Monday, February 12, 2007
Famous Poker Quotes...
“I'm shooting myself in the foot by saying this, but I actually hope Hold ‘Em loosens its grip on poker nation and does not take over society. There are other things to do and other games to play. It cannot go on like this, can it?”
----------------Norman Chad
----------------Norman Chad
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Sunday @ PKR
A nice turn out for the tournament at PKR and there were several very interesting hands.... and of course, lots of suck-outs! I stole a couple of pots from a couple of different people but only felt compelled for some reason to show Rob.... I don't know why. The one I showed was 5d, 3d when I flopped an open ended straight draw and a flush draw and bet the flop, the turn and the river when I got no help whatsoever from any future streets. Nice!
Early in the tournament I doubled up through Jason.... I was under the gun and led out with a $400 bet with pocket Js. The flop was perfect! Ax, Jx, 7x and Jason pushed all-in when he hit his Ax, 2x pocket cards. Sweet!
I also let out once with pocket 3s (very un-Charles-like) only to flop a set. Unfortunately for me, no one else hit anything. If there hadn't been two the flush and the straight, I'd probably have checked it.
Mattrix played really well all week-end. He won the Saturday tournament and he finished 2nd to me in Sunday's tournament. I remember one hand where he had pocket AA and he slow-played pre-flop. The flop was the menage a troi flop of KKQ. He led out with a bet and took down the pot.
As we narrowed the field to 3, it was just me, Mattrix and Rob. There were several very interesting hands that came out while we 3 handed. The one where I crippled Rob, I had Kx, 10x and I moved all-in. Rob called immediately and turned over his Gretzky. The flop was absolutely no help with a Qx, Qx, 7x. None on the turn either when the 6x hit. I sucked out on the river when a 10 hit the board.
The next hand I was in the big blind and had 6d, 8d..... not my favorite, but I do like it. And Rob, the small blind, moves all-in for another $4500 or so. I don't know exactly what he said that made me think that he was making a move, but I just knew something was up. I called and he turned over 5x, 3x and the 8 high held up.
It appears that 9 and 10 match-ups weren't done. Matt and I were heads up and I had maybe 2.5 to 1 chip lead. The very next hand after knocking Rob out, I get 99 down and raise it to $6,000 and Mattrix moves all-in and I immediately call only to find that he had 10x, 10x and they held up. Wow!
At one point, we were pretty close to even chip-wise and Rob mentioned something about us chopping and I said that we hadn't had time to even discuss it as just as soon as he busted out, we had some action hands. Ed said something about us chopping and just as he did, the flop with 4x, 4s, 5s hits and Matt bet $6,000 and I called. The turn was a 6x and Matt checked and I checked. The river was a 7x and Matt checked and I checked and my 3x made a straight against his trip fours. Funny how things happen, huh!
The last hand of the tournament, I've got Qx, 10x and Matt raises $6,000 pre-flop. I call and the flop comes Jx, 9h, 7h. I check and Matt moves all-in. The only reason that my call wasn't automatic was because of the hearts on the board. His all-in move was $26,000 which was about half my chip stack and the more I thought about it, he could have been making that move with any Ace, any pair or any flush draw. With my open-ended straight draw, I also felt that if my Queen hit, it was good and any King or any 8 would take the pot and maybe even any 10 so I called. The turn made my straight with the King of diamonds and the river was a meaningless Ace. Mattrix turned over his Ax, 6x and the tournament was over.
Good playing guys! See you next week!
Early in the tournament I doubled up through Jason.... I was under the gun and led out with a $400 bet with pocket Js. The flop was perfect! Ax, Jx, 7x and Jason pushed all-in when he hit his Ax, 2x pocket cards. Sweet!
I also let out once with pocket 3s (very un-Charles-like) only to flop a set. Unfortunately for me, no one else hit anything. If there hadn't been two the flush and the straight, I'd probably have checked it.
Mattrix played really well all week-end. He won the Saturday tournament and he finished 2nd to me in Sunday's tournament. I remember one hand where he had pocket AA and he slow-played pre-flop. The flop was the menage a troi flop of KKQ. He led out with a bet and took down the pot.
As we narrowed the field to 3, it was just me, Mattrix and Rob. There were several very interesting hands that came out while we 3 handed. The one where I crippled Rob, I had Kx, 10x and I moved all-in. Rob called immediately and turned over his Gretzky. The flop was absolutely no help with a Qx, Qx, 7x. None on the turn either when the 6x hit. I sucked out on the river when a 10 hit the board.
The next hand I was in the big blind and had 6d, 8d..... not my favorite, but I do like it. And Rob, the small blind, moves all-in for another $4500 or so. I don't know exactly what he said that made me think that he was making a move, but I just knew something was up. I called and he turned over 5x, 3x and the 8 high held up.
It appears that 9 and 10 match-ups weren't done. Matt and I were heads up and I had maybe 2.5 to 1 chip lead. The very next hand after knocking Rob out, I get 99 down and raise it to $6,000 and Mattrix moves all-in and I immediately call only to find that he had 10x, 10x and they held up. Wow!
At one point, we were pretty close to even chip-wise and Rob mentioned something about us chopping and I said that we hadn't had time to even discuss it as just as soon as he busted out, we had some action hands. Ed said something about us chopping and just as he did, the flop with 4x, 4s, 5s hits and Matt bet $6,000 and I called. The turn was a 6x and Matt checked and I checked. The river was a 7x and Matt checked and I checked and my 3x made a straight against his trip fours. Funny how things happen, huh!
The last hand of the tournament, I've got Qx, 10x and Matt raises $6,000 pre-flop. I call and the flop comes Jx, 9h, 7h. I check and Matt moves all-in. The only reason that my call wasn't automatic was because of the hearts on the board. His all-in move was $26,000 which was about half my chip stack and the more I thought about it, he could have been making that move with any Ace, any pair or any flush draw. With my open-ended straight draw, I also felt that if my Queen hit, it was good and any King or any 8 would take the pot and maybe even any 10 so I called. The turn made my straight with the King of diamonds and the river was a meaningless Ace. Mattrix turned over his Ax, 6x and the tournament was over.
Good playing guys! See you next week!
Saturday, February 10, 2007
PKR Saturday Poker Tournament
Another excellent tournament today at PKR! Although I didn't cash, based on the cards that I was getting, I think I did well to finish in 6th place. The last move I made was very donkey-like.... the blinds were 2,000/4,000 and I had just lost the big blind to a raise when I had the 9, 2os to the small blind. I only had about 8200 after that move. And yes, it sort of put me on tilt.
The next hand every one folds to me in the small blind and with just the big blind remaining, I decided to push with any two cards. Unfortunately for me, the big blind was Rene' and he p/u Qs, 9s and called. And we were all surprised when I turned over the 6, 3os. LOL. And of course, the dealer starts throwing up queens like curdled pea soup.
Well, there is always tomorrow!
The next hand every one folds to me in the small blind and with just the big blind remaining, I decided to push with any two cards. Unfortunately for me, the big blind was Rene' and he p/u Qs, 9s and called. And we were all surprised when I turned over the 6, 3os. LOL. And of course, the dealer starts throwing up queens like curdled pea soup.
Well, there is always tomorrow!
PKR Maillist
Due to some computer problems, PKR has lost its maillist. If you would like to be on the distribution list for events at PKR, please send your email address, name, phone number to ncpokerblog@gmail.com
Friday, February 09, 2007
The night that could have been....
Well, the Juice permitted me to play again last night and it was another night of what could have been..... although it turned out to be a very good night for me, it could have been monstrous!
I made a crying call to Rick once when he rivered Queens full of Jacks and I had a smaller hand with the queen, but his $100 bet at the $600 pot was kind of stinky and he could have been making it with anything, up to and including a missed flush draw. But he pushed my buttons perfectly to get me to toss in the $100. Practically anything BUT the queen and I can fold it. Nice hand sir.
