quick bet was a dead giveaway that he was bluffing. He made sure to tell me how badly I played it.

PokerStars Game #67218783066: Tournament #2011090015, $200+$15 USD Razz Limit – Level VII (100/200) – 2011/09/08 14:29:19 MT [2011/09/08 16:29:19 ET]
Table ‘2011090015 41’ 8-max
Seat 1: shuriken555 (7908 in chips)
Seat 2: Schappuscha (5226 in chips)
Seat 3: foucault82 (4323 in chips)
Seat 4: Wall131TCI-I (5866 in chips)
Seat 5: -=NIK71113=- (2797 in chips)
Seat 6: 7Be/\eC7 (8381 in chips)
Seat 7: RuiNF (4593 in chips)
Seat 8: gr1d1r0n (5894 in chips)
shuriken555: posts the ante 20
Schappuscha: posts the ante 20
foucault82: posts the ante 20
Wall131TCI-I: posts the ante 20
-=NIK71113=-: posts the ante 20
7Be/\eC7: posts the ante 20
RuiNF: posts the ante 20
gr1d1r0n: posts the ante 20
*** 3rd STREET ***
Dealt to shuriken555 [8s]
Dealt to Schappuscha [4h]
Dealt to foucault82 [4s Ac 5d]
Dealt to Wall131TCI-I [9c]
Dealt to -=NIK71113=- [3d]
Dealt to 7Be/\eC7 [Kh]
Dealt to RuiNF [Js]
Dealt to gr1d1r0n [5c]
7Be/\eC7: brings in for 30
RuiNF: folds
gr1d1r0n: folds
shuriken555: folds
Schappuscha: raises 70 to 100
foucault82: calls 100
Wall131TCI-I: folds
-=NIK71113=-: raises 100 to 200
7Be/\eC7: folds
Schappuscha: calls 100
foucault82: calls 100
*** 4th STREET ***
Dealt to Schappuscha [4h] [Jd]
Dealt to foucault82 [4s Ac 5d] [5s]
Dealt to -=NIK71113=- [3d] [7d]
-=NIK71113=-: bets 100
Schappuscha: folds
foucault82: calls 100
*** 5th STREET ***
Dealt to foucault82 [4s Ac 5d 5s] [3s]
Dealt to -=NIK71113=- [3d 7d] [2c]
-=NIK71113=-: bets 200
foucault82: calls 200
*** 6th STREET ***
Dealt to foucault82 [4s Ac 5d 5s 3s] [2s]
Dealt to -=NIK71113=- [3d 7d 2c] [2h]
-=NIK71113=-: bets 200
foucault82: raises 200 to 400
-=NIK71113=-: raises 200 to 600
foucault82: raises 200 to 800
Betting is capped
-=NIK71113=-: calls 200
*** RIVER ***
Dealt to foucault82 [4s Ac 5d 5s 3s 2s] [8c]
-=NIK71113=-: bets 200
foucault82: raises 200 to 400
-=NIK71113=-: raises 200 to 600
foucault82: raises 200 to 800
Betting is capped
-=NIK71113=-: calls 200
*** SHOW DOWN ***
foucault82: shows [4s Ac 5d 5s 3s 2s 8c] (Lo: 5,4,3,2,A)
-=NIK71113=-: shows [7c As 3d 7d 2c 2h 4c] (Lo: 7,4,3,2,A)
foucault82 collected 4590 from pot

No big mistakes here, but this is the other really big pot that I won:

PokerStars Game #67221422068: Tournament #2011090015, $200+$15 USD Razz Limit – Level IX (160/320) – 2011/09/08 15:18:19 MT [2011/09/08 17:18:19 ET]
Table ‘2011090015 41’ 8-max
Seat 1: shuriken555 (7226 in chips)
Seat 2: Schappuscha (4652 in chips)
Seat 3: foucault82 (4231 in chips)
Seat 4: Wall131TCI-I (1968 in chips)
Seat 5: Crush1nDonks (5473 in chips)
Seat 6: 7Be/\eC7 (11381 in chips)
Seat 7: RuiNF (6110 in chips)
Seat 8: gr1d1r0n (10380 in chips)
shuriken555: posts the ante 32
Schappuscha: posts the ante 32
foucault82: posts the ante 32
Wall131TCI-I: posts the ante 32
Crush1nDonks: posts the ante 32
7Be/\eC7: posts the ante 32
RuiNF: posts the ante 32
gr1d1r0n: posts the ante 32
*** 3rd STREET ***
Dealt to shuriken555 [Ah]
Dealt to Schappuscha [9c]
Dealt to foucault82 [2d 6d 4d]
Dealt to Wall131TCI-I [4h]
Dealt to Crush1nDonks [5d]
Dealt to 7Be/\eC7 [Tc]
Dealt to RuiNF [Kh]
Dealt to gr1d1r0n [3c]
RuiNF: brings in for 48
gr1d1r0n: calls 48
shuriken555: raises 112 to 160
Schappuscha: calls 160
foucault82: calls 160
Wall131TCI-I: folds
Crush1nDonks: raises 160 to 320
7Be/\eC7: folds
RuiNF: folds
gr1d1r0n: calls 272
shuriken555: raises 160 to 480
Schappuscha: calls 320
foucault82: calls 320
Crush1nDonks: raises 160 to 640
Betting is capped
gr1d1r0n: calls 320
7Be/\eC7 said, “lol”
shuriken555: calls 160
Schappuscha: calls 160
foucault82: calls 160
*** 4th STREET ***
Dealt to shuriken555 [Ah] [8h]
Dealt to Schappuscha [9c] [Jd]
Dealt to foucault82 [2d 6d 4d] [9s]
Dealt to Crush1nDonks [5d] [5s]
Dealt to gr1d1r0n [3c] [Td]
shuriken555: bets 160
Schappuscha: folds
foucault82: raises 160 to 320
Crush1nDonks: calls 320
gr1d1r0n: calls 320
shuriken555: raises 160 to 480
foucault82: raises 160 to 640
Betting is capped
Crush1nDonks: calls 320
gr1d1r0n: calls 320
shuriken555: calls 160
*** 5th STREET ***
Dealt to shuriken555 [Ah 8h] [3h]
Dealt to foucault82 [2d 6d 4d 9s] [5c]
Dealt to Crush1nDonks [5d 5s] [Qc]
Dealt to gr1d1r0n [3c Td] [5h]
shuriken555: bets 320
foucault82: raises 320 to 640
Crush1nDonks: folds
gr1d1r0n: calls 640
shuriken555: raises 320 to 960
foucault82: calls 320
gr1d1r0n: calls 320
*** 6th STREET ***
Dealt to shuriken555 [Ah 8h 3h] [Qs]
Dealt to foucault82 [2d 6d 4d 9s 5c] [Ad]
Dealt to gr1d1r0n [3c Td 5h] [2s]
foucault82: bets 320
gr1d1r0n: calls 320
shuriken555: calls 320
*** RIVER ***
Dealt to foucault82 [2d 6d 4d 9s 5c Ad] [6c]
foucault82: bets 320
7Be/\eC7 said, “nice pot”
gr1d1r0n: calls 320
shuriken555: folds
*** SHOW DOWN ***
foucault82: shows [2d 6d 4d 9s 5c Ad 6c] (Lo: 6,5,4,2,A)
gr1d1r0n: mucks hand
foucault82 collected 10544 from pot
Seat 8: gr1d1r0n mucked [7d As 3c Td 5h 2s Qh]

These were both relatively early in the event. Then I played for hours and hours and ended up min-cashing after 7.5 hours. This is the ugly side of the WCOOP and why I generally avoid or at least late register the limit events.

