mathare
16th July 2008, 21:30
12th July 22.46pm start - Finishing position: 8th out of 10
I am missing the first 4 hands of this tourney due to a slight problem with Poker Office so when we join the action my stack is 1730 from a 1500 start and we’re down to 9 players.
1. Fold 96o in SB after early min-raise
2. Limp on button with 22 after 3 previous callers – 6 players (180)
Q-T-3 rainbow
Checked round to me and I bet 100 as a semi-bluff steal. No-one has shown any strength to date but in hindsight this board contains two broadway cards so chances are at least one player has paired at least one of them or is on a straight draw.
SB raises to 400 and we all fold.
I bet for information and got what I was after. I couldn’t have bet less into this pot without pricing everyone in to any sort of draw so I am pretty pleased with my bet sizing. And the bet served it’s purpose – I found out I was behind so folded.
3. Fold J5s one off the button
4. Fold J7s
5. Fold QJo in mid position. As it happens I would have been up against QJs and AQo had I played and would have split the pot with the QJs.
6. Fold K6o
7. Fold A7o
8. Fold J5s under the gun
9. Check A7o in big blind after 3 callers including small blind – 4 players (200)
K-K-9 rainbow
Checked round
Turn is Td to put two diamonds on board
SB bets 100 and I fold
10. Call from SB with 42o after 1 mid position limper – 3 players (150)
While replaying this hand I saw the cards and action up to my move and assumed I had folded so I was quite surprised when I called. I don’t have a read on either player having only played 9 hands with them.
Flop comes Q-9-7 rainbow and is checked round
Turn is 5
Checked to late position limper who bets 50 and takes the pot
A waste of 25 chips there. I didn’t have position, pot odds or any sort of read on either other player so it was a loose call and while it didn’t cost me a lot it was still a bad play.
11. Fold 85s on the button
12. Fold K2o
13. Fold J8s
14. Fold J3s
15. Limp with A7s (clubs) in middle position after UTG limps, SB folds – 4 players (450)
3s-4s-4c so 1 of my suit and 2 of another.
Checked round
Turn comes 3c to pair the board for a second time and open up the club flush draw
I bet 300 into the 450 pot after it is checked to me. Everyone folds.
A little lucky here perhaps but after no-one had shown any willingness to claim this one I viewed it as an orphan pot and semi-bluffed at it on the turn when a scare card came. I had outs to the nut flush but was screwed if anyone had a 3 or 4. However, I didn’t think there was one out there based on the actions so far in the hand even though I had one of the players (UTG) pegged as semi-loose but even then playing a 3 or a 4 under the gun is very loose to my mind. So I don’t mind this play at all. If it went wrong and I got a caller and lost I still had 1100 behind so I wasn’t in immediate danger for a couple of hands.
16. Fold K8o
17. Fold K6o UTG
18. Check T4s when loose player in late position limps
6-7-7 two suits, none of them mine
I check, opponent bets pot and I fold
Nothing wrong with that one, that’s for sure. A free flop that I missed so ditch the hand. He showed A3o – not sure why.
19. I call from SB with QJo after 3 others limp – 5 players (750)
K-6-6
I check, BB bets quarter of the pot, gets 2 callers and I fold.
Incidentally BB lost when the river came a K and his 6s full lost to Kings full of sixes. Ouch. But the BB was ahead all the way and shoved on the turn only to get a loose caller from the eventual winner who had 2 pair till the river. But that’s poker
20. Fold 45o on button
21. Fold 95o
22. Fold 65o
23. Fold 43s
24. Fold 64o
Ooh, hello. This is interesting. The blinds are 100/200 and I have 1550 so I am in push/fold end-game mode despite the fact there are still 9 players and 2 of them have only 1.5xBB and one player has just over 4xBB.
