Poker, Football, and everything sports

Its days like today that make me appreciate how sick of a heater I was on in December of 2008. In a two weeks span, I won 3 tournaments, made two more final tables, and got top 100 in the 750k and double deuce. Today, I had 3 huge results, all top 10s, that fell just short of what I was hoping for.

First, a 2nd in a 26 buck 90 person KO. With two tables left, me and this other guy were dominating chip leaders. I was pounding the fuck out of the final table bubble. For any poker player out there, this is a very important note. When you have a big stack and everyone is playing tight on the bubble you have to play extremely aggressively. But even more important then that, you don't want to call any short stack all ins! This might sound weird, but you stand to make alot more money by stealing round after round of blinds then you do by trying to KO the small stack. So pound as hard as you can, and if the small stack shoves on your BB, fold it! Unless you have AA or KK..then maybe you call lol. Ok but I was a big chip leader 5 handed when I got in a huge pot with A8. I always tell myself that I wont get involved with weak hands as the big stack, but it always ends up happening. I lost, and suddenly, I was the short stack with 29k, blinds at 2500 5000!But I grinded my way to a 2nd place finish, which I was happy with.

The next tournament was the 10 buck heads up. One of my favorite tournaments, I play this whenever I can. I love the heads up format, and 10 bucks is the perfect blend of bad play and good prize pool. I was behind in both my round of 32 and sweet 16 matches, but came back to win both! Couldn't pull a 3rd one though, and was out in 5th place for 72 bucks. Respectable, but 1st woulda been nice.

The last big run of the day was the 3 buck with rebuys. I have a good track record with this tournament. This was probably only the 7th or 8th time I've played this type of tournament. I won the nightly version of this in December of 08, and cashed in the same tournament yesterday. Whats great about this one is that it combines a low buy in, deep stack play, and alot of bad players. Ok so I wanted to discuss a few big hands that ended up being key in the tournament.

The end of the first hour I was on fire. I built my stack from 5k to 17k in a flash, and grinded my big stack all the way up to about 50k when this hand happened just short of the money bubble. With blinds at 600 1200, I limp with 33 in early position. A stack about 20k raises to 3600 and I call. The flop comes 652 with two hearts. This is a great flop for me. I immediately bet out 5k, for two reasons. One, if he has any combination of big cards, he's folding here. And two, if he has an over pair, the math says i have to call, and now I've added the four 4's n the deck as straight draws. He bets 10k more all in, and I have to call. He shows me A5 suited! Not good cause the flush draw takes some outs away. Turn comes an A, giving him two pair but not changing anything. River is a 3. I got lucky, but the play was about the math and ranges. I'm doing that every time.

The next big hand happened to be 33 again! I get 33 in the bb. I have 100k. A guy with the same stack bets 7200. I call to see a flop. it comes 3 2 K with two clubs. YAHTZEE!! Now playing a flopped set out of position is actually one of the harder things in holdem(but I'll take the dilemma every time!). I decide to check, and he almost instantly gets pot 14k. This is a great sign. He has to have a piece of this board. He would not make this bet with 66-QQ. He's making this bet with 3 hands..AA, AK, and KQ. So I decide to do just over a min raise to 29k. I know he's shoving with the draw out there, and sure enough he does. I snap call, he flips AK, and I hold. Up to 200K! He later berates my play but I'm certainly not folding there just an unlucky flop for him.

The next hand is one that wasn't huge for me but has alot of deeper level thinking that I want to go through thoroughly for anyone who plays poker and wants to get better. With about 230k, and the blinds at 1k 2k, I raise in early position with 75 of hearts. When I'm the big stack, I like to bully the others around and use my chips. But the important thing is, I want to do it with good hands or hands that will connect easily. I don't want to get in the habit of raises with K4 suited. With 75 suited, I can flop a big hand, and win a big pot. the guy to my left with a stack of 20k shoves. Its folded around to me. Now here's where it gets deep. There is 35k in the pot. Its another 17k for me to call. I have to call 17k to win a pot of 52k. By math, its an easy call. But even deeper then that, I want to show the table two things. One, I'm not afraid to call a big bet with crap, and two, to show that I am crazy enough to raise and call a 3 bet all in with 7 high. What this does is make them think that I am a maniac who is raising every hand. By lowering my level of respect for my bets, people are more likely to make plays at me with a middle aces or any two face cards. So later on when I tighten up a bit, I can exploit this. I call, he shows AK, and I flop a 7, and hold up. The guy goes crazy on the rail but mathematically it was an easy call.