I skipped the PL Draw event because I don’t know how to play that game, and I registered three hours into the Triple Stud because I wanted to be fresh for the $1000 NLHE rather than frustrated from three hours of Stud. I won a nice pot almost immediately in Razz, but it was all downhill from there. I think this is pretty standard for people who know something about Razz, but it illustrated the problem with trying to bluff in this game:
PokerStars Game #67119394260: Tournament #2011090008, $200+$15 USD Triple Stud (Razz Limit) – Level VIII (200/400) – 2011/09/06 14:48:20 MT [2011/09/06 16:48:20 ET]
Table ‘2011090008 11’ 8-max
Seat 1: capoch (2998 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 2: 2FLY2TILT (5744 in chips)
Seat 3: kasparov007 (7808 in chips)
Seat 4: kimsen (5902 in chips)
Seat 5: johnny5rings (3754 in chips)
Seat 6: Ghoyteep (8772 in chips)
Seat 7: Terry_Toria (3799 in chips)
Seat 8: foucault82 (4960 in chips)
capoch: posts the ante 40
2FLY2TILT: posts the ante 40
kasparov007: posts the ante 40
kimsen: posts the ante 40
johnny5rings: posts the ante 40
Ghoyteep: posts the ante 40
Terry_Toria: posts the ante 40
foucault82: posts the ante 40
*** 3rd STREET ***
Dealt to capoch [3s]
Dealt to 2FLY2TILT [Jd]
Dealt to kasparov007 [7s]
Dealt to kimsen [8s]
Dealt to johnny5rings [Tc]
Dealt to Ghoyteep [4d]
Dealt to Terry_Toria [Th]
Dealt to foucault82 [7c 3h 4s]
2FLY2TILT: brings in for 60
kasparov007: folds
kimsen: folds
johnny5rings: folds
Ghoyteep: folds
Terry_Toria: folds
foucault82: raises 140 to 200
capoch: folds
2FLY2TILT: calls 140
*** 4th STREET ***
Dealt to 2FLY2TILT [Jd] [5h]
Dealt to foucault82 [7c 3h 4s] [Qd]
2FLY2TILT: bets 200
foucault82: calls 200
*** 5th STREET ***
Dealt to 2FLY2TILT [Jd 5h] [Jh]
Dealt to foucault82 [7c 3h 4s Qd] [Qc]
2FLY2TILT: bets 400
foucault82: calls 400
*** 6th STREET ***
Dealt to 2FLY2TILT [Jd 5h Jh] [5s]
Dealt to foucault82 [7c 3h 4s Qd Qc] [8h]
foucault82: bets 400
2FLY2TILT: calls 400
*** RIVER ***
Dealt to foucault82 [7c 3h 4s Qd Qc 8h] [Ks]
foucault82: checks
2FLY2TILT: bets 400
foucault82: calls 400
*** SHOW DOWN ***
2FLY2TILT: shows [3d Ac Jd 5h Jh 5s Ad] (Lo: A,A,J,5,3)
foucault82: shows [7c 3h 4s Qd Qc 8h Ks] (Lo: Q,8,7,4,3)
foucault82 collected 3520 from pot

There’s only so much you can get away with because the lowest two cards you are showing on board is an upper limit to how strong your hand can possibly be. That’s why it’s not necessarily a good idea to call with a K in the door even if A3 are your hole cards. I know I started with the better hand, so even if we both catch bad I’m going to keep calling. Even on the river he can’t possibly have better than a J, which there’s no way he’s value betting, so his betting range is 100% bluffs and the only question is how many of those bluffs my hand can beat. With a Q it’s a trivial call and I think the interesting question is how bad of a pair can I call with?

I don’t really know what happened in the 1K. I had chips for a while and then I didn’t. I posted two NHLE hands on 2p2, I guess because I’m a glutton for punishment, but neither was from a WCOOP (well one was a second chance). Would be interested to get your thoughts here or in the thread:

Guess I Have Some Blockers…

Underpair Facing Weird Flop Shove

Tomorrow morning is the Ante Up, probably my favorite WCOOP event. Let us gogogogo!

Oh and that horse I mentioned last night who was deep in the 6-Max Shootout? He got down to heads up at his third table, got all in preflop for a huge pot, and lost AK < AJ to bubble the final table. He would have like 90% of the chips if he won that pot, so that was tough to see. Mostly felt bad for him.

PokerStars Game #66507871933: 8-Game (Hold’em Limit, $10/$20 USD) – 2011/08/24 22:27:27 MT [2011/08/25 0:27:27 ET]
Table ‘Campanula VII’ 6-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: foucault82 ($500 in chips)
Seat 2: loooseslots ($657.90 in chips)
Seat 3: NCSU2012 ($924.45 in chips)
Seat 4: hav0cLOL ($1523 in chips)
Seat 5: boardrat ($501.70 in chips)
Seat 6: xx23xx ($522 in chips)
boardrat: posts small blind $5
xx23xx: posts big blind $10
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to foucault82 [Jd Ah]
foucault82: raises $10 to $20
loooseslots: folds
NCSU2012: folds
hav0cLOL: folds
boardrat: folds
xx23xx: calls $10
*** FLOP *** [Tc 2h 7d]
xx23xx: checks
foucault82: bets $10
xx23xx: calls $10
*** TURN *** [Tc 2h 7d] [6d]
xx23xx: checks
foucault82: checks
*** RIVER *** [Tc 2h 7d 6d] [2d]
xx23xx: checks
foucault82: bets $20
xx23xx: calls $20
*** SHOW DOWN ***
foucault82: shows [Jd Ah] (a pair of Deuces)
xx23xx: shows [Ad Qc] (a pair of Deuces – Ace+Queen kicker)
xx23xx collected $102 from pot

I expected AJ to be good on the river because I thought he’d 3-bet AQ/AK pre-flop and check-raise a flopped pair. I was hoping he would call with worse Aces and maybe even KQ/KJ. This is one of those good mistakes I think.

I know it’s a pain to follow but this Razz hand is really interesting. Notice that on 3rd street Villain and I are the only players showing small cards. This is why I’m completing with a Q in the hole, and why I think Villain doesn’t need a particularly good hand to 2-bet me, ie it’s possibly he just has a ragged 8 or even a brick in the hole as well.

I catch barely better than he does on 4th, but I’m trying to represent that I have three babies, and even with like J872 I would value bet here, so I’m betting hoping he’ll either fold immediately (if he’s got a brick in the hole) or fold 5th if he bricks again.

No such luck, but I don’t want to give up 6th street because even though it actually pairs me, to Villain it looks like I caught better than he did. The best hand he can have on 6th is a T8, so I have to keep the pressure on. Even if he’d called I’ve have bluffed 7th because I think with me showing 234 and betting every street he’s not likely to call with a T.

PokerStars Game #66497265871:  8-Game (Razz Limit, $10/$20 USD) – 2011/08/24 16:25:32 MT [2011/08/24 18:25:32 ET]
Table ‘Vinifera VI’ 6-max
Seat 1: foucault82 ($517 in chips)
Seat 2: AmarulaBr ($517 in chips)
Seat 3: titko23 ($613 in chips)
Seat 4: shinbunshi ($295 in chips)
Seat 5: AintNoSun ($106.65 in chips)
Seat 6: moryoca ($253 in chips)
*** 3rd STREET ***
Dealt to foucault82 [2d Qc 4c]
Dealt to AmarulaBr [Jc]
Dealt to titko23 [9d]
Dealt to shinbunshi [4s]
Dealt to AintNoSun [Ts]
Dealt to moryoca [Kd]
moryoca: brings in for $3
foucault82: raises $7 to $10
AmarulaBr: folds
titko23: folds
shinbunshi: raises $10 to $20
AintNoSun: folds
moryoca: folds
foucault82: calls $10
*** 4th STREET ***
Dealt to foucault82 [2d Qc 4c] [Jh]
Dealt to shinbunshi [4s] [Qh]
AintNoSun is connected
foucault82: bets $10
shinbunshi: raises $10 to $20
foucault82: calls $10
*** 5th STREET ***
Dealt to foucault82 [2d Qc 4c Jh] [3h]
Dealt to shinbunshi [4s Qh] [Tc]
foucault82: bets $20
shinbunshi: calls $20
*** 6th STREET ***
Dealt to foucault82 [2d Qc 4c Jh 3h] [2s]
Dealt to shinbunshi [4s Qh Tc] [8h]
foucault82: bets $20
shinbunshi: folds
Uncalled bet ($20) returned to foucault82
foucault82 collected $132 from pot
foucault82: doesn’t show hand

My thanks and apologies to everyone who played in last night’s Triple Stud event. I’ll start on a positive note: I had a great time, and it seemed like many of you did as well. Thanks for playing and for being good sports throughout.

Technical Difficulties

1. Structure. It took over 9 hours for us to play from 30 runners down to the 3 who got paid, and several people understandably chose to abandon their stacks rather than continue to play a $1 tournament for so long. All I can say in my own defense is that I don’t get a lot of information about what various options mean when creating a tournament and am still getting the hang of setting the structure. Obviously this was a huge fail, and I appreciate everyone being so understanding about it.

2. Cancellation. It came down to KeondaFreon and myself playing heads up. I had about a 2:1 chiplead, and (s)he opted to concede and go to sleep rather than play it out. Keonda sat out, and I did as well, thinking that we’d get blinded down and end up taking first and second. Apparently, Stars cancels the tournament if both players are sitting out. It paid us out based on our chip counts, which was fine, but as of now results from this tournament aren’t displayed in the Home Game lobby or on the League Standings. I’ve e-mailed support about this and am going to work with them to make sure this gets resolved. I know that everyone who earned points in this tournament worked hard for them and invested a lot of time in it, and it’s important to me that you get the credit you deserve. I’ll update you when I have more information about how this will be resolved.

Despite these problems, we really did have a lot of fun, and I encourage everyone to play our next event:

Pot Limit Turbo Knockout

This Sunday’s tournament will be a $3 +.75 +.30 6-handed PLH/PLO mix. There’s a $.75 bounty on each player, but otherwise it’s winner take all. Points for league standings will be awarded in the usual fashion, ie they will not be WTA. It’s also a turbo, with the “Turbo” blind structure (whatever that means), 5 minute levels, and 3000 starting stacks. I’m pretty confident this one will finish up in under 3 hours unless we get a huge field.