25. Shove all-in UTG+1 with 55. Short-stack to my left (310) calls, everyone else folds
He shows A3o which the odds calculators show makes me 70/30 favourite pre-flop
4-7-T with two diamonds to make me an 80/20 favourite
As hits the turn to put me behind 95/5 and praying for one of my two remaining 5s to hit the river but it doesn’t and the bloke doubles up on me leaving me with 1240.
This hand deserves a bit of analysis. I don’t know a lot about the short-stack at this point as I have only played 24 hands with him and I don’t like to draw any real conclusions till I have at least 50 hands on someone. But so far he is tight and reasonably aggressive. Does he know or understand end game strategy? No, I don’t think he does. He got unlucky 6 hands ago which short stacked him but he should chanced his arm before now as I don’t believe he hasn’t see a K or A he fancies shoving with till now. OK, it’s possible he’s had complete crap for 5 or 6 hands but to call an all-in with a lousy ace – hmm. He was on a hiding to nothing with that stack really so I can’t hold the call against him.
What about my shove? I’d been quiet for a few hands and folded when I had missed and someone else had bet so I was trying to represent strength. I reckon I was aware that I would get at least one of the short stacks in there with me and that I could survive doubling them up but I was in definite end-game push/fold mood, as I needed to be. My stack gave me enough fold equity which I think helped get it through most players. It’s a risky move in early position but it looks less like a steal that way. It was a bold statement and one I make a few times when I play. This is quite a typical move for me in these games. What would you have done?
26. Fold 93s UTG
Another glitch in the Poker Office matrix sees me missing a few more hands and I have dropped another 300 chips (through the blinds most likely) to have 940 left with the blinds about to rise to 150/300 so I am very short stacked. I am also back under the gun with 9 players left. There is one very short stack (1xBB) and three of us on around 3xBB.
27. Fold 83s in the BB when the short-stack (3xBB) UTG pushes all-in and gets a caller from another 3xBB stack on the button. It’s AK v AQ, UTG pairs both A and K and the other fella is out to leave me 2nd last in chips. The end is surely nigh…
28. Fold A3o from SB as the button min-raises to 600 and shows AJ when the BB also folds. A good fold in hindsight but my stack is in serious trouble.
29. Fold 63o on the button after the very short stack shoves for 315 and gets 3 callers. I was way behind them all. The short-stack turned a straight and quadrupled up. I am now the short stack and on my way out.
30. It’s folded round to me one off the button with K4o and I shove in an attempt to steal the blinds, even though my stack gives me little fold equity. But it works and I take the blinds. I live to see another hand.
31. Fold T5o after an early caller. There is a shove from the player to my left that I doubled up earlier and he doubles up again with trip 9s
My stack is 3xBB and I am in mid-position when the end comes….
32. There are limpers before me so I shove with K7s. This is a crazy play and I can see that now. Yes, the blinds will be on me soon but as people have called for 400 they will call for the remaining 800 or so and therefore I had little fold equity and this was a stupid thing to attempt. Looking back at the replay of this hand I just keep thinking “why?” when I see my shove. I don’t like it at all now. A rush of blood to the head and panic perhaps?
I get a caller with AJ and the board is blanks on all streets for us both so he takes it with high card. And I am out of there in 8th. Ah well.
The previous tourney may have seen me exit due to the way the cards fell but not this time – this was poor play on my part. I was being blinded away and perhaps should have made moves earlier. But when? What could I have played before now? Should I have tried to steal with rags earlier? I was unlucky on hand 25 maybe. I was ahead till the turn but that is always a risk I guess. I could have shoved in hand 28 but with little fold equity it would have been a gamble.
At the end of the day I am happy enough with most of my play in this event. I didn’t play perfectly a lot of the time, that’s for sure, but I played well enough. The call in hand 10 was loose but inexpensive in the end. I’m happy with how I played in hand 15 and as I said earlier I was a little unlucky in hand 25. I can live with all of that but to shove with K7s after the limpers in hand 32 was stupid unless I had a huge stack, which I didn’t. That should have been a fold and pray for a better situation in the next couple of hands. I sealed my own fate on that one really. This one was definitely bad play and I will learn from this review and hopefully never make that mistake again.
