$100 tournies!

I've finally taken the plunge and started playing $100 tournies. I've opened an account on a skin of pokerroom, and have played their 9pm $100+8 game the last couple of nights. Both times there were about 110 players, and only the top 10 pay.

I prefer a top 20 structure personally - as you get two bubbles, one for the cash and one for the final table.

Yesterday I started well and had a good number of chips. The blinds were starting to bite and I was just to start changing up gears when I was dealt KJ. I raise 3x and get a caller from the button. Flop Jxxr. Great flop for me. My opponent is quite short-stacked, so i put him all in and he turns over aces. After that I flounder around and go out soon after.

Tonight I had one of those no hands games. None. None at all, for about 45 mins. Eventually (and thankfully) I'm dealt KK with about 1200 left (the good thing about my cards being so bad was that I wasn't putting any money in). I get it all in pre-flop against 2 players holding AJ and AQ. One hits a flush, and one a straight.

After than I sign up for the $4.5k on Crypto and with 90-ish runners I bust in 10th place, just in the money. I hit a few cards early (I flopped a full house holding 89s, and hit 2-pair at least twice more). This built me a big stack which I needed as I then went card dead again, winning (and playing) 1 pot in about 4 hands - which was when I had AJ in the BB and it was folded round to me. My hands picked up nearer the bubble, and I doubled up with ATs against 77 and then started playing pretty well, until I bluff it all away on about the 3rd hand at the FT.

I have 44 in the HJ, and raise 3x. 3 callers(!). Flop 873. The BB checks, I'm playing about 12,000 and the pot is 8,000. I push. The button calls with a slow-played AA (are you seeing a pattern here) and the BB who had played a pretty good game all night also called with the unexpected hand of T8. He probably put me on 2 overcards. The raise here isn't terrible, but the push is pretty bad. Its unlikely to get through 3 players, although the flop is sufficiently dis coordinated for me to have a chance against 1 opponent.

As an aside, the play in this tourny was pretty good, the best opponents I've faced in a while. There was 1 player I did respect, and only 1 or 2 absolute idiots.

Pleasingly though the play in the $108 on pokerroom is, on the evidence I've seen so far, pretty bad. I haven't got the bankroll to play a load of these tournaments if I don't cash soon, so I'm going to have to be careful.

Poker isn't about the money. Money is just the way of keeping score

Some months ago I was having an entertaining drunken conversation with a friend of mine. We were both being quite self-indulgent, and talking about our passions. He was talking about Eve, a massive-multiplayer game that took up much of his spare time. I talked about poker, and I think we were both interested in each others hobbies.

I mentioned the quote above "money is just the way of keeping score" and he immediately replied "but we know thats not true". I explained why I thought he was wrong. Sure, its a funny game in that you win (or lose) real money - but poker doesn't actually have to be about money.

It could be about anything that is in short supply. If online poker for money was banned by all governments I'd be happy playing for play money. The play money would have to be rationed - so you only got P$1000/week or something. Alternatively no-one would take it seriously enough, as happens with many play money tables at the moment.

The play money would move round to the better players, who would eventually accumulate enough to play for bigger and bigger 'stakes'. There would be a degree of inflation as more and more money each week was pumped in, and none was taken out, but the inability to buy in more than once per week would add some value to the chips. It wouldn't be as good a game, but I for one (and I'd probably be the only one) would play it.

Close again in the $4.5k

The Crypto 10:00pm is the only tournament I enter regularly which I haven't won - and last night I came 3rd. I played pretty well again, with my moves working, and only needing to get lucky once.

I started slowly (no cards) and was down to 1200 or so as the blinds started getting noticeable but the usual controlled aggression had me chipping up soon after. I got lucky when my QQ beat KK (and someone else holding A8), the original raiser being the A8 player - who I read for a poor hand - but the KK fellow flat-called. I pushed and was amazed he had such a strong hand. But I sucked out. After that it was pretty solid play that got be through to the $580 prize.