I folded a couple of middle pair in Omaha 8 and would have flopped or turned quads. It was a rather quiet night in terms of getting to hear the monkey. I think that John M was the only one that got to have his way with the monkey and that was rather early in the evening. Nope, I remember Rick flopped a set and rivered quads against Elvie. Rick looked truly disappointed when his fourth nine hit the board. He bet $200 and Elvie called.
There were a couple of very interesting hands though that made some decent pots for me. Once I was on the button and someone, we'll call him the Juice, because even if it wasn't him, it certainly could have been him, raised the bet to $75 straight and there were 3-4 callers including John M. I called with Ah, 2c, 7h, 8c. The flop was 2x, 2x, 9x and I checked and someone, I don't remember who, bet out $100 and John M called and I pushed all-in. Everyone folds except John who calls. He had outs, but they didn't come.
Another hand that was the biggest one of the night for me happened when I was in the big blind and Dave, who was sitting immediately to my left, made it $150 to go. As is usually the case, pretty much everyone at the table and 2-3 travelers speeding their way along the beltline makes the call so by the time it gets to me, there's about $900 or so in the pot. I find Ax, Ax, 4x, 4x rainbow. I check the stacks to see who is likely to call and the only ones that I feel will make the call of a big raise are Dave and Elvie so after a few moments of prodding and insults from the Juice, I push all-in for about $1200 or so. He immediately calls and Elvie calls and everyone else folds. I've got everyone at the table covered except for Rick and Natediggity who thankfully folded. Again, I am always amazed when the best hand pre-flop holds up all the way to the river. There were 3 cards to the diamond flush and 3 cards to the broadway straight, but neither Elvie or the Juice had any of that..... the Juice tried to play a four card straight at an extremely high volume for a minute or two, but we got him calmed down and I scooped one of the biggest pots of the night. Sweet!
A little while later from the big blind, I flopped the nut straight with the "Willie Nelson," Js, 10s (5th of Jack and Dime Bag), Ah, Qh. The flop was the 7s, 9s, 8h.... I love this flop! The only thing that could have made it any better would have involved the monkey...... At any rate, I lead out with a pot sized bet of about $50. Everyone folds to John M, who calls. The turn is a 3h and I like the heart, but not necessarily the 3, so I bet $100 and John calls. The river is another brick and I bet $200 (I think) and John M calls and my straight scoops it. There was a low, but he didn't have one.
I ended up wussing out and leaving before everyone else as I had a big day scheduled at the office and of course had to put up with abuse as I was leaving.... but it was so worth it! I cashed out with the biggest night for me in quite some time, but oh, the night that could have been!
Back to the felt!
I made a crying call to Rick once when he rivered Queens full of Jacks and I had a smaller hand with the queen, but his $100 bet at the $600 pot was kind of stinky and he could have been making it with anything, up to and including a missed flush draw. But he pushed my buttons perfectly to get me to toss in the $100. Practically anything BUT the queen and I can fold it. Nice hand sir.
I folded a couple of middle pair in Omaha 8 and would have flopped or turned quads. It was a rather quiet night in terms of getting to hear the monkey. I think that John M was the only one that got to have his way with the monkey and that was rather early in the evening. Nope, I remember Rick flopped a set and rivered quads against Elvie. Rick looked truly disappointed when his fourth nine hit the board. He bet $200 and Elvie called.
There were a couple of very interesting hands though that made some decent pots for me. Once I was on the button and someone, we'll call him the Juice, because even if it wasn't him, it certainly could have been him, raised the bet to $75 straight and there were 3-4 callers including John M. I called with Ah, 2c, 7h, 8c. The flop was 2x, 2x, 9x and I checked and someone, I don't remember who, bet out $100 and John M called and I pushed all-in. Everyone folds except John who calls. He had outs, but they didn't come.
Another hand that was the biggest one of the night for me happened when I was in the big blind and Dave, who was sitting immediately to my left, made it $150 to go. As is usually the case, pretty much everyone at the table and 2-3 travelers speeding their way along the beltline makes the call so by the time it gets to me, there's about $900 or so in the pot. I find Ax, Ax, 4x, 4x rainbow. I check the stacks to see who is likely to call and the only ones that I feel will make the call of a big raise are Dave and Elvie so after a few moments of prodding and insults from the Juice, I push all-in for about $1200 or so. He immediately calls and Elvie calls and everyone else folds. I've got everyone at the table covered except for Rick and Natediggity who thankfully folded. Again, I am always amazed when the best hand pre-flop holds up all the way to the river. There were 3 cards to the diamond flush and 3 cards to the broadway straight, but neither Elvie or the Juice had any of that..... the Juice tried to play a four card straight at an extremely high volume for a minute or two, but we got him calmed down and I scooped one of the biggest pots of the night. Sweet!
A little while later from the big blind, I flopped the nut straight with the "Willie Nelson," Js, 10s (5th of Jack and Dime Bag), Ah, Qh. The flop was the 7s, 9s, 8h.... I love this flop! The only thing that could have made it any better would have involved the monkey...... At any rate, I lead out with a pot sized bet of about $50. Everyone folds to John M, who calls. The turn is a 3h and I like the heart, but not necessarily the 3, so I bet $100 and John calls. The river is another brick and I bet $200 (I think) and John M calls and my straight scoops it. There was a low, but he didn't have one.
I ended up wussing out and leaving before everyone else as I had a big day scheduled at the office and of course had to put up with abuse as I was leaving.... but it was so worth it! I cashed out with the biggest night for me in quite some time, but oh, the night that could have been!
Back to the felt!
Thursday, February 08, 2007
OK... Let me try this....
I apologize Juice... you were absolutely right all along. I must have been out of mind to question your knowledge of the game of poker!
I was wrong. You are right.
I am short. You are tall.
I am nothing. You are everything.
I am poker donkey! You are the poker god.
I have nothing. You have everything.
Long Live Dave! May I die tonight!
Oh... one more thing.... I'll thank anyone who sucks out on me again for the rest of my life!
So?
I was wrong. You are right.
I am short. You are tall.
I am nothing. You are everything.
I am poker donkey! You are the poker god.
I have nothing. You have everything.
Long Live Dave! May I die tonight!
Oh... one more thing.... I'll thank anyone who sucks out on me again for the rest of my life!
So?
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Ho Hum...
Another Tuesday - another pocketful of cash. The night started off a bit slow, just kind of treading water waiting for cards. My first big hand of the night came in Omaha 8 when I’m in the big blind holding Jh-9s-9d-4h - a real piece of cheese. The Jizz makes a small straddle UTG, everyone calls and I complete. As is normally the case, the action junkie makes one of his patented goofy raises in straddle position. This one was a large one, something like $85. I have a crappy hand, and I’m hoping that half the table folds so that I can just muck and wait for the next hand. No such luck – pretty much the entire table calls, so I toss in the call as well. Hey, you can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket.
The flop is about the best I can realistically hope for; 10h-9c-3h, giving me middle set and a flush draw. The important thing here is that there’s only one low card. John M is first to act and pushes all-in for around $300, and I move in over the top for around $400, hoping to isolate. Riiiiight…what kind of drugs was I smoking? Three callers later, I turn over my cards and start praying for the board to pair. The turn brings a 2x, a card I’m obviously not very excited about. I am, however, very excited about the 3x that comes on the river, allowing me to scoop a pot of over $2K. For once, the hand that was ahead when all the money went in stayed ahead – phone the neighbors and wake the kids…
I had a couple smaller scoopers later, and got ¾ of another decent pot (I was on the unpleasant end of one also), but most of the night was just about slowly building the stack. I had around $3,500 when I got down to four-handed with Bill, Dave and John M. I broke Bill, then Davey cashed out, leaving John and I to play heads-up again. He roared out to a nice lead, making some good plays and catching a few cards along the way. The luck finally turned around, and I was able to catch some cards myself, and trap him in a few large pots. It a fairly long heads-up session, but I finally broke him around 7:30am or so, and cashed out for over $4,800.
