1. 2008-05-09 05:00:12

   Poker >> Sleep?!

   I haven't been playing as much live poker lately as usual, due to my inability to cash for the last month among other things, but I was finally able to turn a profit last night. I've been at the JavaOne conference since Tuesday, and that makes for some long days. But I just couldn't pass up the game last night.

   Unfortunately, I was roped into the cash game after the tourney, so I was up far too late and I'm running on 4.5 hours of sleep. Ugh. I'm trying to stay awake to at least finish this. I wanted to mention a couple crazy situations before I forget about them.

   !! Case Jack, FTW!

   Early in the tournament, I had played a few pots against The Steamroller and I hadn't faired too well. One hand I flopped the 3rd nut flush draw, turned top pair, and rivered two pair, only to pay him off with his 2nd nut flush. Ugh. So when I picked , made a 3-4x raise from mid-late position and the flop came , I had a hard time believing my opponent flopped a flush yet again.

   Both flop-perusers checked to me and I bet about half the pot with my overpair. Check-raised! The raise was about 3 times my bet, so I decided to call and proceed carefully, putting my opponent on a ten and/or a diamond draw. That put about 8k in the pot and we each had about 13k behind. The turn was the , which didn't exactly enthuse me. My opponent repeated the 2.5k bet, so I just flat-called. My only hope was they were on the diamond draw or were making a ridiculous steal attempt with or something. Wishful thinking, I know...

   Somebody from the 2nd table yelled over to ask how I was doing and I replied "I'm probably going to be out in a few seconds, unless I get super-lucky on the river" (fully intending to fold on the river). I was saying this as the river was coming out, and it was nothing other than the , of course! At this point, I'm only losing to quads, so I'm pretty happy with my hand. I could have wished for the instead, to practically ensure my opponent had their flush, but beggars can't be choosers.

   My opponent bets 4k, I re-raise all in, and he calls, showing , for the flopped nut flush. Sorry, dude! Maybe this makes up for the mega-cooler sessions I had this past weekend ;) I'll take it either way. I should have dropped the jacks on the flop and almost especially on the turn, but I really had it in my head my opponent was trying to work me. I really need to stop trying to think so trickily like that.

   They Cut The Hard Line

   The hardcorers convinced me to stay for the cash game. And by convinced, I mean after we finished at the tournament table, I visited the bathroom, got a tasty cookie, and plopped down in the closet open seat without a word to or from anybody :)

   A couple hours in, the lad directly on my right decided it was time for a pocket pair. He chanted "pocket pair, pocket pair" and said he would raise if he got one. I said I'd call if he raised. He was under the gun and bumped it to 5 times the big blind - bastard! I immediately "smooth call" with my giant (hah) and we see on the flop. He bets out the pot, and I grudgingly fold thinking he doesn't have an ace but he probably has nines beat, as unlikely as it seems after the pocket pair prediction. He turns up . Awesome!

   I decide I should get a pocket pair too, so I repeat the same chant. I also straddle my opponent (his blind, you sicko), which he is not excited about. I tell him if I'm going to get a pocket pair, I want a bigger pot. I look down and see . HUH?! Seems good, I guess. Everybody folds to my power-straddle, and he limps in. I pop it to 3.5x the straddle, and he whines for a bit and calls. I tell him you gotta pump it a bit with pocket jacks, and he rolls his eyes. The flop comes . At least I don't have to sweat the ace he had to. He checks, I bet about the pot, and he folds. He shows and I show the jacks. Good stuff.

   Overcard Comfort?

   During the tournament, I took out a couple players when I had overcards to their pocket pairs and we got all in preflop. In one case, I was the aggressor with and in the other case I made the call with . Both times I won, but I was never risking more than half my stack (and the blinds were starting to get mega), so it seemd good to me.

   Late in the tournament, I folded and when players went all in before me for similar amounts (half my stack). And I picked up in an unopened pot and went all in, but lost to (how appropriately) .

   Why when I pushed and called with my overcards did I feel quite fine, but when I picked up baby pairs I didn't call and when I pushed with my nines I was sweating it pretty hard? Pairs are better than overcards, heads up! People having overcards are more likely than pairs. Doesn't that mean I should be more comfortable with my pairs?

   PokerStars World Series of Poker Satellite Challenge

   I placed 884 out of 2289 in the satellite game tonight. Top 50 get invites to the weekly WSOP qualifier game. The blind levels went up about ever 3 hands because people were taking max time. The tournament is labeled a "turbo" tournament, but I thought that meant players only had a short time to make a decision. It seems PokerStars still gives you a good half a minute. Anyway, I lost to in the big blind when I raised in late position with and misplayed after the flop of . Oh well :p

   BTW, does anybody else think PokerStars GUI is about as cool as a festering ball of dog snot?

   OUT

   Sleep time!

   Posted by Jason M at 2008-05-09 05:00:12

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Comments on “Poker >> Sleep?!”

1. • Posted by Jason M g 2008-05-13 04:20:36
   • 

   • Why do you prefer KQ when blinds are high over a small pair? Just because you will probably enter a pot with more than one opponent? That would make sense to me... Maybe that's why I was feeling better with those overcard hands.

2. • Posted by Krishna (unverified) g 2008-05-12 16:30:55
   • 

   • KQ is also trouble hand especially in bubble situations. Any ace is slight favorite. Of course when blinds are high, I prefer KQ instead of small pair.

     AQ can also be trouble hand sometimes. On WPT AQ cost lot of people their tournament. But next to AK this is a good hand to push with.

3. • Posted by Jason M g 2008-05-11 08:46:41
   • 

   • Those Jack hands were hilarious. And yes, Yuri seems to have my number... He was even on my right and I paid him off a couple of hands :p Good luck in that PokerStars game if you plan again. Let me know how you do!

     I still need to figure out what it is with those small pocket pairs. I think Krishna is right about them being easily dominated while cards like are not. But not so much with things like . Yet I'd still rather get my money in with that rather than . Am I thinking incorrectly here?!

4. • Posted by AceOfJames g 2008-05-11 01:01:41
   • 

   • GUI = Graphical User Interface
     Pronounced "Gooey"

5. • Posted by Krishna (unverified) g 2008-05-09 20:18:26
   • 

   • Wow - JJ seems to be popular hand on the blogs.
     Everyone has some sort of JJ hand.

     I would prefer to have AK compared to most pairs because it is rarely dominated.
     Small pairs are so easily dominated.
     Of course stack sizes and blinds matter to judge the value of small pairs.

6. • Posted by FREMONTkyle g 2008-05-09 18:59:02
   • 

   • ive tried that same freeroll a couple times and fared about the same there was one time i doubled up twice early with AA and KK only to bleed the chips away later gambling with AK and losing to 22
     whats GUI stand for?
     LOL yuri seems to hold over you and in turn i seem to hold over yuri LOL i dont know why you didnt play that 33 it seems to be a good hand for you atleast when your up against me that is LOL