Another point I want to make here is that its very important to keep an eye on the players who seem really aggressive or ones that will over bet hands and will be easy to trap. There were two instances here where I used this, and unfortunately both times, I was sucked out on. But it stays the same. So with 250k I had AQ and Raised two callers came along including a horrible calling station who I'm pretty sure was over the tournament and ready to go. The flop is a beautiful AQ3. I bet 9k, hoping someone raises over the top of me. Just get the one caller he has 12k left. Turn is a 10, I put him in, he thinks for a few seconds and calls with....32. So just gotta dodge a 3 and I win. Well the river somehow is a 3, and I'm down to 200k shoulda been at 300k but no big deal. Then, I raise to 6k with AJ suited blinds at 1k 2k and I have around 230k again. A new guy at the table shoves all n for 50k. The math doesn't say call, but I told my buddy Platt who was watching that I played with him earlier and he was crazy and I was for sure calling. I do and he flips KJ!! But wouldn't you know it, the flop comes K high. Thankfully it wasn't that much, but still pretty annoying.

Anyways I get moved with 270k, and I start running over my new table. Playing aggressive and picking great spots to bluff in. One time with Q9 I call a raise in the sb and the flop comes K32 rainbow. He puts a small 3200 bet into a pot of 12k. This size bets means only two things. AK or nothing. If you can afford to do so, you should be check raising this kind of board every time. He can only call you with a K. He folded, and I scooped the pot.

Ok so for the most part, I hover around the middle to upper part of the middle all the way to the top 18. There, I am 12th with 18 left, but have just over 10 bbs. I patiently wait until I pick up AJ in the sb. I have 180k blinds are 10k 20k. Folds to the big stack bully who raises and I shove. He calls with Q6 and I hold to get up to 400k. I fold a round or two, when the bully gets moved and now I have a great table. 6 handed, with 3 other very tite small stacks and two tite big stacks. So the plan is to start bullying them. That lasted all of 1 hand. I pick up JJ in the big blind. One of the bigger stacks who has 10k less then me and has been very tite raises huge to 100k! It folds to me, and I come this close to folding. I decide to shove, praying for 1010. She snap calls my all in with....KQ?!?!?

Side bar: one of my biggest pet peeves in poker is calling off your whole stack with KQ. KQ CANNOT BEAT A SINGLE HAND THAT I'M SHOVING WITH!! I'm certainly not making this play with KJ or QJ you are praying for a coin flip at best. Its just a horrible play, yet I see it at least once or twice every tournament.

Well as you can probably guess, I lost the hand. The flop came Q high, and now I am sitting with less then the sb in the next hand. I have 83 and it gets folded to me and the bb and he has 104. The flop and turn blank but the river is the lovely 8 and I now have 39k with blinds at 12k 24k! Two hands later, I shove with 99. The big stack that broke me calls, and the bb small stack folds for just 9k more! She shows K7 and I hold to get up to 100k. Suddenly, 3 players go out in 3 hands, and I've snuck into the final table with 3 bbs!

Sadly, I get moved to under the gun, and find myself with half my stack in the middle in the bb with 63 suited on the next hand. It folds to the big stack on the button who shoves, and I have to call, he flips...22! Perfect got a coin flip! but I miss out, and am out in 9th for 174.

I was in the zone today, and I have a 2nd, 5th, and 9th place showing to show for it. Great results, but I'm always left wanting more. Thanks for reading.