The Plan

I had a chance to try out some "large field" MTTs last night - The Ferguson (a $1 tourney that pays good guaranteed money), and a $2.20 scheduled tourney that just happened to be starting around the same time. I played well in both, but got bounced by a couple of bad luck hits. Each tourney I went deep, but got knocked out ~100th place without cashing.

I'm frustrated.

I spent about 2 hours playing them, only to be kicked out on bad luck and not cash or even hit double digits?

From now on, I'm going to stick to the "small field" tourneys for my MTT games - 90 mans, and the like. Less prize money, but easier to final table and easier on my ego.

It Can Be Brutal

I tell ya, sometimes this game can drive you crazy. You can play your best game, make all the right plays, and still lose:

Full Tilt Poker $2 + $0.25 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t100/t200 Blinds - 5 players - http://www.handconverter.com/hands/1000558
The DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

BTN: t2785 13.93 BBs
SB: t2450 12.25 BBs
Hero (BB): t2245 11.22 BBs
UTG: t4690 23.45 BBs
CO: t1330 6.65 BBs

Pre Flop: (t300) Hero is BB with Th Ts
1 fold, CO raises to t1330 all in, 2 folds, Hero calls t1130

Flop: (t2760) 2s 8c Js (2 players - 1 is all in)

Turn: (t2760) 9d (2 players - 1 is all in)

River: (t2760) Ad (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: t2760
Hero shows Th Ts (a pair of Tens)
CO shows As Qh (a pair of Aces)
CO wins t2760
------------------------------------
Full Tilt Poker $2 + $0.25 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t120/t240 Blinds - 5 players - http://www.handconverter.com/hands/1000559
The DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

SB: t1830 7.62 BBs
BB: t2110 8.79 BBs
Hero (UTG): t2230 9.29 BBs
CO: t3110 12.96 BBs
BTN: t4220 17.58 BBs

Pre Flop: (t360) Hero is UTG with Qc Kd
Hero raises to t2230 all in, 2 folds, SB calls t1710 all in, 1 fold

Flop: (t3900) Kc Qd Js (2 players - 2 are all in)

Turn: (t3900) 6h (2 players - 2 are all in)

River: (t3900) 5s (2 players - 2 are all in)

Final Pot: t3900
SB shows Jc Jh (three of a kind, Jacks)
Hero shows Qc Kd (two pair, Kings and Queens)
SB wins t3900
_________________________________________

Luckily, I ended up with a freebie last night. Ended up cashing in the BLT satty, which paid for my SNG (after the fact, of course). I was down to about 4BB at one point, but I worked hard, pushed at the right times, and caught some good cards. Big thanks to this guy, who called my all-in with rockets:

Full Tilt Poker Satellite to The BLT No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t250/t500 Blinds + t50 - 8 players - http://www.handconverter.com/hands/1000560
The DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

MP2: t2275 M = 1.98
CO: t11015 M = 9.58
BTN: t4725 M = 4.11
SB: t4185 M = 3.64
BB: t2200 M = 1.91
UTG: t6945 M = 6.04
UTG+1: t6600 M = 5.74
Hero (MP1): t4760 M = 4.14

Pre Flop: (t1150) Hero is MP1 with As Ah
2 folds, Hero raises to t4710 all in, 1 fold, CO calls t4710, 3 folds

Flop: (t10570) 6h 5c Qs (2 players - 1 is all in)

Turn: (t10570) 9d (2 players - 1 is all in)

River: (t10570) 8s (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: t10570
CO shows Ad 6d (a pair of Sixes)
Hero shows As Ah (a pair of Aces)
Hero wins t10570
__________________________________________

Sat out the rest after that one... even folded KK at one point. It feels so dirty, but once I have that big of a stack, winning one of the sattelite seats is pretty much guaranteed.

Sweet

I finally got around to making this blog look the way it should! Blogger's got some really cool design tools, and for once I had the time to poke around and check them out.

Looking good, huh?

It's Good to Be Back

No more bonuses or promos, so it's back to good ol' poker for me. This means heading back to my bread & butter - SNGs and MTTs.

