Episode 8 of the Donkcast is now online:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=T11GHXVD
The episode features coverage of the recently completed Victorian Championships, a brief look at the upcoming Sydney Championships, as well as an interview with Tim Duckworth of Tilted Behaviour (amongst other things).
Don't forget about feedback, either here or email thedonkcast@hotmail.com
Showing posts with label Victorian Champs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Victorian Champs. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Tim Duckworth Interview amongst other things
I Interviewed Tim Duckworth of PokerNews/PokerNetwork today at Crown. It was a fun interview & will be a part of the next episode of the Donkcast, which should be up in the next few days, once the Victorian Champioships have finished up.
Today's highlights at the $1/2NL table included losing AA to A4 all-in pre-flop against a short stack (there was a raise to $7 & three calls in front of me & I made it $25 to go, with all but the short-stack who had $19 total, folding) ... J9352 being the method of loss. Later I managed to lose the rest of my (relative) short stack when there were two limpers, a raise to $8 & three callers. I shoved with TT, only to be called by the UTG limper, who of course had KK ... I run well!
Today's highlights at the $1/2NL table included losing AA to A4 all-in pre-flop against a short stack (there was a raise to $7 & three calls in front of me & I made it $25 to go, with all but the short-stack who had $19 total, folding) ... J9352 being the method of loss. Later I managed to lose the rest of my (relative) short stack when there were two limpers, a raise to $8 & three callers. I shoved with TT, only to be called by the UTG limper, who of course had KK ... I run well!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Victorian Champs 8-Game, chess & cash games
The 8-game event should have been one of my better events, however it ended prematurely due to a few factors:
1. A poorly timed bluff in Razz. Although I had a pretty good idea of what my opponent's hand was, as well as the hand I was representing, it didn't stop my opponent from calling down ...
I had a board of A5T2 v 37J5 which saw me complete (one other player called as well as my opponent), bet 4th, only to be raised by the 37 & I 3-bet ... my opponent then called me down & had (as expected) a 7-low, obviously not giving me credit for the wheel or any better hand I thought I could credibaly represent, even saying 'do you have a 6?' before calling on 7th. Of course the fact that I had TTJ in the hole didn't help my cause ... but its simply a spot I should have avoided in this event. Fold 4th, wait for a better spot & move on ... rather than needlessly donking off 80% of my stack.
2. Getting too much respect & not adjusting my play accordingly. Over half the table knew who I was & knew I could play mixed games, with players even asking me if they played their hands correctly after the hand concluded. Of course it also meant that my raises (pre-flop or on 3rd street in stud) often got folds from hands that players would happily play against other opponents. The obvious adjustment to make is then to play more hands & take down more blinds & antes, but I didn't do this anywhere near as much as I should have, so found myself winning a few small pots, while leaving the bigger pots up to the cards ... which sometimes went my way, sometimes not.
3. Not playing enough hands. I'm really starting to reconsider my general philosophy for tournaments of late (a combination of recent results, as well as various videos/podcasts/forum threads on Deuces Cracked) & I really need to play lots of hands in an event like this in order to accumulate chips early.
There are a few reasons for this:
a. The weaker players tend to be the ones eliminated earliest, so I want to get as many of their chips as I can, rather than having to win them from better players (which may prove more difficult)
b. Although the structure looks good on the surface (10k stack & 30 minute levels), it plays much quicker given the extra time it takes to deal the stud & draw games, as well as the extra time that less experienced players take during non-holdem games as they try to figure out what hand they have (let alone worrying about what other people in the hand have - see the ill-timed Razz bluff as an example).
c. Its a (mostly) limit event, so I want to avoid being all-in during the tournament if at all possible. This is best achieved by having more chips than my opponents (or at least enough bets to cover a limit hand with plenty of action).
d. Chips early often means chips late ... and I generally enter tournaments with the intention of winning them (or at least cashing).
Ultimately I finshed around 32nd from the 48 starters the event attracted, which was very disappointing.
I also played a chess tournament on the weekend, the 'Best in the West' event at Yarraville. I managed 2 wins, 2 draws & a loss from the 5 games, which saw me finish tied for 6th out of 22 players. This sounds reasonable on the face of it, but when you consider that I was the 5th seed and was actually worse, if not losing, each of the four games I scored points in (the two wins & two draws), as well as the fact that I butchered a completely winning position in the game I lost, it made for a disappointing result. In some respects it was good to salvage points from such poor positions, but the fact that I found myself in them in the first place is the frustrating part about it.
