This session had it's ups & downs and at least I came in the money this time!!
Hand 3. Small win. MP2 w/Kh Qd, action folds to me and I bet 2 BB (60); all fold to BB who calls. Flop Jc Jh Qh. Well, I've paired my Q but the board has paired J's. BB checks, I bet 75 into the 135 pot, BB calls. Not sure what that means, except he's not given up yet. Turn 8s. BB checks & so do I. River 9h. Not a good card for me. Board shows possible straight, heart flush, and even FH. BB checks and I decide to do the same. There's just too much that can beat my Q's. BB shows 5d Ks. I win and have 1650 chips.
Hand 7. I give most of them back. I'm BB w/Ks 8h. UTG+1 limps in w/30, MP1 folds, MP2 calls, HJ, CO, BTN, & SB fold, I check. Flop 7c 9c Kh. I pair my K that has a modest kicker. I bet the pot (105), UTG+1 folds, MP2 calls. Turn 6h. I decide to check this time and MP2 bets 210 into the 315 pot. I have an open ended straight draw, but since it is still early in this session I decide to fold. Since I didn't get to see their cards I don't know if I'd bet 1st if I could have got them to fold.
Hand 29. Seven players left, blinds 30/60. I'm UTG w/pocket 9's (9h 9s). I open w/2 BB bet (120), all fold to the CO who raises all-in w/925 chips, rest fold to me. I think about it for awhile knowing there are a lot of pocket pairs that beat me and one more time I'll be out of this session if I lose, but decide to go for it and call. CO shows Ah Qd, two over cards. Per Poker Stove it's 55/45 my favor. Now I hold my breath. Flop 9c 3c 7s. Oooh nice, I hit my set!! I can't be beat because QQ or AA on the Turn & River give me a FH. Turn Kd. River Ad. I have 2310 chips.
Hand 40. Things were going well until this hand, which had a very promising start. Six players left, blinds 50/100. I'm HJ w/pocket Q's (Qc Qd), 2470 chips. UTG folds, I bet 3 BB (300), CO folds, BTN & SB call, BB folds. Flop 9c 3d Kh. I do not like seeing that K!! SB checks & I decide to do the same, as does the BTN. Turn 2s. Well that doesn't make things any worse for me. SB checks, and since everyone checked before I decide to bet 500 into the 1000 pot, BTN folds, SB calls. I rather they'd folded. River 4s. I don't think I noticed it at the time, but the board does show a straight possibility. SB checks and I decide to do the same, which turned out to be a good thing as SB shows 5h 6c. They hit the straight on the River. :-/ I'm down to 1670 chips.
I'm not sure what might have made a difference that hand. My half pot bet of 500 on the turn didn't stop the SB from drawing for the gutshot straight. Might a 2/3rds bet made a difference? Probably not since I checked the flop and the odds of the 2s helping me on the turn was unlikely. A bet on the flop might have got the other two to fold since they didn't have a king.
Hand 41. This looked I might have a chance to redeem myself from the last hand. I'm UTG w/Ac Qh. I decide to open again witn a 3 BB bet (300), action folds to the BTN who raises me to 500, SB & BB fold, and I call. Flop 6d 10s Jd. No hit but I have a gutshot straight draw. I check & BTN checks. Turn Qd. I pair my Q, but flush and straight draws are showing. I check again & so does the BTN. Are they on a draw or are they playing coy? River 9d. No improvement for me and a diamond flush is even more likely as well as a straight. I check one more time, but this time the BTN bets all-in w/4515 chips. I'd sure like to check them out but it would cost me all my chips, so I fold and am down to 1170 chips. Grrrr, two hands in a row that showed such great promise but instead I'm 1300 chips lighter.
Hand 48. Five players left, blinds 60/120. I'm down to 820 chips before posting the 120 BB. I'm BB w/Qc 10h. HJ folds, CO limps in w/120, BTN & SB fold, I check. Flop 6c 8d 2s. No help to me. I check & CO checks. Turn Qd. My Q pairs and I have top pair. I decide to just check it to see what the CO does and he just checks. River 6d. That pairs the board and shows a possible diamond flush. I check again and CO bets the 300 pot, I call. I could have raised him but felt there were so many ways I could be beat that I'd reserve my last 400 chips. CO shows pocket 5's (5h 5d). My Q's are good, I win and now have 1300 chips.
I would like to say it was my skill that got me those last 300 chips but I can't. By being as passive as I was the CO must have thought his pocket 5's were good. I don't think he was trying to represent a straight or flush. Thus if I had bet my Q's he may have only checked on the River as he'd done on the Flop and the Turn.
Hand 57. This was a WOW hand and I see I mis-played Loki, I was not the smallest stack at this point. I'm UTG w/1060 chips, Ks Jd. I open all-in, the CO folds, the BTN with 8045 chips calls, SB & BB fold. CO shows Ah 6d, one overcard. Flop 7d 9d jc. I pair my J. So far so good. Turn Kd. I now have two pair. Things look even better! River 10d. Oh no, the CO has a diamond flush, my two pair are no good. :-/ But wait, the chips are coming MY WAY. OH, I have a Jd, I have a diamond flush TOO and a higher one than the CO!!!!! I now have 2300 chips.
Hand 78. Three players left. I'm SB w/pocket 9's (9c 9d), 1340 chips. BB is big stack w/10,130 chps, and the BTN has 1730 chips. BTN opens all-in and I decide to call hoping she doesn't have a bigger pair than mine, BB folds. BTN shows Ad 5d, one overcard. Flop 2h 5h 6c. They paired their 5 but I have the higher pair. Turn 7d. I have a gutshot straight draw. One card to go. River Ac. That's all she needs and I go out in 3rd place.
Friday, April 2, 2010
9 SNG $5 + .50 End 9th 12 hands
This is getting to be a bad habit!! Two sessions in a row. Issue was letting go of an AK and deciding to go all-in when a check would have been better.
Hand 12. I'm MP2 w/Ac Ks, 1550 chips. Action folds to me and I bet 3 BB (120), BTN calls, SB raises to 320 and BB folds. Darn. What might SB have and how might it relate to my AK? I don't know but decide to call and see what the flop shows, BTN also calls. Flop 2s Kd Jd. I pair my K and have a nice Ace kicker. SB bets 240 into the 1000 pot. Hmm, could he have AA or KK? I & BTN call. Turn Jh. That I don't like. SB checks, and here is where I probably should have checked, but I decide to push it and go all-in with my last 990 chips. BTN calls and SB flolds, which surprised me a bit. BTN shows 3s Js. Grrr. cards that make no sense for them being in there at all from the pre-flop betting, but here they are and they've hit trip J's. I badly need a K. River Ah. Now that was cruel!!! I have a lovely top two pair!!! :-/ Bounced out again at the bottom of the heap.
Hand 12. I'm MP2 w/Ac Ks, 1550 chips. Action folds to me and I bet 3 BB (120), BTN calls, SB raises to 320 and BB folds. Darn. What might SB have and how might it relate to my AK? I don't know but decide to call and see what the flop shows, BTN also calls. Flop 2s Kd Jd. I pair my K and have a nice Ace kicker. SB bets 240 into the 1000 pot. Hmm, could he have AA or KK? I & BTN call. Turn Jh. That I don't like. SB checks, and here is where I probably should have checked, but I decide to push it and go all-in with my last 990 chips. BTN calls and SB flolds, which surprised me a bit. BTN shows 3s Js. Grrr. cards that make no sense for them being in there at all from the pre-flop betting, but here they are and they've hit trip J's. I badly need a K. River Ah. Now that was cruel!!! I have a lovely top two pair!!! :-/ Bounced out again at the bottom of the heap.
9 SNG $5 + .50 End 9th 1 hand
Short and not so sweet. I took a gamble and lost.
Hand 2. I'm HJ w/Jh 9h. UTG+1 limps, MP's fold, I call, CO & BTN fold, SB calls, BB checks. I'm in to see if my J9s might hit something. Flop 2h 7d 9s. I have top pair w/a fair kicker. Not what I was hoping for but it's a start. SB bets the 120 pot, UTG+1 & I call. I don't really like that large of a bet and wonder what SB might have. Do they have an over pair? Might they have a set? Turn Ah. I now have a flush draw. SB goes all-in w/1785 chips.UTG+1 folds. I think about it for awhile and decide to gamble on a flush draw and call. He shows 9d 2s having flopped two pair. Different than I expected. Will the River be nice to me? River Qs. No. Well, I took a chance and lost. There's not much more to say about it.
Hand 2. I'm HJ w/Jh 9h. UTG+1 limps, MP's fold, I call, CO & BTN fold, SB calls, BB checks. I'm in to see if my J9s might hit something. Flop 2h 7d 9s. I have top pair w/a fair kicker. Not what I was hoping for but it's a start. SB bets the 120 pot, UTG+1 & I call. I don't really like that large of a bet and wonder what SB might have. Do they have an over pair? Might they have a set? Turn Ah. I now have a flush draw. SB goes all-in w/1785 chips.UTG+1 folds. I think about it for awhile and decide to gamble on a flush draw and call. He shows 9d 2s having flopped two pair. Different than I expected. Will the River be nice to me? River Qs. No. Well, I took a chance and lost. There's not much more to say about it.
