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Tuesday May 13, 2008

Couldn't slow down in Poker last night...

The Monday night $10 game. Oddly or sadly, I think about poker a bunch, particularly Mondays and then second guess and re-play hands on Tuesdays. Last night, I had a blast. I had great cards to start the evening, lots of AK, KQ and a few pocket pairs. I started collecting chips in a hurry. I gave a bunch back when I hit the idiot end of a straight. I had like Q6 and the board was 5, 7, 8, 9... The chip leader and winner of the evening was playing 9, 10. The 8 was the river card and not even sure why I hung around in the hand as long as I did, I got killed with it.

I fought my way back and regained a great chip stack to have KhQc as the big blind. The little blind raised to 3X the blind with AsAd... On the flop it was Ks10s8h. I was feeling pretty good and thought maybe that she had JJ or 1010... The turn was Qs, I had two pair and was betting strong. The river was 4s and my buddy Tara had gone from AA's to nut flush and bet about 50% of my chip stack... I couldn't get away from the hand and didn't think her for the flush. Note to self - Mrs. T doesn't typically bluff...

I still managed to fight my way back and then got to the final table with too little patience and too few chips to play the game the way I like to play: fast and loose... There is always next week.

Monday May 05, 2008

Full house AAA/33

Played in a charity poker event on Saturday night and a cash game broke out later. My highest dollar hand and best winning hand went as follows:

I was dealer with 10 players and had Ah3d. Called $1 as most players were in the pot. Big blind raised to $3 and most folks stayed in the pot. Flop comes A,J,8. I have top pair with terrible kicker. Someone makes it $3 and 4 of us stay in the hand. The turn is A so I have a set. Still shifty kicker but feeling like I'm in good shape. Player makes it $6, I raise to $12 and still have two callers. The river is a 3. I hit my boat. Unless I'm really unlucky and someone was playing AJ or A8, I have the nuts. I was willing to take that beat if it went that way. Both players checked and I had $20 left and went all in. Both called. One drunk, err player had Q8 so was playing AA on board plus his 88, which was foolish. The other fellow had A4, we would have split with AAA plus J8 on the board. That was a sweet hand.

Tuesday April 29, 2008

OMG - Someone stole my car...

After a great night of poker, we had an issue. My wife made it to 4th in the event while I was knocked out in 6th. After I finished in the game, I played in the cash game and did well. Cathy wanted me to leave with her at midnight and I was on a roll. She ended up getting a ride with the person that finished in second place, I thought she took the car when I left an hour later; I was walking out with a cash game buddy talking over hands and bad beats and walked by a car that looked like mine.

A few minutes ago, my wife went to leave house and noticed that my car wasn't in the driveway. I have been crushed with work and not even thinking about stuff. I ran downstairs and feared the worst. In 10 seconds, we were ready to call 9-1-1 and I asked if she left the keys in the car when she came home from poker. She advised that she rode with Darren and I commented that I rode with Gary. Then the shock of leaving our car at our friends place overnight and what Mark is thinking. (Mark, I know you read my blog, so here is to you)

Turns out that we blocked in a car in Mark's driveway and the SOP is to leave keys in the car if you block in someone, so I did. The car was moved from spot A to spot B and given that folks were still playing when I left, I didn't realize that the white car on the other side of the drive was mine given that I thought that Cathy drove home. I was so pleased to have won a bunch of cash that I didn't pay attention as I walked in the house last night... The joys of old age.

Tuesday March 18, 2008

Caught every card last night in poker...

sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. I got almost every card I needed. Sure there was an ebb and flow of chips, but they were rolling in. I raised with 7-2 off suit, won the final hand with 6h-3h and hit two pair on the flop. I played ultra aggresive and it worked.

Tuesday March 11, 2008

Best poker hand from last night...

I got to share this one hand. If you were sitting in the cube next to me, I would tell you at least two or three top hands, but only one in the blog.

Playing in cash game following the Hold 'Em tourneyment, we play $.50/$1 (small blind/big blind) with max buyin of $20. I had Q-3 and had decided to call with almost any hand to see the flop. I was in for $1 and about 6 folks called and then someone raised another $1 to $2. I called. We lost 1 person to the raise, so 5 folks in for $2 plus an abandoned $1 for $11 in the pot to start.

