I won the 6K!

A great result for me last night achieving my 2 ambitions for poker. One was to win over £1k from one tourny, and the other was to win the 6K itself. I achieved both last night.

I've been playing solid poker in the past few tournaments, and had bubbled out on a couple of occasions, so I could claim I was due a big cash, but the factors in my victory were (in no real order)

* Actually playing well
* Good seating position relative to a couple of players
* Winning chips when I really needed them
* The generally poor play of all of my opponents. I saw (briefly) one of cryto's best at one of my table, but he busted out quickly.

Anyway, £1680 better off, here's the story:

Blinds 15/30, I've played OK in up to this point, up marginally to 2235. I'm dealt AQo in the SB. 2 limpers from EP, a raise to 90, another caller till it reaches me. I flat call - not wanting to allow the original raiser to re-raise me again, and the BB and the 2 limpers call. 6 players in total. Flop KsJd9d. Amazingly its checked round. Turn 10s. Bingo. I've got the nut straight, but there are two flush draws out there. I check-raise the BB all-in (he's bet 300 into a 540 pot - everyone else folds) and he calls with a solitary queen and no flush draw. 3 Aces would split the pot - but none come. Good start.

I lose about 1000 a couple of hands later when I 3-barrel a calling station, and he calls all the way with 3rd pair (doh). I've got AQ in position, which missed.

Blinds 150/300. 99 UTG+1 I raise to 900, MP and the button call. Flop 622, 2 hearts. The pot is 3150, I'm playing 4360 with an over-pair and I'm not getting away here, so I push, and am called by KhTh (I'm a marginal favourite, but basically I'm flipping for my tournament life) I turn a 9, and the river doesn't matter.

Blinds 150/300. 99UTG+1 (again). I raise to 900, the SB (who made the final table) called, and the flop is 9TQr. He bet 1111 (he bet these funny numbers all night) and I pushed hoping he didn't have KJ, he called with AsQs. He had runner-runner straight and flush possibilities, and the turn was the Js - hitting both, but the river was a blank and I'm up to 24k.

I needed the chips at this point, as I was geting short, but I now was in a solid position. For the next 3/4 orbits I stole a bit, and chipped up to 28.5k. I'd spotted the weak players at my tables, and I actually restole a couple of times from the button. Very pleased with that. Alas I took this too far, and got too fancy just before the bubble.

Blinds 400/800/100a. I'm in the BB with K6o and 25k chips The cut-off open-limps. The SB raises to 2650. I make it 6000, figuring the CO was terrible, limp-folding a lot and the SB knew this. Flop 35T. He checks. I've got 22k behind me and a 14k pot in the middle of the table. I can check, bet or push. I bet 9k and he pushed. Down to 13k which made me very short indeed. It was an unnecessary move, and it looks like he had a hand.

Struggling for air, by BB is folded to me, and its folded round to my SB next hand which I push into another short-stack who folds. I'm playing 15k when the bubble bursts and I'm moved to table one. I have the great good fortune to have (I discover) an extraordinarily weak/tight player to my left. To their left is someone with a huge chip stack, who hit cards and played terribly. After a while though they sat-out and never came back, eventually going out in something like 8th. I suspect they fell asleep. A couple of pushes and a double-up with 99 and I'm playing 33k. Its now that the chip leader sits out and I've got lots and lots of free blinds. Its a miracle no-one else on the table thought they would try and attack them, and a miracle also that the SB never took a stand.

In the middle of this I suck out against the button who pushes into my BB with AK, and my AQ rivers a Q. I feel a bit guilty. I'm up to 74k. I steal blinds up to 90k, lose 30k when I forget that one chap won't be pushing light (he's not good enough) and call too light, but then continue stealing pretty much at will until the final table arrives and I've got 130k chips and am in second place. Everyone here should play to win, but I confess I only wanted second so I could say I won over 1k.

I steal my way up to 170, bluff a few off to go back to 127k. There are 6 left, 163k/107k/78k/136k/82k/127k - so pretty even but noone is dominating, and to be honest noone is really playing well. I've played in much, much tougher tables. I'm feeling confident though and think I should be able to win.

Blinds by now are 4k/8k/1ka and I lose a couple - down to under 100k. Tims for some aggression. Its folded around to the SB who raises to 24k. I'm holding Q8s, and push - he calls with 99. Oops. I'm almost exactly a 2:1 dog, and I suck-out when I river a flush. Up to 220k. Chip leader.

I make the same move with a better hand a couple of hands later - pushin KQo from the SB over the CO's raise to 30k. He folds and types 'gb' (good bet). It was.