9 SNG $5 + .50 End 5th 52 hands
This is the 2nd SNG in a row I've finished 5th; let's hope it's not a trend!! I didn't play terrible but I didn't play well either.
Hand 2. I'm MP w/As Kd. Action folds to me and I bet 3 BB (90), HJ & SB call. Flop 2s Qs 9d. No direct hit for me. I made a c-bet of 1/2 the 300 pot and HJ raises me to 750 and I fold. This player was a continual problem for me by raising me more than I was usually willing to call. The few times I had super good cards, of course, he wasn't in the hand to raise me.
Hand 22 is an example. The only hand I'd seen his cards he had AQo and won. Six players left. I'm HJ w/Kc Jc, 1100 chips.UTG folds, I limp in w/50, CO raises to 199. Rest fold and I fold. I'd like to see if my KJs was any good, but don't feel like calling 199 when I don't have a good idea of why he raised.
Hand 34. My 1st really good pocket cards and I need them as I'm down to 835 chips and blinds are 40/80. I'm UTG w/pocket Q's (Qs Qc). I limp in w/80 and the only caller is the BB who checks. Flop 2d 4c 3h. Nothing for me and possible straight out there. BB bets 80 and I raise to 160, BB calls. Turn 10d. That's better probably not much help to BB. BB checks and I bet 320 into the 520 pot. BB folds. I could have bet less, but decided to see if he might have something and call a larger bet. That got me up to 1115 chips. Still the short stack.
Hand 52. I'm down to 755 chips, mainly due to blinds. Five playlers left, I'm the BTN w/10s 2s. Blinds are 50/100. Action folds to me and I figure I'll try a steal and go all-in. BB calls and shows 7d 9d. I have an overcard. Flop 9c Ah 3d. Turn 3c. River 6d. It's over.
Hand 2. I'm MP w/As Kd. Action folds to me and I bet 3 BB (90), HJ & SB call. Flop 2s Qs 9d. No direct hit for me. I made a c-bet of 1/2 the 300 pot and HJ raises me to 750 and I fold. This player was a continual problem for me by raising me more than I was usually willing to call. The few times I had super good cards, of course, he wasn't in the hand to raise me.
Hand 22 is an example. The only hand I'd seen his cards he had AQo and won. Six players left. I'm HJ w/Kc Jc, 1100 chips.UTG folds, I limp in w/50, CO raises to 199. Rest fold and I fold. I'd like to see if my KJs was any good, but don't feel like calling 199 when I don't have a good idea of why he raised.
Hand 34. My 1st really good pocket cards and I need them as I'm down to 835 chips and blinds are 40/80. I'm UTG w/pocket Q's (Qs Qc). I limp in w/80 and the only caller is the BB who checks. Flop 2d 4c 3h. Nothing for me and possible straight out there. BB bets 80 and I raise to 160, BB calls. Turn 10d. That's better probably not much help to BB. BB checks and I bet 320 into the 520 pot. BB folds. I could have bet less, but decided to see if he might have something and call a larger bet. That got me up to 1115 chips. Still the short stack.
Hand 52. I'm down to 755 chips, mainly due to blinds. Five playlers left, I'm the BTN w/10s 2s. Blinds are 50/100. Action folds to me and I figure I'll try a steal and go all-in. BB calls and shows 7d 9d. I have an overcard. Flop 9c Ah 3d. Turn 3c. River 6d. It's over.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
9 SNG $5 + .50 End 5th approx 78 hands
This was a somewhat depressing sessions, partly me, partly circumstances beyond my control. This will get less write up as I was disconnected from FT around hand 34, 2:41 AM, where I had 2030 chips. After about 10 min of waiting, I unplugged my modem and plugged it back in again and had an internet connection but FT still couldn't connect so I had to close FT and open again. By now I was down to 1610 chips and blinds were 60/120.
Since the 1st set of hands aren't here (I suppose they are in PT but I'm not going to look back there now) I won't have much detail on them. Well I changed my mind and did look up the hands I wanted to write about before the disconnect after all. :-)
Hand 13 I had my 1st large loss. I had Ac Kd, was SB. Action folded to the HJ who limped in w/40, the CO who was short stack raised all-in w/575 chips, I & BB called, HJ folded. BB showed pocket 8's (8c 8s), CO had Ad 6c. Flop 2d 4c Qh. Turn 5s. River 3c. CO hits a straight and wins. He ONLY NEEDED FOUR of the FIVE board cards for that to happen. I'm out 575 chips.
Hand 22. I have pocket Q's (Qs Qd), am SB. Action folds to CO who opens w/3 BB (150) bet; he is playing 16 sessions. BTN folds, I call & BB folds. Flop 4d 5c Jh. CO bets the pot of 350. Darn. If he's playing 16 sessions it seems likely he has something better than my Q's. I think about it awhile and am really reluctant to give up my Q's so I decide to raise all-in w/my last 765 chips and hold my breath. CO calls and shows Qc Jc. Hmm, he only has paired his J. What kind of range is he opening/calling with??? Playing 16 sessions I would not have expected QJs to be one of them. Well, at this point I'm ahead. Turn 7h. River 8d. I win!!! I now have 1880 chips.
Somewhere around here the disconnect took place.
Hand 10 after back. I'm BB w/Jc 3h. UTG+1 limps in w/160 chips, BT calls, SB, who is short stack raises all-in w/220 chips, all call. Flop 5c Jh 9d. I have top pair. We all check. Turn 10s. We all check again. River 5d. Once more time we check around. UTG+1 has As 8c, BTN has pocket 8's (8d 8h), SB has Kd 4d. Lo & behold I win with my paired J!!! I have 2110 chips.
Hand 21 after back. I'm UTG w/Ac 8c, blinds are 100/200. I limp in w/200 bet, CO calls, rest fold to the BB who checks. Flop 8d Jc 2h. I pair my 8. BB checks & I bet 400 into the 700 pot, CO calls & BB folds. Turn 9c. I now have a flush draw. I decide just to check this time and CO bets 650 into the 1500 pot. I debate a bit and decide to call and see what happens. River 2d. No flush for me and board has paired. I check again and to my surprise the CO checks as well. He shows pocket 7's (7h 7d). My paired 8 wins!!!! I now have 3240 chips and things are looking up!!
Hand 37 after back. I'm CO w/7s 8c, blinds 120/240, five of us are left. Action folds to me and I decide to try a steal. BB is playing 7 sessions. I bet 2 BB (480), BT folds, SB calls, and BB folds. Oh well, lets see what the flop brings. Flop As Jd 4h. I take a weak stab at the pot betting a mere 240 into the 1200 pot and SB raises me all-in w/1140 chips. I have to fold and am down to 2,320 chips.
Hand 44 after I'm back. I'm BB w/pocket 3's (3d 3s). Action folds to the BTN who opens with 2 BB bet (480). He also is playing 7 sessions. SB folds, and in spite of my better sense I decide to go all-in against him. He calls and shows As 8s, two over cards. If I get lucky I'll have a nice double-up. Flop Ad Qh 6s. Not a nice flop for me. Can I hit a set? Turn 6h. River Kh. I'm done and outta there in 5th place.
The long and the short of it is, I didn't have to finish this badly. I'd gotten my chip count up to an amount that would keep in the game and with some patience and good play there was a good chance I'd have been able to finish in the money.
Since the 1st set of hands aren't here (I suppose they are in PT but I'm not going to look back there now) I won't have much detail on them. Well I changed my mind and did look up the hands I wanted to write about before the disconnect after all. :-)
Hand 13 I had my 1st large loss. I had Ac Kd, was SB. Action folded to the HJ who limped in w/40, the CO who was short stack raised all-in w/575 chips, I & BB called, HJ folded. BB showed pocket 8's (8c 8s), CO had Ad 6c. Flop 2d 4c Qh. Turn 5s. River 3c. CO hits a straight and wins. He ONLY NEEDED FOUR of the FIVE board cards for that to happen. I'm out 575 chips.
Hand 22. I have pocket Q's (Qs Qd), am SB. Action folds to CO who opens w/3 BB (150) bet; he is playing 16 sessions. BTN folds, I call & BB folds. Flop 4d 5c Jh. CO bets the pot of 350. Darn. If he's playing 16 sessions it seems likely he has something better than my Q's. I think about it awhile and am really reluctant to give up my Q's so I decide to raise all-in w/my last 765 chips and hold my breath. CO calls and shows Qc Jc. Hmm, he only has paired his J. What kind of range is he opening/calling with??? Playing 16 sessions I would not have expected QJs to be one of them. Well, at this point I'm ahead. Turn 7h. River 8d. I win!!! I now have 1880 chips.
Somewhere around here the disconnect took place.
Hand 10 after back. I'm BB w/Jc 3h. UTG+1 limps in w/160 chips, BT calls, SB, who is short stack raises all-in w/220 chips, all call. Flop 5c Jh 9d. I have top pair. We all check. Turn 10s. We all check again. River 5d. Once more time we check around. UTG+1 has As 8c, BTN has pocket 8's (8d 8h), SB has Kd 4d. Lo & behold I win with my paired J!!! I have 2110 chips.