Cash games have been going reasonably well over the last few days. There are times when I feel I am playing well, yet I still find myself in situations where I feel lost from time to time. If its any consolation, I feel that the last few days have been better than earlier in the week & some of the Deuces Cracked material (mentioned above) has really got me thinking about my game & my approach to it ... hopefully with a positive outcome!
In podcast news, I'm hoping to interview Tim Duckworth of Pokernews/Tilted Behaviour in the next week or so, with some other interview guests also being a possibility. Will see how I go on that front.
1. A poorly timed bluff in Razz. Although I had a pretty good idea of what my opponent's hand was, as well as the hand I was representing, it didn't stop my opponent from calling down ...
I had a board of A5T2 v 37J5 which saw me complete (one other player called as well as my opponent), bet 4th, only to be raised by the 37 & I 3-bet ... my opponent then called me down & had (as expected) a 7-low, obviously not giving me credit for the wheel or any better hand I thought I could credibaly represent, even saying 'do you have a 6?' before calling on 7th. Of course the fact that I had TTJ in the hole didn't help my cause ... but its simply a spot I should have avoided in this event. Fold 4th, wait for a better spot & move on ... rather than needlessly donking off 80% of my stack.
2. Getting too much respect & not adjusting my play accordingly. Over half the table knew who I was & knew I could play mixed games, with players even asking me if they played their hands correctly after the hand concluded. Of course it also meant that my raises (pre-flop or on 3rd street in stud) often got folds from hands that players would happily play against other opponents. The obvious adjustment to make is then to play more hands & take down more blinds & antes, but I didn't do this anywhere near as much as I should have, so found myself winning a few small pots, while leaving the bigger pots up to the cards ... which sometimes went my way, sometimes not.
3. Not playing enough hands. I'm really starting to reconsider my general philosophy for tournaments of late (a combination of recent results, as well as various videos/podcasts/forum threads on Deuces Cracked) & I really need to play lots of hands in an event like this in order to accumulate chips early.
There are a few reasons for this:
a. The weaker players tend to be the ones eliminated earliest, so I want to get as many of their chips as I can, rather than having to win them from better players (which may prove more difficult)
b. Although the structure looks good on the surface (10k stack & 30 minute levels), it plays much quicker given the extra time it takes to deal the stud & draw games, as well as the extra time that less experienced players take during non-holdem games as they try to figure out what hand they have (let alone worrying about what other people in the hand have - see the ill-timed Razz bluff as an example).
c. Its a (mostly) limit event, so I want to avoid being all-in during the tournament if at all possible. This is best achieved by having more chips than my opponents (or at least enough bets to cover a limit hand with plenty of action).
d. Chips early often means chips late ... and I generally enter tournaments with the intention of winning them (or at least cashing).
Ultimately I finshed around 32nd from the 48 starters the event attracted, which was very disappointing.
I also played a chess tournament on the weekend, the 'Best in the West' event at Yarraville. I managed 2 wins, 2 draws & a loss from the 5 games, which saw me finish tied for 6th out of 22 players. This sounds reasonable on the face of it, but when you consider that I was the 5th seed and was actually worse, if not losing, each of the four games I scored points in (the two wins & two draws), as well as the fact that I butchered a completely winning position in the game I lost, it made for a disappointing result. In some respects it was good to salvage points from such poor positions, but the fact that I found myself in them in the first place is the frustrating part about it.
Cash games have been going reasonably well over the last few days. There are times when I feel I am playing well, yet I still find myself in situations where I feel lost from time to time. If its any consolation, I feel that the last few days have been better than earlier in the week & some of the Deuces Cracked material (mentioned above) has really got me thinking about my game & my approach to it ... hopefully with a positive outcome!
In podcast news, I'm hoping to interview Tim Duckworth of Pokernews/Tilted Behaviour in the next week or so, with some other interview guests also being a possibility. Will see how I go on that front.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Victorian Champs so far ...
0 for 5 ... and my wish for some run good has only been fleeting.
Opening Event - Just got nothing going & was out before the first break.