Fun Chat

To give you just a taste of last night’s antics, I saved some of my favorite moments from the chat box. Here, Mortal Limit, Bond2King, and Cadwallion discuss the merits of having abandoned stacks at the table:

Mortal Limit: woo! Blather is at this table now! EV bonanza!
Cadwallion [observer]: two sit-outs at our table, one at yours
Bond2King: oh yeah it’s like whole entire cents of EV, crazy
Mortal Limit: think of it in bets. it gets more exciting.

And then this occurred after Illiterat 2-bet my steal raise with a K up in Razz, called a 3-bet, and proceeded to snap me off on the river with a T8 when I was bluffing with a Q after making two-pair:

Dealer: foucault82 has Lo: Q,9,5,4,2
Dealer: illiterat has Lo: T,8,6,5,A
Dealer: Game #58784501643: illiterat wins pot (810) with Lo: T,8,6,5,A
foucault82: nice call
foucault82: guessint you didn’t knwo it was razz when you raised me?
illiterat: I didn’t know it was razz on the river
El_dzik: hahahahaa
foucault82: hahahhahahahaah
Bond2King: lol that’s a bad beat
Bond2King: you’re opp calls cause they don’t know what game it is

Apparently my bluff would have worked except that he rivered a pair of Aces and thought we were still playing Stud Hi.

Thanks again to everyone who played. I’ll keep you posted about the results of this tournament, and I hope to see you all on Sunday for the Pot Limit Turbo Knockout.

Thanks to everyone who played in yesterday’s inaugural Thinking Poker Home Game tournament. I had a lot of fun and it seems like everyone else did as well.

Spidurman was our champion, outlasting 15 other competitors, including yours truly, to win first place in the $5+.50 “6-Max and Deep Stacks” event. Bond2King was the runner-up, and Piefarmer bubbled in 3rd place. Also scoring points in the nebulous League Standings were LiPhanOK and QandA201 in 4th and 5th place, respectively. Thus, after one tournament, the current standings look like this:

Don’t ask me how those points are calculated, because I have no idea. As you can see, though, there’s not a huge difference in points between 1st and 5th place, so even if you missed or didn’t do well in yesterday’s tournament, there’s no reason you couldn’t go on to win the season and the grand prize of a Leakfinder review with yours truly.

The next tournament will take place on Sunday, March 6th at 16:30 ET on PokerStars, coinciding with the epic Sunday Five Million. It will be a $1+.10 Triple Stud tournament, meaning that we’ll alternate between 7 Card Stud, Razz, and Stud/8. I deliberately made the buy-in as small as possible so that you can come play and have fun even if you have no idea what you’re doing in those games.

There will also be a Thinking Poker cash game tomorrow night at 20:00 ET. We’ll be playing $.10/$.25 6-max with a 100-250 BB buy-in. The results won’t count towards league standings, but if yesterday’s experience is any guide, it should be a good time.

PokerStars Game #26871293549: Tournament #200904132, $200+$15 Razz Limit – Level V (100/200) – 2009/04/08 16:05:02 ET
Table ‘200904132 6’ 8-max
Seat 1: dengladelaks (6761 in chips)
Seat 2: mattutaylor (3642 in chips)
Seat 4: foucault82 (6245 in chips)
Seat 5: raconteur (4232 in chips)
Seat 6: Mitchdubai (10797 in chips)
Seat 7: skootamatta (4353 in chips)
Seat 8: ImaLucSac (3970 in chips)

*** 3rd STREET ***
Dealt to dengladelaks [7h]
Dealt to mattutaylor [Jh]
Dealt to foucault82 [4h 3h 7s]
Dealt to raconteur [Qc]
Dealt to Mitchdubai [Ts]
Dealt to skootamatta [Ah]
Dealt to ImaLucSac [2c]

raconteur: brings in for 30
Mitchdubai: folds
skootamatta: raises 70 to 100
ImaLucSac: folds
dengladelaks: folds
mattutaylor: folds
foucault82: calls 100
raconteur: calls 70

*** 4th STREET ***
Dealt to foucault82 [4h 3h 7s] [Td]
Dealt to raconteur [Qc] [8d]
Dealt to skootamatta [Ah] [Ks]
foucault82: bets 100
raconteur: raises 100 to 200
skootamatta: calls 200
foucault82: calls 100

*** 5th STREET ***
Dealt to foucault82 [4h 3h 7s Td] [6h]
Dealt to raconteur [Qc 8d] [Qd]
Dealt to skootamatta [Ah Ks] [Kc]
foucault82: bets 200
raconteur: calls 200
skootamatta: calls 200

*** 6th STREET ***
Dealt to foucault82 [4h 3h 7s Td 6h] [Jc]
Dealt to raconteur [Qc 8d Qd] [8h]
Dealt to skootamatta [Ah Ks Kc] [Tc]
foucault82: checks
raconteur: checks
skootamatta: checks

*** RIVER ***
Dealt to foucault82 [4h 3h 7s Td 6h Jc] [9d]
foucault82: checks
raconteur: checks
skootamatta: bets 200
foucault82: raises 200 to 400
raconteur: folds
skootamatta: folds
Uncalled bet (200) returned to foucault82
foucault82 collected 2040 from pot
foucault82: doesn’t show hand

*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2040 | Rake 0
Seat 1: dengladelaks folded on the 3rd Street (didn’t bet)
Seat 2: mattutaylor folded on the 3rd Street (didn’t bet)
Seat 4: foucault82 collected (2040)
Seat 5: raconteur folded on the River
Seat 6: Mitchdubai folded on the 3rd Street (didn’t bet)
Seat 7: skootamatta folded on the River
Seat 8: ImaLucSac folded on the 3rd Street (didn’t bet)

It says something about the quality of play in this tournament that I have a lock on 5th street in a three-way pot. When we call catch bad on 6th, I was afraid I might lose them with a bet. Plus, there’s the chance that skoot will decide he has the best hand and/or fold equity and bet for me anyway.

When that didn’t happen, I figure they either got there or they didn’t on 7th. If they didn’t, they aren’t calling a bet, and if they did, one of them might bet. Or, if they missed, one of them might bluff.

It’s maybe a bit of a decision whether to call or check-raise 7th, but really I think check-raise is best. It’s far more likely for skoot to make a crying call (the pot odds are awfully juicy) than for raconteur to overcall.

There were about 900 players, and we were down to 130 or so when I lost most of my stack:

PokerStars Game #26879162778: Tournament #200904132, $200+$15 Razz Limit – Level XV (1200/2400) – 2009/04/08 19:51:41 ET
Table ‘200904132 24’ 8-max
Seat 1: yellowsub86 (28272 in chips)
Seat 2: turtlman (5290 in chips)
Seat 3: mapocalyps (34210 in chips)
Seat 4: ozenc (25805 in chips)
Seat 5: foucault82 (12105 in chips)
Seat 6: cRRusher (25769 in chips)
Seat 7: .dfm.dfm. (7711 in chips)
Seat 8: oldegreybehr (13385 in chips)

*** 3rd STREET ***
Dealt to yellowsub86 [9c]
Dealt to turtlman [Ts]
Dealt to mapocalyps [6d]
Dealt to ozenc [3c]
Dealt to foucault82 [As 7s 3h]
Dealt to cRRusher [Qs]
Dealt to .dfm.dfm. [Jh]
Dealt to oldegreybehr [4d]

cRRusher: brings in for 360
.dfm.dfm.: folds
oldegreybehr: folds
yellowsub86: folds
turtlman: folds
mapocalyps: calls 360
ozenc: folds
foucault82: raises 840 to 1200
cRRusher: folds
mapocalyps: calls 840

*** 4th STREET ***
Dealt to mapocalyps [6d] [Ac]
Dealt to foucault82 [As 7s 3h] [4c]
foucault82: bets 1200
mapocalyps: calls 1200

*** 5th STREET ***
Dealt to mapocalyps [6d Ac] [7d]
Dealt to foucault82 [As 7s 3h 4c] [4h]
mapocalyps: bets 2400
foucault82: calls 2400

*** 6th STREET ***
Dealt to mapocalyps [6d Ac 7d] [Kh]
Dealt to foucault82 [As 7s 3h 4c 4h] [3s]
mapocalyps: bets 2400
foucault82: calls 2400

*** RIVER ***
Dealt to foucault82 [As 7s 3h 4c 4h 3s] [7c]
mapocalyps: checks
foucault82: checks

*** SHOW DOWN ***
mapocalyps: shows [8s 5d 6d Ac 7d Kh Ad] (Lo: 8,7,6,5,A)
foucault82: mucks hand
mapocalyps collected 16680 from pot

*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 16680 | Rake 0
Seat 1: yellowsub86 folded on the 3rd Street (didn’t bet)
Seat 2: turtlman folded on the 3rd Street (didn’t bet)
Seat 3: mapocalyps showed [8s 5d 6d Ac 7d Kh Ad] and won (16680) with Lo: 8,7,6,5,A
Seat 4: ozenc folded on the 3rd Street (didn’t bet)
Seat 5: foucault82 mucked [As 7s 3h 4c 4h 3s 7c]
Seat 6: cRRusher folded on the 3rd Street
Seat 7: .dfm.dfm. folded on the 3rd Street (didn’t bet)
Seat 8: oldegreybehr folded on the 3rd Street (didn’t bet)

I think the only close decision here is 6th. I’m getting a little better than 4:1. I’m thinking a deuce or a 5 will give me a win almost always, a 6 pretty often, and an 8 often enough to make a river call +EV. Those cards are all very live, so I take one off, but I can’t get there.