As usual, Dave wussed out, “pulled a Nate” and got out while the getting was good. The Jizz may be crazy, but he’s not stupid! Come Thursday, Dave, your chips will be mine.
See ya at the tables…
Rick
The flop is about the best I can realistically hope for; 10h-9c-3h, giving me middle set and a flush draw. The important thing here is that there’s only one low card. John M is first to act and pushes all-in for around $300, and I move in over the top for around $400, hoping to isolate. Riiiiight…what kind of drugs was I smoking? Three callers later, I turn over my cards and start praying for the board to pair. The turn brings a 2x, a card I’m obviously not very excited about. I am, however, very excited about the 3x that comes on the river, allowing me to scoop a pot of over $2K. For once, the hand that was ahead when all the money went in stayed ahead – phone the neighbors and wake the kids…
I had a couple smaller scoopers later, and got ¾ of another decent pot (I was on the unpleasant end of one also), but most of the night was just about slowly building the stack. I had around $3,500 when I got down to four-handed with Bill, Dave and John M. I broke Bill, then Davey cashed out, leaving John and I to play heads-up again. He roared out to a nice lead, making some good plays and catching a few cards along the way. The luck finally turned around, and I was able to catch some cards myself, and trap him in a few large pots. It a fairly long heads-up session, but I finally broke him around 7:30am or so, and cashed out for over $4,800.
As usual, Dave wussed out, “pulled a Nate” and got out while the getting was good. The Jizz may be crazy, but he’s not stupid! Come Thursday, Dave, your chips will be mine.
See ya at the tables…
Rick
Reraise confusion
So here was the situation:
After the flop, 5 players are in the hand.
First to act, PlayerA bets $40.
PlayerB calls $40.
PlayerC goes all-in for $60.
PlayerD wants to reraise to $100. This caused some confusion at the table. I said that since PlayerC's all-in wasn't a raise of more-than-half of the previous bet/raise, then it kills the reraising action.
So, it seems that John M was right... ONLY in the case where there are people who have not yet acted is this appropriate... in this case, PlayerD can raise PlayerC's uncompleted raise because he had not acted. However if PlayerD had folded, PlayerA cannot raise PlayerC's all-in because PlayerA had already acted. PlayerA CAN re-raise PlayerD's raise, because PlayerD reopened the betting.
Here are a few links I found:
http://www.pokercoach.us/RobsPkrRulesHome.doc
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=8957479&Main=8932714
After the flop, 5 players are in the hand.
First to act, PlayerA bets $40.
PlayerB calls $40.
PlayerC goes all-in for $60.
PlayerD wants to reraise to $100. This caused some confusion at the table. I said that since PlayerC's all-in wasn't a raise of more-than-half of the previous bet/raise, then it kills the reraising action.
So, it seems that John M was right... ONLY in the case where there are people who have not yet acted is this appropriate... in this case, PlayerD can raise PlayerC's uncompleted raise because he had not acted. However if PlayerD had folded, PlayerA cannot raise PlayerC's all-in because PlayerA had already acted. PlayerA CAN re-raise PlayerD's raise, because PlayerD reopened the betting.
Here are a few links I found:
http://www.pokercoach.us/RobsPkrRulesHome.doc
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=8957479&Main=8932714
Famous Poker Quotes...
Most of the money you'll win at poker comes not from the brilliance of your own play, but from the ineptitude of your opponents.
-------------Lou Krieger
-------------Lou Krieger
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Why should you blog? For many reasons, when you listen to the winners of poker bracelets and major tournaments, many of them speak of being a part of a “think-tank” …. A place or a group of friends who play poker together where tournament play and cash games may be dissected and analyzed for learning purposes. That is what we are striving to create here! And there is nothing more fun than ridiculing each other for the obvious “TILT” plays we make from time to time. And.... (HORNS BLARING).... it's all FREE!
You may ONLY create a POST on this site by invitation and YOU are cordially invited to join, blog, poke-fun, ridicule and learn with the group. Some of the best players in the area frequent our site and we want you to be part of it!
Plus – Be on the look-out for some major announcements about our site! We’re growing! Please, grow with us!
I'm going to post this announcement once a week for the next six weeks or so, just email me at ncpokerblog@gmail.com and I'll forward you an invitation to join us!
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
The Story of "The Weaz"
My name is Sean Gleason but in the Poker World (and a few others), I am called Weaz. The origin and meaning are not important and this story is long enough so I will just say the nick-name developed 17-years ago and was influenced by the fact that I was a 115-pound college freshman that ran Cross Country and Track for NC State. After graduation I left for Asheville, NC and made a few mistakes. I returned to Raleigh at the beginning of 2003 and lived with some friends, Eric and Corey, while searching for a house to buy. At the same time, the World Poker Tour was starting to be aired and the popularity of Texas Hold'em was beginning to soar. The house I was renting at also happened to be the location for Corey Hubbs weekly poker game on Monday night. To their credit, the game had been a weekly event for the past ten-years....long before poker became so popular. I have always been a gambler and with a game in the house, I figured that I must check it out. I had trouble keeping Hold'em and Omaha straight in my head and only played a few times with the boys but my addiction had begun. I bought my house six-months later and with the WPT and the WSOP firmly grasping my heart with addiction, I insisted on hosting a poker game as soon as I moved in to the new house.
The Wednesday night game at my house was only Texas Hold'em and we recruited friends who also were new to the "sport" :) Friends brought friends and thus some great friendships were made with people like Curtis, Pinky, Shannon, Ned, Bob, Eric, Brandon, Lush, Lance, Crab, Huff, etc, etc, etc. We kept a rake to buy food every night and the remaining funds were saved for future group trips to Atlantic City. It was during these early poker games that the discussion of Doyle Brunson getting the 10-2 named after him arose. While we were playing one night, I was running my mouth as usuall and boldly stated that "I will win the World Series of Poker with the 6-9 and after I win, they will name it "The Weaz" for eternity." This brought a few laughs but I was serious. The 6-9 did not have a popular nick-name at the time other than the chuckle that it always brings, so I was determined to have it for me. The guys agreed to call it "The Weaz" from here on out and if I did not win the WSOP then we would give it our best effort to spread the word via "word of mouth".
Texas Hold'em continued to rise in popularity and the boys held true to their word. We even made a house rule that if someone won a pot with the 6-9 then it would go rake free. It's amazing that an incentive of a maximum $4 can induce such loose play....but try it, you will see. So my friends from high school soon learned "The Weaz" and they told their friends. Friends that played in our "Barbershop" tournaments also became privy to "The Weaz". In fact, Brad Morris played in a weekly Tuesday night game with some friends from Cary. When Lance and I went to play in one of their tournaments, I had a few of them come up to me and say "So you are Weaz! I won a pot with your hand the other day.". I had never met these people until then...and they were spreading the word.
Of course, winning the WSOP would certainely help my cause but you have to play to win and I have yet to play. But this past December, our group went to Atlantic City for our yearly trip. We stayed at Harrah's casino and were there for about 33-hours. Sixteen of us made the trip and since it was such a short visit, we played almost non-stop. At 4:30am I found myself in the poker room playing some 1-2 NL with a $200 maximum buy-in. The casino had a badbeat jackpot that was up to about $50,000. The qualifiers were typical and it must be aces over jacks or better to qualify. I was at a table that was not far from breaking up and I was considering getting some sleep after the next round through the table. There were 7-people for most of the hands and no one was particularly loose or drunk. In fact, around 3am one of them had actually said "well, I guess we are all just playing for the badbeat jackpot.". I thought to myself, yep...I guess we are...but I was SO tired and my focus wasn't all there. I had about $200 in chips despite having played for 3-hours....it was actually quite boring. A fairly straight forward playing lady raised it to $6 from UTG and I was in the BB. Two people had just gone to the ATM and to get some smokes so this was 5-handed. Two other people called and I loked down to find the "Suited Weaz" (in spades). Bored and late in the evening with ZERO action and only a raise to $6.....OF COURSE I'm playing! I complete and we go to the flop.
