Only a final table finish would do in Sunday morning’s Seven Card Stud tourney to win me Best All-Around Player. I took my seat and saw to my dismay that we would be starting with only 1000 chips and that the blind structure was very fast for a stud tourney. I was either going to have to miraculously pick up this game or get very lucky early on in order to have a shot at the title.
Unfortunately, neither of these happened and I donked off most of my starting stack by chasing crappy draws, putting too much faith in one pair, and basically looking like a moron at the poker table. I hate looking like a moron at the poker table. It’s not something I’m accustomed to and it’s not fun. Fortunately the company was enjoyable, and I still managed to have a good time despite my obvious lack of skill or experience. I did make one good bluff, but of course I can’t tell you what it was! j/k
In the end Bill Chen put me out of my misery with trip jacks over my measly pair of sevens. To give you an idea of how poorly I was playing, despite the fact that I looked up from my split sevens and saw that Bill himself had one of my remaining sevens as his door card, I went ahead with the hand anyway and was just hoping to pair another one of my cards by the river in order to beat him. Merrily I donked along and called him down to the bitter end. Then I passed my chips across the table and put my last ATLARGE tourney of the weekend to bed.
Except for this pitiful showing in the stud tourney, I was extremely pleased with my playing for the weekend. I even added a few new plays to my arsenal, so next year I’ll be more dangerous than ever. Watch out!
After the insane blinds did their worst to Kevin and Matt, we headed over to P.F. Chang’s with Ivy for a tasty Chinese repast. We enjoyed dumplings, spicy scallops, and other delights as we waxed nostalgic about the great weekend we’d just enjoyed. Our waiter also gave us an expert demonstration in mu shu pancake wrapping.
After lunch it was time to say goodbye and head back up the Jersey highway to Brooklyn. I can’t wait for my next ARGE event (I will likely skip BARGE since I will be going to Ireland in August, but stay tuned for updates – I am working on a plan that involves cloning or supersonic travel, whichever I can get a permit for.) The pressure will be on since I have now won big at both ARGE events I have attended. I’ll be ready, so you should be too!
I am considering trying to win a seat in the WSOP but can’t decide what the best satellite route is. Any recommendations? I generally prefer supers to double shoot-outs and would not want to invest more than a few hundred dollars in this. Also if anyone is interested in investing in my road to the Series, let me know.
Similarly, I will be trying to play more bigger buy-in events and more live tourneys. I enjoy them a lot and think there is some element of surprise that gives me an advantage in a live game. If anyone is interested in backing any of these exploits, shoot me an email.
For now it’s back to the grind, limit hold ‘em on UB, some deep stacks and 180-person SNG action, and a big Sunday tourney when I feel like it (although not this week because it was my birthday and not next week because it’s book club day). I am also still in the hunt for my first score in the Friday night tourney I’ve been playing. I’m just biding my time, boys. Your money won’t be safe from me much longer.
One hand to finish things off. This is from the Sunday Million Guaranteed on Stars from last week:
PokerStars Game #4265024157: Tournament #20354660, Hold’em No Limit – Level II (15/30) – 2006/03/12 – 16:45:38 (ET)
Table ‘20354660 4’ Seat #5 is the button
Seat 5: hotcookie42 (1695 in chips)
Seat 7: chanukya (2050 in chips)
Seat 8: IROCHIMA (2670 in chips)
LUHMAN: posts small blind 15
chanukya: posts big blind 30
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to hotcookie42 [Ac Ad]
IROCHIMA: calls 30
hotcookie42: raises 90 to 120
LUHMAN: folds
chanukya: calls 90
IROCHIMA: calls 90
*** FLOP *** [5s 4h 6d]
chanukya: checks
IROCHIMA: checks
hotcookie42: bets 330
chanukya: calls 330
IROCHIMA: folds
*** TURN *** [5s 4h 6d] [7d]
chanukya: bets 300
hotcookie42: calls 300
*** RIVER *** [5s 4h 6d 7d] [2d]
chanukya: checks
hotcookie42: checks
*** SHOW DOWN ***
chanukya: shows [Jc Jh] (a pair of Jacks)
hotcookie42: shows [Ac Ad] (a pair of Aces)
hotcookie42 collected 1635 from pot
I realize this is not the best flop for my hand, especially after my flop bet gets called and the turn puts four to a straight on the board. Does anyone fold on the turn? After thinking through the hand a bit more, it seems to me that calling is probably the worst option. If my opponent has made his hand, I’m probably going to have to call his river bet (unless it’s all-in) now that the pot is so large. Raising would probably be better, because if he does have a set or a straight, he might reraise here and give me a better idea of where I stand. If he is drawing, my call doesn’t put any pressure on him. Checking behind on the river seems like a no-brainer to me – anyone value betting here?
Also, anyone disagree with the way my opponent played his pair of jacks? I think the pre-flop call is okay (unless he knows me, in which case he should definitely reraise!). I think his call on the flop is as bad as my call on the turn, and for similar reasons.
People play spectacularly badly in this tournament. Every week I am amazed at the many creative ways that they take my chips. (Please read “creative†in its most pejorative and sarcastic sense.)
Play good!
Coming soon: pictures of my trophy plaque and wine cozy!
3 replies on “Sunday, Bloody Sunday”
I think there are different ways to approach this. The turn bet feels like a weak bet rather than a value bet. And what range of hands do you put him on? If you deduced that he’s even slightly tight/solid then you should think that you’re probably ahead fearing only a set and maybe A3s … If he’s your typical loose internet player, now you’ve got something to worry about and then I consider folding. I like the Sklansky approach, “If it feels like a negative EV situation, you should fold.” I play this hand differently preflop. I play aces very strongly and I think you need to raise more preflop. Attack their stacks so that it costs them a quarter of their stack. You may win a small pot but you’ll avoid these difficult post-flop situations. If someone picks up a hand, they’re going to commit a large portion of their stack against the boss hand. Very few players will commit 25-33% stack without a strong hand…so you know what you’re up against. You’re at least giving them the wrong odds to flop a set or two pair against you. Ciaffone says the goal with pocket aces is to get your opponent all in pre flop…after the flop it is nothing but a pair of aces. You played the hand cautiously, and that’s way better than shoving it all in blindly.
Jodi,
Happy Birthday! I dont think you can reraise the turn to find out where you are–you started the hand with T1650, you had committed T450 to the pot, and a raise of the turn is going to commit, at a minimum, T600 more.
That being said, you are 100 percent right, calling there leaves you in no man’s land. I think it is a reraise/fold situation, depending on your read of your opponent. Absent any read, I probably push there. His bet screams “cheap stab at the pot” to me, and since it was a raised pot, is is less likely that he has the straight (although 88 is possible, of course. Just my two cents..
Try Bodog or Full Tilt for Supers to the WSOP…email me about investing possibilites
I hate looking like a moron at the poker table.
I don’t think anyone thought that! But I was sorry to see you and your chips go. I am hoping that bluff wasn’t against me. -mjoseph