One guy busts, we are down to 4. (105k/112k/58k/289k(me). I suck out (again) when the SB pushed into my BB. I'm holding A6, he's got A9, and I out-flush him. I've got to call 32k chips, to win 62, so its nearly an +EV decision. 3 left, and I've got about 60% of the chips. The very next hand I'm dealt AA in the SB and bust another. I've got my 1k, and we're headsup for the last £600 and I've got a 5.5:1 chip lead.

Don't fcuk it up!

1st hand he folds.
2nd hand I turn a flush. I've got 520k, he's got 57k. He then starts playing well though. Betting strongly (he has to) and attacking me. I try to get my chips in ahead, but couble him up when he has KQ to my KT. The closest he gets is to a 364k/213k, but then I'm dealt TT, he's dealt AT, and I'm home the winner.

I've got loads of thoughts on the game, and the money and where this leaves my poker. I've got nearly $7k online now, and I'm going to take some of that out, although I'm not sure exactly how much.

I was certainly lucky to win - you have to be - but I thought I was the best player at the last two tables. I'm definitely not nearly close to some of crypto's finest though. I'm not happy with my play at the final table (especially from 5-3 players) and I'm not entirely comfortable playing a big chip stack. I've figured out the way (alright 'a way') of playing otherwise - but getting a large chip stack happens so rarely (to me - I'm not really agressive early) I'm not comfortable there yet.

More reading needed (as always) and I must play some SnGs, hopind the difference in prize fund structure doesn't invalidate the exercise or (worse) lead me to unlearn some of my current skills.

I'm also not sure how often I will play in the 6k tourny. It started at 9.30, and I wasn't finished till 2.30, which would be a big problem on a school night. Especially if I made the final table but didn't cash big.

There are bigger tourny's out there, and I could have crack at one of those. Maybe I'll try a $100 or $200 tourny and see what the standard is like. Maybe.

For today though I'll bask in the joy of the victory. Huzzah,

A fifth, and a third

Last two nights I've had decent cashes. I played the 10pm $55 yesterday and busted fairly unsatisfactorily, so I played the 11pm $22. I finished 5th in this for $160, which was nice. I showed a bluff on the FT for about the first time ever, when I outplayed the fellow on my left in a SB/BB battle. It was a "look, I can play" message after he (and others) had been stealing my blinds for a while. It had an odd effect as my blinds were not attacked for a bit, and my raises respected. Interesting.

Tonight I had a crack at the 10pm $55 and finished 3rd for exaclty $600 (1st was $1800, 2nd $1200).

I doubled up quite early against a weak player when my AQ beat his TT on a A-high flop. Most of the money went in after the Ace hit.

A couple of orbits later (with blinds at 25/50) my AK ran into a terrible players KQ, and a short-stacks AA. If shorty had more chips I'd have been able to get away pf, but I couldn't and with a Q on the flop I lost the side pot too.

2 hands later I double up when my AJ raises 3x to 300 and one player calls. I push into a K32 board, and he calls holding AT! Up to 2100.

A few hands later (still short-ish) I'm dealt JJ in the SB and of course push over a raiser, who thinking I'm doing this light (as I might be) calls with 77. Up to 3500.

4 hand later I have an amazing stroke of luck, when I completely misplay ATs early. I open limp, and call a 3x(450) raise from the player to my left which the SB calls before me. Flop A5J. I bet 900 and villain flat calls. I'm pretty sure I'm beat now, but villain has got so few chips I'd be compelled to call really. Anyway we both check the turn and the river (which is a queen). Astoundingly he had AQ and had rivered 2-pair. How he didn't get all his chips in is beyond me. Back to 2100.

I get AQ in the BB, and scoop up some limpers (and a short who calls my push) but I'm not seeing too many cards. I pick up the blinds with QQ, and then A10. And these two raises allow me to get paid off by 99 which is an overpair to the board. Up to 5300 which is a bit above average at this stage.

Being dealt AA helps me out later, and I'm up to 7500.

I suck out for the first time when a fellow who has been raising a lot from anywhere on the table raises UTG (I'm UTG+1). I make a push with AQ, and suck out against his KK. Oops. All the money went in pf. I slow down a bit after this, althogh I end up restealing from him 2 in short order when he makes a clear move at my BB, and then raises when I'm holding TT on the button. Up to 19k.

I go quiet for a bit, and lose blinds for a couple of orbits before defending my BB with 84s against one weak player. I'm quite pleased with this play. Using my image (if they are watching) and identifying the target. We're approaching the bubble now for the final table, and I hit some hands. After the 48 I get -xx-AQ-xx-xx-xx-55-KK-AQ-xx-xx-xx-xx-QQ and they all take it preflop apart from the KK which scoops a lovely pot after the fellow on my right restole from an earlier raiser.

