This weekend I went camping with the family. Now, I don’t like camping, but I made sure that my daughter, who loves fishing, got to go fishing. I was joking with her that we would never catch anything off a dock of a lake where so could only cast into water 3 feet deep. But at age 8, she is undeterred and shows me up by catching a fish. It was about 5 inches long Whilst she goes to get the bucket that I told her we did not need, the fish gets away. She is not even that upset. She just goes right back to fishing. (and the conditions as it turns out are perfect. It is overcast and rain is lightly falling.) I figure she might catch another one of the small fish lurking close to shore. Suddenly she catches a 12 inch bass.
It did not even fit in the stupid bucket. And she caught it with a Barbie fishing pole. She insisted on cooking it and so a neighbor cleaned it while she watched. Mom dipped it in flower and egg and I threw it on the grill with the burgers. She ate the whole thing. I must be thinking about poker too much because she reminded me of the loose aggressive player that builds stacks in a tournament. Ignoring the odds, playing with marginal cards, and landing a big one to make it all pay off. Never has a cliché been so clearly stated at such an appropriate time. Sticking with the analogy, NL is a game of trapping. Beware the 8 year old who hits a big hand.
Its a big bucket too.
I finally figured out posting with a photo…
Again, if you are not reading doubleas blog at doubleas.blogspot.com then you are missing out on what it means to be a poker teen vs. a poker adult. On a similar note, I have been frustrated that I had not been doing well in larger tournaments. So last night, even though the field was only 16, I experimented with a long game strategy. I would play long game strategy in rounds 1-4, then try to use pressure points (the term doubleas uses to describe what Harrington calls an inflection point) in later rounds. I used the ½ pot bet more sparingly too.
A brief digression. There is strategy and there is tactics. Know the difference. In a cash game, there is little long term strategy. You think you have the best hand, so you play it. In a tournament, there is a long term strategy that MUST influence your tactics. Such as situations that you would clearly fold AK pre-flop. If you have never folded AK pre-flop, then you’re just looking to get lucky. And now back to our program.
Anyway, I think I took another step towards poker young adult last night. I’ve been drinking the kool-aid, but now I added a packet of jello. It is all starting to gel for me. (seemed witty in the shower). I came in with a plan that called for staying away from decision hands in rounds 1-4. If you want to read an entire book on this strategy, read TJ Cloutiers book on tournament hold ‘em. He doesn’t do a great job in justifying in this post poker boom why A9 is the most dangerous hand in poker unless you understand why he is saying it. No matter what the flop on this hand (with the exception of a flop with both an Ace and a 9), you are in decision territory. Right between Jack and Shit. And if your villain raises, Jack leaves town. Get it? So, I played the same starting cards I always do, but in levels 1-4 I was looking to continue hands only where I could be confident I was ahead. AK on an Ace flop. 67 on a flop of 679. Although the latter one could have been dangerous, no one played the dreaded 85o. If you understand the logic of doing this in rounds 1-4, then you can follow TJ when he says that “I only need to finish the level with more chips than I started the level withâ€. Do you see why now? I do. It’s because you can’t really lose chips this way. It is a great way to “tiptoe through the landmines†as they say. If you are going to Vegas for the big tournaments, remember that. Better yet, buy his book and read it on the plane.
When we reached level 5, I got bumped to the other table. I was doing great at the table I was at with plenty of chips. But this table was different. These guys where playing much faster and much looser. Again, let me digress. Do you as a player really understand the value of “changing gears� Some players will tell you it’s about deception. I now understand that this is just not the case. I can play deceptive without changing gears. No, that is not it. The value in changing gears is forcing your opponent to change how he is playing against you. If he has only one way of playing, you have a huge advantage. Ok, back to the game. I went to the loose table and I had to tighten up. I was bleeding as I just could not seem to put a hand together. When the tables merged, I had only 400 chips (we started with 300). But I was alive. For the entire night now, I had hit the following hands:
2 pair twice (once on the river, I was already ahead), in level 1 no less.
Trips : zero
Straight: zero
Winning flush : zero
Losing flush : once, King High.
Oh, and if include hands where I folded, but went to showdown, I could add a straight where you only needed an 8 to complete it.
I could have been very frustrated. I could have “reverse tilted†(when you start playing loose because you feel like you’re being shut out of the action) and started panicking. But instead, I just watched and got a feel for what everyone was doing. The others were not changing gears at all and I started to memorize where my spots would be. Then I started taking them. When I knew I could get into a favorable position and I had something, I would make a move. If everyone let me have it, I knew I was going to do it again. A close call was when I bet big on KQo with just the blinds to act. I knew that the gut on my left did not like to call big raises pre-flop against me (since I am a tighter player). But the BB might. I had done this to him twice and he was a loose player, so I half expected a call every time. One time we saw a flop of ATX and I went all in with my KQo. I figured he would fold anything but TP. I was pretty sure he did not have an Ace, so I thought this was a great move. He called and I thought I was dead, but he had Qx. I figured he would not even make the call with A-low kicker! So I doubled up. Ironically, this hand frustrated a player that was not even in the hand, and I made a mental note of it. Next time (same player) I had QQ and he had a marginal hand and he doubled me up again with a loose call. I was right to go after this guy’s blinds. I had changed gears into fast position, aggressively attacking blinds. I was forcing him to make decisions that he did not have to make in earlier rounds.
