Sunday, March 30, 2008

The NCAA Tournament...

...is just like an online fantasy draft where the system pre-ranks the players. All of a sudden, the clueless mooks who simply picked the top seeds look like geniuses - even though that outcome had NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE.

And, no, I'm not bitter after going 16-0 the first day, 28-4 the first round, and being in great shape on Friday night, where I was bitterly disappointed in Michigan State and then Louisville on Saturday and Texas today. Nope. Not at all.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Am I alone?


Tell me this happens to someone else.

Fighting off the short stack in a HORSE SNG, I get to O8, where I get a good playable hand, a great flop, and then two bozos chasing the river, EACH hitting the only card in the deck (well four of 'em) to give them a winnable high.

Fuck me.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

AIPS NLHE

Well NLHE is my worst game and this was my best AIPS finish in a while. 

And I went out on the bubble.  AAARRRRGH.

After spending most of the night at my original table, I got moved 1:30 into the event.  Here are the hands that ensued. 

3430 chips to start: JKs (UTG - fold)
23s
42o
Q2o
K3o
JTo (3x raise in front - fold)
46o
A4o
A2o
43o
97o
88 (3x raise in front, I shove, he folds)
76s
79s
A7o
97s
35o
KTs (UTG - fold)
A9o (button called - I popped 5x and he folded)

4070 chips

AA (in SB.  Folds around, I raise, BB folds)
Q6s (raise, shove in front)
JKo (limp in, bet on QQx flop and take it)

5170 chips

98o
5Jo
9Jo
K5o
37o
A2o
28s
QTs (3x raise, uncontested)

5170 chips

A9o (I threw this away)
JTo (3x raise in front, fold)
Q9s
68s
Q4o
94o
82s
58o
KQo (This hurt.  I raised 3x and got called by the button.  Flop was all undercards.  I check/folded). 

3145 chips

K5o
55 (UTG+1 makes it 3x.  I'm UTG+2.  Folded)
T3o
QTo (UTG - fold)
68s (BB - big stack SB raised)
T4o
26o

2195 chips

A4o
43o
J6s
38o
Q5s
T7s (BB)
23o
A6o (fold - guy flopped quads)
K7s (3x raise in front)
Q6o
99 (3x raise in front.  I should've fired here.)
Q2o
59o (BB - all-in.  tyvm good night).

I had a couple opportunities here, but they were no better than coin flips.  I went dead and couldn't get any action when I actually caught something.

Very disappointing outcome.  I was Top 3 in chips in the first hour and just slowly bled them off. 










 


Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Cooler

Fact of the matter is: I'm just on a cooler right now.

After losing with AQ vs AK early in CHIMPS, I was short stacked - down to 600 or so chips.  I played that short stack very well, picking my spots and finally doubling up to get over 1000. 

byteme continually raised from the button into my BB and I just waited for a hand to play back at him.  Of course he has a hand, but I catch a nice flop to take the lead and drop him down to three outs.


PokerStars Game #16253285961: Tournament #81520454, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em No Limit - Level V (75/150) - 2008/03/25 - 22:07:50 (ET)
Table '81520454 1' 9-max Seat #2 is the button
Seat 2: byteme34015 (2655 in chips)
Seat 4: scottc25 (4155 in chips)
Seat 5: djm182 (1240 in chips)
Seat 8: jwthoma (1825 in chips)
Seat 9: rascony (2965 in chips)
scottc25: posts small blind 75
djm182: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to djm182 [Jc Ks]
Bruckner_7th is connected
blazman is connected
krabby5 is connected
SmBoatDrinks is connected
jwthoma: folds
rascony: folds
byteme34015: raises 350 to 500
scottc25: folds
djm182: raises 740 to 1240 and is all-in
byteme34015: calls 740
*** FLOP *** [Jd 4d 8d]
*** TURN *** [Jd 4d 8d] [9c]
*** RIVER *** [Jd 4d 8d 9c] [As]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
djm182: shows [Jc Ks] (a pair of Jacks)
byteme34015: shows [9h Ah] (two pair, Aces and Nines)
byteme34015 collected 2555 from pot