Hand 21 after back. I'm UTG w/Ac 8c, blinds are 100/200. I limp in w/200 bet, CO calls, rest fold to the BB who checks. Flop 8d Jc 2h. I pair my 8. BB checks & I bet 400 into the 700 pot, CO calls & BB folds. Turn 9c. I now have a flush draw. I decide just to check this time and CO bets 650 into the 1500 pot. I debate a bit and decide to call and see what happens. River 2d. No flush for me and board has paired. I check again and to my surprise the CO checks as well. He shows pocket 7's (7h 7d). My paired 8 wins!!!! I now have 3240 chips and things are looking up!!
Hand 37 after back. I'm CO w/7s 8c, blinds 120/240, five of us are left. Action folds to me and I decide to try a steal. BB is playing 7 sessions. I bet 2 BB (480), BT folds, SB calls, and BB folds. Oh well, lets see what the flop brings. Flop As Jd 4h. I take a weak stab at the pot betting a mere 240 into the 1200 pot and SB raises me all-in w/1140 chips. I have to fold and am down to 2,320 chips.
Hand 44 after I'm back. I'm BB w/pocket 3's (3d 3s). Action folds to the BTN who opens with 2 BB bet (480). He also is playing 7 sessions. SB folds, and in spite of my better sense I decide to go all-in against him. He calls and shows As 8s, two over cards. If I get lucky I'll have a nice double-up. Flop Ad Qh 6s. Not a nice flop for me. Can I hit a set? Turn 6h. River Kh. I'm done and outta there in 5th place.
The long and the short of it is, I didn't have to finish this badly. I'd gotten my chip count up to an amount that would keep in the game and with some patience and good play there was a good chance I'd have been able to finish in the money.
18 SNG $8 + .80 Tier One End 13 41 hands
One more time a straight draw does me in, though I wasn't starting w/the best cards. This seems to be a fairly tight group. After 48 hands, excluding low of 260 who was in the 1000's not that long ago, 11 is 1240 and 1st 4410. There is not a lot of space between players.
Hand 2. I got off to a nice start here. I'm CO w/Ks Qc, action folds to me and I bet 3 BB (90), BTN folds, SB & BB call. Flop 7d 9d 3h. Misses me completely. We all check. Turn Kh. Well my K has paired. SB & BB check to me and I bet 135 into the 270 pot. Both call. River 5d. Possible flush out there. SB & BB check and I decide to do the same. SB shows pocket 4's & BB Kd Jh. I win the 675 pot.
Hand 10 I try an unsuccessful blind steal. I have 7c 6h as the BTN. Action folds to me and I bet 3 BB (120), SB folds & BB calls. Flop 10h Qc 10s. BB checks and I decide to take a shot at the pot and bet 140 into the 260 pot. BB raises me to 280 and I fold. Check raised. I take a small hit there.
Hand 31, six players at the table, I'm the BTN w/pocket A's (Ac Ad). Acton folds to me and I bet 3 BB (180), no callers from SB & BB.
Hand 36. I'm SB w/Jh 6d. Action folds to me and I bet 2 BB (160), BB calls. Flop 10s 5h 5d. I limp bet 80 into the 320 pot and BB raises me to 240. I fold and am down to 955 chips.
Hand 41. I'm BB w/Qh 3s, 875 chips. Action folds to CO who limps in, BTN & SB fold, I check. Flop 9s 10c Qc. I have top pair with a weak kicker and the board shows a possible straight & flush draw. I bet 120 into the 200 pot, CO raises all-in w/1235 chips, and I decide to call. CO shows Jh 10h. Has paired his 10 and has an open ended straight draw. Turn 8s. They hit and I'm drawing dead. River 8d.
Not much more to say. I played poorly toward the end.
Hand 2. I got off to a nice start here. I'm CO w/Ks Qc, action folds to me and I bet 3 BB (90), BTN folds, SB & BB call. Flop 7d 9d 3h. Misses me completely. We all check. Turn Kh. Well my K has paired. SB & BB check to me and I bet 135 into the 270 pot. Both call. River 5d. Possible flush out there. SB & BB check and I decide to do the same. SB shows pocket 4's & BB Kd Jh. I win the 675 pot.
Hand 10 I try an unsuccessful blind steal. I have 7c 6h as the BTN. Action folds to me and I bet 3 BB (120), SB folds & BB calls. Flop 10h Qc 10s. BB checks and I decide to take a shot at the pot and bet 140 into the 260 pot. BB raises me to 280 and I fold. Check raised. I take a small hit there.
Hand 31, six players at the table, I'm the BTN w/pocket A's (Ac Ad). Acton folds to me and I bet 3 BB (180), no callers from SB & BB.
Hand 36. I'm SB w/Jh 6d. Action folds to me and I bet 2 BB (160), BB calls. Flop 10s 5h 5d. I limp bet 80 into the 320 pot and BB raises me to 240. I fold and am down to 955 chips.
Hand 41. I'm BB w/Qh 3s, 875 chips. Action folds to CO who limps in, BTN & SB fold, I check. Flop 9s 10c Qc. I have top pair with a weak kicker and the board shows a possible straight & flush draw. I bet 120 into the 200 pot, CO raises all-in w/1235 chips, and I decide to call. CO shows Jh 10h. Has paired his 10 and has an open ended straight draw. Turn 8s. They hit and I'm drawing dead. River 8d.
Not much more to say. I played poorly toward the end.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tucson Open $24 + $2 5 players End 3rd 72 hands
With five players, three places pay, but 3rd place only pays $24. This was the last of my $26T.
Mixed play. I mainly ended up 3rd because when we were down to four players two players got into an all-in battle and after it was over, one was gone. My high pocket pairs did not fair well tonight as you'll see.
Hand 11. I'm CO w/pocket Q's (Qc Qh). UTG opens w/30, I raise to 90, BB & UTG call. Flop 2s 4s 5d. Interesting. No help to me and unknown what it may do for the other two. BB and UTG check, I make a modest raise of 105 into the 285 pot. BB folds but UTG calls. Maybe I should have bet higher. Turn Ac. Not good at all and I suspect UTG may indeed have an Ace. UTG checks and I do the same. River Ad. Grrr. Not looking good at all. UTG bets the pot (495) and though I'd like to check them out it's still pretty early in this tournament and I fold.
Hand 13. I'm BB w/7c 5d. BTN limps in, SB calls and I check. Flop 6c 8s 4s. BINGO, I hit the straight and likely it's not obvious. SB checks, I bet the pot (90), BTN & SB call. So far so good. Turn Ah. That could be helpful if one of them has an Ace! SB checks and I bet 195 into the 360 pot. BTN calls and SB folds. River 2s. That might be helpful too if they were going on a low straight draw and hit. Anyway I bet 360 into the 750 point, hoping for a call but the BTN folds. I pick up 750 chips and now have 3120, 120 more than at the start.
Hand 14 I wasn't involved in with but hurt one of the players when pocket 2's hit a set on the flop and the other player paired his K. Flop was 2s Ks 10d. Turn Qd. The paired K player bet 300 into the 660 pot and the 2's set raised to 1200. I don't know why the paired K's called that raise. The board showed possible flush draws, as well as a possible straight. River 5s. Now a spade flush looks even more likely. The paired K player went all-in with their 1440 chips which would put the 2's set who had 780 chips all-in. That might have been a last ditch effort by the paired K player to try and get the other player off his hand but it didn't work and he was down to 660 chips.
I didn't mention that the paired K player had Kh Jc, so when the Turn was a Q he did have an open ended straight draw on the River. Still I felt he over bet/called his hand.
Hand 21. Paired K player in previous hand is SB w/650 chips, BTN bets 3 BB (120) and SB calls, BB folds. Flop Ad 3s 5s. SB & BTN check. Turn 10c. SB goes all-in w/520 chips and BTN calls. I'm sure to the dismay of the SB, the BTN shows As Kh having paired his Ace on the flop. River 4s and we are down to four players.
Hand 35. I'm BB w/2740 chips and pocket J's (Jh Jc), SB limps in w/40 and I raise to 120, they call. Flop 5c Kd Kc. Not a nice flop for my J's. SB checks & since I'm not sure if they are trying a check raise, I check too. Turn 10c. I didn't notice this at the time, but I see the board now shows a club flush possibility. SB checks again and I make a modest bet of 100 into the 240 pot and SB folds. Looks like they didn't have quad K's or a flush. :-) I pick up a small 240 pot.
Hand 36 I give a few back. I'm SB w/As 10s. Action folds to me and I bet 3 BB (150) and BB calls. Flop 8d 8s 2d. Not much help to me. I decide to test the waters and bet 150 into the 300 pot, BB calls. Turn 6h. Nothing changes for me and since BB called my bet last time I just check. BB bets 300 into the 600 pot and it looks like a good time for me to fold and I do.
Hand 57 almost gets us down to three players. UTG limps in w/60, I fold, SB calls, & BB checks. Flop 9h 8c Ac. All three check. Turn 9s, board pairs. SB & BB check, UTG bets the pot (180), SB calls, BB folds. River Kd. SB bets 180 into the 540 pot, UTG raises to 360, SB reraises to 720, UTG reraises to 1080, SB then jumps all-in w/4090 chips, which puts UTG all-in who calls. What might they have???? FH? SB shows 9d 7s having trip 9's. UTG shows 9c Ad, and indeed has a FH. SB is down to 445 chips.