The night before I had an extraordinary game, where I was short stacked for what seemed like ages. I kept pushing with strong, and marginal hands where I could (twice I push ATG with pretty terrible hands as I didn't want to have to post the blinds and lose my limited FE). Normally you double up or go bust, but I kept winning the blinds, and I kept increasing my stack, but barely keeping up with the blinds. It was really weird how long this went on for, and eventually I pushed over the top of someone who limped with a proper holding (AQ I think) and was dominated, but it was a strange night.

Today I missed registering for the $55, so played the $22 at 10:30, and was clearly one of the best players in the tourny (he says modestly) but managed to completely mess up on the first hand after the break where I wasn't concentrating, and some fool managed to get all her chips in with 87s, having hit top pair. My 2 over-cards and backdoor flush draw weren't enough. Ot was awful play by me. I knew this person overplayed weak hands, rather than ran elaborate bluffs, and while my pre-flop raise was OK I completely misplayed the flop. Anyway, it was only $22.

My bankroll is up to 4.5k now. I will enter some higher buy-in tournaments soon.

Bubble Bubble toil and trouble

I've managed to cash in a satellite to the £110 tourny on Sunday for the THIRD time, without winning a seat. This is in about 8-10 attempts. This evening, I came third ("winning" £12 in a £12+1 satellite) where the top 2 paid.

I played pretty well early, dodging and weaving fairly well. I've definitely tightened up my raising range recently (for the better) and an re-stealing on a less random basis too. Post-flop I'm still OK, but my short-handed play is improving most of all (although from a low base).

Early my moves worked, my raises were generally respected and I reached the FT in pretty good shape. With 6 left I'm in 3rd place. (8.2k/6.9k/5.5k/4.8k/3.7k/1.4k). Its going well and I'm dealt AKs UTG. I raise the 200BB to 600, and the button and the SB call. Flop 55J. The SB checks to me, I bet 1200 into the 2000 pot, and the buttong raises me to 2400. I let it go. Reluctantly.

Next hand I'm dealt KQs, in teh BB and shorty pushed for 1.4k. Its 1225, to see a pot of 1725, so I'm not getting great odds, but I do have a hand. If I put him on any pair, any ace, KT+ QJ+ pokerstove says I'm 46.9%. Looks like I have to call here. Anyway he turns over A4 and I fail to improve. Down to 2880.

I work it back up gradually, and the big stack keeps knocking everyone out! 4-handed I'm in second place when I take on shorty 99vA7s, and he flops an Ace. I steal a bit, one more player busts and the stacks are 24k/4.3k(me)2.9k.

Shorty doubles when he turns a straight against the big-stacks 2-pair so I've got to do something - but then I hit AQ in the BB, when the SB has KK and I'm gone.

I'll get in that tourny one day ....


Oh, and I bubbled in a Stars 180/12 turbo last night. I played just for fun really after busting in the $55. It was kind of fun, but the blinds go up *so* fast its a real crapshoot.

Good play. Very good play.

I played superb poker last night. Everything I judged was right. The hand ranges I assigned to players was accurate. I bet when I was ahead and folded when I was behind. I didn't make a river bluff against one player who I was sure couldn't fold top pair, and I played against one weak player particularly well.

Of course I hit no hands, had to fold when they hit on the turn, and was always struggling to keep up. Last hand some fellow open-limped from MP (I was sure he had nothing at all). MP+1 limped too (knowing what I did) so I raised to isolate the bad player. He called, MP+1 folded. Lovely. I think I held A8, but it didn't really matter. There was a junk flop of 347 or something. He checked to me, and I pushed (we've both got about the pot left in our stacks, and he called with 45o. I was so flabbergasted I didn't watch the turn+river come down and later couldn't recall what the cards were at all.

Its a funny game poker. I played as well as I have in a very long time, always knowing where I stood in a hand (usually behind against a calling station), and I busted in about 65th of 100. What can you do?