Stars is Mook Infested Too

PokerStars Game #16250665798: Tournament #82280027, $3.00+$0.40 Omaha Hi/Lo Pot Limit - Level II (15/30) - 2008/03/25 - 20:13:45 (ET)
Table '82280027 1' 10-max Seat #5 is the button
Seat 1: djm182 (2065 in chips)
Seat 2: Stan1659 (1450 in chips)
Seat 3: pauleygop (1475 in chips)
Seat 4: City50 (1430 in chips)
Seat 5: Aad29 (1440 in chips)
Seat 6: Hour of Powr (2165 in chips)
Seat 8: pokermancer (2070 in chips)
Seat 9: mike92599 (1405 in chips)
Seat 10: LUCASBIM (1500 in chips)
Hour of Powr: posts small blind 15
pokermancer: posts big blind 30
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to djm182 [Jh 2d 4h Jc]
mike92599: folds
LUCASBIM: folds
djm182: calls 30
Stan1659: folds
pauleygop: calls 30
City50: calls 30
Aad29: folds
Hour of Powr: raises 30 to 60
pokermancer: calls 30
djm182: calls 30
pauleygop: calls 30
City50: calls 30
*** FLOP *** [Ts 5h Js] (Top set)
Hour of Powr: bets 30
pokermancer: calls 30
djm182: calls 30
pauleygop: calls 30
City50: folds
*** TURN *** [Ts 5h Js] [Tc] (the only hand beating me is TT)
Hour of Powr: bets 90
pokermancer: calls 90
djm182: raises 510 to 600
pauleygop: calls 600
Hour of Powr: calls 510  (TWO callers)
pokermancer: folds
*** RIVER *** [Ts 5h Js Tc] [Ad]
Hour of Powr: checks
djm182: checks (OK, I'll check-call it just in case someone slow-played AA)
pauleygop: bets 785 and is all-in   (...sure enough...)
Hour of Powr: folds
djm182: calls 785
*** SHOW DOWN ***
pauleygop: shows [Qs 6d Ah As] (HI: a full house, Aces full of Tens)
djm182: shows [Jh 2d 4h Jc] (HI: a full house, Jacks full of Tens)
pauleygop collected 3880 from pot
No low hand qualified

Monday, March 24, 2008

I'm so sick of this shit

Like top pair w/ a queen kicker is the mortal nuts.


Full Tilt Poker Game #5770765085: $5 + $0.50 Sit & Go (43929665), Table 1 - 30/60 - Limit Hold'em - 22:20:58 ET - 2008/03/24
Vandy81: nh
Seat 1: suitedaces1012 (1,485)
Seat 2: FunFilly (1,875)
Seat 3: djm182 (1,545)
Seat 4: Brunen-G (1,440)
Seat 5: Aces88ss (1,500)
Seat 6: swanm (1,500)
Seat 7: dongabang1 (1,545)
Seat 8: Vandy81 (1,110)
Brunen-G posts the small blind of 15
Aces88ss posts the big blind of 30
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to djm182 [Ac Ah]
swanm calls 30
dongabang1 folds
Vandy81 folds
suitedaces1012 folds
FunFilly folds
djm182 raises to 60
Brunen-G folds
Aces88ss calls 30
swanm has 15 seconds left to act
swanm calls 30
*** FLOP *** [5s Tc 4h]
Aces88ss bets 30
swanm calls 30
djm182 raises to 60
Aces88ss raises to 90
swanm calls 60
djm182 calls 30
*** TURN *** [5s Tc 4h] [8s]
Aces88ss bets 60
swanm calls 60
djm182 calls 60 (Well he ain't folding - we've established that).
*** RIVER *** [5s Tc 4h 8s] [Qc]
Aces88ss bets 60
swanm folds
djm182 calls 60
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Aces88ss shows [Qh Td] two pair, Queens and Tens (nice catch, son)
djm182 shows [Ac Ah] a pair of Aces
Aces88ss wins the pot (765) with two pair, Queens and Tens
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 765 | Rake 0
Board: [5s Tc 4h 8s Qc]
Seat 1: suitedaces1012 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: FunFilly didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: djm182 (button) showed [Ac Ah] and lost with a pair of Aces
Seat 4: Brunen-G (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: Aces88ss (big blind) showed [Qh Td] and won (765) with two pair, Queens and Tens
Seat 6: swanm folded on the River
Seat 7: dongabang1 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: Vandy81 didn't bet (folded)

The latest home game debacle

It's comical, though I did make a few critical errors.  

Early on, I'm dealt A8o in late position and decide to see a flop.  Long story short, an A flops, it's min-bet in front of me on every street and I just call because you never know what these people might have.  My A8 outkicked A6 and A4.  Wow. 

Not a lot of action for a while thereafter.  

