Gold Rush Buddies

Well, I'm really back, it seems. I mean, my luck is back.

Saturday, I played online only once, a $6.00 +$0.50 Knockout tourney, 90 players. I finished 6th, earning $27 plus $4 for busting 4 people. First online win in a long, long time. Got a couple of lucky coin-flips, but would call my final hand a bit unlucky: third in chip stack, I re-raise all-in with a 3-BB raise by a short stack, early position guy. The BB has me outchipped and calls, the early raiser goes into the tank, and finally goes all-in too (pot committed anyway.) BB shows and the short stack . Flop comes so my hopes went way high for a microsecond, to crash right away when I see the set of nines. Turn and River did me no good - nor to the short-stack guy - and I busted in 6th position.

Sunday, I made it to Thunder Valley: the 3pm $30+$3 shoot-out tournament, 45 players. OK, I made it also into the money, and again, we unanymously and immediately agreed to chop ($225 apiece.) What I wanted to share was more along the lines well developped by Dan Harrington: how the structure and the payout must shape your strategy.

We started with 5 tables of nine. My goal was to be one of the top-2, as then you move to the final table with the 2 top players of all the other tables, and start FRESH (full 3,000 stack, new reset blinds.) First, I waited for something to play with, but got the driest set of hands in a long time. Tried a couple of middle suited connectors that missed pityfully, and after 4 orbits of that, blinds went up again and I was down to around 2,000. When I saw in late position I decided to shove, but the young lady on the BB (who doubled up on the very first hand on a questionable play but very lucky flop) called and showed . Flop came so I made bottom pair but she paired her ace. I said "I can still hit a King or a Three" and she responded "Goodbye!" Nice. The turn came blank with but got my lucky river with a beautiful . I doubled up - and survived - and crippled a bit the young brat, whom I busted - with some pleasure I might add - a few hands later. Finally, I avoided the big stacks, attacked the short stacks, increased my lead and busted the last guy in 3rd position.

On the final table, I smelled very weak players. I recognized a bunch of regulars, whom talked right away of chopping, whatever. So my strategy became to not get involved - unless a big hand comes. Well, I slowly went down to about 1,200 chips as 3 people got busted (always the same story: they got involved in hands that turned bad, either lost or folded to strong pressure, lost chips, and forced all-in with a miserable stack and increasing blinds, semi-ok hands, and lost.) I am BB, blinds at 400 already, and the guy on my left is down to 800, and he pushes all-in. The guy on the button says "Sorry, but I really have to call" (not very cool, by the way, to speak like that with other players still in the hand, but that was a common theme at that table: I wished we had a dealer to shut those guys up.) My hand is average at best ( and I fold without second thoughts. The busted the all-in (what did I say about shoving late in the game with small pairs?!) and I was ultra-short stack but 6th! As those guys came back saying "let's chop" I did not oppose it, you can guess!

Nice weekend!
Fred

Friday 10/16 7pm High-Rollers tourney at Deuces Wild: $110+5 buy-in, 11,000 chips, 37 players >> Chop 5-way ($680 prize)

I'm back! Those past few weeks have not been very active poker-wise (family & visitors, wife's surgery...) and any post would have been about bad beats (the excuse often for bad play...) So it's good news to return to the game with some success.

First, I'd like to explain why a chop - again, some would say who would read this blog... Chopping came in the discussion as we formed the final table with 10 players. But there was such a mismatch of huge and tiny stacks, that few even responded. When bubble-boy was gone, and then 6th place finish took his money ($115) the proposal came back. It was almost 11:30pm, over 5 hours of play after a long day at work (for most of us at least.) But any of us was a legitimate candidate for first place as the drunk and the very old were already busted. So what made the difference was the blinds (just about to go up to 4,000 and 8,000 I believe) and the respective stacks: I had exactly 70,000, 67,000 on my left, then a bit over 100,000 for the chip leader, and around 80,000 for the last two guys, in fact the exact average stack. We all held the "top stack" at one point of time, and with the upcoming blinds, we had M's hovering around 6, meaning it was going to be a crab shoot. With almost $700 apiece, we made about the prize for 2nd, better than 5th, 4th or 3rd. Deal.