The flop was 7-3-3. I flopped a set with a great kicker. I was first to bet and made it $2.50 and had two callers. Pot was now $18.50. The turn was a 3... Go figure, I had my first quads in over a year. I bet $5, wanting it to look like I was stealing. Checking might have looked like I had a 3 in my hand... My $5 bet was raised to $10, by the fellow to my left. I was thrilled. We still had another card and so I only called.

The river was a 9, nothing paired the board to I had the absolute nuts. I bet my buddies remaining cash hoard of $15 and he called. He was playing 7-9 so he flopped two pair, turned a boat and the boat (full house) got better on the river and he lost... So at the turn, the pot was $38.50 and was $68.50 when it fell into my tray.

What a hand. One of my buddies kept getting KK, AK, AA and never had a caller and basically won the blinds, $1.50 per hand. I lost my ass with AA, AK and QQ last night. Go figure.

Tuesday January 29, 2008

Found: my poker mojo

After yesterday's mini rant, I decided to play good cards last night. This sounds decidedly simple, but it is easier said than done.

Let's say that you are playing and realize that the folks to your left never raise and often see the flop for no added money. If more than half the table is playing, you could have crap and play for small chips to see the flop hoping for a equally crappy flop and letting you win big over a more legit hand... Trouble is playing 8-3 or something trashy and you hit an 8, so you have a mid pair... Is someone else sitting there formerly scared with 10-10 or 9-9 and now they have top pair??? So last night, I only played real hands and came in second place...

I did kill 2 folks on the same hand knocking them both out at the same time while big blind and holding 6h-8h... Everyone at table (10 folks) were in the pot, which is odd, and I didn't exactly have a hand to raise with. Flop came up 6d-6s-5h... I had a set. Poor kicker, but a set. The first to act, I raised to double the blinds. The first person to my left went all in. Folds until someone else went all in and finally, back to me. I was already chipped up and with crappy flop, assumed that the other caller had 10-10 or JJ, so I went all in. Next card was an 8d, and I had a boat... I raised modest to get a caller and on the river got the other guy to go all in as he was pot invested and hoping I was on some kind of draw... Turns out the first caller had 6-9, so he had a set and my second 8 was huge and the other fellow had 10-10...

I made it to the final table with a massive stack and managed to stick around, although I was short stack with final 5 folks. I stole a few blinds with good/great cards and stayed out of the way to get heads up. Gary, fellow hokie, had me 10-1 or so on chips and I should have won, but he finally got me on a gutsy/crazy call and then collected his cash on the next hand... I'm now 6-2 in heads up play.

Monday January 28, 2008

Lost my poker mojo...

I haven't played well in tournament play since the first week of December. I think I'm likely playing crap for cards and too often on a draw. I played in a very expensive tourney on Sat. Night and played poorly. I think I was trying to force action too often. That said, I will be traveling 3 out of 4 Monday nights in Feb, so I will get a little time away.

Thursday January 03, 2008

Ended up winning the poker "challenge" for the year...

In my much blogged about monday night poker group, I did prevail over my two buddies. Had either of them won the final event of the year, and I not finish third or better, I might not be blogging this now. This was a classic race where I was leading but they had outs. Oddly, or poorly played on my part, I went out first at that last match of the three of us. Quickly, my WVU friend (congrats on last night) joined our cash game of the tournament losers and I then put a bounty on the other fellow only to see him taken out fairly quickly afterwards. He ended up getting more action due to the bounty, which worked in his favor for a while.

I received some cash that was quickly spent but have the bragging rights for quite a while. As MasterCard says, "priceless".

Tuesday December 11, 2007

Finished first in poker again...

At my local poker game, I was the "points leader" coming into last nights event and there is $250 on the line. On the first Monday night of the year, we decided to hold back $5 from each Monday night. I have a buddy close on my heels and it is a race to the finish. I was playing only to outrun my buddy and not playing to win. I folded a bunch of hands and tried to only play cards that I would call a raise with. At the final table, I was the short stack and made a few good calls and stayed out of the way of the heavy hitters. My friend went out 5th, which is all that really mattered to me. I collected a few chips and stayed out of the way and got heads up. I was outchipped 2:1 and started catching cards and got paid. We played heads up for like 30 minutes. Fun stuff.

Tuesday November 20, 2007

Back to first place in Poker...