Tilt ... tilt

I've always considered I've been quit good at avoiding tilt. I can take a bad beat in a tournament, and carry on playing, usually as well as I had before. As long as I'm still in the game I'm OK.

I have though (as my game has improved) discovered that if I bust out of one tournament with a bad beat (or two) I can play sub-optimally on the subsequent one. Its very hard to describe my mood, but I rarely pay that much attention, and am too loose really.

Last night having busted out of the $55 10:00 tourny I took a little break and came back to the computer aware I still wasn't quite right, so didn't want to play in the $25 11pm tourny. I did want to play poker though and having discounted the option of playing in a play-money tournament opened up my Stars account to discover I had $1.40 left. Just starting was a $1.10 satellite to the Sunday $11 tourny which I entered. I had no intention of playing in the $11 tourny, but I'd have unregistered and taken the T11 (or whatever they call in - tournament dollars).

It was strangely liberating playing in the game. There were about 45 players playing for 4 seats. I kept wondering who else would play in such an event, and who couldn't raise up the $11 for the seat in the 'big one'. Maybe its other people like me just playing purely for fun.

Anyway I was dealt no cards, and you can't bluff these players so I left in about 22nd place. I still played pretty badly though, but at least I only lost $1. I may put $100 or so in the Start account just to play in these silly little SnGs when I'm feeling peed off.

A second!

I haven't been playing poker that much recently, just the odd game here and there usually for not very high stakes. For some daft reason I played the £6.50 45-man turbos on Stars, but without too much success (I busted the ~$30 I had in the account).

Anyway back to Crypto-world and last night I joined the 10:00 $55 tourny. 102 runners, top 20 paid and I came in second for $1020. Which was nice. I didn't play particularly well early (partly because I had my laptop open and was working at the same time as playing so played very tight early), but I was pleased with my final table play - especially when 3 and 4 handed. A strange reversal for me.

Some highlights:
I'd been dealt no hands for the first 3 hands when I pick up 22 on the button. I call a raise from a LP player to 90 - essentially set-mining - but my mind was not really focussed. Flop K76r. He bets 160 into the pot of 225, which for reasons I can't explain I call. Obviously it is a continuation bet and he may not have a K (or a pair), but I keep getting into these set-or-no-bet situations, because I haven't hit my set. So I Call. Turn is a Q. He checks, and I bet 300 into the 545 pot. He calls. River is a 3. He checks again. There is 1145, and we've both got about 900 left. I optimistivally push and he folds. My best guess is he's played JJ or TT quite well here. I certainly got lucky, although I played off my opponents weakness well.

An orbit or two later I get KK from MP. Playing 2010 with blinds at 25/50 I reraise an early raiser to 400 and the BB calls. He pushes on an Axx flop and I lay it down. Reluctantly. He acted something of the maniac after this, so he may not have had the A.

I get dealt nothing until I get AQo in the SB. Playing 1300 I lay it down(!) after an UTG raise of the 150BB to 450. I put his range such that I'm behind too much here, but its unusually tight play for me. I'm working on the assumption that there are enough weak players at the table for me to pushbot against later, but its a debatable fold. Or possibly a terrible fold.

I'm then either dealt junk or have to lay reasonable hands down until I push from MP with JQo and an M of under 4. I suck out agains AQ. I tend to look at this as lucky (which is was) but looking at the hands leading up to this I'm happy with how I played them, as I was disciplined enough to avoid just calling my stack off when I was clearly behind. So maybe I deserved the luck. I'm up to 2300 M~8.

I may another move when I've got K9s on the button - this time restealing (!) from an MP raiser. Its not a terrible move, and is a continuation of my not-just-restealing-from-the-BB tactics, but he's got AJ and calls. I suck out again. Up to 4300. An M of 14, and almost a playable stack.