So the Dealer flops an 8c8s5s and I tiredly check. I'm interested in this flop but for a lot of the less obvious reasons. I had won money on the plane....lost a little at Blackjack....lost a little at slots.....got 6th and my money back in a tourney.......and earlier had dropped about $150 playing Hold'em. My mind was on trying to get back to even or better so that I could really LOOSEN up during the last few hours of the next day. So I checked my gut shot straight flush, gut shot straight, and flush draws and waited to see what happens. In my current state of mind, I may have done jsut about anything but I figured....let's see what they do. The lady bets $10 into the other three of us and to my surprise the other two guys call....now it's a no-brainer, easy call. We go to the turn and the clouds parted and the lights of heaven shined down on the table....it was the 7 of spades. Viola! Now, how do I get her to committ to all my chips (she had $100 more than me) and/or bring these guys along for the ride. I check my monster and she bet's out another $10 into the $60+ pot.....the other two guys fold, leaving her and I to fight this out. So I put on my Oscar winning face and take my time raising her another $30....she quickly reraises me $30 and this leaves me with about $70 or $80. I start putting on the act....I am acting truly torn....I look at my now dismal stack and finally and very reluctantly just say "Ok, I'm all in!".
This is the really FUN part. She quickly calls and flips her cards over next to the cards on the board....showing her Quad 8's. I know I've won the hand but have completely forgot about the badbeat....I non-chalantly say straigh flush as I flip my "Suited Weaz" and the Dealer and the other buys IMMEDIATELY go bonkers, saying "Badbeat, Badbeat". This snaps me out of my tired spell and I quickly realize that I've just won a nice sum of money. I did not even know how much the jackpot was but I did know that I was going to up for the trip! The lady however is clueless. The Dealer firmly instructs us not to touch the cards or the board and the floor managers come over quickly. We explain to the lady that she won the jackpot....she still does not completely understand and she is even more confused as to why she lost the hand. We explain slowly and it starts sinking in....the Floor tells me to take my winnings for the current hand which was roughly $550 + or- $50 and wait for them to review the hand. Meanwhile, me and the rest of the table are high fiving all across the table....even with the people who were at the ATM....that is until they realized that they were not part of the hand....then they almost cried and quickly left the poker room. In the end, I won $12,714 for my part of the jackpot, the lady won twice that at $25,000+ and the three other guys all got lucky to split with only the 3 of them and they cleared over $4,000. I tipped the dealer the 6-black chips in my hand....and instructed the lady to make sure she gave him $1,000 or more (which she did). It took almost an hour to complete the deal and they gave me the option of check or cash. I took $1,500 cash and the rest in a check.
The remaining hours of our trip, I really tried to knock it out of the park and also build my comps. I played $50+ blackjack hands and some $2 slots. It was a great weekend and I owe it all to "The Weaz". So next time you are playing and you are dealt the 6-9.....remember to spread the word and call it "The Weaz.".
The Wednesday night game at my house was only Texas Hold'em and we recruited friends who also were new to the "sport" :) Friends brought friends and thus some great friendships were made with people like Curtis, Pinky, Shannon, Ned, Bob, Eric, Brandon, Lush, Lance, Crab, Huff, etc, etc, etc. We kept a rake to buy food every night and the remaining funds were saved for future group trips to Atlantic City. It was during these early poker games that the discussion of Doyle Brunson getting the 10-2 named after him arose. While we were playing one night, I was running my mouth as usuall and boldly stated that "I will win the World Series of Poker with the 6-9 and after I win, they will name it "The Weaz" for eternity." This brought a few laughs but I was serious. The 6-9 did not have a popular nick-name at the time other than the chuckle that it always brings, so I was determined to have it for me. The guys agreed to call it "The Weaz" from here on out and if I did not win the WSOP then we would give it our best effort to spread the word via "word of mouth".
Texas Hold'em continued to rise in popularity and the boys held true to their word. We even made a house rule that if someone won a pot with the 6-9 then it would go rake free. It's amazing that an incentive of a maximum $4 can induce such loose play....but try it, you will see. So my friends from high school soon learned "The Weaz" and they told their friends. Friends that played in our "Barbershop" tournaments also became privy to "The Weaz". In fact, Brad Morris played in a weekly Tuesday night game with some friends from Cary. When Lance and I went to play in one of their tournaments, I had a few of them come up to me and say "So you are Weaz! I won a pot with your hand the other day.". I had never met these people until then...and they were spreading the word.
Of course, winning the WSOP would certainely help my cause but you have to play to win and I have yet to play. But this past December, our group went to Atlantic City for our yearly trip. We stayed at Harrah's casino and were there for about 33-hours. Sixteen of us made the trip and since it was such a short visit, we played almost non-stop. At 4:30am I found myself in the poker room playing some 1-2 NL with a $200 maximum buy-in. The casino had a badbeat jackpot that was up to about $50,000. The qualifiers were typical and it must be aces over jacks or better to qualify. I was at a table that was not far from breaking up and I was considering getting some sleep after the next round through the table. There were 7-people for most of the hands and no one was particularly loose or drunk. In fact, around 3am one of them had actually said "well, I guess we are all just playing for the badbeat jackpot.". I thought to myself, yep...I guess we are...but I was SO tired and my focus wasn't all there. I had about $200 in chips despite having played for 3-hours....it was actually quite boring. A fairly straight forward playing lady raised it to $6 from UTG and I was in the BB. Two people had just gone to the ATM and to get some smokes so this was 5-handed. Two other people called and I loked down to find the "Suited Weaz" (in spades). Bored and late in the evening with ZERO action and only a raise to $6.....OF COURSE I'm playing! I complete and we go to the flop.
So the Dealer flops an 8c8s5s and I tiredly check. I'm interested in this flop but for a lot of the less obvious reasons. I had won money on the plane....lost a little at Blackjack....lost a little at slots.....got 6th and my money back in a tourney.......and earlier had dropped about $150 playing Hold'em. My mind was on trying to get back to even or better so that I could really LOOSEN up during the last few hours of the next day. So I checked my gut shot straight flush, gut shot straight, and flush draws and waited to see what happens. In my current state of mind, I may have done jsut about anything but I figured....let's see what they do. The lady bets $10 into the other three of us and to my surprise the other two guys call....now it's a no-brainer, easy call. We go to the turn and the clouds parted and the lights of heaven shined down on the table....it was the 7 of spades. Viola! Now, how do I get her to committ to all my chips (she had $100 more than me) and/or bring these guys along for the ride. I check my monster and she bet's out another $10 into the $60+ pot.....the other two guys fold, leaving her and I to fight this out. So I put on my Oscar winning face and take my time raising her another $30....she quickly reraises me $30 and this leaves me with about $70 or $80. I start putting on the act....I am acting truly torn....I look at my now dismal stack and finally and very reluctantly just say "Ok, I'm all in!".
This is the really FUN part. She quickly calls and flips her cards over next to the cards on the board....showing her Quad 8's. I know I've won the hand but have completely forgot about the badbeat....I non-chalantly say straigh flush as I flip my "Suited Weaz" and the Dealer and the other buys IMMEDIATELY go bonkers, saying "Badbeat, Badbeat". This snaps me out of my tired spell and I quickly realize that I've just won a nice sum of money. I did not even know how much the jackpot was but I did know that I was going to up for the trip! The lady however is clueless. The Dealer firmly instructs us not to touch the cards or the board and the floor managers come over quickly. We explain to the lady that she won the jackpot....she still does not completely understand and she is even more confused as to why she lost the hand. We explain slowly and it starts sinking in....the Floor tells me to take my winnings for the current hand which was roughly $550 + or- $50 and wait for them to review the hand. Meanwhile, me and the rest of the table are high fiving all across the table....even with the people who were at the ATM....that is until they realized that they were not part of the hand....then they almost cried and quickly left the poker room. In the end, I won $12,714 for my part of the jackpot, the lady won twice that at $25,000+ and the three other guys all got lucky to split with only the 3 of them and they cleared over $4,000. I tipped the dealer the 6-black chips in my hand....and instructed the lady to make sure she gave him $1,000 or more (which she did). It took almost an hour to complete the deal and they gave me the option of check or cash. I took $1,500 cash and the rest in a check.