I threw the last of my chips in with 234 vs an A36 on 3rd but lost that one as well to bust a few spots off the bubble. Still, a good time was had by me.

The 2+2 MTT community is mostly salivating over this, though some are a little concerned that the smaller events will actually discourage people from trying satellite into the bigger events. I don’t think they’re wrong, but I still expect the big events to be plenty soft thanks to tourney donks playing with relatively deep stacks for fairly big money.

The only issue for me is how to get enough money on Stars by April to enable me to play the ones I want without busting the bankroll. I may suck it up and make a wire transfer, which I’ve so far refused to do on principle since Stars makes the depositor pay the wire fees. It’s really preposterous- I pay enough rake in 10 minutes to cover the fees, and it’s clearly in their interest for me to have money on their site.

Anyway, the schedule:

Event 1 – 2 April 2009 @ 14:30 ET – NL Hold’em with Rebuys [6-max]

Really looking forward to this one, will probably play the medium and the large.

• 01-L: $5.50 buy-in, $50,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 01-M: $55 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 01-H: $530 buy-in, $500,000 guaranteed prize pool

Event 2 – 2 April 2009 @ 16:30 ET – PL Omaha Hi/Lo

I like PLO8 and will probably play the medium, maybe the large depending on what the field looks like. I’d probably even be willing to play the large if I thought I was slightly -EV.

• 02-L: $11 buy-in, $25,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 02-M: $109 buy-in, $50,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 02-H: $1,050 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed prize pool

Event 3 – 3 April 2009 @ 14:30 ET – PL 5-Card Draw

I might play the small or medium for fun, but definitely won’t be playing the large.

• 03-L: $11 buy-in, $25,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 03-M: $109 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 03-H: $1,050 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed prize pool

Event 4 – 3 April 2009 @ 16:30 ET – NL Hold’em [2X Chance, turbo]

It’s hard to turn down the great value that all of these NLHE tourneys represent, but I really hate turbos. In these, the tourney donks might actually have the edge on me.

• 04-L: $16.50 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 04-M: $162 buy-in, $300,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 04-H: $1,575 buy-in, $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool

Event 5 – 4 April 2009 @ 14:30 ET – NL Hold’em Shootout [10-max]

The large will probably be worth playing.

• 05-L: $16.50 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 05-M: $162 buy-in, $150,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 05-H: $1,575 buy-in, $150,000 guaranteed prize pool

Event 6 – 4 April 2009 @ 16:30 ET – PL Omaha [1R1A, 6-max]

I might play the medium, but lately I’ve no interest in PLO.

• 06-L: $22 buy-in, $50,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 06-M: $215 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 06-H: $2,100 buy-in, $400,000 guaranteed prize pool

Event 7 – 5 April 2009 @ 14:30 ET – H.O.R.S.E.

Recently I’ve concluded that I may not be as good at HORSE as I thought, and/or everyone else is getting better. If I play, it will probably just be the low.

• 07-L: $109 buy-in, $250,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 07-M: $1,050 buy-in, $500,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 07-H: $10,300 buy-in, $750,000 guaranteed prize pool

Event 8 – 5 April 2009 @ 16:30 ET – NL Hold’em [2-day]

Juicy! The medium will be fine, but it’s probably not a good idea to burn so much time on a $300 tournament. I really want to play the large though.

• 08-L: $33 buy-in, $250,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 08-M: $320 buy-in, $1,500,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 08-H: $3,150 buy-in, $3,000,000 guaranteed prize pool

Event 9 – 6 April 2009 @ 14:30 ET – FL Triple Draw 2-7

If I play, it would only be the low for fun. Whenever I play this game, I always end up screwing up and getting excited about an Ace or a straight.

• 09-L: $22 buy-in, $25,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 09-M: $215 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 09-H: $2,100 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed prize pool

Event 10 – 6 April 2009 @ 16:30 ET – NL Hold’em [Heads-Up Match Play]

Nice opportunity for heads up, will probably play medium and large.

• 10-L: $16.50 buy-in, $50,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 10-M: $162 buy-in, $300,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 10-H: $1,575 buy-in, $500,000 guaranteed prize pool

Event 11 – 7 April 2009 @ 14:30 ET – Mixed Hold’em [6-max]

Meh. I really hate and suck at FLHE. I’ll probably sit this one out.

• 11-L: $33 buy-in, $50,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 11-M: $320 buy-in, $300,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 11-H: $3,150 buy-in, $800,000 guaranteed prize pool

Event 12 – 7 April 2009 @ 16:30 ET – 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo

I like this game, but I’m probably not good enought for the large. I’ll likely play the medium though.

• 12-L: $22 buy-in, $25,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 12-M: $215 buy-in, $50,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 12-H: $2,100 buy-in, $150,000 guaranteed prize pool

Event 13 – 8 April 2009 @ 14:30 ET – FL Razz

Same as above, only Razz is more frustrating. Maybe the medium, not the large.

• 13-L: $22 buy-in, $25,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 13-M: $215 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 13-H: $2,100 buy-in, $150,000 guaranteed prize pool

Event 14 – 8 April 2009 @ 16:30 ET – NL Hold’em [6-max]

Tight! Medium and large are both high priorities, and I might even play the low.

• 14-L: $55 buy-in, $250,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 14-M: $530 buy-in, $500,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 14-H: $5,200 buy-in, $1,250,000 guaranteed prize pool

Event 15 – 9 April 2009 @ 14:30 ET – 8-Game

I’m probably too bad at too many of these games to warrant playing even the medium.

• 15-L: $44 buy-in, $25,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 15-M: $425 buy-in, $150,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 15-H: $4,175 buy-in, $250,000 guaranteed prize pool

Event 16 – 9 April 2009 @ 16:30 ET – 7-Card Stud

I don’t really like and suck at 7-stud, so I won’t be playing these.

• 16-L: $33 buy-in, $25,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 16-M: $320 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 16-H: $3,150 buy-in, $150,000 guaranteed prize pool

Event 17 – 10 April 2009 @ 14:30 ET – NL Hold’em [1R1A]

I’ll play the medium, and I’d like to play the high, but it’ll stretch the bankroll. We’ll see.

Event 18 – 10 April 2009 @ 16:30 ET – PL Omaha

Meh, probably skip all of these.

• 18-L: $55 buy-in, $50,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 18-M: $530 buy-in, $300,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 18-H: $5,200 buy-in, $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool

Event 19 – 11 April 2009 @ 14:30 ET – FL Omaha Hi/Lo

I’m not much on this game, will probably skip it.

• 19-L: $55 buy-in, $50,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 19-M: $530 buy-in, $150,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 19-H: $5,200 buy-in, $400,000 guaranteed prize pool

Event 20 – 11 April 2009 @ 16:30 ET – FL Hold’em [6-max]

Definitely not playing these.

• 20-L: $55 buy-in, $25,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 20-M: $530 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 20-H: $5,200 buy-in, $400,000 guaranteed prize pool

Event 21 – 12 April 2009 @ 14:30 ET – NL Hold’em [Heads-Up Match Play]

I’ll play the medium and maybe the low but definitely not the high.

• 21-L: $270 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 21-M: $2,600 buy-in, $300,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 21-H: $25,500 buy-in, $800,000 guaranteed prize pool

Event 22 – 12 April 2009 @ 16:30 ET – NL Hold’em Main Event [2-day]

I’ll play the medium for sure. I’d really like to play the high, but I don’t know if it’s going to be practical.