First to worst and back to first last night. I played very tight for quite a while and waited patiently for cards. I made it to the final table with a decent amount of chips. At that point, I started thinking only about playing for third place to score a few points to help myself in the points race. I was second in the year long points standings BEFORE last night and my buddy in first place, went out on the first hand of the night. I think focusing on third place kept me out of some battles and i watched the table move chips around and made my stands only when really holding cards. When it got to only four of us, I had 10h10d and made the bet triple the blinds and the big blind called. The flop was trash and we both checked, the turn was a 9, so I still had top pair and put him on AQ or AJ and he went all in for a ton of chips but I had him covered and figured that I had him and my 10's stood up. At that point, I was the massive chip leader and it didn't take long and I was catching cards. Another fun monday night.

Tuesday November 13, 2007

First to worst in poker...

I finished first last week and dead last last night. Not sure what happened, but clearly too loose. I got killed on pocket 9's when the other person had the same thing and he got four other hears on the river. I did manage to climb to #2 in the standings and my buddy at #1 also was knocked out early. There is always next week.

Tuesday November 06, 2007

Finally won in Poker again last night...

It has been since March since I came out on top at my weekly poker game. I had some of the easiest decisions in a long time and caught cards on the turn and river many many times. There were several monster hands that changed everything.

First big hand: I had AhKh as the dealer. Blinds were 20/40, I made it 100. Big blind called and many folks in the hand abandoned their 40 to watch us fight it out. Flop came up 9dKs9h. I bet another 100 and got called quickly. I'm feeling pretty good, but scared by big blind that she might have a 9... Next card is another 9... So I have a boat with 9's over K's... Big blind goes all in for 700 in chips, I have about 750 and she and I are the table leaders (there are 2 other tables)... My wife had just gone out and I was prepared to lose with my full house still thinking that she was holding a 9... I called and she had QQ, she didn't get helping on the river and I took all of her chips.

Another hand - I again had big slick, AhKs as the dealer. Blinds were 25/50, and 5th to play made it 125 with several folks already limping in for 50. I made it 225 total and dropped everyone but the first raiser, he called. He also mistakenly turned over his cards, QQ... I then showed the flop, 2d4sKh... I had him. I knew his cards and he didn't have a clue on mine. He checked to me and I bet 500 to bring him all in knowing his cards. The table was loving it. Almost as good as seeing the action on TV. My friend called, I had been playing loose and could have been stealing. He didn't get any help and my KK's stood up.

It was a ton of fun and more than paid for the babysitter.

Thursday August 02, 2007

Bad poker beat, but fun hand

playing at Rio poker room last night in $2/$5 game. Had about $100 in chips after an hour so even, and in big blind. I got Kc, 10c and called $15 to see flop. Flop was Jc, 9c and 2h. I was first to beat. I made it $25 and next player went all in for $150, next player went all in for $100. I pushed with my remaining $50.

I had 17 outs and a $515 bounty if I got the Qc to make a K high straight flush. The other guy had a set of 9 and I didn't catch a club, Q of any suit. But it was a fun way to leave the table.

Tuesday June 26, 2007

Poker drought might be over...

I finally got out of my poker funk and made it to a final table and in the end, finished second. I had won 3 of the first 9 Monday night games this year and then nothing for 2+ months. I didn't even get close for those 2 months.

Last night, I played well and got cards that were a little bit better than my opponents for the majority of the evening. I also helped myself greatly on points per appearance with 18 points in 16 appearances. Each first place is 5, second is 3 and third is 1 point...

My final hand was 7-2 with the blinds at 300/600 and I had folded the previous hand of 8-3 as the little blind and showed it, in a how can you play crappy cards like this kind of way... So with 7-2 as the big blind, I doubled the bet hoping the little blind would fold. She didn't. The flop was 7-2-9... So with the pot at 2400, I went all in for about 1200 and holding 2 pair. I got a call and my buddy Tara and last nights winner, had 7-8... The turn was a 5, and the river was sadly another 5... I had 3 pair, which doesn't work that way so we both had 2 pair, 7's and 5's and her 8 outkicked my 2 and my pair of 2's dissolved... I thought I might be rewarded for having the guts to play and raise with 7-2 (the worst poker hand), but it was her night.

Wednesday May 23, 2007

In a big poker draught...

I had a great run early in the year at my monday night game and won 3 out of 9 at the weekly game. Since then, I have played like dirt. My cards have been light and my patience lighter, if I can get either of them to change, I would be in good shape.

Now I know how baseball players feel when they get into a 0 for 20 slump, you get have to keep swinging.