Final table time and I'm the chip leader with 48k (others 10/15/25/8/10/15/35/12). Playing a big stack here is definitely a weakness in my game. I generally try and stay out of marginal situations, and I certainly don't attack the shorter stacks enough. I should be pushing (I think) into the medium stacks. I've largely cut out the raise/folds but if I go card dead I'm not sure how many moves to make here.

Anyway I get QQ, and AJ, which win, then AK which is beaten my 33. I turn an Ace, he has 3 outs on the river - 2x3, and the 2 of clubs for a straight flush.
----- RIVER ----- [6s 4c 5c Ac][2c]

I then get AJs in the BB which faces an all-in for 27k (I'm playing 46k). Do you call here? I didn't, although I called with much less later.

I'm down to 28k, when I call with A7, aganst a raise with J9. Looking at this, this call makes the AJ fold earlier much worse.

I double back up to a playable stack with AJvA7. By this time, we're down to 4 players (31k/40k/74k/33k-me). One leaves next hand (who played like a maniac with a short stack and I'm amazed noone took a stand against him. I would have been calling him with all kinds of junk.

Playing short-handed quite often the play folded round to the SB and it went complete-push-fold. I've got to start completing with good hands, and calling the pushes. I've done this with monsters, but I've got to start doing this with a much wider range (77+,A8+) if I'm sure the BB will try and take it from me.

Play goes back and forth a bit with three left, until I run into my second straight flush of the evening when my A9 loses to QJs. I'd sucked out a bit before this so I can't complain about the cards.

I had some luck in this tourny (and I'm the kind of player who really remembers it, leading to this blog giving the impression I'm a poorer player than I am as I list my suck-outs) but I played fairly well. There was at least 1 pretty good player at the table, but I still felt comfortable. I've just got to get better at playing a big stack.

Bankroll $3700.

Good play again - but no real money

Interesting game last night

I came 15th or so in the 10:00 $4.5k $55 tourny on Crypto last night. There were 103
runners so I won $51.5 or so giving me a small loss for the evening.

I'd been avoiding this tourny a bit as the field seemed a bit tougher than the 9.30
tourny which I'd been making enough time to play in.

I played really well actually. I played pretty tight early (though aggressively, natch) and built a decent, though not huge stack. I was getting very good at spotting opportunities to get my chips in ahead when holding stong-ish hands (eg 99,A8).

I also improved (nearly eliminated) my inclination to raise with garbage into strong
opponents and get re-stolen.

It led to the nice opportunity to be able to raise 3x on he button with 99 exactly on the bubble. The SB called(!) and the BB pushed. It was a good move from the BB, but I'm pretty sure he's trying it on - and he was turning over 10-4 which missed. I was
more worried about a slow-played monster from the SB as it happened.

I lost some chips when my button AT ran into UTGs slow-played KK.

Other than that the end was 3 hands where I was a +cEV but lost each time.

Firstly the SB pushed into my A8 with K4.
Secondly I re-raised shorty's push from the SB with QT and lost to his 88. He has
a very wide range here, and I'm 40-45% against them according to Stove. The
re-raise was to push out the BB, and with the overlay of the BB and antes I'm getting about 2.6:1
Thirdly (next hand - and I'm short) its folded round to me on the button holding KQo, and I lose to the SBs 66.

Despite the run at the end it was a good game. There was noone left who I recognised
and noone who had shown any vast ability - so I'd guess I was amongst the better players who remained.

As a side note my short-handed play is improving. It used to be a weakness of mine
and I was often hoping I'd be on a larger table and without really noticing the transition I suddenly don't feel this now. Feeling optimistic again.

Back from holiday to a bad beat

Just back from another week in the tent - and no rain this time! Much nicer.

Played the 10:00 $27 tourny on ladbrokes which has a generously slow structure. I got no cards at all for the first hour, but only lost a small percentage of my stack as the play was quite gentle, and the couple of moves I did make came off. I tend to play these conservatively early, and if I don't hit any hands I can play very tightly. I probably need to be looking for opportunities more, but that means paying closer attention to my opponents and in the first hour I can rarely be bothered.

Anyway I've folded my SB a couple of times, and raised once by the time its folded round to me for the fourth time after about an hour and a half. I'm playing about 2k chips, the BB has me covered and blinds 100/200. I've got Q6 and call. He checks. I CRAI on a QJx board which he calls with J9. Alas he hits runner-runner for the straight.

The big reason why a large stack in a tourny is so valuable is that you can afford to keep taking these chances and your stack will edge up as you win 2/3 of the 66/33 shots. If you are all-in when they crop up then one-card and *busto* which happened to me and made for a pretty dull night.

I've just realised that of the 5 blogs linked to here, 3 are dead, 1 was dead and has been resurrected and only 1 is being updated regularly.

I should update them ...