• 22-L: $109 buy-in, $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 22-M: $1,050 buy-in, $3,000,000 guaranteed prize pool
• 22-H: $10,300 buy-in, $5,000,000 guaranteed prize pool

Tournament – Razz (40/80), Ante 7, Bring-In 10

Foucault (Seat 1): 3,903
cardsharkk (Seat 2): 3,588
dinho_style (Seat 3): 3,912
AK_47_JAZZ (Seat 4): 4,005
Kristy Gazes (Seat 5): 4,479
OnlyPlayRagz (Seat 6): 5,628
Jawarhalo (Seat 7): 3,613
NastyBeet (Seat 8): 2,872

3rd Street – (1.40 SB)

Foucault: 3 4 A___completes___raises

cardsharkk: xx xx T___folds

dinho_style: xx xx J___folds

AK_47_JAZZ: xx xx A___raises___calls

Kristy Gazes: xx xx 9___folds

OnlyPlayRagz: xx xx 4___calls___calls

Jawarhalo: xx xx 3___folds

NastyBeet: xx xx J___brings-in___folds

4th Street – (10.65 SB)

Foucault: 3 4 A J___calls___calls___calls

AK_47_JAZZ: xx xx A 8___raises___raises

OnlyPlayRagz: xx xx 4 2___bets___raises___calls

5th Street – (11.33 BB)

Foucault: 3 4 A J T___calls

AK_47_JAZZ: xx xx A 8 2___bets

OnlyPlayRagz: xx xx 4 2 K___calls

6th Street – (14.33 BB)

Foucault: 3 4 A J T 2___checks___calls

AK_47_JAZZ: xx xx A 8 2 K___checks___calls

OnlyPlayRagz: xx xx 4 2 K 6___bets

River – (17.33 BB)

Foucault: 3 4 A J T 2 8___checks

AK_47_JAZZ: xx xx A 8 2 K xx___checks

OnlyPlayRagz: xx xx 4 2 K 6 xx___checks

Total pot: (17.33 BB – 1,386)

Results:
Total pot 1,386 | Rake 0
Note: this site shuffles the hole cards.
Foucault mucked [8c 4c Ah Jc Th 2c 3s] – 8,4,3,2,A
AK_47_JAZZ: [8h 7s As 8s 2h Kc 4d] – 8,7,4,2,A
OnlyPlayRagz showed [Qc 7h 4h 2d Kh 6d Ac] and won (1,386) with 7,6,4,2,A

This one is kind of interesting from AK’s perspective, in terms of whether he should jam the pot with four to an 8 on fourth against a deuce-four and my brick. I ran some simulations using Pro Poker Tools. With the generous assumptions that I could have any two non-paired hole cards 7 or worse (since I was re-raising third) and OPR any two non-paired hole cards 8 or worse, AK has 37% equity in the pot, a small edge but enough to push. If we give OPR better than an 8, AK has 32% equity, so he isn’t losing much on the jam. Improving my hand to three to a 6 actually diminishes his equity by less than 1%, so I suppose this is a thin but defensible jam on his part. It sucks that I got jammed in, but I didn’t expect it when I called the first bet, and after that I think I was priced in with a very smooth draw.

Tournament – Razz (100/200), Ante 15, Bring-In 30

Foucault (Seat 1): 3,884
cardsharkk (Seat 2): 1,688
dinho_style (Seat 3): 5,297
east33pro (Seat 4): 3,266
Kristy Gazes (Seat 5): 3,794
OnlyPlayRagz (Seat 6): 10,104
Jawarhalo (Seat 7): 1,838
NastyBeet (Seat 8): 6,205

3rd Street – (1.20 SB)

Foucault: A 6 5___calls

cardsharkk: xx xx T___folds

dinho_style: xx xx J___folds

east33pro: xx xx J___brings-in___folds

Kristy Gazes: xx xx 6___completes

OnlyPlayRagz: xx xx 9___folds

Jawarhalo: xx xx 3___folds

NastyBeet: xx xx 4___folds

4th Street – (3.50 SB)

Foucault: A 6 5 8___bets

Kristy Gazes: xx xx 6 6___calls

5th Street – (2.75 BB)

Foucault: A 6 5 8 T___bets

Kristy Gazes: xx xx 6 6 A___calls

6th Street – (4.75 BB)

Foucault: A 6 5 8 T 7___bets___calls

Kristy Gazes: xx xx 6 6 A 8___raises

River – (8.75 BB)

Foucault: A 6 5 8 T 7 J___checks

Kristy Gazes: xx xx 6 6 A 8 xx___checks

Total pot: (8.75 BB – 1,750)

Results:
Total pot 1,750 | Rake 0
Note: this site shuffles the hole cards.

Foucault mucked [Jc 6h 5c 8h Td 7s Ah] – 8,7,6,5,A
Kristy Gazes showed [7d 7c 6s 6c Ac 8c 4c] and won (1,750) with 8,7,6,4,A

Kristy was the “host” of this tournament, though I’m not sure what that really entailed- she wasn’t talking much in chat or fielding questions from observers or anything. She also wasn’t playing particularly well, though this is a good raise on 6th and a bad bet on my part.

Tournament – Razz (150/300), Ante 25, Bring-In 50
Foucault (Seat 1): 3,714
cardsharkk (Seat 2): 946
dinho_style (Seat 3): 6,407
east33pro (Seat 4): 1,406
Kristy Gazes (Seat 5): 6,619
OnlyPlayRagz (Seat 6): 13,754
icudonk (Seat 7): 2,590
NastyBeet (Seat 8): 4,253

3rd Street – (1.33 SB)

Foucault: 2 3 5___raises___calls

cardsharkk: xx xx 9___brings-in___folds

dinho_style: xx xx 3___folds

east33pro: xx xx 7___folds

Kristy Gazes: xx xx 6___folds

OnlyPlayRagz: xx xx 8___folds

icudonk: xx xx 5___completes___raises

NastyBeet: xx xx A___raises___calls

4th Street – (13.67 SB)

Foucault: 2 3 5 T___calls

icudonk: xx xx 5 8___bets

NastyBeet: xx xx A Q___calls

5th Street – (8.33 BB)

Foucault: 2 3 5 T A___bets

icudonk: xx xx 5 8 Q___calls

NastyBeet: xx xx A Q A___folds

6th Street – (10.33 BB)

Foucault: 2 3 5 T A K___bets

icudonk: xx xx 5 8 Q T___checks___calls

River – (12.33 BB)

Foucault: 2 3 5 T A K 2___calls

icudonk: xx xx 5 8 Q T xx___bets

Total pot: (14.33 BB – 4,300)

Results:
Total pot 4,300 | Rake 0

Foucault mucked [3s 2h 5h Ts Ah Kc 2c] – T,5,3,2,A
icudonk showed [6c 3d 5d 8d Qh Tc As] and won (4,300) with 8,6,5,3,A

I really wanted to fold when he bet into me on seventh. It was so clear he’d gotten there. But by that point, I was getting better than 13:1 on a call.

Tournament – Razz (200/400), Ante 30, Bring-In 50

Foucault (Seat 1): 1,509
cardsharkk (Seat 2): 1,642
dinho_style (Seat 3): 4,471
east33pro (Seat 4): 3,131
Kristy Gazes (Seat 5): 6,074
OnlyPlayRagz (Seat 6): 13,789
icudonk (Seat 7): 5,975
NastyBeet (Seat 8): 3,098

3rd Street – (1.20 SB)

Foucault: 3 6 4___completes___raises

cardsharkk: xx xx 5___folds

dinho_style: xx xx 5___folds

east33pro: xx xx 6___raises___calls

Kristy Gazes: xx xx 5___raises___calls

OnlyPlayRagz: xx xx 9___brings-in___folds

icudonk: xx xx 4___folds

NastyBeet: xx xx 7___folds

4th Street – (13.45 SB)

Foucault: 3 6 4 T___raises___raises to 679 (all-in)

east33pro: xx xx 6 3___bets___raises___calls

Kristy Gazes: xx xx 5 Q___calls___calls___calls

5th Street – (12.82 BB)

Foucault: 3 6 4 T 2___all-in

east33pro: xx xx 6 3 T___bets

Kristy Gazes: xx xx 5 Q 9___calls

6th Street – (14.82 BB)

Foucault: 3 6 4 T 2 K___all-in

east33pro: xx xx 6 3 T 7___bets

Kristy Gazes: xx xx 5 Q 9 J___folds

River – (14.82 BB)

Foucault: 3 6 4 T 2 K J___all-in

east33pro: xx xx 6 3 T 7 xx

Total pot: (14.82 BB – 5,927)

Results:
Total pot 5,527 Main pot 4,727. Side pot 800. | Rake 0
Foucault showed [3c 6d 4d Ts 2d Ks Jd] and lost with T,6,4,3,2
east33pro showed [Ah 7c 6h 3d Tc 7s 8h] and won (5,527) with 8,7,6,3,A

Note: this site shuffles the hole cards.