The guy on my right was a different story. He thought he was the best player at the table. He had been doing well, but he was growing more boisterous. This is an important thing to notice. (Noticing signs are so important. The player on my left was making a comment each time he bet. Suddenly, he limps without a comment. This told me to get the hell out. When another player raised, I knew the reraise was coming before he could grab his chips. He took the hand with AA). Me, I try to play each hand in some sort of similar fashion. Scott commented on my predictability, but he missed the underlying concept. Yes, I am always coming in for 3xBB and non-garbage cards. But I’ll make the same bet with KK that I will with 45s. I think that more than makes up for it. Plus, it sometimes gives me an advantage after the flop. If I was going to Vegas this week for the big show, I would first re-watch King of Comedy with Dinero. I would then set up a mock poker table and practice betting each hand the same way with the same hand motions (See Harrington) and all the while making up patter and imagining other players. I would make sure I could look at AA the same way I could look at 45s. Sound stupid? Could it possibly be more embarrassing then getting knocked?
I changed gears again. I started playing and acting slow. I would put much more thought into each decision. And it was driving players batty. Especially the guy on my right. He would even make comments about my decisions while I was thinking. Stating that the decisions were obvious and other things about time. Time. He kept mentioning time. He was bored! I wanted him to label me in his mind as weak/tight, so I would anguish over decisions like folding a straight draw to a big bet. He was hopefully now thinking that he was going to push me out of pots. He is in another pot for a flop and folds after the flop. He still seems antsy. Now I get AQ and I limp in with 5 players. When the Q high flop comes, I make a weak bet and he raises. I go all-in. This was a pressure point. And I had control. Out of reverse tilt frustration, he calls with bottom pair and pays me off and knocks himself out. The one nice thing about home field advantage is that when it gets late, you’re still not in a hurry to get home.
With 3 players left, the player on my right makes a big raise. I have A9s and the button, but I know that the player on my left is in trouble. He is on a short stack now and it would be very difficult for him to take second unless one of the other two of us completely forget final table strategy. i.e. Pick on the short stacks. So I make a STRATEGIC fold. I would have folded AKs there also. Can you see why? You may say that it seems silly, but I go on to win the entire tournament. You need to be able to put tactics aside and see the big strategic picture sometimes. That’s why tournaments are so amazingly interesting.
Looking back over the entire evening, I am still concerned about how long I waited to change gears. I was really struggling at table 2 when everyone way playing so loose. I know I need to play counter to them and tighten up, but combine that with not getting any decent cards and I just bled off chips. What other defense is there in the middle rounds without a big stack? Sure I could re-raise with decent cards, but I never saw any. I could even reraise with non-decent cards, except I observed that they were calling those raises even if they were behind. I played decent hands strong, but had to blow the escape hatch as I could not get to the pressure point I wanted in a single hand.
End of the night stats:
Two pair : 3 (did not need the second pair on two of them)
Trips : zero
Straight : zero
Winning flush: zero
Dealt the hammer: zero (bummer) but I did get 83 and 93 a lot.
I won without getting great cards. I did have KK once, but no one called my pre-flop bet. Then again, they did not call my A5 or 99 either. I had QQ once also, and won a big pot against AQ. Other than that, I played what I was dealt. I went from the short stack with 8 left, to being the sole survivor. Without a single hand better than two pair. I hope I am nearing commencement.
THOUGHT I was playing pretty good. As I slowly accumulated chips though, I watch these maniacs win huge pots when their stupid 85o hits the jackpot. Am I wrong to not want to see a flop with AJo or 99 and raise the flopsters out pre-flop? Am I wrong to fold marginal hands and watch the flopsters (players who desperately need to see a flop to see if they hit the lotto) go at it while I play solid poker? And then, after a flopster hits yet another 69o straight, I have to watch my JJ get re-raised by what turns out to be KK.
My record last night: Pots won – LOTS. Most never got to a showdown. When one did, it was a Sheriff that for some inexplicable reason HAD to see my two pair with Ace high. And HE was the better, I just let him hand himself.
Losses – Few but brutal. JJ loses a good cash pot to AA on a flop of 67K.
JJ loses a big pot to KK again.
TT raises to 3xBB and loses to 22 on a flop of 237.
And here is the funny part. In all these hands, I make great laydowns. Not one of these hands broke me.
So, because of the escape hatch, I am 8/30 but on the short stack. The blinds are high, and the money starts at 6. The 3 players in ahead of me barely have twice my chips and are vulnerable. And here we go again. 67 in the BB and the ultra-loose player limps. The SB limps. I am unsuited and one hand away from elimination, so I check. The flop is 967. The SB bets! He has TP. I go all-in. The flopster folds and the SB calls. He has TP and a gutshot with 98. I don’t have to tell you what the river was. Just that he had 11 outs and it was one of them.