PokerPro Freeroll - A new promotional tourney for Crown this series. Not quite sure what the angle is, but they're offering PokerPro credits for the top few finishers each day ($50 each for the top 10% or thereabouts), as well as a freeroll for a Victorian Champs Main Event seat at the end of the fortnight's promotion. Needless to say the structure is horrible (10 minute levels using the super-fast Tuesday Turbo structure) & I made it to the last two tables before losing the inevitable flip.
Morning Series tourney - This was the best of my tournaments so far. I finished in 24th out of the 133 starters (with top 20 being paid of course). Strangely enough my downfall came very shortly after I doubled up with AA to become one of the chip leaders. The next hand I picked up ATo & raised, only to be called by the big stack in the SB. He check-called my continuation bet & then lead out at the turn on a J62J board & I folded. The very next hand I picked up 99 & again raised, only to have a player re-raise all-in behind me. I called & he showed JJ & I didn't improve, which meant I was now a short stack! I eventually got it in with 87o against JTo but a pair which became trips on the turn for my opponent meant I was doing the walk of shame without a stopoff at the cashier.
PLO - Again, not much happening here. Managed to get my chips in both times with AAxx on the flop ... once in front facing a draw (AA86o v AKJTds on a J53 two-tone flop where he made his flush on the river) & another time when I was in horrible shape (AAJ9ds v 5678ds v A422o on a 732 rainbow flop & the board ran out 55 to give the 5678 the bigger boat). Again I didn't make it to the first break ...
It seems as though the big hurdle in these low buy-in Omaha tournaments is surviving the first few levels. This is the time when there are many multi-way pots (blinds being small relative to stack size) & people are more inclined to gamble with the 'second chance' format now being standard at Crown. Obviously it also helps to run good ... but I don't seem to be able to do that much of late!
Teams event - Played with Angelo this time & we made it through 5 levels before Angelo ran TT into QQ (complete with an apparent slowroll). Highlights included:
* Angelo's Oscar nomination worthy performance for toughest decision ever with aces, which lead to a pre-flop showdown with some broadway hand (possibly QQ but I'm not 100% sure - Crown isn't exactly built for spectators) & a much-needed double up for the good guys.
* The guy who claimed to have folded A4 on a board of 446A8 with three hearts when he only had 700 behind in a pot of roughly 5000 during level 1. He folded & his opponent showed AA (to apparently turn a one-outer) & he then proceeded to walk off in a huff, only to return a few minutes later & claim the inspired fold of a full house!
* Same guy who auto-tilted after seeing a flop. He had folded to my raise pre-flop & there was a call & a shove from a short stack behind. I overshoved to get heads-up & my 88 held against A8. He claimed to have folded 66 ... and as soon as he saw the 6 as the first card of the flop he again stormed off and returned a few minutes later as with the previous hand.
Cash games haven't been much better. To give you an idea here are three of the hands I have played recently:
$1/2NL. UTG limps & I raise to $8 in UTG+1. UTG+2, UTG+3, button & blinds call. I have QQ. Flop is A33 & its checked to me. I bet $15 & it folds to the SB who moves all-in for about $80. I sigh & fold & he slams down 77 like its the nuts!
$2/3NL. UTG & UTG+1 limp & I raise to $15 in UTG+2. UTG+3, button, BB & both limpers come along for the ride. I have AA. Flop is J93 with two hearts (I have Ah) & I bet $22 after it is checked to me. Only UTG+1 calls. Th on turn & I bet $45, which he calls. River is 9c & he bets $55 into me. I call & he shows 89o (with the 8h) for rivered trips.
$2/3NL. I raise to $12 in UTG+2 with JJ. UTG+3 & button call. Flop is 457 two-tone & I lead for $22. UTG+3 calls. Turn is 6, putting two flush draws on board. I check & UTG+3 bets $150 (enough to put me all-in). I hate JJ on this board & fold & he shows an offsuit 4 ...
I suspect that much of the remaining Victorian Championships will be spent on the rail. I'm going to play the 8-game & might manage another midday event or PokerPro freeroll, but much of the second week is not to my liking & I'm not going to fork out the cash for the main event when I'm running so badly (and not playing my best all the time). On a more positive note I hope to get another episode of the Donkcast out shortly (currently I've recorded some segments, but will probably wait a few days before finalising & uploading it - currently I have capped internet, which is horrible) & I also hope to get a few interviews with players while I'm at Crown. Will see how things go!
