Friday, October 17, 2008

Think man, think!

The trouble with tournament poker is one hand and you are gone. I don't often misplay hands terribly, but I have twice recently.

At Luton on Friday I'd made a good start - chipping up nicely and managing to nearly double my starting stack without going to showdown. I had the goods once, 33 on a board of K73ss. I bet into about 5 players and they all folded! They'd all called a big raise preflop as well. I got unlucky when I isolated a short-stack push with ATs, and he had K9 or something - and hit and then I was tilting a bit. I became aware during the break that I was getting a bit restless so and things were going to go wrong.

They did. Sitting to my left was Mr Nemesis - the older pundit from Sky Poker. Not TK, the other one. He's very good company so I didn't mind being sat by him - but wished he was on the other side.

Anyway I'm dealt K9 on the CO, and open-limp. Ghastly. I think I was worried about stealing incase I was reraised. Mr Nemesis on the button calls and there is a flop of A23. I bet out into it, and he raises me about 1/2 my stack (I'm playing ~4k, I bet 500 into a 700 pot and he makes it 2k). Unthinkingly I push over the top and he of course calls, showing 45 for the flopped straight. The turn is a 4, giving me a 5 for a chop, and a spade for a flush, but I get what I deserved. Nothing. He didn't have enough chips to raise/fold and I should be more patient than to try that sort of nonsense with K-high.

It was a bit frustrating, as the table seemed terrible. There was one lad who lasted a short period of time on my right who was clearly pretty good - on the circuit and a high stakes online players ($100R+) but he arrived late and busted quickly. Other than that 1 player managed (impressively) to fold AQ on a QQxxx board when he correctly read his opponent for a rivered flush.

Good fun, and I'll try and repeat it next month.

Last night after being booted out of 1 tourny having played a short-stack really well - eventually getting it in ahead (just) with ATvKJs and losing, I donked out of the other tourny holding A4 on the button. I raise and the SB calls, then bets into an A23 board. I raise, he pushed and I call. Of course he's got a better Ace and I'm done for. What was I doing? What else could he have?

Anyway, it reminded me why I hate rag-aces, and reminded me that I can still play like a moron should the mood grab me.

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