Second, I'd like to share my thoughts about how I play very small pairs (deuces up to four's.) Early in the game, with big stacks (or small blinds,) I might limp in, see a cheap flop: I make trips, I stay in, otherwise I go away - well at least 80% of the time, and if I don't smell weakness. Late in the game, things change and I play them exactly like very weak aces: fold most of the time, stay in if low risk only but won't lead. Let me share two hands I played Friday. With on the button I see the average stack UTG guy raise, the short-stack UTG+2 barely re-raise going all-in. I show my trips to the guy on my right and fold too. He called me over-tight, that he'd go all-in with that, and so on. Cards proved him right: UTG had while UTG+2 had , none improved up to the river, my pair would have played. I'm still confident that the fold was the right action. Even knowing what they had (which was not much,) I was not ahead:

Player	Statistic	Result
	%Win	29.78%
	%Tie	0.35%
	Odds	2.34 to 1
	%Win	34.50%
	%Tie	0.35%
	Odds	1.89 to 1
	%Win	35.37%
	%Tie	0.35%
	Odds	1.82 to 1

A bit later, down to two tables, Nader was UTG+2 and raised my 1,000 big-blind all-in to around 8,000. I had about 13,000 left with and decided to call as I knew Nader could shove on a range down to average hand. He showed and I secretly rated his move as overly audacious. Flop came and he kept smiling nervously, uneventful turn , but then river makes two over-pairs on the board, my ace plays and he's busted, he's pissed off and throw me a "Nice call!" that I felt was not entirely sincere. Any thoughts?

Wednesday 9/16 7pm tourney at Deuces Wild: $30/$30+5 buy-in, 3,000 chips plus one re-buy plus some bonus chips, 12 players >> busted in 8th position ($0 prize)

Bad karma: early in the game with about 4,000 chips, I am on the button, 25/50 blinds. 2 limpers, early and middle position, and I have and the button: I call; SB calls, BB checks. Family pot (250 chips.) Flop: rainbow. Checked up to middle position guy who bets 200: he might be on air only, playing position, or even better have something like a pair or two! In any case, I raise to 600. It's folded to the original raiser who calls. I'm relatively satisfied: could he have trips? The turn is another . The guy checks. That 5 stinks. That could improve many hands I was putting him on. I should check and pray, but I would not know where I was standing, so I put a medium bet of 700 pretending the 5 might have helped me. He raises to 1,500. It could be genuine: he's got a A5 or even K5 and tries to suck me in, but I know the guy and he's got game, he could well do the check-raise trick to get me out of the hand. I settle for a call. Turn is a blank, the buy bets 1,000 which is practically all we've each got left. He means business and looks very calm: I give him credit for a good hand and fold. He shows K5 for a full-house! I'm back to the grind.

Bad fold? in late position with about 1,500 chips, blinds 50/100. I am not desperate yet (close to, but...) so I must be selective and my brings back bad memories... but after 3 limpers, there is too much money in the pot and I decide to limp; so do the SB and BB. With 600 chips in the pot, the flop is , I have top pair. The 3rd guy bets 400, next fold, but the guy on my right calls too. Now, that's not good: one of them is more than likely to have a K in his hands, and most probably with a better kicker than mine. I fold, and so do the SB and BB. Turn is a !!! First guy bets, second calls. River is a Q!!! I would have had a full boat! First guy bets, and the second guy calls: first shows , the second ! I would have split the pot, but what were the odds?!

Bad run: blinds just increase to 300/600, I have 5,200 chips (thanks to the re-buy at the break) or M=6. In late position, SB and BB have average stacks, I shove for the first time all-in with . It's folded to me and I steal the blinds. I now have 6,100 chips. Next hand, kind of middle position, it's folded to me and I have . I shove all-in again, hoping for a call. The SB says "I can't fold that hand... I call" and shows pocket ! Flop is ; turn is a that seals my destiny; river, I'm not sure as I was already shaking some hands and leaving. I believe I was doomed to die anyway: even if I do not shove, bet and then call his probable raise, the flop with a jack gives me top pair top kicker and I would have shoved then... Oh well!

Tuesday 9/15 1pm shoot-out at Thunder Valley: $20+2 buy-in, 3,000 chips, 32 players >> chop top 5 ($110 prize)
With 3,000 and starting blinds at 100 and 200, you're already with an M of 10 at the very first hand! First table shoot-out: every move counts, so no fooling around with marginal hand, but play aggressive if you decide to enter the pot. It's not exciting and I can't recall a single "important hand" even though I finished 1st.