Hand 59 was interesting and I thought I was dead right here. I'm BB, have 1850 chips w/pocket A's (Ah As). UTG & BTN fold, SB opens w/3 BB bet (180) and I just call. I'm hoping for the kind of flop where I may be able get some decent chips as SB has 7,590 and could nicely double me up, with not too much damage to themselves. Flop 8d 3d Ad. Shoot. I have hit my set BUT there's a possible diamond flush out there; at least I'm only against one other player. SB bets the pot (360), and though I cringe, I decide to gamble they don't have a flush yet and go all-in; if they do, maybe the board will pair and I'll get a FH. Maybe they'll fold, but no they call, showing pocket 2's (2d 2c). Weaker cards than I expected but they do have a flush draw! Turn 6d. Rats. So much for my pocket's A's!!!! and it looks like I'm heading into 4th place again this week. Turn 4d. Oh great, another diamond I think, and then a surprise CHIPS COME MY WAY. What's happening??? I didn't win, but I CHOPPED!!! That last diamond did it!! Since the SB only had the 2d, the board had high flush with the 3d. Whoopeee!!! I'm still in.
Next hand, hand 60, CO folds, BTN goes all-in w/7,770 chips, as SB I fold, and short stack BB w/ 475 chips calls. BB shows 8d 6s, BTN shows pocket J's (Jc Jh). I imagine BB was just hoping for two good cards. The board played out in a sort of a cruel way. Flop 7c Jd 9d. BTN hits their set and BB has an open ended straight draw. Turn 8h. River 6c, giving BB two pair but not good enough to beat the J set. We are down to three and all in the money. I have 1880 chips, middle stack has 4785, and big stack has 8335. I need more chips.
Hand 69 I take a hit. I'm BB w/1380 chips and As 9s. BTN bets 3 BB (240), SB & I call. Flop Ac 6d 10c. I pair my Ace, but no nut flush. We all check. Turn 7h. One more time we all check. I'm not sure what would have happened if I had bet into it, but with my modest kicker I opted not to. I do have a gutshot straight draw now. River Js. Nothing obvious showing. SB & I check, BTN bets 480 into the 720 pot. I decide to call. BTN shows Kc Qh, having hit a straight. That will be the mantra for my demise later. I'm down to 740 chips.
Hand 72. I'm BB w/620 chips and Qh 6d. BTN bets 3 BB (240), SB folds, and I decide to go all-in and hope for two good cards and that the BTN was just trying to steal with poor cards. BTN calls and shows 10d 9h. I have one over card. Flop Qd Ks 4c. I pair my Q. BTN has a gutshot straight draw; pairing his 10 or 9 won't help him. Turn Js. He hits his straight and I'm drawing dead. River 9s. I take 3rd place.
Mixed play. I mainly ended up 3rd because when we were down to four players two players got into an all-in battle and after it was over, one was gone. My high pocket pairs did not fair well tonight as you'll see.
Hand 11. I'm CO w/pocket Q's (Qc Qh). UTG opens w/30, I raise to 90, BB & UTG call. Flop 2s 4s 5d. Interesting. No help to me and unknown what it may do for the other two. BB and UTG check, I make a modest raise of 105 into the 285 pot. BB folds but UTG calls. Maybe I should have bet higher. Turn Ac. Not good at all and I suspect UTG may indeed have an Ace. UTG checks and I do the same. River Ad. Grrr. Not looking good at all. UTG bets the pot (495) and though I'd like to check them out it's still pretty early in this tournament and I fold.
Hand 13. I'm BB w/7c 5d. BTN limps in, SB calls and I check. Flop 6c 8s 4s. BINGO, I hit the straight and likely it's not obvious. SB checks, I bet the pot (90), BTN & SB call. So far so good. Turn Ah. That could be helpful if one of them has an Ace! SB checks and I bet 195 into the 360 pot. BTN calls and SB folds. River 2s. That might be helpful too if they were going on a low straight draw and hit. Anyway I bet 360 into the 750 point, hoping for a call but the BTN folds. I pick up 750 chips and now have 3120, 120 more than at the start.
Hand 14 I wasn't involved in with but hurt one of the players when pocket 2's hit a set on the flop and the other player paired his K. Flop was 2s Ks 10d. Turn Qd. The paired K player bet 300 into the 660 pot and the 2's set raised to 1200. I don't know why the paired K's called that raise. The board showed possible flush draws, as well as a possible straight. River 5s. Now a spade flush looks even more likely. The paired K player went all-in with their 1440 chips which would put the 2's set who had 780 chips all-in. That might have been a last ditch effort by the paired K player to try and get the other player off his hand but it didn't work and he was down to 660 chips.
I didn't mention that the paired K player had Kh Jc, so when the Turn was a Q he did have an open ended straight draw on the River. Still I felt he over bet/called his hand.
Hand 21. Paired K player in previous hand is SB w/650 chips, BTN bets 3 BB (120) and SB calls, BB folds. Flop Ad 3s 5s. SB & BTN check. Turn 10c. SB goes all-in w/520 chips and BTN calls. I'm sure to the dismay of the SB, the BTN shows As Kh having paired his Ace on the flop. River 4s and we are down to four players.
Hand 35. I'm BB w/2740 chips and pocket J's (Jh Jc), SB limps in w/40 and I raise to 120, they call. Flop 5c Kd Kc. Not a nice flop for my J's. SB checks & since I'm not sure if they are trying a check raise, I check too. Turn 10c. I didn't notice this at the time, but I see the board now shows a club flush possibility. SB checks again and I make a modest bet of 100 into the 240 pot and SB folds. Looks like they didn't have quad K's or a flush. :-) I pick up a small 240 pot.
Hand 36 I give a few back. I'm SB w/As 10s. Action folds to me and I bet 3 BB (150) and BB calls. Flop 8d 8s 2d. Not much help to me. I decide to test the waters and bet 150 into the 300 pot, BB calls. Turn 6h. Nothing changes for me and since BB called my bet last time I just check. BB bets 300 into the 600 pot and it looks like a good time for me to fold and I do.
Hand 57 almost gets us down to three players. UTG limps in w/60, I fold, SB calls, & BB checks. Flop 9h 8c Ac. All three check. Turn 9s, board pairs. SB & BB check, UTG bets the pot (180), SB calls, BB folds. River Kd. SB bets 180 into the 540 pot, UTG raises to 360, SB reraises to 720, UTG reraises to 1080, SB then jumps all-in w/4090 chips, which puts UTG all-in who calls. What might they have???? FH? SB shows 9d 7s having trip 9's. UTG shows 9c Ad, and indeed has a FH. SB is down to 445 chips.
Hand 59 was interesting and I thought I was dead right here. I'm BB, have 1850 chips w/pocket A's (Ah As). UTG & BTN fold, SB opens w/3 BB bet (180) and I just call. I'm hoping for the kind of flop where I may be able get some decent chips as SB has 7,590 and could nicely double me up, with not too much damage to themselves. Flop 8d 3d Ad. Shoot. I have hit my set BUT there's a possible diamond flush out there; at least I'm only against one other player. SB bets the pot (360), and though I cringe, I decide to gamble they don't have a flush yet and go all-in; if they do, maybe the board will pair and I'll get a FH. Maybe they'll fold, but no they call, showing pocket 2's (2d 2c). Weaker cards than I expected but they do have a flush draw! Turn 6d. Rats. So much for my pocket's A's!!!! and it looks like I'm heading into 4th place again this week. Turn 4d. Oh great, another diamond I think, and then a surprise CHIPS COME MY WAY. What's happening??? I didn't win, but I CHOPPED!!! That last diamond did it!! Since the SB only had the 2d, the board had high flush with the 3d. Whoopeee!!! I'm still in.
Next hand, hand 60, CO folds, BTN goes all-in w/7,770 chips, as SB I fold, and short stack BB w/ 475 chips calls. BB shows 8d 6s, BTN shows pocket J's (Jc Jh). I imagine BB was just hoping for two good cards. The board played out in a sort of a cruel way. Flop 7c Jd 9d. BTN hits their set and BB has an open ended straight draw. Turn 8h. River 6c, giving BB two pair but not good enough to beat the J set. We are down to three and all in the money. I have 1880 chips, middle stack has 4785, and big stack has 8335. I need more chips.
Hand 69 I take a hit. I'm BB w/1380 chips and As 9s. BTN bets 3 BB (240), SB & I call. Flop Ac 6d 10c. I pair my Ace, but no nut flush. We all check. Turn 7h. One more time we all check. I'm not sure what would have happened if I had bet into it, but with my modest kicker I opted not to. I do have a gutshot straight draw now. River Js. Nothing obvious showing. SB & I check, BTN bets 480 into the 720 pot. I decide to call. BTN shows Kc Qh, having hit a straight. That will be the mantra for my demise later. I'm down to 740 chips.