Thought I’m not playing the FTOPS events as compulsively as I have in the past, I am playing my favorites. So far, though, it hasn’t been too interesting and I decided to spare you the litany of bad beats. Last night I had my first cash, taking 40th in the $300 Razz. The only potentially interesting hand was the one where I lost my stack:

Tournament – *Razz* (2,500/5,000), Ante 400, Bring-In 800

Rosiepod (Seat 1): 31,063
Foucault (Seat 2): 26,248
bearw8 (Seat 3): 51,310
OnTheRail15 (Seat 4): 40,129
Crisp86 (Seat 5): 31,676
RSonkee (Seat 6): 124,685
Carmen35 (Seat 7): 38,570
DAT MOOSE (Seat 8): 67,590

*3rd Street* – (1.28 SB)

Rosiepod: xx xx 3c___folds
Foucault: 4c 6d 7h___calls
bearw8: xx xx 8d___folds
OnTheRail15: xx xx Th___*brings-in*___folds
Crisp86: xx xx 4d___folds
RSonkee: xx xx Ad___completes
Carmen35: xx xx 9h___folds
DAT MOOSE: xx xx 2c___calls

*4th Street* – (4.60 SB)

Foucault: 4c 6d 7h 2h___calls
RSonkee: xx xx Ad Qs___folds
DAT MOOSE: xx xx 2c 5c___*bets*

*5th Street* – (3.30 BB)

Foucault: 4c 6d 7h 2h 5d___*bets*___calls
DAT MOOSE: xx xx 2c 5c 7d___raises

*6th Street* – (7.30 BB)

Foucault: 4c 6d 7h 2h 5d 6s___*checks*___calls
DAT MOOSE: xx xx 2c 5c 7d Jd___bets

*River* – (9.30 BB)

Foucault: 4c 6d 7h 2h 5d 6s Td___*checks*___calls
DAT MOOSE: xx xx 2c 5c 7d Jd xx___bets

*Total pot:* (11.30 BB – 56,500)

Results:

Total pot 56,500 | Rake 0
DAT MOOSE showed [Kh 3h 2c 5c 7d Jd Ah] and won (56,500) with 7,5,3,2,A

Note: this site shuffles the hole cards.

Looking at it now this doesn’t look so bad, but at the time I had an awful feeling about it. Possibly a better Razz player can escape at some point. It’s hard to say, though- by the time he’s raising fifth, the pot is quite big. I do have draws at a 6 occasionally people will overplay bad Razz hands, though I don’t think that was happening here.

The section “Sklansky on Razz” is certainly the best material on that game in print, but it’s a game that’s rarely spread anymore. As for the other essays, they were even at the time of publication little more than Theory of Poker simplified and explained for beginners. The examples and many of the concepts are specific to fixed limit games, and some even more restricted to obsolete games like jacks-or-better five card draw.

More recent publications, some authored by Sklansky himself, cover this material in greater depth and nuance. Tournament Poker for Advanced Players, for instance, subsumes the tournament essays in this manual. And numerous books targeted to beginners in Hold ‘Em or other games, not to mention Theory of Poker, introduce concepts like pot odds, implied odds, expectation, and semi-bluffing more clearly, in greater detail, and with more relevant examples.

These essays would be of little interest to most serious players anyway. This isn’t to say that even experts always get them right, but they at least understand the concepts in theory, which is all that Sklansky’s very short essays address. Only beginners would find this material new or helpful, and many better books are now available to them.

The exception to all of this is the second half of the book, “Sklansky on Razz”. This is Sklansky at his best and is well worth the cost of the book to anyone who wants to succeed in this deceptively simple game.

Razz is a game well suited to Sklansky’s particular talent for identifying counter-intuitive but mathematically sound plays. Since there is only one kind of hand a player can make, deception and hand-reading are less important than in other forms of poker and “many general principles and concepts of poker can best be illustrated via the game of razz.”

Sklansky goes on to use the game to illustrate some nuances of pot odds, higher level thinking, relative position, range mixing, inducing mistakes, and ante stealing/defense. He doesn’t always draw the connection in so many words, but reading Sklansky’s thoughts on razz should help astute players better employ these concepts in any game.

For razz players, he also demonstrates some little known facts about the game. On fifth street, for instance, a four-card six is often a favorite over a rough made nine. And on third street, depending on which cards are dead, 8-6-4 can be a favorite over 3-2-A. Recognizing these situations better than one’s opponents can be very valuable, as they may happily but mistakenly cap the betting thinking they have the best of it.

It is this razz material that makes Sklansky on Poker potentially of interest to today’s poker player. The information from most of the other essays can be better gleaned from Theory of Poker, Tournament Poker for Advanced Players, and the better beginner’s books on the market.

Nice Calls Sir

Hand #5257796611
Tournament – *Razz* (30/60), Ante 5, Bring-In 10

2DogsHumpin (Seat 1): 3,102
urbandb888 (Seat 2): 2,800
RandomGuy19 (Seat 3): 2,529
Lubidani (Seat 4): 2,890
the aviator1 (Seat 5): 3,626
mooseheads (Seat 6): 2,919
rickashay8 (Seat 7): 3,071
YoungSupremacy (Seat 8): 3,063

*3rd Street* – (1.33 SB)

2DogsHumpin: xx xx 9d___folds
urbandb888: Ad 9h 3s___calls
RandomGuy19: xx xx Jc___folds
Lubidani: xx xx Kd___*brings-in*___folds
the aviator1: xx xx 3h___completes
mooseheads: xx xx 9s___folds
rickashay8: xx xx 6s___calls
YoungSupremacy: xx xx Jh___folds

*4th Street* – (4.67 SB)

urbandb888: Ad 9h 3s 2h___*bets*
the aviator1: xx xx 3h 8h___calls
rickashay8: xx xx 6s 9c___folds

*5th Street* – (3.33 BB)

urbandb888: Ad 9h 3s 2h As___*bets*___raises
the aviator1: xx xx 3h 8h 7s___raises___calls

*6th Street* – (9.33 BB)

urbandb888: Ad 9h 3s 2h As 3c___bets
the aviator1: xx xx 3h 8h 7s Kh___*checks*___calls

*River* – (11.33 BB)

urbandb888: Ad 9h 3s 2h As 3c 8c___bets
the aviator1: xx xx 3h 8h 7s Kh xx___*checks*___calls

*Total pot:* (13.33 BB – 800)

Results:

Total pot 800 | Rake 0

Note: this site shuffles the hole cards.

As we’ll soon see, I chose the wrong guy to bluff. As in this hand, where he called me down all the way with an 8-7-6 when I’m showing A-2-3. The river is pretty close, but I don’t need to succeed like 1/11 to show a profit, and I was hoping there was a chance he’d called along hoping to improve to a 7 and would an 8-7-6.

Bad Calls in a Limped Pot

Hand #5258549821
Tournament – *Razz* (80/160), Ante 15, Bring-In 25

2DogsHumpin (Seat 1): 2,891
urbandb888 (Seat 2): 2,155
RandomGuy19 (Seat 3): 3,081
Lubidani (Seat 4): 1,744
the aviator1 (Seat 5): 6,236
mooseheads (Seat 6): 1,458
rickashay8 (Seat 7): 4,269
YoungSupremacy (Seat 8): 2,166

*3rd Street* – (1.50 SB)

2DogsHumpin: xx xx 2s___calls
urbandb888: 6s 8d 7h___calls
RandomGuy19: xx xx 5s___folds
Lubidani: xx xx 9s___folds
the aviator1: xx xx Qc___*brings-in*
mooseheads: xx xx 2h___folds
rickashay8: xx xx 2d___folds
YoungSupremacy: xx xx 7s___folds

*4th Street* – (2.44 SB)

2DogsHumpin: xx xx 2s Tc___calls
urbandb888: 6s 8d 7h As___*bets*
the aviator1: xx xx Qc 6d___calls

*5th Street* – (2.72 BB)

2DogsHumpin: xx xx 2s Tc Kc___folds
urbandb888: 6s 8d 7h As 4d___*bets*
the aviator1: xx xx Qc 6d 7c___calls

*6th Street* – (4.72 BB)

urbandb888: 6s 8d 7h As 4d 4s___calls
the aviator1: xx xx Qc 6d 7c 3d___*bets*

*River* – (6.72 BB)

urbandb888: 6s 8d 7h As 4d 4s Js___checks
the aviator1: xx xx Qc 6d 7c 3d xx___*checks*

*Total pot:* (6.72 BB – 1,075)

Results:

Total pot 1,075 | Rake 0

Note: this site shuffles the hole cards.