At the 100/200 level, EP makes it 500 to go.  I look down at two black aces and pop it to 1500.  He calls, all others get out of the way.  The flop is Q-high, rainbow.  He checks and I shove.  I've not seen this guy check raise before, and as he shuffles his chips and thinks, I know I'm ahead.  Finally he calls with QJ.  Yeah, I understand the call, but I'm sending one heck of a strong signal that I'm beating the pants off of top pair.  As usual, a J peels off on the turn and I'm short-stacked.  

I chip back up a bit, getting no takers when I shove with AJo, and getting one taker when I shove with 77, only to get called by TT.  Ah but the glorious 7 flops and I take that pot.  This was a recurring theme for the evening - at least the middle part of the evening.  Get your chips in bad = win the pot.  

A couple of key hands passed me by at these levels.  First with QT in MP, I decide to pass on the hand.  I would've flopped top pair, turned two pair (Queens & Tens), and taken the hand down.  What won this hand, you ask?  72o won when the 7 played as top kicker to a board that everyone missed.  Ye Gods.  

Soon thereafter, UTG limps in and UTG+1, whom I have covered approximately 4:3 shoves.  I look down at AQo.  Behind me are an aggressive guy and a calling station, plus UTG, who I see starting to stack up his chips as if he's going to call.  I've got a good hand, but just a drawing hand, and I figure it's quite likely that I'm going to have to battle three-ways with the hand, so I fold it.  UTG did call...with K8o vs. UTG+1's KQo.  Yikes, I had UTG+1 crushed, and had them both crushed when an A fell on the flop.  I missed a HUGE opportunity to get some breathing room here.  

It begs the question - am I that effing tight?  What the hell am I waiting for?  I think that this was the right play given my position and the potential action behind me, but still.  

Soon thereafter, I think at the 200/400 level, I'm in the BB with AJs and around 7k chips.  It's four-handed now.  UTG made it 2x BB - a play I've seen him make when he tends to have speculative hands (low pairs, weak aces, perhaps connectors).  It folds around to me and I shove.  He and I have the same stack size.  He instacalls with AQo.  Cripes.  I don't improve and I'm done.  I probably should've seen a flop - didn't need to make a move here for my tournament life - but I thought I could induce a fold.  I misread his strength in the hand. 

Here's what kills me.  When I flip over my AJs in that final hand, he says "well, we're close".  Uh, NO WE ARE NOT.   Being suited gets me about .05 points of equity - that's it. 
http://twodimes.net/h/?z=399870
pokenum  -h ad jd  - ac qs
Holdem Hi: 1712304 enumerated boards
cards      win   %win     lose  %lose    tie  %tie     EV
Ad Jd   479013  27.97  1139313  66.54  93978  5.49  0.307
Qs Ac  1139313  66.54   479013  27.97  93978  5.49  0.693

This guy's card catching ability continues to simply astound me.  He will play any A, K, or Q and won numerous pots with top pair/garbage kicker.  In one hand, on a board that flopped 2 3 5, our strongest player shoved with JJ.  Luckbox calls with Jc2c and hits runner runner flush cards to KO the strong player.  Then four handed when I land AJ he wakes up with AQ and dominates me.  Later in the evening, he KOs the aforementioned calling station in 3rd place when his AKs outraces KK and a flopped set of kings - the nut flush lands on the river. 

Make no mistake, he's a strong player and he picks his spots very well and is very good at putting pressure on other people.  He's also a five-star trap candidate, and I'll be damned if I ever catch a good trapping hand against him. 

I host in April, so I'm guaranteed to donk it off early.


Knight on the Sweet 16

I caught a few minutes of SportsCenter last night. Rece Davis threw
it to Bob Knight at some remote location. Knight dressed up for this
one, sporting a St. Louis Cardinals pullover. Well done, Knight.

Anyway, Knight offered these gems on what the teams in the Sweet 16
need to do to advance.

1) Play defense
2) Rebound
3) Make three-point shots

Thanks, Bob.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

CHIMPS: HOSE

I was really looking forward to this, and played pretty well.  Final tabled it, quickly got to the final six, and then it happens. 