Hand 72. I'm BB w/620 chips and Qh 6d. BTN bets 3 BB (240), SB folds, and I decide to go all-in and hope for two good cards and that the BTN was just trying to steal with poor cards. BTN calls and shows 10d 9h. I have one over card. Flop Qd Ks 4c. I pair my Q. BTN has a gutshot straight draw; pairing his 10 or 9 won't help him. Turn Js. He hits his straight and I'm drawing dead. River 9s. I take 3rd place.
2 HU $2 + .15 End 2nd 11 hands
I started out well and then make a poor call to an all-in and on the last hand repeated the same mistake.
Hand 2. I'm BB w/Jc 8s, have 1830 chips. SB bets 40 and I call. Flop Js 2c 9d. I have top pair and bet 50 into the 80 pot, SB calls. Turn 5d. I bet 100 into the 180 pot and again SB calls. River Qs. 1st over card to my pair, so I bet less ,110, into the 380 pot, SB calls showing pocket 6's. I win and have 2150 chips to their 850. I'm feeling confident and over the next two hands, with aggressive betting, but needing to fold instead and in the end I'm back to 1840.
Hand 5. I'm SB w/Qh 10s and open w/a 3 BB bet (60) and BB raises to 100, I call. Flop 9s Ks 8d. I have a gutshot straight draw. BB bets 20, I call. Turn 10d. I pair my 10. BB bets 20 into the 240 and I decide to raise to 120 since he's betting so weak, he reraises me to 220. This told me something but I didn't listen. I was still feeling CONFIDENT and raise. River 6c. BB goes all-in, and hook, line, and sinker I call, in spite of hitting no more then a pair of 10's. BB shows Kh 10h, two pair and I'm down to 680 chips. I knew better than to make that call and now I'm on a bit of tilt due to my poor play.
Hand 7. I have 620 chips, am SB w/Js 8s. I open w/a 3 BB bet (60), BB calls. Flop 4d 7s 4h. No help to me. BB bets 20, I call. Turn 6s. I do have a flush draw. BB bets 160 and I call. I have no good reason for making that call but decided to gamble on a flush draw, that if it happens MIGHT be good. River 7h. No flush, board is double paired. BB bets 480 I fold and am down to 380 chips.
Hand 11. I have 600 chips, I'm SB w/2s 10c. I bet 2 BB(60) & BB calls. Flop 4d 5c 3s. I have an open ended straight draw. BB bets 60, I call. Turn 2h. BB bets 30 I call. River 10h. I pair my 10, have 2 pair, but no straight. BB goes all-in and since it's getting close to the Tucson Open I decide to call anyway. BB has the straight and it's over.
Hand 2. I'm BB w/Jc 8s, have 1830 chips. SB bets 40 and I call. Flop Js 2c 9d. I have top pair and bet 50 into the 80 pot, SB calls. Turn 5d. I bet 100 into the 180 pot and again SB calls. River Qs. 1st over card to my pair, so I bet less ,110, into the 380 pot, SB calls showing pocket 6's. I win and have 2150 chips to their 850. I'm feeling confident and over the next two hands, with aggressive betting, but needing to fold instead and in the end I'm back to 1840.
Hand 5. I'm SB w/Qh 10s and open w/a 3 BB bet (60) and BB raises to 100, I call. Flop 9s Ks 8d. I have a gutshot straight draw. BB bets 20, I call. Turn 10d. I pair my 10. BB bets 20 into the 240 and I decide to raise to 120 since he's betting so weak, he reraises me to 220. This told me something but I didn't listen. I was still feeling CONFIDENT and raise. River 6c. BB goes all-in, and hook, line, and sinker I call, in spite of hitting no more then a pair of 10's. BB shows Kh 10h, two pair and I'm down to 680 chips. I knew better than to make that call and now I'm on a bit of tilt due to my poor play.
Hand 7. I have 620 chips, am SB w/Js 8s. I open w/a 3 BB bet (60), BB calls. Flop 4d 7s 4h. No help to me. BB bets 20, I call. Turn 6s. I do have a flush draw. BB bets 160 and I call. I have no good reason for making that call but decided to gamble on a flush draw, that if it happens MIGHT be good. River 7h. No flush, board is double paired. BB bets 480 I fold and am down to 380 chips.
Hand 11. I have 600 chips, I'm SB w/2s 10c. I bet 2 BB(60) & BB calls. Flop 4d 5c 3s. I have an open ended straight draw. BB bets 60, I call. Turn 2h. BB bets 30 I call. River 10h. I pair my 10, have 2 pair, but no straight. BB goes all-in and since it's getting close to the Tucson Open I decide to call anyway. BB has the straight and it's over.
Rush 9 player 05/.10 303 Hands Down $24.04 Blinds ate $4.85 Rake $3.06
Nor a good Rush session overall though most of the loses came in two hands. None of my big pocket pairs were able to do anything as players folded with only a small .20 bet and/or overcards to my pocket pairs showed. So much for making back the $5.50 in the SNG I played earlier and didn't money in.
Hand 27. I have $12.17, pocket J's (Js Jh), UTG. I open w/a .20 bet. Only player to call is MP2 w/$27.01. Flop 6d 8d 2h. Not a scary one for me. I bet .55 into the .52 pot and MP2 raises me to $1.10. I should have been a bit more suspicious here than I was and I called. I didn't think about him actually having something that might beat me at this point but rather thought he might be on a flush draw BUT if I really think about it, why raise me on a draw??? No good reason to. But this all comes in hindsight. Turn 10s. Still nothing scary to me. I decide to just check and MP2 bets $1.65 into the $2.57 pot. Again I don't give it too much thought and call. River 10d, Now that is a bit scary as the board is now paired plus has flush possibilities! I check again and this time MP2 goes all-in with $24.26. I really wish he hadn't done that, but I call anyway hoping somehow I might be able to win but really expecting all my $$$ to be gone. I was correct. MP2 shows pocket 6's. He'd hit his set on the flop. :-/ I didn't!! :-/ To continue I replenish with another $10.
Hand 56 I get one of my small wins. I have $9.97, am SB w/Ah Kd. Action folds to me and I bet .20 to the BB who has $3.90. BB raises all-in and I call. They have Ac Qc, I have the over card. Flop 3h As 9c. Turn Ad. River 2c. I win and now have $13.44, getting back a bit of my 1st $10 I lost.
Hand 88. This shows how my Rush session seemed to all often go tonight. I have $9.01, UTG w/pocket K's (Kc Ks). I limp in w/a .20 bet, only MP1 w/$26.40 calls. Looks like a chance to double up. Flop Ac 2s 4s. Rats, I did not want to see an Ace. I bet .25 into the .52 pot, MP1 calls. Hmm, does he have an Ace or not? Turn Qh. I check and MP1 bets .60 into the .98 pot and I feel I have to call. River 9h. I check again and MP1 also checks and shows As Jh. Indeed he had the Ace and my pocket K's get me nothing. :-/
Hand 111. I'm SB w/Qc 9h, $5.91. UTG w/$10.45 bets .20, all fold me to me and I call and BB w/$5.15 calls. Flop 7c 8c 6d. I have an open ended straight draw, maybe I pick up some $$$ here. I bet .25 into the .52 pot, BB calls, and UTG goes all in w/their $10.46. Pooh. I'm assuming they have at least the same options as me and may already have hit the straight, but since I'm looking for a staright 10 or 9 high I decide to call, expecting the worse that might happen (assuming I hit the straight) will be a chop, BB calls as well.
Well what UTG had was a big surprise .... As 8d, they've only paired the 8, BUT the killer is the BB who has 9s 10h ... they've hit the straight 10 high. :-/ Is there any hope for me? Well, sure, BUT will it materialize? Turn 7h. River Js. It did not and I'm down another $10. I decide to reload one last time.
Hand 127 I picked up a few $$$. I'm the BTN w/Kh 10d, $8.01.Action folds to MP2 w/$3.90 who bets .10, HJ w/$10.67 raises to .40, and for reasons I'm not sure of now I decide to call, SB, BB, & MP2 fold. Flop .10c 9c Kd. I have two pair. HJ bets .50 into the .98 pot and I raise to $1, HJ calls. Turn 9s. Board has paired but I still have top two pair. HJ checks and I bet $1.60 into the $2.85 pot. HJ calls. Does he have me beat? River As. Not a card I want to see. If HJ has an Ace he would now have the best two pair. Again he checks and I decide to play it save and check as well. HJ shows Ks Qh and I win, getting .85 over my last $10 reload.
Hand 128 I added a few more $$$. I'm HJ w/$10.85, As Js. UTG w/$6.93 bets .10, UTG+1 w/$17.12 calls, MP1 & MP2 fold, I call, CO, BTN, & SB fold and BB checks. Flop Jh 3c 9h. I have top pair. All check to me and I bet .25 into the .42 pot, BB folds, UTG & UTG+1 call. Turn 10c. Not a good card to see as a straight is possible. Again it's checked to me and I bet .75 into the $1.12 pot. Both call again. Do they have something? or are they on a draw? River 8c. Great, even better chance for a straight and now a club flush is possible. :-/ Again both check to me. Either they have nothing, or know I've been betting, they might be trying to check raise me, so I decide to take the safe out and check as well. They show Ah 3h and Ad 10d. I win. I now have $12.77. Maybe I could have squeezed a bit more out of those two players, but after being down $20 I wasn't anxious to drop another $10.