Seat 5: the aviator1 showed [5c 2c Qc 6d 7c 3d Ac] and won (1,075) with 6,5,3,2,A

Nice River, Sir

Hand #5258901686
Tournament – *Razz* (120/240), Ante 20, Bring-In 40

2DogsHumpin (Seat 1): 1,056
urbandb888 (Seat 2): 1,695
RandomGuy19 (Seat 3): 3,233
Lubidani (Seat 4): 469
the aviator1 (Seat 5): 7,146
mooseheads (Seat 6): 1,846
rickashay8 (Seat 7): 6,459
YoungSupremacy (Seat 8): 2,096

*3rd Street* – (1.33 SB)

2DogsHumpin: xx xx Jh___folds
urbandb888: 8s 5s 4c___calls___calls
RandomGuy19: xx xx Tc___folds
Lubidani: xx xx 3s___completes
the aviator1: xx xx Qs___*brings-in*___folds
mooseheads: xx xx 9s___folds
rickashay8: xx xx 4h___calls___calls
YoungSupremacy: xx xx Js___folds

*4th Street* – (4.67 SB)

urbandb888: 8s 5s 4c Ac___*bets*
Lubidani: xx xx 3s Qc___calls
rickashay8: xx xx 4h Jd___calls

*5th Street* – (3.83 BB)

urbandb888: 8s 5s 4c Ac 6c___*bets*
Lubidani: xx xx 3s Qc 9c___calls 209 (all-in)
rickashay8: xx xx 4h Jd 5h___calls

*6th Street* – (6.70 BB)

urbandb888: 8s 5s 4c Ac 6c 8d___*bets*___calls
Lubidani: xx xx 3s Qc 9c Jc___all-in
rickashay8: xx xx 4h Jd 5h Ah___raises

*River* – (10.70 BB)

urbandb888: 8s 5s 4c Ac 6c 8d 9h___*checks*___calls
Lubidani: xx xx 3s Qc 9c Jc xx___all-in
rickashay8: xx xx 4h Jd 5h Ah xx___bets

*Total pot:* (12.70 BB – 3,049)

Results:

Total pot 3,049 Main pot 1,547. Side pot 1,502. | Rake 0

Note: this site shuffles the hole cards.

Lubidani: [Kd 7c 3s Qc 9c Jc Ad] – J,9,7,3,A
rickashay8 shows [9d 3d 4h Jd 5h Ah 2s] 5,4,3,2,A

Calling on 7th is pretty close when I brick, but I’m getting nearly 12:1 at that point, and as you can see, I did have the best hand until the river. It’s very possible rick was raising for a free showdown with his smooth 9 when he didn’t improve, though, meaning that I still can’t beat anything when he bets.

Pushing an Edge

Hand #5258094676
Tournament – *Razz* (50/100), Ante 10, Bring-In 15

2DogsHumpin (Seat 1): 2,506
urbandb888 (Seat 2): 1,830
RandomGuy19 (Seat 3): 2,501
Lubidani (Seat 4): 2,584
the aviator1 (Seat 5): 5,396
mooseheads (Seat 6): 2,668
rickashay8 (Seat 7): 3,314
YoungSupremacy (Seat 8): 3,201

*3rd Street* – (1.60 SB)

2DogsHumpin: xx xx 8c___folds
urbandb888: 4h 2c 3c___raises
RandomGuy19: xx xx Kd___*brings-in*___folds
Lubidani: xx xx 8d___completes___calls
the aviator1: xx xx 6h___folds
mooseheads: xx xx 9c___folds
rickashay8: xx xx 7s___calls___calls
YoungSupremacy: xx xx 5h___folds

*4th Street* – (7.90 SB)

urbandb888: 4h 2c 3c Qh___calls___calls
Lubidani: xx xx 8d 7c___raises___calls
rickashay8: xx xx 7s 4s___*bets*___raises

*5th Street* – (8.45 BB)

urbandb888: 4h 2c 3c Qh 6s___raises
Lubidani: xx xx 8d 7c 9s___*bets*___calls
rickashay8: xx xx 7s 4s 7h___calls___calls

*6th Street* – (14.45 BB)

urbandb888: 4h 2c 3c Qh 6s Jc___calls
Lubidani: xx xx 8d 7c 9s 3d___*bets*
rickashay8: xx xx 7s 4s 7h Ah___calls

*River* – (17.45 BB)

urbandb888: 4h 2c 3c Qh 6s Jc Th___folds
Lubidani: xx xx 8d 7c 9s 3d xx___*bets*___raises
rickashay8: xx xx 7s 4s 7h Ah xx___raises___calls

*Total pot:* (23.45 BB – 2,345)

Results:

Total pot 2,345 | Rake 0
rickashay8 showed [5s 3s 7s 4s 7h Ah Ac] and won (2,345) with 7,5,4,3,A
Note: this site shuffles the hole cards.

Third street is actually kind of interesting here. Although I’ve got three to a wheel against an 8 and a 7, it’s kind of a close 2-bet because my hand is kind of dead (ie a lot of low cards I would like to catch have been folding by other players). The thing is that my hand is strong enough to peel 4th even if I brick, so I might as well make the pot larger now since I’m already committed to seeing 5th.

Depending on which cards are dead, a four-card 6 is often favored over a made 8 on fifth street anyway, and with the guy holding a pair calling along as well, this is a clear value raise. But I just kept bricking.

Third Nuts No Good

And just for good measure, I bust out of the tournament when my third nuts on sixth street loses to the rivered second nuts:

Hand #5258925452
Tournament – *Razz* (120/240), Ante 20, Bring-In 40

2DogsHumpin (Seat 1): 1,036
urbandb888 (Seat 2): 475
RandomGuy19 (Seat 3): 3,213
the aviator1 (Seat 5): 7,086
mooseheads (Seat 6): 1,826
rickashay8 (Seat 7): 8,288
YoungSupremacy (Seat 8): 2,076

*3rd Street* – (1.17 SB)

2DogsHumpin: xx xx Qc___folds
urbandb888: 3d 5c 2h___raises
RandomGuy19: xx xx 3h___folds
the aviator1: xx xx 8h___folds
mooseheads: xx xx 4d___folds
rickashay8: xx xx Kc___*brings-in*___calls
YoungSupremacy: xx xx 2c___completes___calls

*4th Street* – (7.17 SB)

urbandb888: 3d 5c 2h Ad___*bets*
rickashay8: xx xx Kc 2s___calls
YoungSupremacy: xx xx 2c 3s___calls

*5th Street* – (5.08 BB)

urbandb888: 3d 5c 2h Ad 6c___calls 95 (all-in)
rickashay8: xx xx Kc 2s Kh___folds
YoungSupremacy: xx xx 2c 3s 4s___*bets*

*6th Street* – (5.88 BB)

urbandb888: 3d 5c 2h Ad 6c Kd___all-in
YoungSupremacy: xx xx 2c 3s 4s 4c

*River* – (5.88 BB)

urbandb888: 3d 5c 2h Ad 6c Kd 7s___all-in
YoungSupremacy: xx xx 2c 3s 4s 4c xx

*Total pot:* (5.88 BB – 1,410)

Results:

Total pot 1,410 | Rake 0

Note: this site shuffles the hole cards.

Seat 8: YoungSupremacy showed [7d 6s 2c 3s 4s 4c Ac] and won (1,410) with 6,4,3,2,A

One thing upon which both players agree is the importance of the exposed cards in determining how to play on 3rd street. Obviously I knew this was a factor to consider, but their conversation really hammered home what a huge consideration they could be, in extreme cases making a three-card seven either unplayable or a favorite over A-2-3. As Forrest puts it, “When the good players get aggressive, you can put them on duplicated cards in the hole. When a beginning player gets aggressive, it’s more likely he has A-2 in the hole.” Unfortunately, the chapter examines only extreme examples. It would be interesting to know how 4-5-7 rates against A-2-3 when there are two dead 4’s and a dead 7 instead of three 4’s, three 5’s, and three 7’s.

The pair consider other 3rd street decisions such as how to defend the bring-in and how to adjust to larger or smaller antes. To my surprise, they both contradicts Sklansky’s well-known advice to never open limp in Razz and suggest open limping for a variety of reasons: to trap an aggressive player, to cut down on variance, to set up a cheap steal on 4th street, or to see what the other low cards do before getting overly involved.

The question of courting variance by pushing edges on early streets versus playing cautiously and passing up favorable odds in order to maintain a stack proves a contentious one. Seed recalls some tournaments where he was able to steal his way to the final table with no big confrontations and argues that when the stealing is good, “I don’t want to gamble with a certain percentage of my stack.” He even claims he would pitch a live A-2-3 on 3rd with a raise and reraise in front of him simply to avoid playing a big pot, even as a substantial favorite.

Forrest clearly disagrees and insists that even good players need to gamble when they have big odds in their favor. Craig quotes a longish conversation on the subject, but it is disappointingly lacking in substance. Instead of delving into the details of how an edge might be won back later or what situations, if any, might be passed, the two ask each other loaded questions and repeat tired tournament cliches. Forrest gets in a good last word, though: “I think I could make money playing Huck’s discards.”

The entire passage proves misleading because they never mention that only an exceptional player like Seed should even consider passing on a profitable spot in any kind of tournament. There’s a very real danger that inexperienced readers may take Seed’s advice out of context and make some atrocious folds as a result.

Their discussion is much more productive on the subject of playing a short stack. Both ask and answer some good questions about how short is short and how one should play with stacks of various sizes.