I played in my first blogger tournament last night. It was fun, but no one knows me or this blog. Probably due to the fact that I have 5 readers. Cést la vie. There were some highlights though. I dropped my first hammer. blinds 150/300 and I raise from UtG with the hammer. Got no callers and showed the goods. Lot better than last time when I got busted out bluffing the hammer.
As far as the Pauley freeroll went, I did pretty good. 18th out of 153. As TJ Cloutier would say, “You’re gonna have to beat AK and you’re gonna have to have AK hold up.” In other words, there are gonna be a couple of races and you need to win them. I cracked AK with my JJ and then had my QJ outdraw a short stack with AK. I hate being all-in with AK as I can’t apply any pressure after the flop. You have to just sit back and take it.
Let me digress for just a brief aside here. Doubleas posted an excellent post about what NL is all about. doubleas.blogspot.com You need to read this post. It is excellent. I would say I don’t agree 100%, but that is sort of like the stable boy telling Socrates that he is full of shit. Poker can be attacked from two different angles:
1. Make less mistake than your opponent. (The key to limit poker)
2. Force your opponent to make mistakes. (The “key” to NL poker)
Doubleas feels that NL is a game of pressure points. I look at it as more of a balance between pressure and opportunity. But as far as credibility goes, I need to think more about what makes him more right than me.
Opportunity plays a big role in my mind. Let’s return to the synopsis of the freeroll. The eventual winner Pii, has LESS chips than me. He is about to go on a tear with some good cards. I watch him double up twice, right past me, as he gets better cards than his opponents who seem eager to tangle. There are 40 people left and I have about $6k in chips, which is average. But this is a TURBO freeroll and the blinds are already 300/600. The UTG limps and its to me. I have JJ. What is the bet here?
I bet 3000 of 5xBB. I would have been happy to win $1500 right here. But the button goes all-in for $4100. The blinds and limper fold. (I was right there). I have to call the $1100 more just to see KK. Still, how else do you play that?
Now, a bigger dilema. I am in the BB with only $3000 in chips left. A MP goes raises to 2xBB (lame steal attempt?). Another player goes all-in (has me covered). Another players CALLS the all-in. Now I am against 3, maybe 4, opponents and look down at 99. Do you play here or fold? I heard arguments on both sides all morning. Me, I folded expecting to see a bigger pair or pairs. The original raiser folds and the players show A9 and Ax. They both miss the board. I would have tripled up.
BUT, fast forward 20 minutes and I have $6740 in chips. I am playing aggressive and have picked up chips. The blinds are a Asphyxiating 500/1000. There are only 20 players left. I get 5To in the BB but another player is all in from MP. I just muck it.
BUT, fast forward 2 rotations and I have $7000 in chips. I am still playing well and picking up blinds here and there. Again in the BB for $1000 and a short stack goes all in. The SB calls for $3100. I look down at ATo. Now when someone decides to pick off a short stack, they could have A-anything. I think AT is good enough and may even be ahead here. I re-raise my entire stack for another $3500 and he calls with A9. Perfect. Except a 9 comes on the flop and I am dead. (The all-in guy had A3). So, 18th place and I am not a donkey. Still, no 9 there and I had at least a chance at the final table.
Got to play with the blogfather : guinnessandpoker.blogspot.com/, allcanthang :alcanthang.com/poker/ , poker nerd : pokernerd.blogspot.com/ , and some other characters.
Blind are 100/200 and a player with 12k in chips (which is well above avg in the tourney) bets $1100 in Early Pos. I look at KK in MP, so I call. (I have about $9k in chips, also far above avg) With a raise this big, and me with the KK, I am either looking at AA, QQ, JJ or this player just decided to check out. Based on his stack size, the latter seems unlikely. But it seems premature to lay down KK now, and I did not want to re-raise and get into a possible all-in situation if he had AA.
The flop is 3h6hQd. He checks and I bet my standard 1/2 pot bet. In this case, that’s about $1250. He re-raises me another $1250 and the warning bells go off. I think he has AA, but I want to put him on JJ because of the pre-flop bet. Here is is trying to see if I have a Q or played AQ.
The turn is a 5c and he comes right out and bets $3500. Since I have 5k and change left, he is putting me in effect all-in. At this point, he has to have either AA or QQ for a set of queens. But, somehow I discard this information and put him on JJ. Why?
Let’s stop and think about it for a second. Why do I put him on JJ?
Well, because I can beat JJ. This, my humble readers, is a fatal problem. I gave myself an excuse to call. Does this seem like JJ to you? With a Q out there? This may be a good player, but its not Phil Hellmuth. Can I really justify a call here?
Well, I could say this. We started with $5k in chips. I through some good playing of QQ, QQ (again) and 88, have 9k in chips and never even had to see a showdown. Now, I would be back at $5k (and change) and have to work it out all over again. THAT THOUGHT, AND THAT THOUGHT ALONE convinced me to make a bad decision.
I can not emphasize this enough. I could have played ONE winning hand and gotten back to $10k, even more than I had to start this one hand.
You can not let the fact that you need to let go of a huge hand cloud your judgment. Still, in the back of your mind, you have to be thinking… Did he have AKs? Did he fool your humble narrator?
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