Sunday 31 August 2008

August review

Its been a pretty poor month online again but not as bad financially as last month. I've still not settled down into a game and style that is working for me at the moment. I have done some reading and feel I am a better player for it even if its not paying off right now. I particularly like the Slanksky book pictured opposite although I'll need to read it quite a few more times as its brimming with good information to take in.

I also got Collin Moshman's Sit 'n go Strategy which I'm just starting with now (free with FT points) and also have a copy of Harrington Volume 2 to re-read (free with PS points).

I didn't make Iron Man status this month at FT mainly due to playing the first couple of weeks at PokerStars. However, with an invite from FT to get rakeback enabled on my existing account I'm back there and have had some micro-payments back already.

I placed 3rd in one multi (only 90 entrants) which was $10 HA (PL Holdem, PL Omaha rotation). I really liked this format and went out with AA to chipleader's A7 so should have done better.

So, I'm pretty much back to where I started a couple of months ago, but think I'm a wiser player so shouldn't complain even if Vegas isn't getting any closer yet. I'll continue to study and try to analyze a little more for September.

Saturday 30 August 2008

Back to the final table

The Circus rebuy saw our table pitted against a portugeuse super-donkey with luck. I didn't get entangled with him too much but he reduced 2 good players at our table to a tilting mess. One example of his play was to go all-in with K2h over a shortstack's raise with 2 good players yet to act, one of which called knowing he had rubbish. The good player hit 2 pair on the flop only for SD to hit a flush on the river. I scraped through the rebuy period with 5.7k chips (3 rebuy, 1 addon) after a decent AK win towards the end.

Soon after the break I was dealt AA and had one caller to my pre-flop raise. Flop was A92, turn 9 and river A. I made a small bet on the river but didn't get called but nice to get my first live quads :) Fortunately we were soon split up and super-donkey went on to cause grumbling elsewhere with his antics (I think he finally went out around 30th). I hung on to get to the final table with 17k (2nd lowest).

I then went out first a few hands into the final action. 3rd lowest in chips had been all-in almost every hand so far so when he raised my BB all-in I called with AT: flop came T2T and I thought I was good but other guy had runner runner QJ to get the straight with his AK :(

Down a pound but worth it for the quads :)

Net win : -£1 (£50 - initial buyin - 3*rebuy - addon)

£10 rebuy placed:
1st=(with 3 others)/5? (£330) DEAL
8th/53 (£0)
8th/60 (£0)
6th=(with 1 other)/54 (£75)
2nd/53 (£420) DEAL
17th/61(£0)
30th/41(£0)
10th/71(£50)

£10 rebuy profit/loss :
+£289
-£41
-£31
+£44
+£359
-£21
-£21
-£1
------
+£577

Monday 25 August 2008

no joy again

The circus rebuy was uneventful this week with a much reduced field of 41 due to satellites to the scottish open running at the Maybury. I started ok, doubling up with AA then QQ a few hands later but then the cards and opportunities dried up :( I reached the break with 4k chips including 2k addon but no rebuys.

Soon after the break needing more chips I pushed after hitting 2 pair on the flop (Aces and twos) worried about the club flush draw out there. I got called by a larger stack with the nut flush draw, a club came and it was all over probably finishing around 30th.

Net win : -£21 (£0 - initial buyin - 0*rebuy - addon)

£10 rebuy placed:
1st=(with 3 others)/5? (£330) DEAL
8th/53 (£0)
8th/60 (£0)
6th=(with 1 other)/54 (£75)
2nd/53 (£420) DEAL
17th/61(£0)
30th/41(£0)

£10 rebuy profit/loss :
+£289
-£41
-£31
+£44
+£359
-£21
-£21
------
+£578

Sunday 17 August 2008

Royal flush!

Pre-flop: (60, 7 players) , Hero is UTG


Hero calls 40, 1 fold, X calls 40, 2 folds, X calls 20, X checks

Flop:
(160, 4 players)

X bets 40, 1 fold, Hero calls 40, 1 fold

Turn:
(240, 2 players)

X bets 160, Hero raises to 320, X calls 160

River:
(880, 2 players)
X bets 80, Hero raises to 480, X calls 400

Final Pot: 1840

X shows:

Hero shows:


Hero wins 1840 ( won +960 )

Saturday 16 August 2008

It had to end :(

6th attempt at the Circus £10 rebuy tonight.

The rebuy period went perfectly.. almost too perfectly. 2nd hand I got AA and dealer dealt themselves AK so doubled up straight away. With 4 or 5 QQs, a KK and an AKvAQ I reached 10.2k chips at the break with 0 rebuys and 1 addon.