I've never been happier.
Played two tonight. First one... could have been better, if not for a stupid move by me (playing my draw too aggressively):

Full Tilt, $2 + $0.25 NL Hold'em Tournament, 30/60 Blinds, 5 Players
LeggoPoker.com Hand History Converter

BTN: 3,332
SB: 3,075
Hero (BB): 1,440
UTG: 3,057
CO: 2,596

Pre-Flop: (90) 8c Ah dealt to Hero (BB)
3 folds, SB calls 30, Hero checks

Flop: (120) 9s Jd Th (2 Players)
SB bets 120, Hero raises to 455, SB raises to 3,015 and is All-In, Hero calls 925 and is All-In

Turn: (2,880) 8d (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

River: (2,880) 6s (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: 2,880 Pot
SB showed Jh Tc and WON 2,880 (+1,470 NET)
Hero showed 8c Ah and LOST (-1,380 NET)
________________________________________________

But the second one was smooth as silk. Everything went perfectly as planned: established a tight image, got a few knockouts, worked the bubble well, got heads up with a good read... you know the rest.

Full Tilt, $2 + $0.25 NL Hold'em Tournament, 80/160 Blinds, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com Hand History Converter

Hero (BB): 7,985
BTN: 5,515

Pre-Flop: (240) 9h Kc dealt to Hero (BB)
BTN calls 80, Hero checks

Flop: (320) Kh 9d Qs (2 Players)
Hero bets 275, BTN raises to 550, Hero raises to 1,700, BTN raises to 5,355 and is All-In, Hero calls 3,655

Turn: (11,030) 7h (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

River: (11,030) 4d (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: 11,030 Pot
Hero showed 9h Kc and WON 11,030 (+5,675 NET)
BTN showed 8s Qc and LOST (-5,435 NET)

I Finally Win a Big Pot

Brutal day today:

AA vs. KJ, board flops two pair
AK vs. AQ, river brings a Q
88 vs. AQ, ace on the flop

All of those all-ins, plus numerous "catch ups" - villain calling bets early in the hand way behind, then hitting a turn or river card to win the hand. Not quite suckouts because there was still betting to be done, but close enough.

But nothing gets you feeling good like being on the winning end of a nice set over set.

Full Tilt Poker $0.02/$0.05 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - http://www.handconverter.com/hands/994899
The DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

CO: $5.00
BTN: $4.75
SB: $3.62
BB: $12.46
UTG: $2.17
UTG+1: $4.65
Hero (UTG+2): $5.00
MP1: $6.37
MP2: $2.73

Pre Flop: ($0.07) Hero is UTG+2 with Th Tc
2 folds, Hero raises to $0.17, 3 folds, BTN calls $0.17, 2 folds

Flop: ($0.41) Kd Td 4h (2 players)
Hero bets $0.31, BTN raises to $0.70, Hero raises to $2.15, BTN raises to $4.58 all in, Hero calls $2.43

Turn: ($9.57) Ac (2 players - 1 is all in)

River: ($9.57) 7h (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: $9.57
BTN shows 4s 4d (three of a kind, Fours)
Hero shows Th Tc (three of a kind, Tens)
Hero wins $8.94
(Rake: $0.63)

Locked in the full $50 bonus tonight as well for the Take 2 promo, plus I'm almost done with the deposit bonus. I can go back to being normal again soon!!!

Brain Fart

I like to think I'm a pretty good poker player. I usually make pretty good decisions when I'm playing, and I try my best to be aggressive without overdoing it.

Then, sometimes, I'm just plain stupid.

Full Tilt Poker $0.02/$0.05 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - http://www.handconverter.com/hands/992959
The DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

UTG+2: $2.34
MP1: $6.11
MP2: $1.98
CO: $4.88
BTN: $5.00
Hero (SB): $5.37
BB: $5.00
UTG: $4.55
UTG+1: $4.47

Pre Flop: ($0.07) Hero is SB with Tc Td
2 folds, UTG+2 raises to $0.15, 4 folds, Hero raises to $0.42, 1 fold, UTG+2 calls $0.27

Flop: ($0.89) 3d 4h Jc (2 players)
Hero bets $0.60, UTG+2 calls $0.60

Turn: ($2.09) 3h (2 players)
Hero bets $4.35 all in, UTG+2 calls $1.32 all in

River: ($4.73) Ks (2 players - 2 are all in)

Yeah, that's me... putting a guy with top set all in. That's also me, 3-betting pre and getting it in while behind from the very start. The thing is, shoving the turn isn't even a good play if my opponent has AK (which is very possible up until he calls my turn shove). I'm ahead of AK on the turn; I should be checking and letting him think I'm weak and try to take the pot away with a bet. Shoving only gets hands I beat to fold, and hands that are ahead (like a boat) to call.

I think.