Opening Event - Just got nothing going & was out before the first break.
PokerPro Freeroll - A new promotional tourney for Crown this series. Not quite sure what the angle is, but they're offering PokerPro credits for the top few finishers each day ($50 each for the top 10% or thereabouts), as well as a freeroll for a Victorian Champs Main Event seat at the end of the fortnight's promotion. Needless to say the structure is horrible (10 minute levels using the super-fast Tuesday Turbo structure) & I made it to the last two tables before losing the inevitable flip.
Morning Series tourney - This was the best of my tournaments so far. I finished in 24th out of the 133 starters (with top 20 being paid of course). Strangely enough my downfall came very shortly after I doubled up with AA to become one of the chip leaders. The next hand I picked up ATo & raised, only to be called by the big stack in the SB. He check-called my continuation bet & then lead out at the turn on a J62J board & I folded. The very next hand I picked up 99 & again raised, only to have a player re-raise all-in behind me. I called & he showed JJ & I didn't improve, which meant I was now a short stack! I eventually got it in with 87o against JTo but a pair which became trips on the turn for my opponent meant I was doing the walk of shame without a stopoff at the cashier.
PLO - Again, not much happening here. Managed to get my chips in both times with AAxx on the flop ... once in front facing a draw (AA86o v AKJTds on a J53 two-tone flop where he made his flush on the river) & another time when I was in horrible shape (AAJ9ds v 5678ds v A422o on a 732 rainbow flop & the board ran out 55 to give the 5678 the bigger boat). Again I didn't make it to the first break ...
It seems as though the big hurdle in these low buy-in Omaha tournaments is surviving the first few levels. This is the time when there are many multi-way pots (blinds being small relative to stack size) & people are more inclined to gamble with the 'second chance' format now being standard at Crown. Obviously it also helps to run good ... but I don't seem to be able to do that much of late!
Teams event - Played with Angelo this time & we made it through 5 levels before Angelo ran TT into QQ (complete with an apparent slowroll). Highlights included:
* Angelo's Oscar nomination worthy performance for toughest decision ever with aces, which lead to a pre-flop showdown with some broadway hand (possibly QQ but I'm not 100% sure - Crown isn't exactly built for spectators) & a much-needed double up for the good guys.
* The guy who claimed to have folded A4 on a board of 446A8 with three hearts when he only had 700 behind in a pot of roughly 5000 during level 1. He folded & his opponent showed AA (to apparently turn a one-outer) & he then proceeded to walk off in a huff, only to return a few minutes later & claim the inspired fold of a full house!
* Same guy who auto-tilted after seeing a flop. He had folded to my raise pre-flop & there was a call & a shove from a short stack behind. I overshoved to get heads-up & my 88 held against A8. He claimed to have folded 66 ... and as soon as he saw the 6 as the first card of the flop he again stormed off and returned a few minutes later as with the previous hand.
Cash games haven't been much better. To give you an idea here are three of the hands I have played recently:
$1/2NL. UTG limps & I raise to $8 in UTG+1. UTG+2, UTG+3, button & blinds call. I have QQ. Flop is A33 & its checked to me. I bet $15 & it folds to the SB who moves all-in for about $80. I sigh & fold & he slams down 77 like its the nuts!
$2/3NL. UTG & UTG+1 limp & I raise to $15 in UTG+2. UTG+3, button, BB & both limpers come along for the ride. I have AA. Flop is J93 with two hearts (I have Ah) & I bet $22 after it is checked to me. Only UTG+1 calls. Th on turn & I bet $45, which he calls. River is 9c & he bets $55 into me. I call & he shows 89o (with the 8h) for rivered trips.
$2/3NL. I raise to $12 in UTG+2 with JJ. UTG+3 & button call. Flop is 457 two-tone & I lead for $22. UTG+3 calls. Turn is 6, putting two flush draws on board. I check & UTG+3 bets $150 (enough to put me all-in). I hate JJ on this board & fold & he shows an offsuit 4 ...