I am missing the first 4 hands of this tourney due to a slight problem with Poker Office so when we join the action my stack is 1730 from a 1500 start and we’re down to 9 players.
1. Fold 96o in SB after early min-raise
2. Limp on button with 22 after 3 previous callers – 6 players (180)
Q-T-3 rainbow
Checked round to me and I bet 100 as a semi-bluff steal. No-one has shown any strength to date but in hindsight this board contains two broadway cards so chances are at least one player has paired at least one of them or is on a straight draw.
SB raises to 400 and we all fold.
I bet for information and got what I was after. I couldn’t have bet less into this pot without pricing everyone in to any sort of draw so I am pretty pleased with my bet sizing. And the bet served it’s purpose – I found out I was behind so folded.
3. Fold J5s one off the button
4. Fold J7s
5. Fold QJo in mid position. As it happens I would have been up against QJs and AQo had I played and would have split the pot with the QJs.
6. Fold K6o
7. Fold A7o
8. Fold J5s under the gun
9. Check A7o in big blind after 3 callers including small blind – 4 players (200)
K-K-9 rainbow
Checked round
Turn is Td to put two diamonds on board
SB bets 100 and I fold
10. Call from SB with 42o after 1 mid position limper – 3 players (150)
While replaying this hand I saw the cards and action up to my move and assumed I had folded so I was quite surprised when I called. I don’t have a read on either player having only played 9 hands with them.
Flop comes Q-9-7 rainbow and is checked round
Turn is 5
Checked to late position limper who bets 50 and takes the pot
A waste of 25 chips there. I didn’t have position, pot odds or any sort of read on either other player so it was a loose call and while it didn’t cost me a lot it was still a bad play.
11. Fold 85s on the button
12. Fold K2o
13. Fold J8s
14. Fold J3s
15. Limp with A7s (clubs) in middle position after UTG limps, SB folds – 4 players (450)
3s-4s-4c so 1 of my suit and 2 of another.
Checked round
Turn comes 3c to pair the board for a second time and open up the club flush draw
I bet 300 into the 450 pot after it is checked to me. Everyone folds.
A little lucky here perhaps but after no-one had shown any willingness to claim this one I viewed it as an orphan pot and semi-bluffed at it on the turn when a scare card came. I had outs to the nut flush but was screwed if anyone had a 3 or 4. However, I didn’t think there was one out there based on the actions so far in the hand even though I had one of the players (UTG) pegged as semi-loose but even then playing a 3 or a 4 under the gun is very loose to my mind. So I don’t mind this play at all. If it went wrong and I got a caller and lost I still had 1100 behind so I wasn’t in immediate danger for a couple of hands.
16. Fold K8o
17. Fold K6o UTG
18. Check T4s when loose player in late position limps
6-7-7 two suits, none of them mine
I check, opponent bets pot and I fold
Nothing wrong with that one, that’s for sure. A free flop that I missed so ditch the hand. He showed A3o – not sure why.
19. I call from SB with QJo after 3 others limp – 5 players (750)
K-6-6
I check, BB bets quarter of the pot, gets 2 callers and I fold.
Incidentally BB lost when the river came a K and his 6s full lost to Kings full of sixes. Ouch. But the BB was ahead all the way and shoved on the turn only to get a loose caller from the eventual winner who had 2 pair till the river. But that’s poker
20. Fold 45o on button
21. Fold 95o
22. Fold 65o
23. Fold 43s
24. Fold 64o
Ooh, hello. This is interesting. The blinds are 100/200 and I have 1550 so I am in push/fold end-game mode despite the fact there are still 9 players and 2 of them have only 1.5xBB and one player has just over 4xBB.
25. Shove all-in UTG+1 with 55. Short-stack to my left (310) calls, everyone else folds
He shows A3o which the odds calculators show makes me 70/30 favourite pre-flop
4-7-T with two diamonds to make me an 80/20 favourite
As hits the turn to put me behind 95/5 and praying for one of my two remaining 5s to hit the river but it doesn’t and the bloke doubles up on me leaving me with 1240.