I started a thread about this on FTP just to confirm, but I'm pretty sure I was good up until my turn shove. Who knows... maybe I'm just better off as a cash game hobbyist and a tournament player. I cannot wait until these bonuses are done with, and I can attack some tourneys with a proper bankroll.

EDIT: I just noticed however many days later that I didn't post the results to the hand! My opponent had JJ (but I kinda explained that already.... whateva!)

Take 2 by 4

Take 2 is back, and this time you need 5 points per day for 9 out of 10 days to get $25. I'm going for the full $25 this time, even though I'm going out of town on a road trip this weekend. No sweat.

I 4-tabled Rush this morning, just to get my points quick - I ended up getting the 5 points in less than 5 minutes. Funny thing is, I wasn't overwhelmed by the speed of 4-tabling Rush. I actually played pretty well. If not for the following hand, I would have been up a solid buyin in only 5 minutes.

Full Tilt Poker $0.02/$0.05 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - http://www.handconverter.com/hands/985397
The DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

BB: $1.74
UTG: $0.64
UTG+1: $2.00
UTG+2: $1.43
MP1: $3.95
MP2: $6.42
Hero (CO): $5.00
BTN: $2.02
SB: $1.20

Pre Flop: ($0.07) Hero is CO with Ah Kh
2 folds, UTG+2 raises to $0.15, 2 folds, Hero raises to $0.42, 3 folds, UTG+2 calls $0.27

Flop: ($0.91) 2h Ad Ac (2 players)
UTG+2 bets $0.36, Hero raises to $4.58 all in, UTG+2 calls $0.65 all in

Turn: ($2.93) Jc (2 players - 2 are all in)

River: ($2.93) 7c (2 players - 2 are all in)

Final Pot: $2.93
UTG+2 shows Jd Js (a full house, Jacks full of Aces)
Hero shows Ah Kh (three of a kind, Aces)
UTG+2 wins $2.74
(Rake: $0.19)

So maybe there is some hope for me in cash games after all.

You Can't Handle the Proof!

There is a discussion about an SnG hand going on at the FTP message boards here. The hand in question is actually very interesting; the difference between play options is very thin, and the correct play is not as intuitive as you might think. I suggest you read through it if you have the time. I was surprised to find that my inital instinct (fold pre) also proved to be the most profitable play in this case.

What I find funny about this thread is the stubbornness of the posters who insist that they are right, even after they are proven wrong. They just slightly change their opinion... only to be proven wrong again. And they still don't give up!

"horseplyr" is particularly amusing. I've tangled a bit with him before on some issues. His MO is the following: he will not commit to any specific action in an HH analysis unless another poster who he has deemed "worthy" comments on the hand. He will then claim the comment as his own and defend it vehemently, despite all evidence he is wrong. Any evidence brought forth against "his" opinion is wrong, simply because that person does not have the experience "necessary experience" that the ones he has deemed worthy possess.

Basically, he's a sheep.

He's a follower who only knows what is good if someone tells him it is. He cannot think for himself; he only goes along with what the "best" players do. Read the thread for yourself. He goes from confused, to non-committal, to argumentative, to ABSOLUTELY sure I am wrong... all without offering any proof that he is correct. The only proof you will find in the thread is my math showing thaT a fold is best.

So, why does horseplyr not offer up any proof? Either:
a) he really doesn't understand why he's choosing his opinion (much like a sheep follows a shepherd and doesn't understand why)
or
b) there is no way to prove he is correct.

Or both.

I think I'm done posting in the thread; I've certainly made my point. However, I will continue to monitor the thread to see just how much more arguing goes on (and how foolish horseplyr makes himself look in the process).

No Mas

I've decided to call it quits with this whole "All or Nothing" bit. I'm still (barely) profitable, but why keep playing when I can do so much better (and have much more fun) playing tournaments? I can generate more profits playing tourneys without considering the bonus than I am getting now overall. I have until December to generate more bonus; I should grind out some more bonus cash between now and then by just doing my regular thing.

The whole thing is frustrating me, because it really should be working much better than it is. I just seem to be majorly unlucky. Last night I lost 3 coin flips with AK and ran into two AA's, but what really hurts is when I get it in with QQ against 77 and villain flops a 7. After all of that, I was only down 2 buyins. So, obviously even with a downswing that bad, on average I should be showing signifcant gains. I'm just not seeing it.

I cannot wait to get back to the games I am good at and actually ENJOY!!!