Fun hand: first hand dealt at the final table, with 8 players. I have the button; the SB and BB on my left made comments that with the structure at Thunder Valley and a probable chop 6-way, the goal was to survive the two unlucky who will get busted out of the money. I decided then that I would push those guys to try and steal their blinds even with an average hand. The UTG+1 limps in, rest of the table folds. I find ATs of heart in the pocket, 500 chips in the pot, I raise 3 times the BB to 600. SB folds, BB calls and complains that I am "bullying" the table. UTG+1 folds. The flop is KJ9, with 2 clubs. Heads-up, BB checks: I don't have much, some draws, but I can probably shake him loose with a continuation bet. I bet 800 (half the pot) and BB complains again of why oh why I would bully people, but he calls! That's smelly and bad news, I don't like that a bit because the guy looked pretty savvy when I watched him win his table. Turn is a beautiful Q of diamonds, making me a straight, but with 2 clubs and 2 diamonds on the board. BB checks again, I have made my straight, now what? Check is out of question: 2 flush draws, he must pay to beat me. But I don't want to lose him, I'd like to bust him now, because I feel he's got either a massive draw from the start, or even one or two pairs. I settle on a 900 bet: we each have 1,600 chips, so I somewhat hope he'd feel committed by a call, and even attempt now an all-in raise with bad pot odds. Unfortunately, his holdings must have been a bit weaker than I thought, or he was smarter, because he laid down his hand... Good start!

Sunday 9/6 3pm shoot-out at Thunder Valley: $30+3 buy-in, 3,000 chips, 50 players >> Finished 1st (almost $300 prize)

Nice move? Avoided the bigger stacks, played position and then aggressively, looked intently at each player before making any decision, slow played a couple of hands... finished 1st on the first table of 10. No big hand what-so-ever... a bit dull in fact. Final table, I have folded 30 hands in a row - all very weak or with dangerous prior action. Started catching better cards and pushed: climbed quickly.

Lucky hand: on the final table, down to 8 players (only top 6 paid) I am chip leader, in the SB with TJ off. BB is the short stack. It's folded around to me: I suspect BB will move all in with big cards, so my TJ would play well, but if I show strength, I'd lose him, so I call his BB. He bets all-in quickly: I put him on an ace or 2 big cards, and I call. He shows AT off, I hate being dominated. Flop is Q97; turn is a 6 and we both have straight draws; the river is a lucky 8: he makes a lower straight and thinks we tie, but my Jack plays for a higher straight, he's out.

Last hand: when we started the final table (10 players) we agreed that when down to 6 players, we would chop for $250 each. Otherwise, 1st place is only $450 and the other 5 prizes not exciting... Down to 6, we call the floor and announce we chop 6-way, but 2 guys propose a side-bet of 10 bucks each, we keep playing and 2nd gets $20, 1st gets $40. Fun play then! No more jockeying for position, it became real poker! Down to heads-up, I am still chip leader (2 to 1 advantage.) SB goes all-in with A9 off, I find AT suited and call, and made the flush! Won the $250 and the $40 prop-bet!!!

Friday 9/5 High-Rollers at Deuces Wild: $100+10+5 buy-in, 11,000 chips, 30 players >> Finished 5th (about $250 prize)

Nice move? down to ~15 players, blinds creeping up, M down to ~7, the conservative UTG guy limps in, I decide, in late position to raise all-in with a weak A6 off. Blinds fold, and UTG mocks his AQ, very upset. I am glad but shut-up. Next hand on his BB I get Queens! I shove all-in again, SB folds, and he mocks his hand again. I realize my relatively tight image might be compromised, so I show my QQ saying "two hands in a row, amazing!" Image reinforced.

Lucky hand: SB is a jerk, aggressive big stack but very lucky. UTG is the short-stack (M=4) ultra-conservative. I am on the button with M ~6 and a pocket 9s. UTG goes all in (2/3rd of my stack); it's folded up to me: I grab all my chips to go all-in but the SB jumps the gun and announces all-in out of turn. I freeze and re-consider: the jerk is not crazy, and exudes confidence (and apologizes...) I decide to fold and he shows Queens, UTG shows AKs. First card on the flop is a Queen, end of story... Free-roll baby!

Last hand: 6th place finish was the BB on my right, and got busted by one of the 2 massive chip leaders.
BB moves to me at 4,000 leaving me with 32,000. Nader (the other chip leader) raises on the cut-off to 10,000. I have an M of 5+ but in 2 minutes blinds go up to 3,000 and 6,000 or an M of 3! I found a pocket deuces in the hole and push all in. Nader pushes all his chips and shows pocket rockets. Good night, $250 is not too bad!