The remaining hours of our trip, I really tried to knock it out of the park and also build my comps. I played $50+ blackjack hands and some $2 slots. It was a great weekend and I owe it all to "The Weaz". So next time you are playing and you are dealt the 6-9.....remember to spread the word and call it "The Weaz.".
Friday Omaha at PKR
Well, it was another exciting session of Omaha 8 on Friday. A great crowd too - we had two full tables at 3:30am! On a hand-by-hand basis, the luck pretty much evened out for me on this night (I’m glad that little streak seems to be over!). Fortunately though, for the most part the pots I won were larger than the pots I lost. My night really came down to three big hands.
In the first hand, I have Jd-Js-6s-4d, and the flop comes Jc-3s-6d. I have top set, of course, but it’s nothing to write home about. There’s two to a low and two to a straight, plus I have one of my boat cards (6s) in my hand. I hope to take it down right there and go on to the next hand, and I bet the pot. As is usually the case in this game, it’s tough to get anyone to lay down any kind of a draw, and I get three callers. The turn brings the Qd, a good card for me as it gives me a good flush draw as well. Again I bet the pot and get one caller, Elvie. I put him on the low draw, so I’m hoping for any diamond 9 or higher, or for the board to pair. The river brings the Kd, a beautiful card, and I move in with my last $350 or so with the second nut flush. Elvie calls, as he had a 10 to go with his A-low draw, giving him nut straight. I scoop a $1,400 pot.
This hand is a textbook example of the importance of redraws in this game. Hitting your redraw accomplishes two things. First, of course, it improves your hand. Second, and maybe more important, is the fact that many times your opponent doesn’t see it coming and will pay you off. Elvie may have (correctly, by the way) put me on a set, and maybe figured he drew out on me with his straight. Luckily he didn’t have the nut flush redraw to go along with his low draw!
I don’t remember the specifics of my second big hand of the night, but I scooped a $1,000+ pot with a double-nut flush.
Luckily, the final big hand for me came at around 5am, just as we were calling it a night. I have Ax-4x-6x-Kx in first position, and the flop comes Q-7-3 rainbow. Not a bad flop, as I have the second-nut draw and a gutshot. I check, Big Dave checks, and a new kid I haven’t played with before tonight makes a pot-sized bet – around $30. I call, as does Dave. The turn brings a 5x – bingo! I check, Dave bets the pot, and the other kid calls. I’m not sure whether Dave has the nut low, or the same straight as me. I put the kid on a set, and at this point I’m on the fence about raising. I love my hand, but if the board pairs I might get nothing. I decide that if a brick comes I’m still getting paid, so why risk more chips than necessary – I just call. The river brings a Kx – sweet! Again I check, and again Dave bets the pot, $480 or so. The kid is torn, but makes the call. It couldn’t have worked out better for me, and I raise all-in. Dave mentions that he’s afraid maybe he’s quartered, and makes the call. When he said that, I figured he had the nut low and we’d be chopping. The kid knows he’s dead, but by now he only has $250 or so left, so he makes the call as well, and turns over Q-Q. Dave turns over the nut straight and a crappy low, and I win ¾ of a monster pot to end the night on a good note, cashing out for over $3,400.
In my opinion, this is a prime example of how easy it is to get yourself into trouble after flopping top set. Some players simply cannot let it go. Here the kid played fairly well and tight most of the night, and had over $1,000 in chips for a while. He gave some of them back, but still started the hand with close to $900, and simply didn’t need to go broke here. He was a bit unlucky, of course, but the bottom line is that when the big money started going in (on the turn), he was drawing to half the pot. Again, this shows the importance of having a backup plan. You can draw some interesting comparisons to my first big hand, when I flopped the top set of jacks. Here I’m fully prepared to dump the hand (depending on the action, of course) if the turn brings something like a 5s. Once the queen comes on the turn, however, I’m comfortable betting big because I have a hand that, at the time, is good for the entire pot, and I have a redraw as well.
I think most people who play with me would be surprised at just how often I fold the best hand at any given time, especially when they consider the seemingly marginal hands I may call a big bet with at other times. For me it’s all about the big pot, and that’s why I place so much importance on the implied odds. Those sneaky little two-way drawing hands so often get you paid after you hit them, but just as often everyone folds when the board pairs and your big set turns into a boat.
So it’s off to The Jizz’s game tonight, where the plan (as usual) is to sneak up on Dave and take all his chips. Of course, there’s not much challenge in that - you can sneak up on him with a chainsaw and squeaky shoes. Call it a guilty pleasure. Still, like a Wes Craven movie, it’s entertaining just the same. Dave, the call is coming from inside the house!
See ya at the tables…
Rick
In the first hand, I have Jd-Js-6s-4d, and the flop comes Jc-3s-6d. I have top set, of course, but it’s nothing to write home about. There’s two to a low and two to a straight, plus I have one of my boat cards (6s) in my hand. I hope to take it down right there and go on to the next hand, and I bet the pot. As is usually the case in this game, it’s tough to get anyone to lay down any kind of a draw, and I get three callers. The turn brings the Qd, a good card for me as it gives me a good flush draw as well. Again I bet the pot and get one caller, Elvie. I put him on the low draw, so I’m hoping for any diamond 9 or higher, or for the board to pair. The river brings the Kd, a beautiful card, and I move in with my last $350 or so with the second nut flush. Elvie calls, as he had a 10 to go with his A-low draw, giving him nut straight. I scoop a $1,400 pot.
This hand is a textbook example of the importance of redraws in this game. Hitting your redraw accomplishes two things. First, of course, it improves your hand. Second, and maybe more important, is the fact that many times your opponent doesn’t see it coming and will pay you off. Elvie may have (correctly, by the way) put me on a set, and maybe figured he drew out on me with his straight. Luckily he didn’t have the nut flush redraw to go along with his low draw!
I don’t remember the specifics of my second big hand of the night, but I scooped a $1,000+ pot with a double-nut flush.
Luckily, the final big hand for me came at around 5am, just as we were calling it a night. I have Ax-4x-6x-Kx in first position, and the flop comes Q-7-3 rainbow. Not a bad flop, as I have the second-nut draw and a gutshot. I check, Big Dave checks, and a new kid I haven’t played with before tonight makes a pot-sized bet – around $30. I call, as does Dave. The turn brings a 5x – bingo! I check, Dave bets the pot, and the other kid calls. I’m not sure whether Dave has the nut low, or the same straight as me. I put the kid on a set, and at this point I’m on the fence about raising. I love my hand, but if the board pairs I might get nothing. I decide that if a brick comes I’m still getting paid, so why risk more chips than necessary – I just call. The river brings a Kx – sweet! Again I check, and again Dave bets the pot, $480 or so. The kid is torn, but makes the call. It couldn’t have worked out better for me, and I raise all-in. Dave mentions that he’s afraid maybe he’s quartered, and makes the call. When he said that, I figured he had the nut low and we’d be chopping. The kid knows he’s dead, but by now he only has $250 or so left, so he makes the call as well, and turns over Q-Q. Dave turns over the nut straight and a crappy low, and I win ¾ of a monster pot to end the night on a good note, cashing out for over $3,400.