This hand deserves a bit of analysis. I don’t know a lot about the short-stack at this point as I have only played 24 hands with him and I don’t like to draw any real conclusions till I have at least 50 hands on someone. But so far he is tight and reasonably aggressive. Does he know or understand end game strategy? No, I don’t think he does. He got unlucky 6 hands ago which short stacked him but he should chanced his arm before now as I don’t believe he hasn’t see a K or A he fancies shoving with till now. OK, it’s possible he’s had complete crap for 5 or 6 hands but to call an all-in with a lousy ace – hmm. He was on a hiding to nothing with that stack really so I can’t hold the call against him.
What about my shove? I’d been quiet for a few hands and folded when I had missed and someone else had bet so I was trying to represent strength. I reckon I was aware that I would get at least one of the short stacks in there with me and that I could survive doubling them up but I was in definite end-game push/fold mood, as I needed to be. My stack gave me enough fold equity which I think helped get it through most players. It’s a risky move in early position but it looks less like a steal that way. It was a bold statement and one I make a few times when I play. This is quite a typical move for me in these games. What would you have done?
26. Fold 93s UTG
Another glitch in the Poker Office matrix sees me missing a few more hands and I have dropped another 300 chips (through the blinds most likely) to have 940 left with the blinds about to rise to 150/300 so I am very short stacked. I am also back under the gun with 9 players left. There is one very short stack (1xBB) and three of us on around 3xBB.
27. Fold 83s in the BB when the short-stack (3xBB) UTG pushes all-in and gets a caller from another 3xBB stack on the button. It’s AK v AQ, UTG pairs both A and K and the other fella is out to leave me 2nd last in chips. The end is surely nigh…
28. Fold A3o from SB as the button min-raises to 600 and shows AJ when the BB also folds. A good fold in hindsight but my stack is in serious trouble.
29. Fold 63o on the button after the very short stack shoves for 315 and gets 3 callers. I was way behind them all. The short-stack turned a straight and quadrupled up. I am now the short stack and on my way out.
30. It’s folded round to me one off the button with K4o and I shove in an attempt to steal the blinds, even though my stack gives me little fold equity. But it works and I take the blinds. I live to see another hand.
31. Fold T5o after an early caller. There is a shove from the player to my left that I doubled up earlier and he doubles up again with trip 9s
My stack is 3xBB and I am in mid-position when the end comes….
32. There are limpers before me so I shove with K7s. This is a crazy play and I can see that now. Yes, the blinds will be on me soon but as people have called for 400 they will call for the remaining 800 or so and therefore I had little fold equity and this was a stupid thing to attempt. Looking back at the replay of this hand I just keep thinking “why?” when I see my shove. I don’t like it at all now. A rush of blood to the head and panic perhaps?
I get a caller with AJ and the board is blanks on all streets for us both so he takes it with high card. And I am out of there in 8th. Ah well.
The previous tourney may have seen me exit due to the way the cards fell but not this time – this was poor play on my part. I was being blinded away and perhaps should have made moves earlier. But when? What could I have played before now? Should I have tried to steal with rags earlier? I was unlucky on hand 25 maybe. I was ahead till the turn but that is always a risk I guess. I could have shoved in hand 28 but with little fold equity it would have been a gamble.
At the end of the day I am happy enough with most of my play in this event. I didn’t play perfectly a lot of the time, that’s for sure, but I played well enough. The call in hand 10 was loose but inexpensive in the end. I’m happy with how I played in hand 15 and as I said earlier I was a little unlucky in hand 25. I can live with all of that but to shove with K7s after the limpers in hand 32 was stupid unless I had a huge stack, which I didn’t. That should have been a fold and pray for a better situation in the next couple of hands. I sealed my own fate on that one really. This one was definitely bad play and I will learn from this review and hopefully never make that mistake again.