Hand 255 I took another small loss. I'm HJ w/Ad 5d and $11,88. UTG s/$6.81 bets .10, rest fold to me and I raise to .20, CO w/$10.03 calls & UTG calls. Flop 9d 3s 10d. Nice possible nut flush draw for me. UTG checks and I bet .40 into the .70 pot. The CO raises me to .80, UTG folds and I call. Jh, no flush for me yet and a straight now looks possible. I check and the CO bets $2.35. Phooey. I don't want to bet that much, but if I hit my nut flush draw I would be able to go all-in and pick up a nice pot, so I call. Turn 6h. Nut flush eludes me. :-/ I check and CO goes all in w/$6.88 which is what I wanted to do BUT since I have nada I fold. I now have $8.53.
Nothing much else happened the rest of the way to hand 303 and it was certainly well past time for me to quit Rush.
Hand 27. I have $12.17, pocket J's (Js Jh), UTG. I open w/a .20 bet. Only player to call is MP2 w/$27.01. Flop 6d 8d 2h. Not a scary one for me. I bet .55 into the .52 pot and MP2 raises me to $1.10. I should have been a bit more suspicious here than I was and I called. I didn't think about him actually having something that might beat me at this point but rather thought he might be on a flush draw BUT if I really think about it, why raise me on a draw??? No good reason to. But this all comes in hindsight. Turn 10s. Still nothing scary to me. I decide to just check and MP2 bets $1.65 into the $2.57 pot. Again I don't give it too much thought and call. River 10d, Now that is a bit scary as the board is now paired plus has flush possibilities! I check again and this time MP2 goes all-in with $24.26. I really wish he hadn't done that, but I call anyway hoping somehow I might be able to win but really expecting all my $$$ to be gone. I was correct. MP2 shows pocket 6's. He'd hit his set on the flop. :-/ I didn't!! :-/ To continue I replenish with another $10.
Hand 56 I get one of my small wins. I have $9.97, am SB w/Ah Kd. Action folds to me and I bet .20 to the BB who has $3.90. BB raises all-in and I call. They have Ac Qc, I have the over card. Flop 3h As 9c. Turn Ad. River 2c. I win and now have $13.44, getting back a bit of my 1st $10 I lost.
Hand 88. This shows how my Rush session seemed to all often go tonight. I have $9.01, UTG w/pocket K's (Kc Ks). I limp in w/a .20 bet, only MP1 w/$26.40 calls. Looks like a chance to double up. Flop Ac 2s 4s. Rats, I did not want to see an Ace. I bet .25 into the .52 pot, MP1 calls. Hmm, does he have an Ace or not? Turn Qh. I check and MP1 bets .60 into the .98 pot and I feel I have to call. River 9h. I check again and MP1 also checks and shows As Jh. Indeed he had the Ace and my pocket K's get me nothing. :-/
Hand 111. I'm SB w/Qc 9h, $5.91. UTG w/$10.45 bets .20, all fold me to me and I call and BB w/$5.15 calls. Flop 7c 8c 6d. I have an open ended straight draw, maybe I pick up some $$$ here. I bet .25 into the .52 pot, BB calls, and UTG goes all in w/their $10.46. Pooh. I'm assuming they have at least the same options as me and may already have hit the straight, but since I'm looking for a staright 10 or 9 high I decide to call, expecting the worse that might happen (assuming I hit the straight) will be a chop, BB calls as well.
Well what UTG had was a big surprise .... As 8d, they've only paired the 8, BUT the killer is the BB who has 9s 10h ... they've hit the straight 10 high. :-/ Is there any hope for me? Well, sure, BUT will it materialize? Turn 7h. River Js. It did not and I'm down another $10. I decide to reload one last time.
Hand 127 I picked up a few $$$. I'm the BTN w/Kh 10d, $8.01.Action folds to MP2 w/$3.90 who bets .10, HJ w/$10.67 raises to .40, and for reasons I'm not sure of now I decide to call, SB, BB, & MP2 fold. Flop .10c 9c Kd. I have two pair. HJ bets .50 into the .98 pot and I raise to $1, HJ calls. Turn 9s. Board has paired but I still have top two pair. HJ checks and I bet $1.60 into the $2.85 pot. HJ calls. Does he have me beat? River As. Not a card I want to see. If HJ has an Ace he would now have the best two pair. Again he checks and I decide to play it save and check as well. HJ shows Ks Qh and I win, getting .85 over my last $10 reload.
Hand 128 I added a few more $$$. I'm HJ w/$10.85, As Js. UTG w/$6.93 bets .10, UTG+1 w/$17.12 calls, MP1 & MP2 fold, I call, CO, BTN, & SB fold and BB checks. Flop Jh 3c 9h. I have top pair. All check to me and I bet .25 into the .42 pot, BB folds, UTG & UTG+1 call. Turn 10c. Not a good card to see as a straight is possible. Again it's checked to me and I bet .75 into the $1.12 pot. Both call again. Do they have something? or are they on a draw? River 8c. Great, even better chance for a straight and now a club flush is possible. :-/ Again both check to me. Either they have nothing, or know I've been betting, they might be trying to check raise me, so I decide to take the safe out and check as well. They show Ah 3h and Ad 10d. I win. I now have $12.77. Maybe I could have squeezed a bit more out of those two players, but after being down $20 I wasn't anxious to drop another $10.
Hand 255 I took another small loss. I'm HJ w/Ad 5d and $11,88. UTG s/$6.81 bets .10, rest fold to me and I raise to .20, CO w/$10.03 calls & UTG calls. Flop 9d 3s 10d. Nice possible nut flush draw for me. UTG checks and I bet .40 into the .70 pot. The CO raises me to .80, UTG folds and I call. Jh, no flush for me yet and a straight now looks possible. I check and the CO bets $2.35. Phooey. I don't want to bet that much, but if I hit my nut flush draw I would be able to go all-in and pick up a nice pot, so I call. Turn 6h. Nut flush eludes me. :-/ I check and CO goes all in w/$6.88 which is what I wanted to do BUT since I have nada I fold. I now have $8.53.
Nothing much else happened the rest of the way to hand 303 and it was certainly well past time for me to quit Rush.
9 SNG $5 + .50 End 6th 41 hands
Session was going ok until my pocket J's hit trip 9's on the flop and it was all over. I was probably too aggressive at the end when I should have backed off when I pot raised a check and was reraised twice my bet. I certainly would have been hurt chip wise at that point but still in the session.
Hand 41. Six players. I'm the button w/pocket J's (Jc Jd). HJ limps in with 120, CO folds and I raise to 3 BB (360), SB & BB fold, HJ calls. Flop 9c 9d 4h. Well, my pocket J's are best and after the HJ checks, I decide I'll bet big and bet the pot (900). If he folds adding 900 chips to my stack would be nice and if he wants to go further he'll have to pay. Instead of folding he check-raises my 900 to 1800. Ugh. At that point I really need to stop and say, OK what might he have, but I didn't do that. Instead after a little bit of thought, I say, OK buddy, it'll cost you 850 more!! HJ calls & shows 9h 10h. Now all I can do is hope!! Turn 3c. River 10s. HJ now has a FH. A bit of overkill and I'm outta there.
I could have bet stronger pre-flop and maybe I'd have picked up the 300 chips in the pot at that time, but I'm not sure how much higher I would have needed to bet to make that happen and I was really hoping to make more with my pocket J's if no higher cards showed up on the flop, which is what happened, but unfortunately hit one of the HJ's cards.
I also wonder if I had bet 2/3 of the pot (600) post-flop instead of the pot if that might have made a difference in how I would have responded to his reraise if that was what he did. O course if he just called me and with the Turn only a 3c I likely would have bet into the pot again as from my point of view I still look like I have the best hand. And if I still had chips left at the River with a 10s showing up I'm sure I'd have put the rest of them in and still end up where I did much earlier. :-)
Prior to that play I felt I was playing well, stealing some blinds and raising bets to my BB that got them to fold.
Hand 41. Six players. I'm the button w/pocket J's (Jc Jd). HJ limps in with 120, CO folds and I raise to 3 BB (360), SB & BB fold, HJ calls. Flop 9c 9d 4h. Well, my pocket J's are best and after the HJ checks, I decide I'll bet big and bet the pot (900). If he folds adding 900 chips to my stack would be nice and if he wants to go further he'll have to pay. Instead of folding he check-raises my 900 to 1800. Ugh. At that point I really need to stop and say, OK what might he have, but I didn't do that. Instead after a little bit of thought, I say, OK buddy, it'll cost you 850 more!! HJ calls & shows 9h 10h. Now all I can do is hope!! Turn 3c. River 10s. HJ now has a FH. A bit of overkill and I'm outta there.
I could have bet stronger pre-flop and maybe I'd have picked up the 300 chips in the pot at that time, but I'm not sure how much higher I would have needed to bet to make that happen and I was really hoping to make more with my pocket J's if no higher cards showed up on the flop, which is what happened, but unfortunately hit one of the HJ's cards.