I suspect that much of the remaining Victorian Championships will be spent on the rail. I'm going to play the 8-game & might manage another midday event or PokerPro freeroll, but much of the second week is not to my liking & I'm not going to fork out the cash for the main event when I'm running so badly (and not playing my best all the time). On a more positive note I hope to get another episode of the Donkcast out shortly (currently I've recorded some segments, but will probably wait a few days before finalising & uploading it - currently I have capped internet, which is horrible) & I also hope to get a few interviews with players while I'm at Crown. Will see how things go!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
The joys of running badly ...
I like to think of myself as a reasonably level-headed person. I am a calm person by nature who rarely gets visibly upset. I play poker knowing that there are elements of skill and luck to the game. I know that many of my opponents do not think about poker the way I do. I rely on this difference, and the resulting mistakes, to make money.
But sometimes you just run bad ...
The last few days have been horrible in the grand scheme of poker as a money-making venture. It doesn't seem to matter what the game or the stakes, there is a way for me to buy-in for chips that end up somewhere other than a rack headed to the cashier before I leave the game.
In the last few days I have been on the wrong end of the following:
$1/2 no limit holdem
I raise to $7 UTG; new player who has posted $2 to play his first hand calls; player to his left announces 'raise to $10' & places two $5 chips in front of him. The dealer then corrects him & says that it must be $12 as he cannot raise to $10 after I have already made it $7. The player on the button calls. I re-raise to $45 total. The new player says 'I'm short-stacked ... fuck it I'm all-in' & slides his remaining chips towards the middle (he had bought in for $50). The 'accidental' raiser also calls, the button folds & I toss the additional $5 chip into the middle. The flop comes down AJ4 ... I check & the other player checks ... we check both the turn & river (6 & 3 respectively) before the all-in player proudly shows his A8 SOOOTED. The other player mucks his KQ offsuit & I throw my hand into the muck as well ... oh, I had KK by the way ... FML!
$5 two card Manila
I have played tight for a few hours. Previously I'd shown down a flush where I had called a bet on '1st' (Manila is played with 32 cards - Aces to 7s - and starts with 2 hole cards to each player & 1 community card, followed by a round of betting. Another community card & round of betting continues until there are 5 community cards in the middle. The best 5-card hand, using both hole cards & three community cards win. Being a 'short deck' game, flushed beat full houses), checked '2nd', raised '3rd' & bet '4th' & '5th' before showing my winning hand.
In this hand a checked my option with AcQh with the 8c on board. I also check-called on '2nd' which was the Qc. I then bet '3rd', the 9c, '4th' Th & '5th' 7c. The final board is 8Q9T7 with four clubs. In my mind it looked exactly like the previous hand ... and I obviously had the flush ... and of course my opponent called me down with KhJd for a straight. My one bluff for the evening doesn't work. FML!
$2/3 no limit holdem
A player raises to $15 UTG, UTG+1 calls, I re-raise to $40, a player two to my left calls the $40, the original raiser moves all-in for $108, I 'tank' & move all-in for $95 & the other player calls (having both of the all-in players covered). We decide to show our hands pre-flop. The UTG player has KhQh, the other player has QcQs & I have AcAs.
The flop comes K43 ... turn 3 ... river Q! FML!
To make matters worse, the player who won the hand decides to leave the table two hands later, and two hands after that when the hourly time charge is collected, two of the big ($500+) stacks also leave ... this prompts the remaining player with over $500 to also leave ... and the table breaks! FML!
$2/3 no limit holdem
5 players limp in pre-flop & I raise to $15 on the button. Every limper, except one, calls the raise, so its 5-ways to the flop. The flop is 822 rainbow. A player who has been betting at flops that he has 'hit' bets $25. I re-raise to $75. Everyone else folds. He eventually calls. At this stage I know he has exactly one 8 in his hand. The turn is a J & he moves all-in for around $130. I don't think he has a J or a 2, so I call. The river is a Q. He turns over Q8. I have 99. FML!
The same game becomes short-handed after all the big stacks leave (deja vu anyone) ... I procees to get 22 & the flop is Q72 & my $5 bet takes it down. Same again on an 885 board when I have A8 ... and then I run my K4 (in the BB) into KJ (in the SB) on a KJ4 flop ... and he put all his chips in the middle ... and I didn't fold ... FML!
Maybe I need to listen to Tommy Angelo's 'Eightfold Path to Poker Enlightenment' series again, or perhaps learn from blog posts such as How to Tilt. Perhaps I need to Enjoy a Bad Beat like Joe Tall ... or maybe just have some favourable short-term variance!