In my opinion, this is a prime example of how easy it is to get yourself into trouble after flopping top set. Some players simply cannot let it go. Here the kid played fairly well and tight most of the night, and had over $1,000 in chips for a while. He gave some of them back, but still started the hand with close to $900, and simply didn’t need to go broke here. He was a bit unlucky, of course, but the bottom line is that when the big money started going in (on the turn), he was drawing to half the pot. Again, this shows the importance of having a backup plan. You can draw some interesting comparisons to my first big hand, when I flopped the top set of jacks. Here I’m fully prepared to dump the hand (depending on the action, of course) if the turn brings something like a 5s. Once the queen comes on the turn, however, I’m comfortable betting big because I have a hand that, at the time, is good for the entire pot, and I have a redraw as well.
I think most people who play with me would be surprised at just how often I fold the best hand at any given time, especially when they consider the seemingly marginal hands I may call a big bet with at other times. For me it’s all about the big pot, and that’s why I place so much importance on the implied odds. Those sneaky little two-way drawing hands so often get you paid after you hit them, but just as often everyone folds when the board pairs and your big set turns into a boat.
So it’s off to The Jizz’s game tonight, where the plan (as usual) is to sneak up on Dave and take all his chips. Of course, there’s not much challenge in that - you can sneak up on him with a chainsaw and squeaky shoes. Call it a guilty pleasure. Still, like a Wes Craven movie, it’s entertaining just the same. Dave, the call is coming from inside the house!
See ya at the tables…
Rick
Monday, February 05, 2007
Sunday @ PKR
The Sunday tournament proved to be pretty painful even though I won. I slow played trying to trap only to get trapped twice with the nut straight hitting the board. Billy built a nice stack again this week prior to the end of the re-buy period, but I managed to get him to heads up which was my goal. I felt that if I did, I stood a better than average chance even being dominated in the chip count. Fortunately by the time that we got down to heads up, I had about 20,000 although he had closer to 60,000 or so.
Shortly after the re-buy period ended, Carl and I both flopped huge hands! I was in the small blind and he was the big blind. Everyone folds around to me and I find aces..... I decided to raise a little to see if I can get him to bet at the pot. I raised the 100/200 blind to 500. He re-raised 1000. I re-raised him 1000 and he pushed all-in. I call and the small blind has Aces and the big blind turns over Queens! Talk about a cold deck.... and amazingly, the deck doesn't start spewing Queens! LOL. The Aces hold up and Carl is almost out of the tournament. He had me covered, but not by much.
There were a couple of very interesting hands. Once I raised with Kh, 4h the 1000/2000 blinds to 7,000 and he smooth called. The flop was 10x, Jx, Qx and we both checked. The turn was a 4x and he checked so I bet about 6,000 and he moved all-in. He's flopped or turned a couple of straights today and caught me with two pair once or twice.... I showed him my bottom pair and nut straight DRAW and folded. He showed his 8x, 9x... another flopped straight. We did a little rabbit hunting and the Ace that hit the river would have given me the pot and the tournament.
Another hand, I had the 8d, 9d and limped on the small blind and he raised all-in. I folded and would have flopped the nut straight. LOL. At one point, he had me down to about 2 blinds worth of chips and I doubled through him a couple of times to take back the chip lead. The last hand of the tournament was interesting. I had 8x, 9x in the big blind and he moved all-in. I started to call as it was only about 15,000 additional chips, but decided that I didn't want to double him up. As I was about to fold, I said... "I'd call, but I don't want to put my chips in when I'm behind again!" He said, "then fold" and I don't know what made me do it, but it was just something in the way that he said it that made me believe that he was making a move so I called. He turned over 2x, 5x and my 9 high won the pot. Sweet!
It was fun though... we went back and forth on the chip lead about 4 or 5 times! All that time Rick and I spent playing heads up 5/10 No Limit was good for me. We had a lot of fun and I think that we both learned a lot from it, I know that I did!
Oh well.... back to the felt!
Shortly after the re-buy period ended, Carl and I both flopped huge hands! I was in the small blind and he was the big blind. Everyone folds around to me and I find aces..... I decided to raise a little to see if I can get him to bet at the pot. I raised the 100/200 blind to 500. He re-raised 1000. I re-raised him 1000 and he pushed all-in. I call and the small blind has Aces and the big blind turns over Queens! Talk about a cold deck.... and amazingly, the deck doesn't start spewing Queens! LOL. The Aces hold up and Carl is almost out of the tournament. He had me covered, but not by much.
There were a couple of very interesting hands. Once I raised with Kh, 4h the 1000/2000 blinds to 7,000 and he smooth called. The flop was 10x, Jx, Qx and we both checked. The turn was a 4x and he checked so I bet about 6,000 and he moved all-in. He's flopped or turned a couple of straights today and caught me with two pair once or twice.... I showed him my bottom pair and nut straight DRAW and folded. He showed his 8x, 9x... another flopped straight. We did a little rabbit hunting and the Ace that hit the river would have given me the pot and the tournament.
Another hand, I had the 8d, 9d and limped on the small blind and he raised all-in. I folded and would have flopped the nut straight. LOL. At one point, he had me down to about 2 blinds worth of chips and I doubled through him a couple of times to take back the chip lead. The last hand of the tournament was interesting. I had 8x, 9x in the big blind and he moved all-in. I started to call as it was only about 15,000 additional chips, but decided that I didn't want to double him up. As I was about to fold, I said... "I'd call, but I don't want to put my chips in when I'm behind again!" He said, "then fold" and I don't know what made me do it, but it was just something in the way that he said it that made me believe that he was making a move so I called. He turned over 2x, 5x and my 9 high won the pot. Sweet!
It was fun though... we went back and forth on the chip lead about 4 or 5 times! All that time Rick and I spent playing heads up 5/10 No Limit was good for me. We had a lot of fun and I think that we both learned a lot from it, I know that I did!
Oh well.... back to the felt!
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Friday PKR Omaha Hi or Hi-Lo
What a night! I was a little late arriving and Mike D cashed out so that I could sit down at the full table. I sort of wish that he wouldn't as I had completely busted out to TWO COOLERS within 45 minutes. I had to go to the ATM to reload! LOL. But I'm really glad that I did.... not that it was a really big night for me in terms of winning, but it was a fun night and I did win. We had a great table and good times and happy faces were all around. Except for, you know, those significant instances where crap happens!
Probably the most significant thing about last nights Omaha event was the number of people. Shortly after midnight, we had a full table with people waiting! I finally called Mike D and asked him to come back and open up the other table and until about 4 in the morning, we had two full tables of Omaha 8 2/5 Pot Limit going! Awesome!
My first big hand of the night was really just poor judgement and bad luck on my part. I typically WON'T chase a low only board when someone is betting big, but in this particular instance, it was Rick, and you know how much I like to piss him off. LOL. I don't even remember the specifics of the board but there were 2 cards on board to the low and he was betting the pot. Probably a big set with a nice flush draw and maybe even a draw to the low. I don't recall, but I do remember putting most of my chips in since there were so many callers and I was last to act only to miss everything. Then just a couple of hands later, I flop the middle set, tens; with a nut low re-draw and a flush re-draw and Scooper Dave's top set held up.
So I went to the ATM and came back determined to get me some. I did run into a couple of monsters (held by others) a couple of times. In one hand, I flopped a boat, 3's full of 2's with an A, 5 - only to have the A and the 5 get counterfeited. Unfortunately for me, Ed was holding pocket 2's! He did let me bet on the flop as he was out of position. I sensed that something wasn't quite right so when he checked the turn, I checked. He lead out with a pot sized bet, around 270 if I remember correctly. I made a crying call and he turned over the quads. Nice!
There were only a couple of times where I scooped pots -and- in both instances, I got really lucky. Once or twice against Rick.... yea! And one big pot against a new guy, Chris, I believe was his name where he flopped trips nines and I had a nut flush and 3rd nut low re-draw and both got there.
Based on the people at my table, I'm inclined to think that the Friday Omaha game is fixed and will be loaded going forward. I won't always be able to make it, but I'll be there whenever possible.
