Sweat me baby Sweat me

Just heard an interesting Story about Stu Ungar - how he would not play one pot before ante’s kicked in….

Technically not correct but this is the FPP tournament I am in…

PokerStars Game #15619920505: Tournament #78456593, 70FPP Hold’em No Limit - Level II (15/30) - 2008/02/28 - 19:22:49 (ET)
Table ‘78456593 6′ 10-max Seat #8 is the button
Seat 1: lparker2565 (1935 in chips)
Seat 2: JLU29 (1530 in chips)
Seat 3: resee2929 (1845 in chips)
Seat 4: sirjames4 (1360 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 5: johanfbomb (1905 in chips)
Seat 6: eal2727 (2180 in chips)
Seat 7: 9sublime (1550 in chips)
Seat 8: LEXUS05 (1330 in chips)
Seat 9: laraa968 (1475 in chips)
Seat 10: bigbamboom (1330 in chips)
laraa968: posts small blind 15
bigbamboom: posts big blind 30
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to bigbamboom 8♦ 8♣
lparker2565: calls 30
JLU29: folds
resee2929: folds
sirjames4: folds
johanfbomb: calls 30
eal2727: calls 30
9sublime: raises 150 to 180
LEXUS05: calls 180
laraa968: folds
bigbamboom: calls 150
lparker2565: folds
johanfbomb: folds
eal2727: calls 150
*** FLOP *** K♣ 3♠ 5♥
bigbamboom: checks
eal2727: checks
9sublime: bets 180
LEXUS05: folds
bigbamboom: calls 180
eal2727: folds
*** TURN *** K♣ 3♠ 5♥ J♥
bigbamboom: checks
9sublime: checks
*** RIVER *** K♣ 3♠ 5♥ J♥ 3♦
bigbamboom: bets 970 and is all-in
9sublime: folds
bigbamboom collected 1155 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1155 | Rake 0
Board K♣ 3♠ 5♥ J♥ 3♦
Seat 1: lparker2565 folded before Flop
Seat 2: JLU29 folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 3: resee2929 folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 4: sirjames4 folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 5: johanfbomb folded before Flop
Seat 6: eal2727 folded on the Flop
Seat 7: 9sublime folded on the River
Seat 8: LEXUS05 (button) folded on the Flop
Seat 9: laraa968 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 10: bigbamboom (big blind) collected (1155)

Here I call a raise from the button with 5 5 hoping to hit a set…is that a solid play?

PokerStars Game #15620181748: Tournament #78841771, $10+$1 Hold’em No Limit - Level III (25/50) - 2008/02/28 - 19:34:58 (ET)
Table ‘78841771 265′ 9-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: dicktrout22 (6560 in chips)
Seat 2: JonnySwitchp (5025 in chips)
Seat 3: AceStacked (2955 in chips)
Seat 4: bigbamboom (2795 in chips)
Seat 5: sk8snow420 (3085 in chips)
Seat 6: snakeman024 (3000 in chips)
Seat 7: kevnyc (2470 in chips)
Seat 8: mozart (3705 in chips)
Seat 9: mrhydedied (3365 in chips)
kevnyc: posts small blind 25
mozart: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to bigbamboom 5♣ 5♦
mrhydedied: calls 50
dicktrout22: folds
JonnySwitchp: folds
AceStacked: folds
bigbamboom: calls 50
sk8snow420: folds
snakeman024: raises 100 to 150
kevnyc: folds
mozart: folds
mrhydedied: calls 100
bigbamboom: calls 100
*** FLOP *** 9♣ K♣ J♥
mrhydedied: checks
bigbamboom: checks
snakeman024: bets 400
mrhydedied: folds
bigbamboom: folds
snakeman024 collected 525 from pot
snakeman024: doesn’t show hand
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 525 | Rake 0
Board 9♣ K♣ J♥
Seat 1: dicktrout22 folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 2: JonnySwitchp folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 3: AceStacked folded bmfore Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 4: bigbamboom folded on the Flop
Seat 5: sk8snow420 folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 6: snakeman024 (button) collected (525)
Seat 7: kevnyc (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 8: mozart (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 9: mrhydedied folded on the Flop

So

Okay so down to 2100 chips after hour 1. Had a rough hand against the chip leader. I took some serious notes - and he was pushing people out of pots.

I limp with A 8 diamonds, flop comes K 8 2 with 2 diamonds. He makes a smaller bet 3x BB - I flat call. Next card blank - he bets 500 - I flat call. Come on Diamond. With no help on the river - he bets 750 into a pot of 2k. I feel like I have to call - and sure enough he has a set of 222.

That dropped me down to 1200 chips - but I doubled up SB vs BB when the SB had 55 to my JJ.

So here I sit at first break - a little short chipped - but ready to play one hand aggressively.

Here is a tricky one. I limp in with Ak after reading Super System..