Post-break I grew my stack to 12.2k and was chip leader at my table then had a run of pocket nothing for ages, and my one attempt to steal some blinds was met with a re-raise. I made one big mistake folding KQ with a K on the flop to a decent raise before me. I knew the guy wasn't the best of players at all but being too nervous about losing 2/3 of my chips if we ended up all-in I folded. He exited shortly after with a daft attempt at the pot with nothing and he said that he'd had nothing on the K flop hand too :(

By this time I was getting pretty short and with a number of large stacks joining the table as we got down to the last 20 I had to make a stand. With about 5BB left I was dealt 66, best hand in ages, and went all-in. Called by AA my tourney and streak were over going out 17th :(

So, my run is over but at least it was cheap without needing a rebuy. I should have tried to dominate the table with the 12k stack (average stack at the time was 5k) but was too worried about ending my final table run. At least that won't be a problem next time!

Net win : -£21 (£0 - initial buyin - 0*rebuy - addon)

£10 rebuy placed:
1st=(with 3 others)/5? (£330) DEAL
8th/53 (£0)
8th/60 (£0)
6th=(with 1 other)/54 (£75)
2nd/53 (£420) DEAL
17th/61(£0)

£10 rebuy profit/loss :
+£289
-£41
-£31
+£44
+£359
-£21
------
+£599

Saturday 2 August 2008

5th time even better!


Went back to the Circus tonight for my 5th attempt at the £10 rebuy.

The rebuy period was bad, not winning any hands even when starting ahead and it took me 3 rebuys and an addon to have 3.7k chips at the break - my lowest yet and most rebuys too. I don't think the Abba tribute band they'd put on helped. I suspect they were picked to make people looser and more tilty, much like the garish carpet! Their compulsory encore was preluded with "Thanks for listening - we've had a great time. And I'm sure you have too but you're too nice and quiet"! Strange conicedence that their set lasted the length of the rebuy period.

The post-break period wasn't great either - I got up to about 6k but was back down around 3-4k with 2 tables left. In the final few hands my luck turned and I doubled up twice to reach the final table with 13.9k chips (around 7th position). A saver was agreed again and £30 (still a loss after my rebuys) would go to 7th-10th with a top prize of £590. I picked up some pots and survived to 5th - a pot I wasn't involved in with a double elimination helped (AK beat KK and JJ).

At this point I was shortstack - all the others had much the same as each other and double my stack so when a deal was offered (me to get £220 and them to get £310ish each) it seemed a good choice with £110 for 5th and I agreed, especially as I was tired and it was around 4am. However, the one woman at the table disagreed - more I think because she didn't want to have to make the decision than feeling she could win more (her play had been a bit ropey in places). A good player to my left didn't seem to take this too well and play continued. Another went out in 5th and when we reached 4 my stack was much more respectable (around 30k). I soon took out the shortstacked 4th player (KT vs 84 on his BB) and we were down to 3. The good but frustrated player had already failed to take the woman out with his one loose call of the night (QJ) to her large pre-flop raise when he was chip leader. I think he just wanted her to regret her decision not to take the deal - and when he all-in raised her for 40k with 99 pre-flop she though for a long time and called with A2. With an A on the flop it was over and he left pretty unhappy and it was down to me and her.

I had around 65k chips to her 155k chips at this point and she offered a deal. Fortunately, I hadn't been involved in any of the earlier bad feeling and it was very generous given the state of play (£500 for her and £420 for me when the prizes left were £590 and £330). I was very tempted but as I'd never played heads up in a casino let alone come 1st it wasn't that straightforward. I knew I had an edge on her and could win the whole thing. While thinking, we were told that the card room shuts at 5am and as it was 5:25 and they would force a deal of some kind based on chipcount in 5 minutes time anyway. This made it an easier decision to accept the deal and she stuck to her word despite the chance of winning much more by playing tight and slow for 5 minutes.

So, 5 final tables in 5 attempts and a very decent profit overall :) It can't last, but I turn up now expecting to get to the final table which gives me the confidence to play a good game. I'm not looking foward to the first time I don't make it, but I'm prepared, so again I take some bigger risks at the right times which is helping the balance of my overall play. Another edge is that I'm starting to get to know quite a few of players and their styles and its easy to spot those that are part of the Friday night out for a laugh and drinks crowd. I had AA twice and QQ a few times also playing AK-AT and medium pairs well but no hands worth reviewing in detail or big mistakes made.

For a while I sat next to someone who remembered that we had worked at the same company some years ago (obviously not that closely as I couldn't remember his name and he only looked familiar from previous casino visits!). Another unexpected thing on arrival (I had pre-registered by phone) was that the tournament organiser remembered my name and produced my buy-in receipt without me having to say my name - I guess I'm becoming a Friday night regular with the usual home games low in demand over the summer months. Its definitely hard not to return when I'm winning $ and having fun too :)

Net win : +£359 (£420 - initial buyin - 3*rebuy - addon - obligatory 1st/2nd tip for the drinks serving staff)

£10 rebuy placed:
1st=(with 3 others)/5? (£330) DEAL
8th/53 (£0)
8th/60 (£0)
6th=(with 1 other)/54 (£75)
2nd/53 (£420) DEAL

£10 rebuy profit/loss :
+£289
-£41
-£31
+£44
+£359
------
+£620