I also wonder if I had bet 2/3 of the pot (600) post-flop instead of the pot if that might have made a difference in how I would have responded to his reraise if that was what he did. O course if he just called me and with the Turn only a 3c I likely would have bet into the pot again as from my point of view I still look like I have the best hand. And if I still had chips left at the River with a 10s showing up I'm sure I'd have put the rest of them in and still end up where I did much earlier. :-)
Prior to that play I felt I was playing well, stealing some blinds and raising bets to my BB that got them to fold.
Monday, March 29, 2010
9 SNG $5 + .50 End 1st 113 Hands
Well maybe all those 5 FTP 300 chips sessions helped after all? Managed to make 1st in the 9 player SNG $5 which makes me happy. Nice to add some $$$ back to the bankroll. :-) It got a little shaky in HU, we started about even, I had a nice lead, then found myself on the other side again, but in the end made it to the top.
Hand 7 I had a nice early win. I'm BB w/pocket 4's (4c 4s). UTG bets 2 BB (60), UTG+1 calls, MP folds, HJ calls, CO, the BTN, & SB fold, I call. Flop Ah 3d 4h. I hit my set. I opt to check to see what folks will do, UTG bets 120 into the 255 pot, UTG+1 calls, HJ folds and I raise to 360. UTG & UTG+1 call. Turn 7c. If they have small cards they have a straight or a heart flush draw. I bet 900 into the 1335 pot putting me all-in, UTG folds and UTG+1 calls showing As 6s. They do have outs. River Ad. That was not one they really wanted. Yes they have trip Ace's but I have a FH and now have 3135 chips early in this session.
Hand 24. I'm SB w/pocket 7's (7h 7c). UTG and Short Stack opens all-in w/a 680 bet, all fold to HJ who calls, CO & BTN fold, I reluctantly call and BB folds. That was a pretty rich call for me and at best I'm hoping I'm not up against a bigger pair. I would probably have been better off just folding as I may need those 680 chips later and/or it would be nice to have them if I get another chance to double up. Flop 6s Js 4s. Phooey, easy flush possible now so even if I hit my set on the Turn or the River it might not be any good. I check and the HJ goes all-in w/their last 1375 chips. I, of course, fold. UTG shows pocket 4s and has hit a set, HJ shows Ah Jh pairing the J on the board. No flush there. Turn 10h. River 9d. UTG wins and now has 2100 chips only 385 behind me.
As an aside, UTG won w/pocket 4's that turned into a set. In hand 7 I had pocket 4's that turned into a set and beat him then. Turnabout is fair play?
Hand 28 I get a chance to get some of those chips back. Seven players left. I'm HJ w/Ah 9h. Action folds to me and I limp in w/80 chips, CO calls, BTN folds, SB calls, & BB checks. Flop Jd Ad 8h. That pairs my Ace. SB & BB check, I bet 160 into the 320 pot and CO raises all-in 860 chips, SB & BB fold. I think about it for a bit and decide to call. I at least have an Ace but not a very good kicker. I'm surprised when the CO shows Ks 5s. Looks like he was trying a bluff based on the flop which would have worked if I didn't have that Ace. Turn 8d. River 4c. I now have 3585 chips about a 1000 behind the chip leader who has 4580.
Hand 57 Four player left. We have been on the bubble since hand 49. I have pocket K's as SB, action folds to me and I bet 2 BB (320), unfortunately for me the BB folds. I'm big stack with 4015 chips, the others have 3350, 3210 and 2925 chips. Not a great difference between us and anyone could go from last to 1st on any given hand.
Hand 58 I get lucky. This time I'm on the BTN and have Kd 8d. UTG folds, I bet 2 BB (320), SB raises to 640 and BB folds. Its only 320 more chips so I decide to see what the flop may bring, maybe a diamond flush? Flop Ks Qd 2h. No flush but it could come runner, runner. I do get my K paired though I don't have a very strong kicker. SB bets 1360 into the 1440 pot. Hmm, I wonder what they may have. AK? I doubt they have a set but am puzzled by such a large bet. I opt to challenge the bet and see if they are really serious and I raise them to 2720 (twice their bet), leaving me only 655 chips if they call and/or win. It does put them all-in if they call. They do. Uh Oh am I on my way to hurting? They show Ah Qc. They have middle pair. They don't have me beat yet and if they cards fall nicely for me they won't! Turn Kc. Oh nice, I now have trip K's!!!
I didn't realize it at the time, so I sweated the River, but I can't lose now!!! River Qh. That caught me for a moment as it gives them trip Q's and a FH, Q's full of K's, but it was cruel to them as I had a FH too, K's full of Q's. Bubble has burst, I'm the chip leader w/7525 chips. The other two have 2890 and 2445 chips.
Hand 62 the other two players battled it out. I had Ah 9d on the BTN and opened w/a 2 BB bet (320), the SB raised to 1120 and the BB reraised all-in w/2810. I got outta the fight. SB had Ks Qc & BB Ac Kh. I'm not sure why the BB bet so strongly and the BB's all-in. Flop 3d Jc Kd. BB ahead. Turn 7d, no help to either. River Qh and SB with KQ beats the BB's AK.
We are now heads up and about even in chips. I have 6969 and the other player has 6535.
Hand 64. I'm the BT w/Ks 6c. I open w/a 2 BB bet (320), BB calls. Flop Jh 9s Qs. I have a gutshot straight draw and runner, runner flush draw. BB bets 400 into the 640 pot and I call. Turn 10c. I have the 2nd nut straight and am good as long he doesn't have AK. BB bets 1440. I'm assuming he likely has a straight and I'm hoping at worse we might chop. I decide to press him raise all-in with 6085 chips and he folds. Nice. Either he was bluffing or if had a straight maybe had it from the small side. I now have 8885 chips to his 4455. How do I get the rest of them?
Instead of my getting the rest of his chips, by hand 75 we are back to about even again. :-/ It gets worse and by hand 100 I'm down to 3465 chips to his 10,035 chips.
Hand 104. I'm SB w/Ad Jh and 4945 chips after I post the SB of 120. I bet 2 BB (480) and the BB raises me to 1200. Darn, I don't like that but I do have an Ace and a decent kicker so I decide to challenge him and reraise all-in w/5085 chips. If he's bluffing I'll pick up a few chips, if not, well the worse that can happen is I end up 2nd. He calls showing Kc Qd. Again weaker cards than I expected. We all have "good" cards. Flop 2c 4c 7c. No help to me but gives him a flush draw. Sweating time!! Turn Ah. That is nice to see, he can't out pair me now. One card to go. River 2s. Phew!! I win and have 10,130 chips to his 3370. We've reversed chip stack holdings.
Hand 113. I'm BB w/As 7s. SB bets 3 BB (720) and I call. Flop Ah 9h 6d. My Ace pairs but I have a weak kicker. I check and SB goes all-in w/their last 3010 chips. Well he could have an Ace with a better kicker than me but if he doesn't this could be it and if he does we'll be back near even again, so I call. He shows Jd 8c. One more time showing much weaker cards than I expected. Turn Jh paring his J. River 3c. I WIN!!!!
Nice to come in 1st in my 1st cash game in awhile!!
Hand 7 I had a nice early win. I'm BB w/pocket 4's (4c 4s). UTG bets 2 BB (60), UTG+1 calls, MP folds, HJ calls, CO, the BTN, & SB fold, I call. Flop Ah 3d 4h. I hit my set. I opt to check to see what folks will do, UTG bets 120 into the 255 pot, UTG+1 calls, HJ folds and I raise to 360. UTG & UTG+1 call. Turn 7c. If they have small cards they have a straight or a heart flush draw. I bet 900 into the 1335 pot putting me all-in, UTG folds and UTG+1 calls showing As 6s. They do have outs. River Ad. That was not one they really wanted. Yes they have trip Ace's but I have a FH and now have 3135 chips early in this session.
Hand 24. I'm SB w/pocket 7's (7h 7c). UTG and Short Stack opens all-in w/a 680 bet, all fold to HJ who calls, CO & BTN fold, I reluctantly call and BB folds. That was a pretty rich call for me and at best I'm hoping I'm not up against a bigger pair. I would probably have been better off just folding as I may need those 680 chips later and/or it would be nice to have them if I get another chance to double up. Flop 6s Js 4s. Phooey, easy flush possible now so even if I hit my set on the Turn or the River it might not be any good. I check and the HJ goes all-in w/their last 1375 chips. I, of course, fold. UTG shows pocket 4s and has hit a set, HJ shows Ah Jh pairing the J on the board. No flush there. Turn 10h. River 9d. UTG wins and now has 2100 chips only 385 behind me.
As an aside, UTG won w/pocket 4's that turned into a set. In hand 7 I had pocket 4's that turned into a set and beat him then. Turnabout is fair play?
Hand 28 I get a chance to get some of those chips back. Seven players left. I'm HJ w/Ah 9h. Action folds to me and I limp in w/80 chips, CO calls, BTN folds, SB calls, & BB checks. Flop Jd Ad 8h. That pairs my Ace. SB & BB check, I bet 160 into the 320 pot and CO raises all-in 860 chips, SB & BB fold. I think about it for a bit and decide to call. I at least have an Ace but not a very good kicker. I'm surprised when the CO shows Ks 5s. Looks like he was trying a bluff based on the flop which would have worked if I didn't have that Ace. Turn 8d. River 4c. I now have 3585 chips about a 1000 behind the chip leader who has 4580.
