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 … Read more…
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, J2 folds, Hero bets $175, 1 fold, SB calls $150, 1 fold … Read more…
Maybe I haven’t forgotten how to play tournaments altogether? I went into yesterdays’ session resolved not to LAG off too many stacks in my tournaments, and while I didn’t entirely keep that pledge, I did play a pretty disciplined game … Read more…
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, 102 folds, CO bets $30, Button calls $30, SB calls $25, Hero … Read more…
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 … Read more…
It’s very unlikely he has a straight- I think he bets virtually every 8 on the turn, and doesn’t 3-bet that many hands with 8’s in them in the first place- but realistically I don’t know how often I check … Read more…
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: … Read more…
I took a sort of goofy line here turning my hand into a bluff, or so I thought. He “caught” my bluff but…. PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $20.00 BB (9 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com Hero (Button) ($2000)SB ($1669)BB … Read more…
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 … Read more…
I was not playing very well on Saturday, and it showed through in my results. I think I’m pretty good at letting bad beats and unlucky cards roll off my back, but I have a lot more trouble getting over … Read more…
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 … Read more…
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 … Read more…
I lasted no more than 15 minutes in this tournament and got 3-bet no fewer than four times. The final time, I raised 44 in the SB, shoved over a 3-bet from the BB, and lost the flip to AQ. … Read more…
I always look forward to the PLO8 events, but I couldn’t get anything going. The opposition was beyond awful: Full Tilt Poker Game #12159019788: FTOPS Event #11 (84242375), Table 41 – 20/40 – Pot Limit Omaha H/L – 14:20:39 ET … Read more…
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 … Read more…
I was about halfway through last night’s session, and a lot of the 6-max games I was in were kinda bad. I was at the end of a few long waiting lists, but mostly there just weren’t many good games … Read more…
…because I am a little girl: PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $50.00 BB (8 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com MP2 ($7241) CO ($5985) Button ($925) Hero (SB) ($15829) BB ($12367) UTG ($6770) UTG+1 ($5322) MP1 ($8295.50) Preflop: Hero is SB … Read more…
Dani Stern, my fellow Poker Savvy Plus pro perhaps better known as Ansky, is one of the players whose game I respect the most. I love watching his videos, and I hate playing at his tables. Thus, I am more … Read more…
I was sitting at two decent HSNL tables yesterday with the same very good player, and happened to stack him at both tables. At 25/50, he cold 4-bet TT and called my 5-bet shove. I had AA. At 10/20, he … Read more…
I played all three tournaments: the $10K, the $1K, and the $100. Each was what I expected it to be. The $100 was monkeylicious. The 1K was soft enough for the buyin, certainly weaker play than would be found at … Read more…
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 … Read more…
This was a pretty cool event, with one of the deepest structures in the SCOOP. The buy-in sizes were a little awkward for me, though, and I ended up playing only the $200, figuring that the $20 was too small … Read more…
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 … Read more…
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 … Read more…
Unlike most players, I enjoy Razz. Yeah, it can be infuriating, but it’s also kind of elegant in its simplicity. I spend most of this tournament catching well, so even though I didn’t cash, it was fun. The only really … Read more…
Once upon a time I considered myself a pretty decent Stud/8 player, but I’ve probably played fewer than 1000 hands in the last 6 months. Consequently, $1500 was a little more than I wanted to put behind my skillz. I … Read more…
Edit: Fixed title. This is SCOOP, not FTOPS. Was tired and tilted last night when posting this. I was really looking forward to this event, as I’ve been working on my heads up game of late. I played both the … Read more…
I was going to play the HORSE event, but the buyins just didn’t line up right for me. The 10K was out of the question, even the 1K was a touch high, and the $100 was too small for me … Read more…
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 … Read more…
I hate turbos, but they are quick, so I chose to play the $15 and the $150 but not the $1500. Sure enough, within an hour I was reduced to push/fold on both tables. I actually picked up a lot … Read more…
Thankfully the cash games I was playing on the side went well, because the tournaments did not. I played the $50 and $500 rebuys, but decided to skip the $5. I was thinking it might be fun to play despite … Read more…
Most players just don’t know how to execute a good bluff raise on the river and won’t even try, and I probably play the Hero a little more than I should in “good spots” that my opponents probably don’t even … Read more…
To top off a great weekend, I played and won my second $2000 satellite to the $10,000 WCOOP main event. The first one I played, which I replayed for Poker Savvy Plus, had only 9 runners and paid one seat … Read more…
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, 81 fold, MP bets $35, … Read more…
Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (2 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com SB ($1836.25)Hero (Button) ($2411.75) Preflop: Hero is Button with 8, AHero bets $30, SB calls $20 Flop: ($60) A, 10, 4 (2 players)SB checks, Hero bets … Read more…
Sorry for the recent lack of posts, I’ve had a lot to catch up on since returning from vacation. But here’s an interesting hand: Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (2 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com Button ($2002.50)Hero … Read more…
Although this worked, I think it’s really awful play on my part. I am representing a ridiculously narrow range (like QQ and maybe KK) and even those don’t necessarily make sense. This guy was just frustrating me because he wasn’t … Read more…
