Saturday, August 29, 2009
Big Stakes, Small Stakes
So I've noticed a disturbing trend lately in my play. Seems like I take the 40/80 game much more seriously than the 20/40. When the stakes get kicked up, I seem to play my A game much more often and correctly. In the 20 game, I seem to be just donking around more and having fun rather than taking the game super serious. I think I need to try and maintain my focus at all times even if I am playing in a smaller game. Anytime you have a months rent or mortgage payment on the table, it's serious money. Last night, I think I played some of the best poker of my life. Plus it didn't hurt that I flopped a ton of sets and had a large share of pocket pairs that held up. Ship the 6 and a half dimes!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
What game am I playing again?
So last night was interesting. I went out to dinner with the family at Outback steakhouse and then got some cards in at Oceans. I got into a 20/40 game that was 8-handed before I showed up along with two prop players. I was the ninth player, and I think 5 or 6 of the players were playing overs. Bunch of players were yammering about upping the stakes to 30/60. Initially the floor declined to convert the game, because the floor man didn't want to call Chuck the casino manager for permission to convert the game.
But then some of the more vocal players said either convert the game, or we are all just going to sit out, and then you'll have no game. Not sure if they were serious, I didn't get involved in the discussion as I didn't really care one way or another what we did. Like 20 minutes later the game converted to 30/60.
I have played 30/60 before, but never at Oceans-11 since they normally spread 20/40 and 40/80. I thought we were going to color up our chips to $10 chips, and play 20/30 blinds just like in all the 30/60 games I have ever played. Nope, we kept our 5 dollar chips and played a 6/12 chip structure game and played with $15 and $30 blinds. Now some of the players, also kept their overs buttons, so now they were playing 60/120 when it was an overs pot. Which means that when a turn raise went in, it was 48 chips, which is almost half a rack of chips. That made for some very big pots, as you can imagine. Plus the pure number of chips made it virtually impossible to clean cut out 48 chips in one hand, so that made for some clumsy chip handling by people not used to pushing that many chips into the pot.
Because that was the first time I have ever played in a 6/12 chip structure game, I was not used to cutting out the chips cleanly. Since I was uncomfortable, for the first time in a very long time, I verbalized all my actions, just to make sure that I would not screw up by not having the correct number of chips in my hand.
Anyways, I crushed the game. I pulled off two river bluffs against the same player. The first I was in the big blind with Kh Qh and he was in the small blind. There was a early position limper, a middle position raiser. Flop came K56 two spades. SB lead out, I raised, everyone else cleared out, he called. Turn came an offsuit 4. He check raised me and I called. River was the 8 of spades. He bet, and I instaraised, he tanked and then he mucked. Later he claimed to have 65 and flopped two pair, and I believe him. Later I raised in EP with A3 suited in clubs, he cold called next up, and the rest of the field cleared out. Flop came 10 10 J two spades. I bet, he called. Turn was a low spade. I checked, he checked. River was a red queen. I bet, he made a speech saying, well I can't beat anything anymore and folded 9s 9c face up.
But then some of the more vocal players said either convert the game, or we are all just going to sit out, and then you'll have no game. Not sure if they were serious, I didn't get involved in the discussion as I didn't really care one way or another what we did. Like 20 minutes later the game converted to 30/60.
I have played 30/60 before, but never at Oceans-11 since they normally spread 20/40 and 40/80. I thought we were going to color up our chips to $10 chips, and play 20/30 blinds just like in all the 30/60 games I have ever played. Nope, we kept our 5 dollar chips and played a 6/12 chip structure game and played with $15 and $30 blinds. Now some of the players, also kept their overs buttons, so now they were playing 60/120 when it was an overs pot. Which means that when a turn raise went in, it was 48 chips, which is almost half a rack of chips. That made for some very big pots, as you can imagine. Plus the pure number of chips made it virtually impossible to clean cut out 48 chips in one hand, so that made for some clumsy chip handling by people not used to pushing that many chips into the pot.
Because that was the first time I have ever played in a 6/12 chip structure game, I was not used to cutting out the chips cleanly. Since I was uncomfortable, for the first time in a very long time, I verbalized all my actions, just to make sure that I would not screw up by not having the correct number of chips in my hand.
Anyways, I crushed the game. I pulled off two river bluffs against the same player. The first I was in the big blind with Kh Qh and he was in the small blind. There was a early position limper, a middle position raiser. Flop came K56 two spades. SB lead out, I raised, everyone else cleared out, he called. Turn came an offsuit 4. He check raised me and I called. River was the 8 of spades. He bet, and I instaraised, he tanked and then he mucked. Later he claimed to have 65 and flopped two pair, and I believe him. Later I raised in EP with A3 suited in clubs, he cold called next up, and the rest of the field cleared out. Flop came 10 10 J two spades. I bet, he called. Turn was a low spade. I checked, he checked. River was a red queen. I bet, he made a speech saying, well I can't beat anything anymore and folded 9s 9c face up.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Well, that was short
My self-imposed break from poker lasted all of a week. Not bad I suppose. Too bad I lost $500.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Cashed Out!
Made it to 800 hours last night. I cashed in for $2500, and now it is time for a little break from live poker.
I got to play one of my poker buddies heads up 40/80 on Friday night. When we started off the heads up match I had $2400 in front of me. He ran me over early, and got me down to about $600. Then I made a raging comeback and eventually cashed out $3800. During my heater rush, I flopped like at least top pair or better almost every hand that I played. I actually folded quite a few of my buttons, while I think Sean maybe folded like one or two of his buttons, and I don't think he ever gave up his big blind to my button raise ever. Not that I am a better poker player than Sean, it was just good luck and variance. I was having fun playing with him, that's all.
I got to play one of my poker buddies heads up 40/80 on Friday night. When we started off the heads up match I had $2400 in front of me. He ran me over early, and got me down to about $600. Then I made a raging comeback and eventually cashed out $3800. During my heater rush, I flopped like at least top pair or better almost every hand that I played. I actually folded quite a few of my buttons, while I think Sean maybe folded like one or two of his buttons, and I don't think he ever gave up his big blind to my button raise ever. Not that I am a better poker player than Sean, it was just good luck and variance. I was having fun playing with him, that's all.
Monday, August 3, 2009
T minus 22
22 hours to go. We'll see if I can get it done this week and then take a break from the pokers.
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