Lets hope things improve before the Victorian Championships!
At this stage I'm going to play the opening event & the 8-game, as well as some (if not all) of the midday series & the PLO. Will see how things are going before deciding on playing any other events ... needless to say some run-good would be appreciated.
But sometimes you just run bad ...
The last few days have been horrible in the grand scheme of poker as a money-making venture. It doesn't seem to matter what the game or the stakes, there is a way for me to buy-in for chips that end up somewhere other than a rack headed to the cashier before I leave the game.
In the last few days I have been on the wrong end of the following:
$1/2 no limit holdem
I raise to $7 UTG; new player who has posted $2 to play his first hand calls; player to his left announces 'raise to $10' & places two $5 chips in front of him. The dealer then corrects him & says that it must be $12 as he cannot raise to $10 after I have already made it $7. The player on the button calls. I re-raise to $45 total. The new player says 'I'm short-stacked ... fuck it I'm all-in' & slides his remaining chips towards the middle (he had bought in for $50). The 'accidental' raiser also calls, the button folds & I toss the additional $5 chip into the middle. The flop comes down AJ4 ... I check & the other player checks ... we check both the turn & river (6 & 3 respectively) before the all-in player proudly shows his A8 SOOOTED. The other player mucks his KQ offsuit & I throw my hand into the muck as well ... oh, I had KK by the way ... FML!
$5 two card Manila
I have played tight for a few hours. Previously I'd shown down a flush where I had called a bet on '1st' (Manila is played with 32 cards - Aces to 7s - and starts with 2 hole cards to each player & 1 community card, followed by a round of betting. Another community card & round of betting continues until there are 5 community cards in the middle. The best 5-card hand, using both hole cards & three community cards win. Being a 'short deck' game, flushed beat full houses), checked '2nd', raised '3rd' & bet '4th' & '5th' before showing my winning hand.
In this hand a checked my option with AcQh with the 8c on board. I also check-called on '2nd' which was the Qc. I then bet '3rd', the 9c, '4th' Th & '5th' 7c. The final board is 8Q9T7 with four clubs. In my mind it looked exactly like the previous hand ... and I obviously had the flush ... and of course my opponent called me down with KhJd for a straight. My one bluff for the evening doesn't work. FML!
$2/3 no limit holdem
A player raises to $15 UTG, UTG+1 calls, I re-raise to $40, a player two to my left calls the $40, the original raiser moves all-in for $108, I 'tank' & move all-in for $95 & the other player calls (having both of the all-in players covered). We decide to show our hands pre-flop. The UTG player has KhQh, the other player has QcQs & I have AcAs.
The flop comes K43 ... turn 3 ... river Q! FML!
To make matters worse, the player who won the hand decides to leave the table two hands later, and two hands after that when the hourly time charge is collected, two of the big ($500+) stacks also leave ... this prompts the remaining player with over $500 to also leave ... and the table breaks! FML!
$2/3 no limit holdem
5 players limp in pre-flop & I raise to $15 on the button. Every limper, except one, calls the raise, so its 5-ways to the flop. The flop is 822 rainbow. A player who has been betting at flops that he has 'hit' bets $25. I re-raise to $75. Everyone else folds. He eventually calls. At this stage I know he has exactly one 8 in his hand. The turn is a J & he moves all-in for around $130. I don't think he has a J or a 2, so I call. The river is a Q. He turns over Q8. I have 99. FML!
The same game becomes short-handed after all the big stacks leave (deja vu anyone) ... I procees to get 22 & the flop is Q72 & my $5 bet takes it down. Same again on an 885 board when I have A8 ... and then I run my K4 (in the BB) into KJ (in the SB) on a KJ4 flop ... and he put all his chips in the middle ... and I didn't fold ... FML!
Maybe I need to listen to Tommy Angelo's 'Eightfold Path to Poker Enlightenment' series again, or perhaps learn from blog posts such as How to Tilt. Perhaps I need to Enjoy a Bad Beat like Joe Tall ... or maybe just have some favourable short-term variance!
Lets hope things improve before the Victorian Championships!