Game #15620990604: Tournament #78841771, $10+$1 Hold’em No Limit - Level V (75/150) - 2008/02/28 - 20:12:45 (ET)
Table ‘78841771 265′ 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 1: dicktrout22 (6610 in chips)
Seat 2: JonnySwitchp (4725 in chips)
Seat 3: AceStacked (2435 in chips)
Seat 4: bigbamboom (3255 in chips)
Seat 5: sk8snow420 (3495 in chips)
Seat 6: snakeman024 (2850 in chips)
Seat 7: kevnyc (2170 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 8: mozart (3680 in chips)
Seat 9: mrhydedied (3740 in chips)
dicktrout22: posts small blind 75
JonnySwitchp: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to bigbamboom K♣ A♥
AceStacked: folds
bigbamboom: calls 150
mrhydedied said, “at least the blinds are kind of worth stealing for you now”
sk8snow420: folds
snakeman024: folds
kevnyc: folds
mozart: folds
mrhydedied said, “get more than 45 chips when everyone folds”
mrhydedied: folds
dicktrout22: calls 75
JonnySwitchp: checks
*** FLOP *** 2♥ J♥ J♦
dicktrout22: checks
JonnySwitchp: checks
bigbamboom: checks
*** TURN *** 2♥ J♥ J♦ A♦
dicktrout22: checks
JonnySwitchp: checks
bigbamboom: bets 300
dicktrout22: folds
JonnySwitchp: folds
bigbamboom collected 450 from pot
bigbamboom: doesn’t show hand
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 450 | Rake 0
Board 2♥ J♥ J♦ A♦
Seat 1: dicktrout22 (small blind) folded on the Turn
Seat 2: JonnySwitchp (big blind) folded on the Turn
Seat 3: AceStacked folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 4: bigbamboom collected (450)
Seat 5: sk8snow420 folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 6: snakeman024 folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 7: kevnyc folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 8: mozart folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 9: mrhydedied (button) folded before Flop (didn’t bet)

railing you

In the hand above… at these limits limping in with AK is questionable. What does your limp here accomplish?

1. It keeps the pot small. Is that what you want to do here? Not really… AK is a great hand and you want money in the pot so that when you hit an A or a K you will get callers chasing with AQ or KQ. The bigger the pot the more likely they are to chase.
2. It disguises the stregnth of your hand. Great for if you hit… not so great if you miss. And you are more likely to miss than hit.
3. It could get hands that would fold to a raise like Ax or Kx to see the flop and pay you off if they hit with no kicker. Problem is that Ax is likely to call in this spot anyway.

What would raising accomplish?

1. You could win the blinds uncontested.
2. Build the pot with a good hand.
3. Helps define the range of hands that the blinds have.
4. Eliminates weak lucky hands that might stack you like J4 and two little hearts.

Now lets look at the flop play… JJ2 is a scary flop. Considering that you did not raise… you certainly could have a Jack here. So a bet should take it down or at least define their hands more. A check here gives their random cards a free draw to beat you… you still likely have the best hand so far.

The turn is a A but a second diamond. Putting 2 hearts and 2 diamonds on the board. Up until this point we have no idea what the blinds might have… checked to you again… the pot is small, so you have to check here . Your pot sized bet gives them both the implied odds to call a flush draw, it allows them to checkraise with a J and allows them to fold a total whiff. It lets them play perfect poker. Also a check might in get a bluff that you can easily call with a safe river card.

You end up winning pretty much the same that you would have if they folded the blinds… but put a lot of your stack at risk.

Thanks Greedo…

I appreciate you sweating me last night - i learn a ton that way. You made a great point about the subtle differences in reading material i.e. focused cash games or focused tournaments which put a light on.

Today I climbed the ladder taking out .5/.10 game - then .10/25 and all the way up to .25/.50 where I destoyed the table.

The new and improved bank roll will be up in limits….soon.

Any night that I am around, I will happily sweat you out. Here is another interesting post on early level tournament play: http://sneakygreedo.blogspot.com/2008/02/early-tournament-play-strategic.html

I maintain that solid play will bring more success at low levels than micro levels. I am glad to hear that .25/.50 worked out well for you.

My prime time to play poker is during the day… where in the 1/2 NL cash games you will mostly find the pros, rocks and nits… making it a very tough game. Yesterday, I noticed a good regular 1/2 player playing the .50/1 game during the day. So I had a look…. and low and behold it was filled with fish and elephants. So I had a go, with great success. I think that the 1/2 game is the optimal for points play (which is why I chose that game in the first place)… so all the nits playing for rakeback play that game. Perhaps the 1/.5 game is more profitable? I will let you know after another 25,000 hands or so. Just wanted to let you know that while you are coming up in levels, I am going down!

Just trying to understand your plays.

I don’t understand the 88 hand. Any of the streets really, but especially the river. Do you think you’re value betting or bluffing?

And AK why did you limp?

No doubt Murf. The 88 hand was a pure bluff at the river. Like I said FPP tournament…the AK as I explain poorly, was a night where I was rereading Super System and was trying out some of his plays.

I’ve since considered the difference in cash game strategy and Tournament strategy….

I think with the 88, problem is he’s probably got a king here and not likely folding. Not sure he’s gonna buy that you called with a three then rivered one and bet (instead of check-raising). It’s just how most opponents think.

AK with that stack, could be a limp/reraise all in opportunity, maybe that’s what you were trying for.

Anyway good luck, I’ll try to catch you and sweat you another time. Find me and say hello on stars I’m there most nights from 5:30-11:00 s/n zenman.

Edit: i meant “if” he’s got a king he’s not likely folding, and otherwise you’re probably ahead and make more by allowing him to bluff again.