Overall, however, there are a lot more questions than answers, in no small part because the two men never explore in-depth their disagreements with each other and with other authors on the subject. There’s insufficient discussion, for instance, of the survival versus accumulation debate and no mention of Sklanky’s well-known objection to open-limping, despite the affinity of both pros for the play. Given how well suited the dialectic format is for investigating differences of opinion, these are particularly glaring omissions

Also absent is almost any discussion of how to play after 3rd street, even how to handle such common situations as a strong starting hand that bricks on 4th, what to do when you appear to catch well but actually pair a hole card, what to do when both players brick 4th in a heads up pot, how to handle various draws on 5th and 6th streets, and how to play the river. It might be argued that this chapter is just a glimpse into an interesting conversation between two top pros and not intended as a comprehensive introduction to tournament razz. That would be fine if there were another chapter that covered the game in a more traditional way.

Still, this chapter does contain a lot of interesting material, and despite its shortcomings, it does provide a glimpse into how two different players approach a Razz tournament. Once again, Forrest gets in a resounding last word:

“[T]he average player in these razz tournaments is pretty weak. So playing by the book should be good enough to build up your chips. But when you match up against good readers, good razz players who have a little speed to their game, you will be at the mercy of getting good starting cards.

Razz in one of the purest forms of poker, because the good players will make the money and the bad players will lose the money. It’s a beautiful, beautiful form of poker.”

Razz ($20/$40), Ante $3, Bring-In $6

3rd Street – (0.75 SB)
pokeraholic5: xx xx 9___folds
ifishharderer: xx xx 7___folds
dqdq2000: xx xx A___completes___raises
urbandb888: 2 6 3___raises___calls
iampong: xx xx T___brings-in___folds

4th Street – (7.05 SB)
dqdq2000: xx xx A K__calls
urbandb888: 2 6 3 2___bets

5th Street – (4.53 BB)
dqdq2000: xx xx A K Q___checks___calls
urbandb888: 2 6 3 2 2___bets

6th Street – (6.53 BB)
dqdq2000: xx xx A K Q J___checks___calls
urbandb888: 2 6 3 2 2 K___bets

River – (8.53 BB)
dqdq2000: xx xx A K Q J xx___bets___folds
urbandb888: 2 6 3 2 2 K 4___raises

Total pot: (10.53 BB – $421)

First off, on third street, he’s never folding that A in the door with two to act behind him, even when I’m showing a 3. So I have a very raise 3-bet with three to a 6. We both catch bad on 4th, but he doesn’t know I caught bad, so I bet. But he hates to give up, so he calls. On fifth we both catch bad again, but I could still be ahead, and regardless I’ve got the scarier board. Among other things, these bets are to set up a steal on a future street if I catch good (or at least a scare card). No matter how stubborn he is, he’ll have to fold at that point.

Sixth street is where it really gets tricky. At this point, if he’s not paired (and even he isn’t dumb enough to call down with a pair and this board), he’s a lock to win against the hand I’m holding. But versus the hand I’m representing, he’s a 2-1 dog even if his hole cards are as strong as 5-4. So I just have to hope he folds. No such luck.

But then he leads into me on seventh, which makes no sense at all. The best hand he could possibly have is Jack high, so he really can’t bet for value no matter how well he caught. Also, the only way to justify his calls so far is that he thinks I’m bluffing and didn’t have a made low on 6th. So if he thinks his hand is best, it’s a very easy check and call for him, as I either improved to something that beats him or I’m still hopelessly behind. That means his bet has to be a bluff. I can’t even beat a bluff, though, so there’s only one way to win the pot….

Naturally I show him, which results in a later river raise getting paid off very light:

Razz ($20/$40), Ante $3, Bring-In $6

3rd Street – (0.60 SB)
pokeraholic5: xx xx 9___folds
dqdq2000: xx xx 7___completes
urbandb888: 6 9 3___calls
iampong: xx xx K___brings-in___folds

4th Street – (2.90 SB)
dqdq2000: xx xx 7 Q___calls
urbandb888: 6 9 3 A___bets

5th Street – (2.45 BB)
dqdq2000: xx xx 7 Q A___calls
urbandb888: 6 9 3 A 2___bets

6th Street – (4.45 BB)

dqdq2000: xx xx 7 Q A 8___checks
urbandb888: 6 9 3 A 2 3___checks

River – (4.45 BB)
dqdq2000: xx xx 7 Q A 8 xx___bets___calls
urbandb888: 6 9 3 A 2 3 4___raises

Total pot: (8.45 BB – $338)

dqdq2000 mucked [Tc 4h 7h Qd Ac 8c 4d] – T,8,7,4,A

In this hand, sixth is a weird spot for me. If he’s got T-5 in the hole, I’m an 80% favorite. If he’s got 6-5 in the whole, he’s a 70% favorite. I decided the easiest thing to do would be to take the free card and make the correct river decision, since I know he isn’t folding.

When I first joined the game, there was just this guy sitting by himself with $400. This was the second hand we played:

Razz ($20/$40), Ante $3
dqdq2000 (Seat 4): $391
urbandb888 (Seat 5): $409

3rd Street – (0.30 SB)
dqdq2000: xx xx T___completes___calls
urbandb888: 9 K 7___raises

4th Street – (4.30 SB)
dqdq2000: xx xx T 5___calls
urbandb888: 9 K 7 6___bets

5th Street – (3.15 BB)
dqdq2000: xx xx T 5 2___raises___folds
urbandb888: 9 K 7 6 4___bets___raises

Total pot: (7.15 BB – $286)

Everything I’ve heard or read about Stud games suggests that open completing as the bring-in is never a good idea. You give away information about your hand and put more money than necessary in the pot before you know anything about what your opponent’s are going to do. Anyway, my opponent open completes with a T in the door. Even though my K is almost certainly behind, all he can see is my 7. There’s no way he can know he’s ahead right now, so I go ahead and raise him.

On fourth and fifth we both catch well. I’ve now got a draw to a 9, which means I’m not in bad shape to catch up even if I can’t get him to dump his T. Then he raises, which makes no sense at all. There is zero chance of him being ahead of the hand I’m representing, which means he can’t really raise for value. Even if he thinks I’m going to be bluffing some percentage of the time, he ought to call down rather than risk getting 3-bet. So when he raised, I thought it most likely he was just trying to slow me down or find out whether I really had a hand. I told him that I did, and he let go.

Full Tilt pro Huck Seed sat in for a few hands, then left. Eventually some other guys joined, and I ended up getting all in against one of them:

Razz ($20/$40), Ante $3, Bring-In $6
snyde_1 (Seat 2): $303
dqdq2000 (Seat 4): $839.50
urbandb888 (Seat 5): $786.50
ChrisWard1000 (Seat 6): $188

3rd Street – (0.60 SB)
snyde_1: xx xx 5___folds
dqdq2000: xx xx 7___brings-in___folds
urbandb888: 7 A 6___completes___calls
ChrisWard1000: xx xx 5___raises

4th Street – (4.90 SB)
urbandb888: 7 A 6 8___calls
ChrisWard1000: xx xx 5 2___bets

5th Street – (3.45 BB)
urbandb888: 7 A 6 8 5___raises___raises
ChrisWard1000: xx xx 5 2 A___bets___raises___calls $5 (all-in)

6th Street – (9.70 BB)
urbandb888: 7 A 6 8 5 3
ChrisWard1000: xx xx 5 2 A J___all-in

River – (9.70 BB)
urbandb888: 7 A 6 8 5 3 K
ChrisWard1000: xx xx 5 2 A J xx___all-in

Total pot: (9.70 BB – $388)
Results:
Total pot $388 Rake $2
ChrisWard1000: [Ad 7h 5s 2h As Jd 4c] – 7,5,4,2,A

At this point, we were four-handed, and thanks to the large ante on Full Tilt (twice the ante in the Stars game), the game was playing pretty fast. People were firing pretty aggressively at pots and calling down light. Still, when I open UTG into three players showing low cards, I’m very likely to have at least three to an 8.

So when Chris 3-bets me on third street, it’s very likely that he has a strong low. In my mind, his hole cards are weighted towards Aces and 2’s. This is corroborated by the fact that I can see two of the 7’s, and I don’t think he would 3-bet me with just three to an 8.

Absent this information, fourth street would usually be a fold. I’ve got nothing but a draw to a rough 8, whereas my opponent could easily have a smooth 5, 6, or 7. Given the assumptions above, however, there’s a better than average chance that the 2 paired him. This led me to take another card off and re-evaluate on the first big bet street.

On fifth, we both catch an Ace. This makes my rough 8, but what does it do for him? Maybe he paired on fourth and maybe he didn’t, but between fourth and fifth, I think it’s very likely that he’s now paired. He doesn’t have much left, so I raise him, we get it in, and he outraces me.

I crunched the numbers later on Two Dimes, and it turns out we were 50/50 when the money went in. In part, this is because he had a 7 in the hole even though there was one dead and one in my hand. Had he had a 6 in the hole instead, I’d have been a 52-48 favorite.

cards win %win lose %lose tie %tie EV

Ah 8h 7h 6h 5h 244625 48.92 248428 49.69 6947 1.39 0.496
Ac Ad 7d 5d 2d 248428 49.69 244625 48.92 6947 1.39 0.504