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 … Read more…
Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (2 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com SB ($1905)Hero (Button) ($1104.50) Preflop: Hero is Button with 3, 2Hero bets $30, SB calls $20 Flop: ($60) K, 3, K (2 players)SB checks, Hero bets … Read more…
Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (2 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com Hero (SB) ($2955.50)Button ($4698) Preflop: Hero is SB with Q, KButton bets $30, Hero calls $20 Flop: ($60) 6, 7, 8 (2 players)Hero bets $44, Button … Read more…
I was playing a decent but not great player heads up, and the match had been close, with first him then me having the upper hand, until I tried to bluff him off of trips: PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB … Read more…
The first few levels of this tournament were pretty uneventful, but eventually I won a coin flip to get up to an average stack. Then I floated for a few hours, through the bubble, on twenty big blinds or so. … Read more…
From yesterday’s Sunday Million: PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $200+$15 Tournament, 600/1200 Blinds 100 Ante (9 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com Hero (BB) (t30683)UTG (t23180)UTG+1 (t69583)MP1 (t45234)MP2 (t42249)MP3 (t22891)CO (t38571)Button (t32005)SB (t14539) Hero’s M: 11.36 Preflop: Hero is BB with … Read more…
From yesterday’s Sunday Million: PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $200+$15 Tournament, 600/1200 Blinds 100 Ante (9 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com Hero (BB) (t30683) UTG (t23180) UTG+1 (t69583) MP1 (t45234) MP2 (t42249) MP3 (t22891) CO (t38571) Button (t32005) SB (t14539) … Read more…
Also, don’t raise 52s in middle position. PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (6 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com BB ($1033)UTG ($1233.55)MP ($3131.75)CO ($1000)Hero (Button) ($1150)SB ($2026) Preflop: Hero is Button with Q, A1 fold, MP bets $30, 1 … Read more…
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: … Read more…
I think this has been out for a few days, but I just noticed that Poker Stars has posted a tentative schedule for a yet-to-be-named tournament series in April. I love the format of offering a low-, medium-, and high-stakes … Read more…
About three hours into this tournament, it was looking to be short and sweet. I shoved 33 from the SB over an aggressive guy in the CO who’d been raising most of the time it was folded to him. The … Read more…
I really wish FTP had found a way to avoid scheduling this on Valentine’s Day. Emily told me she was OK with me playing it, which I think she would have been, but that’s really all the more reason to … Read more…
I really wish FTP had found a way to avoid scheduling this on Valentine’s Day. Emily told me she was OK with me playing it, which I think she would have been, but that’s really all the more reason to … Read more…
As I’ve said many times before, my preference in Stud tournaments is not to build big pots on 3rd street. That’s generally a high-variance, low-edge strategy, and it makes otherwise large mistakes on future streets much less severe. Unfortunately, people … Read more…
Not surprisingly, the quality of play in this was something like atrocious. Judging from the chat and general play, I was at a table full of clowns, which was cool. My favorite hand saw a guy raise pre-flop, and get … Read more…
I almost didn’t play this because my experience with limit tournaments has always been that even if I am not doing well they take forever. At least in NLHE if it isn’t going well you don’t waste a lot of … Read more…
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 … Read more…
I almost didn’t play this because my experience with limit tournaments has always been that even if I am not doing well they take forever. At least in NLHE if it isn’t going well you don’t waste a lot of … Read more…
This was an odd format. If you lost all 5000 of your starting chips in the first two hours, you got a free T5000 rebuy. However, if you reached the end of those two hours with chips, even if you … Read more…
Not a lot to say about this one. Only remotely interesting hand was this one: Full Tilt Poker, NL Hold’em Tournament, 60/120 Blinds, 9 PlayersLeggoPoker.com – Hand History Converter CO: 5,090BTN: 10,960SB: 3,465BB: 9,106Hero (UTG): 4,070UTG+1: 6,958UTG+2: 7,021MP1: 9,145MP2: 7,050 … Read more…
I took an early exit from this tournament on a coin flip: Full Tilt Pot-Limit Omaha Hi/Lo Tournament, 20/40 Blinds (8 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com Hero (MP1) (t4925)MP2 (t5142)CO (t5938)Button (t4775)SB (t8994)BB (t5025)UTG (t5146)UTG+1 (t5070) Hero’s M: … Read more…
This guy was decent in some ways but pretty insanely loose and aggressive. I don’t think he ever folded to a 3-bet pre-flop (I probably should have made my raise size bigger), and there was a lot of 4-betting going … Read more…
It’s embarrassing how, after three years of playing poker very seriously, I’m still affected so dramatically by short-term results. For two weeks, I was getting brutalized, doubting my instincts, and not playing my best. Then I have one big day … Read more…
I pretty much never open limp, with the occasional exception of being in very early position, usually UTG, at a full ring table. This is particularly true in tournaments, because there is so much value in stealing the pot pre-flop … Read more…
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 … Read more…
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, A1 fold, Hero raises to … Read more…
Not my best double barrel ever, but the A is a good bluff card on the river. That makes it a good time for him to call down light, which makes it a good time for me to value bet … Read more…
A few days ago I posted a hand where we were very deep and I feared I may have overplayed a small set/full house. Once again I was deep here against a pretty good player. Were I to fire a … Read more…
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 … Read more…