Probably the most significant thing about last nights Omaha event was the number of people. Shortly after midnight, we had a full table with people waiting! I finally called Mike D and asked him to come back and open up the other table and until about 4 in the morning, we had two full tables of Omaha 8 2/5 Pot Limit going! Awesome!
My first big hand of the night was really just poor judgement and bad luck on my part. I typically WON'T chase a low only board when someone is betting big, but in this particular instance, it was Rick, and you know how much I like to piss him off. LOL. I don't even remember the specifics of the board but there were 2 cards on board to the low and he was betting the pot. Probably a big set with a nice flush draw and maybe even a draw to the low. I don't recall, but I do remember putting most of my chips in since there were so many callers and I was last to act only to miss everything. Then just a couple of hands later, I flop the middle set, tens; with a nut low re-draw and a flush re-draw and Scooper Dave's top set held up.
So I went to the ATM and came back determined to get me some. I did run into a couple of monsters (held by others) a couple of times. In one hand, I flopped a boat, 3's full of 2's with an A, 5 - only to have the A and the 5 get counterfeited. Unfortunately for me, Ed was holding pocket 2's! He did let me bet on the flop as he was out of position. I sensed that something wasn't quite right so when he checked the turn, I checked. He lead out with a pot sized bet, around 270 if I remember correctly. I made a crying call and he turned over the quads. Nice!
There were only a couple of times where I scooped pots -and- in both instances, I got really lucky. Once or twice against Rick.... yea! And one big pot against a new guy, Chris, I believe was his name where he flopped trips nines and I had a nut flush and 3rd nut low re-draw and both got there.
Based on the people at my table, I'm inclined to think that the Friday Omaha game is fixed and will be loaded going forward. I won't always be able to make it, but I'll be there whenever possible.
Friday, February 02, 2007
John Hennigan Wins the Borgata Poker Classic!
The final hand went something like this.....
Chuck Kelley raises to $500,000 on the button and John Hennigan calls....
The flop is 7s, 3d, 3s - Hennigan checks and Kelley bets $700,000 and Hennigan calls. The turn is the Ah. Hennigan checks and Kelley bets $800,000... Hennigan calls. Then, out of the blue, un-provoked and without cause, Kelley flips over his hole cards prematurely showing the Qh, 7h!
The river is the 3h! Hennigan moves all-in and Kelley calls thinking his full house is good. Hennigan nods his head and shows his winning full house of with his hole cards of Ac, 5h.
Hennigan wins $1,606,223 for first place and Kelley earns nearly $850K! I'm looking forward to the televised version as I understand that this was the second time in this tournament that Kelley prematurely flips his hole cards!
The tournament information and interviews may be found at www.worldpokertour.com
Chuck Kelley raises to $500,000 on the button and John Hennigan calls....
The flop is 7s, 3d, 3s - Hennigan checks and Kelley bets $700,000 and Hennigan calls. The turn is the Ah. Hennigan checks and Kelley bets $800,000... Hennigan calls. Then, out of the blue, un-provoked and without cause, Kelley flips over his hole cards prematurely showing the Qh, 7h!
The river is the 3h! Hennigan moves all-in and Kelley calls thinking his full house is good. Hennigan nods his head and shows his winning full house of with his hole cards of Ac, 5h.
Hennigan wins $1,606,223 for first place and Kelley earns nearly $850K! I'm looking forward to the televised version as I understand that this was the second time in this tournament that Kelley prematurely flips his hole cards!
The tournament information and interviews may be found at www.worldpokertour.com
Thursday night MMC Tournament
What a great tournament and a lot of fun! I went down and played last night. They had an excellent turn-out and once it got started, the pace moved along very well. I don't know what it is about poker tournaments and starting times, but as a general rule, there has to be a way to get to start "at least" close to their advertised starting time. I don't remember exactly when we finally got started but it was at least 30 minutes late.
I played at a fun table anyway. A friend of mine from the Bogey Cup Tour, Steve was there and catching cards like a maniac at least in the first and second blind levels. The format again is a $40 no re-buy tournament and with the excellent turn-out, 1st place was about $600. Not bad. The blind structure starts at 25/50 with 20 minute blinds. Everyone starts with $5,000 in chips. At the end of the 3rd level, 100/200, they took a short break and colored out the 25 chips. The last hand before that break I played and could have easily lost all my chips. I made a small raise and was called from an early position player. The flop was 3 hearts and I made a pot sized bet and he called. I immediately put him on a big heart and of course, another heart hits the turn. He checks and I check. The river, yet another heart, and he makes a big bet which probably was a mistake unless he really had me with no heart at all since there was a gut shot straight flush on the board. I fold and he shows a King of hearts as if there was some magical unforeseen power that had provided him with his 3rd nut flush.... yes, well it's called a suck-out.... no matter where you are, it's still a suck-out. LOL. After that hand, I had about $4600 chips remaining.
Shortly after the break, as we are consolidating tables, I get moved to the table where George S is immediately on my left. I'm in middle position and raise the $200/$400 blinds to $1200 with an AQos. George calls and the flop is Jx, 5x, 5x. I check and George leads out with a pot sized bet and I show him my cards and fold expecting that he probably had an A, J or maybe even a middle pocket pair. He didn't show. After that hand, I'm getting really short-stacked and just a couple of hands later in the un-raised big blind with 10c, 5s, there was one limper with a decent chip stack and small blind limps. The flop is sweet.... 10x, 6x, 5x. The small blind checks and I move all in for another $2700 or so. The limper calls saying that he is probably behind and the small blind struggles with the decision and eventually folds. I turn over my two pair and the limper turns over 10x, 8x. He is actually not in a horrible situation since his kicker is bigger than my second pair. After the flop, headed for the turn, he has 6 outs... any 8 or any 6 would make him a better two pair with a better kicker. I'm probably about 70% and he's probably about 24% with the difference being a chop. The turn is a J which makes me about an 80% favorite, but of course he hits his 8 on the river and I'm out the door..... Flopping two pair has been my downfall a couple of times this past month, but I don't think that I'll play them any differently going forward as I was a huge favorite on the flop and the turn and actually had my opponents exactly where I wanted them to be.... a huge underdog. But as is sometimes the case, their outs hit!
No big deal.... Again, it was an excellent tournament. I didn't hang around to see who won as I thought that I could still make the Juice's game only to find out that there wasn't one. Nice!
But again, I would recommend this tournament. Nice guys and other than the starting time delay, well run.
I played at a fun table anyway. A friend of mine from the Bogey Cup Tour, Steve was there and catching cards like a maniac at least in the first and second blind levels. The format again is a $40 no re-buy tournament and with the excellent turn-out, 1st place was about $600. Not bad. The blind structure starts at 25/50 with 20 minute blinds. Everyone starts with $5,000 in chips. At the end of the 3rd level, 100/200, they took a short break and colored out the 25 chips. The last hand before that break I played and could have easily lost all my chips. I made a small raise and was called from an early position player. The flop was 3 hearts and I made a pot sized bet and he called. I immediately put him on a big heart and of course, another heart hits the turn. He checks and I check. The river, yet another heart, and he makes a big bet which probably was a mistake unless he really had me with no heart at all since there was a gut shot straight flush on the board. I fold and he shows a King of hearts as if there was some magical unforeseen power that had provided him with his 3rd nut flush.... yes, well it's called a suck-out.... no matter where you are, it's still a suck-out. LOL. After that hand, I had about $4600 chips remaining.