Hand 57 Four player left. We have been on the bubble since hand 49. I have pocket K's as SB, action folds to me and I bet 2 BB (320), unfortunately for me the BB folds. I'm big stack with 4015 chips, the others have 3350, 3210 and 2925 chips. Not a great difference between us and anyone could go from last to 1st on any given hand.
Hand 58 I get lucky. This time I'm on the BTN and have Kd 8d. UTG folds, I bet 2 BB (320), SB raises to 640 and BB folds. Its only 320 more chips so I decide to see what the flop may bring, maybe a diamond flush? Flop Ks Qd 2h. No flush but it could come runner, runner. I do get my K paired though I don't have a very strong kicker. SB bets 1360 into the 1440 pot. Hmm, I wonder what they may have. AK? I doubt they have a set but am puzzled by such a large bet. I opt to challenge the bet and see if they are really serious and I raise them to 2720 (twice their bet), leaving me only 655 chips if they call and/or win. It does put them all-in if they call. They do. Uh Oh am I on my way to hurting? They show Ah Qc. They have middle pair. They don't have me beat yet and if they cards fall nicely for me they won't! Turn Kc. Oh nice, I now have trip K's!!!
I didn't realize it at the time, so I sweated the River, but I can't lose now!!! River Qh. That caught me for a moment as it gives them trip Q's and a FH, Q's full of K's, but it was cruel to them as I had a FH too, K's full of Q's. Bubble has burst, I'm the chip leader w/7525 chips. The other two have 2890 and 2445 chips.
Hand 62 the other two players battled it out. I had Ah 9d on the BTN and opened w/a 2 BB bet (320), the SB raised to 1120 and the BB reraised all-in w/2810. I got outta the fight. SB had Ks Qc & BB Ac Kh. I'm not sure why the BB bet so strongly and the BB's all-in. Flop 3d Jc Kd. BB ahead. Turn 7d, no help to either. River Qh and SB with KQ beats the BB's AK.
We are now heads up and about even in chips. I have 6969 and the other player has 6535.
Hand 64. I'm the BT w/Ks 6c. I open w/a 2 BB bet (320), BB calls. Flop Jh 9s Qs. I have a gutshot straight draw and runner, runner flush draw. BB bets 400 into the 640 pot and I call. Turn 10c. I have the 2nd nut straight and am good as long he doesn't have AK. BB bets 1440. I'm assuming he likely has a straight and I'm hoping at worse we might chop. I decide to press him raise all-in with 6085 chips and he folds. Nice. Either he was bluffing or if had a straight maybe had it from the small side. I now have 8885 chips to his 4455. How do I get the rest of them?
Instead of my getting the rest of his chips, by hand 75 we are back to about even again. :-/ It gets worse and by hand 100 I'm down to 3465 chips to his 10,035 chips.
Hand 104. I'm SB w/Ad Jh and 4945 chips after I post the SB of 120. I bet 2 BB (480) and the BB raises me to 1200. Darn, I don't like that but I do have an Ace and a decent kicker so I decide to challenge him and reraise all-in w/5085 chips. If he's bluffing I'll pick up a few chips, if not, well the worse that can happen is I end up 2nd. He calls showing Kc Qd. Again weaker cards than I expected. We all have "good" cards. Flop 2c 4c 7c. No help to me but gives him a flush draw. Sweating time!! Turn Ah. That is nice to see, he can't out pair me now. One card to go. River 2s. Phew!! I win and have 10,130 chips to his 3370. We've reversed chip stack holdings.
Hand 113. I'm BB w/As 7s. SB bets 3 BB (720) and I call. Flop Ah 9h 6d. My Ace pairs but I have a weak kicker. I check and SB goes all-in w/their last 3010 chips. Well he could have an Ace with a better kicker than me but if he doesn't this could be it and if he does we'll be back near even again, so I call. He shows Jd 8c. One more time showing much weaker cards than I expected. Turn Jh paring his J. River 3c. I WIN!!!!
Nice to come in 1st in my 1st cash game in awhile!!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
TOUR 90 $1 Main Event Satellite 5 FTP T 29 Sessions
Last night at 10:11PM I played my 1st 5 FTP $1 Main Event Satellite 90 player session and wrote about it here in my previous post. I took a break and started back again at 1:08 AM and started my last session at 8:17AM. I had one small cash session ($.30 +.05) that pays deeper but still starts with 300 chips. Since what you win is entry into a $1 + .10 tournament, it really doesn't pay to play for cash and time wise it doesn't pay to play for 5 FTP's either. :-) Here is a list of my sessions and where I finished and number of hands I lasted. For a few hands I didn't make a note of the number of hands and I've not tried going back to PT to find that out.
At the end I finally had a victory and won an entry. I wasn't sure that was ever going to happen as coming in 1st or 2nd isn't all that easy especially when you start with only 300 chips Though called a Turbo the blinds only change every 5 minutes compared to the 6 minutes for SNG's that I play, so it's not that bad. Some other tournaments have 3 minute blinds and 300 chips!!
I'm not sure if I learned anything more in how to play 300 chip tournaments, at least in the sense that I'm getting a feel for it. Ideally I feel you want to chip up early so you have enough chips that you can put pressure on those with 300 or less chips and be able to absorb the losses you might take. The payoff, of course, is if you get a few of those 300 or less chippers into a pot and you win you make nice chip gains.
But what cards to play to get that initial chip boost? Certainly big cards are likely to do better than small cards, though not always. One example: I had Ah Kd vs pocket Q's (Qc Qh) vs pocket J's (Jd Jc) vs 6s 9s. Who won? Well here is how the board ran out: 6d 6h 3d 9d 4d. I ended up with a K high diamond flush, pocket J's ended up with a J high diamond flush, BUT 69 ended up with a FH!!! Those kind of hand results can all too often happen as, particularly in the earlier part of the session, you have multiple player pots with folks who bet, call, and go all-in with crap and since you end up going to the River anyone can win!
One other thought, why did I play so many sessions? Well one reason certainly is it only cost 5 FTP to get in and as soon as one 90 player tournament filled up FT started another one. I could have played multiple tables easily but I'm not ready for that yet. So easy to get a new session and cheap when you have 2400+ FTP points to start with AND I wanted the experience of trying to succeed starting with only 300 chips. That's the plus side of my continually playing.
On the negative side it's a lot like when I play regular solitaire on my 'puter (I play the Vegas version) and when I lose I play one more, then another one more, on & on & on ... I just can't stop. I want that win and see the cards flying on my screen. & what happens after I win? Well I think, maybe I can do it again and the cycle starts all over. Now last night once I won I was tired (I was tired before that) so I was glad I could quit and go to bed, PLUS once I have won an entry, that would only cost me $1 + .10 to enter on my own, there isn't much $$$ incentive to play more, at least last night.
Anyway it was fun and interesting and kept me away from losing any real money except that $.30 + .05. Now can I handle that possible up to 100,000 field Easter Sunday and end up being one of the 5 who win that $12,000 package???? I can dream can't I? :-)
I'm not sure if I learned anything more in how to play 300 chip tournaments, at least in the sense that I'm getting a feel for it. Ideally I feel you want to chip up early so you have enough chips that you can put pressure on those with 300 or less chips and be able to absorb the losses you might take. The payoff, of course, is if you get a few of those 300 or less chippers into a pot and you win you make nice chip gains.
But what cards to play to get that initial chip boost? Certainly big cards are likely to do better than small cards, though not always. One example: I had Ah Kd vs pocket Q's (Qc Qh) vs pocket J's (Jd Jc) vs 6s 9s. Who won? Well here is how the board ran out: 6d 6h 3d 9d 4d. I ended up with a K high diamond flush, pocket J's ended up with a J high diamond flush, BUT 69 ended up with a FH!!! Those kind of hand results can all too often happen as, particularly in the earlier part of the session, you have multiple player pots with folks who bet, call, and go all-in with crap and since you end up going to the River anyone can win!
One other thought, why did I play so many sessions? Well one reason certainly is it only cost 5 FTP to get in and as soon as one 90 player tournament filled up FT started another one. I could have played multiple tables easily but I'm not ready for that yet. So easy to get a new session and cheap when you have 2400+ FTP points to start with AND I wanted the experience of trying to succeed starting with only 300 chips. That's the plus side of my continually playing.
On the negative side it's a lot like when I play regular solitaire on my 'puter (I play the Vegas version) and when I lose I play one more, then another one more, on & on & on ... I just can't stop. I want that win and see the cards flying on my screen. & what happens after I win? Well I think, maybe I can do it again and the cycle starts all over. Now last night once I won I was tired (I was tired before that) so I was glad I could quit and go to bed, PLUS once I have won an entry, that would only cost me $1 + .10 to enter on my own, there isn't much $$$ incentive to play more, at least last night.
Anyway it was fun and interesting and kept me away from losing any real money except that $.30 + .05. Now can I handle that possible up to 100,000 field Easter Sunday and end up being one of the 5 who win that $12,000 package???? I can dream can't I? :-)
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