I steal blinds till I'm up to 6200, and then complete my SB with 84o (2 limpers). I've been doing this for some time waiting to *really* hit the flop and make up for all the times I don't and this was the time! The flop was a dreamy 843. Couldn't be better. I check, and the first limper open pushes 4400 over the 2k pot. I snap-call and his KK is beaten. Up to 12000.

I've got the biggest stack at the table - which increases even further when I hold-up against an AQ - despite him having a flush draw, a gut-shot straight draw and 2 overs on the river. All the money went in pf. I've then got 17k. Noone else has more than 6k. There are now 2 tables left, and about 14 players. The final table bubble took *ages*.

I stal a bit more (and then have AQs beat AK (with a flush) and AKs beat JJ). I had enough chips to take on both these opponents - and I was clearly right to do so, but winning the close (and not so close) contests sure helped. Up to 26k. W're approaching the bubble, and I misplay one hand terribly. I've very rarely been raising with junk, but I do with 96o, and an called by the BB. Amazingly I flop a straight, but misread it as a straight-draw. I push the flop and take it down, but I could have been a lot more sneaky. Pay attention!

As things whittle down I'm playing really well, and taking full use of the earlier luck I have. Its a terribly nitty last 1/2 tables and I'm able to just keep buildin my stack. We spend ages 11-handed, and then the final table shrinks quickly till 3 are left. I also play well here, as I'm the only person showing much aggression, and I enter HU with nearly a 2:1 chip lead, but I get a bit unlucky here. On one hand my opponent and I are both drawing to a straight, and he plays very passively until calling my semi-bluffs. He calls my river push too - after I miss my draw - but he's rivered a J which pairs his. I play well to recover from this, but eventually am called by a better hand.

Overall, sure I got lucky when I needed too but my late play (not detailed here because of replaying problems) was actually pretty good.

This tournament seems to have got a lot weaker recently and the 1.30am finish is actually maintainable. I won the 6K on the 30th, but if you include that in October, I've made more money as I do from my job (not including pension/SAYE etc). Nice.

Satellites (and Party Poker)

I've always hated Party Poker.

A couple of years ago I signed up through one online ad that offered me some huge signing up bonus. (It was something like $150). It was the largest I found by some distance, so I checked with the support that it was genuine - it was - and so I signed up. I got a $25 bonus, and no amount of emailing (well about 3 emails TBH) would get them to budge.

My opinion hadn't improved since then. The software is truly awful. The lobby menu is awful. There's a window on my desktop that is too large, and doesn't display properly. The slide bar didn't work in round numbers (it appears to now), the number of starting chips in the SnGs was too low, etc etc.

They have tried to recruit me though. Three times they've sent me an email saying there is $20 in my account for me to play with. I've tried three times to parlay it up to a couple of hundred, but its never worked. Today I got an extra $30, and signed up for a Steps3 SnG. And then Party Poker crashed. Just as it was trying to open the tournament table. OK. Kill the process and start again. No good. Try again. No good. Whenever it tries to open the table it hangs my computer. Reboot the computer. No good. Reboot the computer and the modem. Still no good. It still locks the computer.

I now email their support telling them how useless their software is (I doubt they'll reply), uninstall the software, re-install it and I get a pop-up saying 'Missing file, please re-install'. Despite that it seems to work though! Impressively 3 people have busted out, and I'm down from 2k chips to about 1400. I manage to treble up, but bust soon, and get a ticket to a level 2 tourny, that I promptly make back into a level 3. I'll try again tomorrow.

On a separate note I've been thinking about entering the £40k guaranteed on Sunday (£120 buy-in). Despite my huge bankroll I'm still a bit reluctant (or too tight) to pony up the dough for this, so I've played in 2 satellites to it, finishing 3rd (for about £30) and second (for £62), a total profit of around £60. Which is half the buy-in. I'm still in two minds as to whether I will buy in though. Pathetic really. Anyone else would just go for it.