Shortly after the break, as we are consolidating tables, I get moved to the table where George S is immediately on my left. I'm in middle position and raise the $200/$400 blinds to $1200 with an AQos. George calls and the flop is Jx, 5x, 5x. I check and George leads out with a pot sized bet and I show him my cards and fold expecting that he probably had an A, J or maybe even a middle pocket pair. He didn't show. After that hand, I'm getting really short-stacked and just a couple of hands later in the un-raised big blind with 10c, 5s, there was one limper with a decent chip stack and small blind limps. The flop is sweet.... 10x, 6x, 5x. The small blind checks and I move all in for another $2700 or so. The limper calls saying that he is probably behind and the small blind struggles with the decision and eventually folds. I turn over my two pair and the limper turns over 10x, 8x. He is actually not in a horrible situation since his kicker is bigger than my second pair. After the flop, headed for the turn, he has 6 outs... any 8 or any 6 would make him a better two pair with a better kicker. I'm probably about 70% and he's probably about 24% with the difference being a chop. The turn is a J which makes me about an 80% favorite, but of course he hits his 8 on the river and I'm out the door..... Flopping two pair has been my downfall a couple of times this past month, but I don't think that I'll play them any differently going forward as I was a huge favorite on the flop and the turn and actually had my opponents exactly where I wanted them to be.... a huge underdog. But as is sometimes the case, their outs hit!
No big deal.... Again, it was an excellent tournament. I didn't hang around to see who won as I thought that I could still make the Juice's game only to find out that there wasn't one. Nice!
But again, I would recommend this tournament. Nice guys and other than the starting time delay, well run.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Another Tuesday at Dave's
Another Tuesday means another night of food, drink, porn, laughter, and, oh yeah, poker. The table dynamic Tuesday was a bit on the tight side (which is to say it’s still looser than most games). As usual, Dave, Elvie and Bill were there to represent the crazies of the poker world. Tom, Charles and Nate were there also, waiting for pocket aces so they could at least see a flop before folding.
Most of the night was relatively uneventful, though I did have quads five times in Omaha 8 (queens, nines, fours, and aces twice). None of them scooped any large pots however. Quads were sure cheap – we probably saw them a dozen times! The rest of the night mostly consisted of folding pre-flop, busted draws, or watching my flopped nuts get drawn out on. One or two of the draw-outs were a bit painful, but nothing that required a doctor’s visit.
During the entire 12 hour session, there were exactly two occasions where I had a hand at the river and actually got paid off. The first was Omaha 8, where I’m dealt Ah-4h-X-X, and get a flop of something like 2h-7s-Qh. Nothing to get too excited about just yet, but I’ve got the nut flush draw and second-nut low draw. I bet $35 or so and get five callers. I’m trying to use my telekinetic abilities to bring the 3h to the top of the deck, but alas, I fail and get the 8h instead. Two of the guys are short-stacked, and I go ahead and go all-in for my last $350 or so. I think everyone but one guy calls, so I assume at least one, maybe two of them have the but low. While I’m hoping for a 3, I’m really just rooting for the board not to pair. It doesn’t, and I’m happy to win half of a nice pot. I become even happier when we all turn our cards up and I discover that my low is good also! Yep, it’s a funny game…
The second big hand came during the wee hours of the morning, as Bill, Charles and I were playing $5/10 Omaha High three-handed. I have 5-6-X-X, and the board shows 2-4-X-X on the turn. I’m first to act and check to Bill, who leads out. Charles calls, so I decide to call with my gutshot. The pot’s not very big, but we all have over $1,000 in chips, and I just have the feeling I’m getting paid if it hits. As you know by now, the 3 comes. I glance over at Bill, who’s already reaching for his chips, so I check to him. He bets $100, and Charles calls (sweet!). I forget if I raise another $100 or $150 (hey, it was late…), but Bill raises another $400. Well, good news / bad news. The good news is that I’ve got the nuts and another guy is re-raising me. The bad news is that he probably has the same hand, and his raise will drive out the third player. Charles folds, and I go all-in, of course. Bill studies at the board again before calling, just to make sure he truly has the nuts and didn’t misread the cards. He calls, putting the pot at around $2,500, and turns over A-5, for the second-nut wheel. It takes him a moment to process what just transpired, but shoving all those chips over my way gives him some time to do just that. It’s happened to all of us, especially at the end of a long session. Charles said he had A-5 also, by the way. We didn’t play too much longer after that (sadly, I had a meeting to attend), and I end up cashing out for just over $3K.
One other note: As you’ve gathered already, Tuesday marked the return of Charles to our game after a 2-3 month absence. It’s nice to see that he and Dave have kissed and made up after their lover’s quarrel. Normally I would be jealous, but I have learned to deal with the fact that Dave is just not the type of person that can ever maintain a monogamous relationship – he will donk off his chips to anyone. I’ve learned to take the bad with the good.
We’ve missed Charles’ sunny disposition at the game. We’ve missed his trite expressions. We’ve missed his incessant whining at anything and everything. We’ve missed his off-key whistling (okay, not the whistling so much…). Mostly though, we’ve missed his money. Again, I’ve learned to take the bad with the good, so welcome back Charles!
See ya at the tables…
Rick
Most of the night was relatively uneventful, though I did have quads five times in Omaha 8 (queens, nines, fours, and aces twice). None of them scooped any large pots however. Quads were sure cheap – we probably saw them a dozen times! The rest of the night mostly consisted of folding pre-flop, busted draws, or watching my flopped nuts get drawn out on. One or two of the draw-outs were a bit painful, but nothing that required a doctor’s visit.
During the entire 12 hour session, there were exactly two occasions where I had a hand at the river and actually got paid off. The first was Omaha 8, where I’m dealt Ah-4h-X-X, and get a flop of something like 2h-7s-Qh. Nothing to get too excited about just yet, but I’ve got the nut flush draw and second-nut low draw. I bet $35 or so and get five callers. I’m trying to use my telekinetic abilities to bring the 3h to the top of the deck, but alas, I fail and get the 8h instead. Two of the guys are short-stacked, and I go ahead and go all-in for my last $350 or so. I think everyone but one guy calls, so I assume at least one, maybe two of them have the but low. While I’m hoping for a 3, I’m really just rooting for the board not to pair. It doesn’t, and I’m happy to win half of a nice pot. I become even happier when we all turn our cards up and I discover that my low is good also! Yep, it’s a funny game…
The second big hand came during the wee hours of the morning, as Bill, Charles and I were playing $5/10 Omaha High three-handed. I have 5-6-X-X, and the board shows 2-4-X-X on the turn. I’m first to act and check to Bill, who leads out. Charles calls, so I decide to call with my gutshot. The pot’s not very big, but we all have over $1,000 in chips, and I just have the feeling I’m getting paid if it hits. As you know by now, the 3 comes. I glance over at Bill, who’s already reaching for his chips, so I check to him. He bets $100, and Charles calls (sweet!). I forget if I raise another $100 or $150 (hey, it was late…), but Bill raises another $400. Well, good news / bad news. The good news is that I’ve got the nuts and another guy is re-raising me. The bad news is that he probably has the same hand, and his raise will drive out the third player. Charles folds, and I go all-in, of course. Bill studies at the board again before calling, just to make sure he truly has the nuts and didn’t misread the cards. He calls, putting the pot at around $2,500, and turns over A-5, for the second-nut wheel. It takes him a moment to process what just transpired, but shoving all those chips over my way gives him some time to do just that. It’s happened to all of us, especially at the end of a long session. Charles said he had A-5 also, by the way. We didn’t play too much longer after that (sadly, I had a meeting to attend), and I end up cashing out for just over $3K.
One other note: As you’ve gathered already, Tuesday marked the return of Charles to our game after a 2-3 month absence. It’s nice to see that he and Dave have kissed and made up after their lover’s quarrel. Normally I would be jealous, but I have learned to deal with the fact that Dave is just not the type of person that can ever maintain a monogamous relationship – he will donk off his chips to anyone. I’ve learned to take the bad with the good.
We’ve missed Charles’ sunny disposition at the game. We’ve missed his trite expressions. We’ve missed his incessant whining at anything and everything. We’ve missed his off-key whistling (okay, not the whistling so much…). Mostly though, we’ve missed his money. Again, I’ve learned to take the bad with the good, so welcome back Charles!
See ya at the tables…
Rick
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