Full Tilt Poker Game #5692026951: CHIMPS II - Event #10 (42844435), Table 3 - 400/800 Ante 75 - Limit Stud H/L - 22:57:09 ET - 2008/03/18
Seat 1: deadmoney5 (2,363)
Seat 2: Gambit727 (1,091)
Seat 3: Turley11 (15,081)
Seat 4: djm182 (3,703)
Seat 6: Thitsa (6,618)
Seat 8: scottc25 (1,144)
(antes)
*** 3RD STREET ***
Dealt to deadmoney5 [Jd]
Dealt to Gambit727 [4h]
Dealt to Turley11 [Ad]
Dealt to djm182 [Kc 5c] [3c] <<Three to a flush, no other clubs taken, backdoor low available.
Dealt to Thitsa [Qd]
Dealt to scottc25 [4s]
djm182 is low with [3c]
djm182 brings in for 100
scottc25: good read me
Thitsa completes it to 400
scottc25 folds
deadmoney5 folds
Gambit727 folds
deadmoney5: hehe
Turley11 calls 400
djm182 calls 300
*** 4TH STREET ***
Dealt to Turley11 [Ad] [Jc]
Dealt to djm182 [Kc 5c 3c] [Qc] <<Four to a flush, but two cards taken now. 
Dealt to Thitsa [Qd] [Ac]
Thitsa bets 400
Turley11 folds
djm182 calls 400
*** 5TH STREET ***
Dealt to djm182 [Kc 5c 3c Qc] [4d] <<Brick
Dealt to Thitsa [Qd Ac] [9d]
deadmoney5: wish you had a buried ace
Thitsa bets 800
djm182 has 15 seconds left to act
djm182 calls 800
*** 6TH STREET ***
Dealt to djm182 [Kc 5c 3c Qc 4d] [Td] <<Brick
Dealt to Thitsa [Qd Ac 9d] [6s]
Thitsa checks
djm182 checks
*** 7TH STREET ***
Dealt to djm182 [Kc 5c 3c Qc 4d Td] [7d]<<Brick
Thitsa bets 800
djm182 folds
Uncalled bet of 800 returned to Thitsa
Thitsa mucks
Thitsa wins the pot (4,050)


And then the coup de grace
Full Tilt Poker Game #5692053646: CHIMPS II - Event #10 (42844435), Table 3 - 400/800 Ante 75 - Limit Stud H/L - 22:59:14 ET - 2008/03/18
Seat 1: deadmoney5 (2,213)
Seat 2: Gambit727 (941)
Seat 3: Turley11 (14,806)
Seat 4: djm182 (1,953)
Seat 6: Thitsa (8,818)
Seat 8: scottc25 (1,269)
(antes)
*** 3RD STREET ***
Dealt to deadmoney5 [Qc]
Dealt to Gambit727 [9d]
Dealt to Turley11 [6c]
Dealt to djm182 [3d 2d] [4h] <<three to a low, three to a straight, no As or 5s taken
Dealt to Thitsa [7h]
Dealt to scottc25 [4s]
djm182 is low with [4h]
djm182 completes it to 400
Thitsa calls 400
scottc25 folds
deadmoney5 folds
Gambit727 folds
Turley11 folds
*** 4TH STREET ***
Dealt to djm182 [3d 2d 4h] [Ac] <<four to a low, four to a straight, albeit a one-way straight.
Dealt to Thitsa [7h] [Kh]
djm182 bets 400
Thitsa calls 400
*** 5TH STREET ***
Dealt to djm182 [3d 2d 4h Ac] [Td] <<Brick
Dealt to Thitsa [7h Kh] [6s]
djm182 bets 800
scottc25: oops
Thitsa calls 800
*** 6TH STREET ***
Dealt to djm182 [3d 2d 4h Ac Td] [Jc] <<Brick
Dealt to Thitsa [7h Kh 6s] [7c]
scottc25: didnt see it switch to low
Thitsa has 15 seconds left to act
Thitsa checks
djm182 bets 278, and is all in
Thitsa calls 278
djm182 shows [3d 2d 4h Ac Td Jc]
Thitsa shows [Ah 5h 7h Kh 6s 7c]
djm182: make it 5...
*** 7TH STREET ***
Dealt to djm182 [3d 2d 4h Ac Td Jc] [Kd] <<Brick.  Thank you and good night. 
Dealt to Thitsa [Ah 5h 7h Kh 6s 7c] [As]
djm182 shows [3d 2d 4h Ac Td Jc Kd] Ace King high, for high
Thitsa shows [Ah 5h 7h Kh 6s 7c As] two pair, Aces and Sevens, for high
djm182: bingo
Thitsa wins the pot (4,206) with two pair, Aces and Sevens
djm182 stands up
No low hand qualified

WTF am I supposed to do?  Seriously?