At this stage I'm going to play the opening event & the 8-game, as well as some (if not all) of the midday series & the PLO. Will see how things are going before deciding on playing any other events ... needless to say some run-good would be appreciated.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Two tourney cashes at Crown
I've played two tourneys at Crown in the last few days - the Wednesday night pot limit Omaha & the Thursday 'Thriller' & made the money in both events.
In both cases there was a critical hand where I found the necessary run good to go deep. In the PLO I was in the BB (200/400) & a short stack shoved for 1100. Another player called on the button & I looked down at QQ97 double suited. The player on the button had about 4k behind & I had him covered ... and of course I also thought that he might be willing to fold to an over-shove, figuring my chances were much improved in a heads-up pot. Of course he deliberated for quite a while before eventually calling. He had AQTT with one suit, while the all-in player had KKJ6 with no suits. Not such a horrible spot to be in, but I'd definitely prefer to be against one or the other hand rather than both. Of course things got worse on the flop when it was ten-high ... but my run good kicked in & I binked the last queen on the turn & dodged the outs on the river to add a sizable chunk to my stack. Of course the run good came ot an end when it was 5 handed when I went to war with the big stack (who had almost half the chips in play) who had been running like a Kenyan on drugs .. and my KQJT double suited proved no match for his AT52 with one suit when we got it in on the flop of Q52 (I had about half my stack in pre-flop anyway with the blinds as big as they were) & I didn't improve.
The Thursday Thriller turned out much the same. With three tables remaining I got involved in a big hand with AQo ... against AQo. The pot was around 15k total at a time when the average stack was just under 10k ... and of course I managed to take it down with the good old four-card flush (runner-runner mind you!) & took the stack to the final table. Eventually we decided to chop the prizemoney when we were 6-handed, which left those remaining with a tidy profit for the night (it actually worked out to be slightly more than 3rd place prizemoney). I was sitting 4th at the time, with a stack that was just above the chip average, but with the average stack being 10 big blinds & the big stack at the table having only 15, it was simply going to come down to who got the better cards at the right time.
Perhaps the run good that deserted me in Las Vegas (with the exception of the HORSE tourney) has returned! Either way I'm happy to be doing well - its always good to be able to put some tourney results up, especially when cash games are going well too!
In podcast news, I'm hoping to be able to interview Peter Aristidou in the next few days & should have an episode of the Donkcast out just before the Victorian Championships begin.
In both cases there was a critical hand where I found the necessary run good to go deep. In the PLO I was in the BB (200/400) & a short stack shoved for 1100. Another player called on the button & I looked down at QQ97 double suited. The player on the button had about 4k behind & I had him covered ... and of course I also thought that he might be willing to fold to an over-shove, figuring my chances were much improved in a heads-up pot. Of course he deliberated for quite a while before eventually calling. He had AQTT with one suit, while the all-in player had KKJ6 with no suits. Not such a horrible spot to be in, but I'd definitely prefer to be against one or the other hand rather than both. Of course things got worse on the flop when it was ten-high ... but my run good kicked in & I binked the last queen on the turn & dodged the outs on the river to add a sizable chunk to my stack. Of course the run good came ot an end when it was 5 handed when I went to war with the big stack (who had almost half the chips in play) who had been running like a Kenyan on drugs .. and my KQJT double suited proved no match for his AT52 with one suit when we got it in on the flop of Q52 (I had about half my stack in pre-flop anyway with the blinds as big as they were) & I didn't improve.
The Thursday Thriller turned out much the same. With three tables remaining I got involved in a big hand with AQo ... against AQo. The pot was around 15k total at a time when the average stack was just under 10k ... and of course I managed to take it down with the good old four-card flush (runner-runner mind you!) & took the stack to the final table. Eventually we decided to chop the prizemoney when we were 6-handed, which left those remaining with a tidy profit for the night (it actually worked out to be slightly more than 3rd place prizemoney). I was sitting 4th at the time, with a stack that was just above the chip average, but with the average stack being 10 big blinds & the big stack at the table having only 15, it was simply going to come down to who got the better cards at the right time.
Perhaps the run good that deserted me in Las Vegas (with the exception of the HORSE tourney) has returned! Either way I'm happy to be doing well - its always good to be able to put some tourney results up, especially when cash games are going well too!
In podcast news, I'm hoping to be able to interview Peter Aristidou in the next few days & should have an episode of the Donkcast out just before the Victorian Championships begin.
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