The Teacher Gets Schooled

After getting bored with the mindless repetition of my "All or Nothing" campaign (which, incidentally, is gaining some steam), I decided to switch gears last night and play something interesting. Unsure of how much time I had to play before I got sleepy, I entered a 90 man play money SnG. Boy are these fun to play.

Two easy triple ups paved the way to the final table for me, both involving AK hands. The first hand gives me a picture perfect flop of AAK. The second hand:

SB: t18495 308.25 BBs
BB: t15875 264.58 BBs
Hero (UTG): t4735 78.92 BBs
UTG+1: t9655 160.92 BBs
UTG+2: t21245 354.08 BBs
MP1: t1115 18.58 BBs
MP2: t5900 98.33 BBs
CO: t2220 37 BBs
BTN: t2545 42.42 BBs

Pre Flop: (t90) Hero is UTG with Ac Kd
Hero raises to t200, UTG+1 calls t200, UTG+2 calls t200, 2 folds, CO raises to t2220 all in, 1 fold, SB calls t2190, 1 fold, Hero raises to t4735 all in, UTG+1 calls t4535, UTG+2 calls t4535, SB calls t2515

Flop: (t21220) Ad Kc 9c (5 players - 2 are all in)
SB bets t13760 all in, UTG+1 calls t4920 all in, UTG+2 folds

Turn: (t31060) 4s (4 players - 4 are all in)

River: (t31060) 9h (4 players - 4 are all in)

Final Pot: t31060
SB shows 4d Ks (two pair, Kings and Nines)
Hero shows Ac Kd (two pair, Aces and Kings)
UTG+1 shows Kh 4h (two pair, Kings and Nines)
CO shows As 8c (two pair, Aces and Nines)
SB wins t4920
UTG+1 wins t4920
Hero wins t10060
Hero wins t11160


I barely had to play another hand until we got to 6-handed at the FT.
The big stack at the FT was a major moron, often shoving his entire 30k-ish stack into a pot of 600 after the flop. Of course, he was getting good results, knocking out quite a few of the players until we got down to 3-handed play.

I was in third place, the moron in first with stacks ~ 75k/40k/20k. The moron is still shoving his entire stack, now often pre. The second place player is now lecturing him on how stupid this is, and how he should "stop being so dumb." Am I hearing this right? He wants his opponent to play better?

It bothers me when people can only play poker when their opponents only act a certain way, the way they have deemed "correct." Is there no room for adjustment in your game? Can you only succeed if your opponent plays proper, odds-driven poker? Or are you able to capitalize on your opponent's mistakes even if you don't fully understand them?

Mostly out of frustration, the lecturer was bounced and I was heads up with the moron. Adjusting my gameplay, I was able to catch a double up and work until stacks were just about even. This one would have turned the tables in my direction, but sometimes the morons just get lucky:

Hero (BB): t57155 142.89 BBs
BTN/SB: t77845 194.61 BBs

Pre Flop: (t600) Hero is BB with Ac 9c
BTN/SB raises to t77845 all in, Hero calls t56755 all in

Flop: (t114310) 8c 6h 9d

Turn: (t114310) Qd

River: (t114310) 5h

Final Pot: t114310
Hero shows Ac 9c (a pair of Nines)
BTN/SB shows Ad 7s (a straight, Nine high)
BTN/SB wins t114310

I'm hoping this bonus thing is over soon. I really miss playing SnG's and tournaments! Maybe I'll throw a few in this week to remind myself of the flavor.

Me Likey

More of these, please!!!

Full Tilt Poker $0.02/$0.05 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - http://www.handconverter.com/hands/961666
The DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

UTG+1: $1.78
UTG+2: $1.81
MP1: $1.53
MP2: $2.16
CO: $6.10
BTN: $2.52
Hero (SB): $1.69
BB: $2.00
UTG: $2.37

Pre Flop: ($0.07) Hero is SB with Kh Ks
UTG raises to $0.17, 2 folds, MP1 raises to $1.53 all in, MP2 raises to $2.16 all in, 2 folds, Hero calls $1.67 all in, 1 fold, UTG calls $1.99

Flop: ($7.59) Qc 4d 7d

Turn: ($7.59) 2h

River: ($7.59) 6d

Final Pot: $7.59
MP1 shows 9h 9c (a pair of Nines)
MP2 shows Qs Js (a pair of Queens)
Hero shows Kh Ks (a pair of Kings)
UTG shows Ah Kd (Ace King high)
MP2 wins $0.88
Hero wins $0.45
Hero wins $5.76
(Rake: $0.50)

Knowing my luck, I was expecting one of them to have AA. But it worked out!