I'm starting this post before I get started tonight. I feel like it would be helpful to clear my mind a bit before settling into playing and I want to chronicle where my mind is at before I start as a way to prevent it from affecting my play and help me start off with a positive mindset.
I had to do a lot of investigation today into accounts that were being billed improperly, so it was part needle in a hay stack, part logic problem. I ultimately like solving problems, but it's also frustrating to know that thousands of dollars have not been billed to our members because of errors we made as a result of a confusing interface. We will be rid of this problem soon, but I still have to solve the immediate issues of getting our accounts straight. I was successful in identifying the problems and realizing that they were not nearly as bad as they could be, so that was satisfying. In addition to this I was working from home and with the basement still in disarray, I had to deal with screaming kids around me. Our 3 year old has been a handful lately, so it takes great patience not to fly off the handle. Normally I'm cool, but I felt myself breaking a bit today since I was trying to concentrate on solving the complex billing problems. On top of everything, the backyard is still a mess from the flooding and the house is messy.
Okay, now that that is out of my system I am going to work on playing my A game and making good decisions tonight. I will say that I am still starting the session with a little anxiety about unfinished business at the house, needing to finish a training manual for new employees that are starting tomorrow and leftover stress from the kids. In the past, I've sometimes transferred these negative feelings into negative thoughts about how I would run...getting sucked out on, missing flops, etc. But at the same time, I need to train myself to push those things aside when it comes time to play. I can't wait for perfect scenarios. Sometimes, you have to teach yourself to focus and become disciplined. So I'm going to step it up and work hard at making good decisions and staying calm while doing it. I'm also going to work on not beating myself up over decisions that might not go as planned or feeling like I'm playing too tight. I'm just going to settle into the rhythm of the game and take in all situational factors before making a decision.
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Okay, in the middle of playing and getting deep in a $48/90 man. I'm having these feelings of inevitably busting by shoving into a monster or getting sucked out on because I'm getting short and I have loose donks to my left. I'm gonna stay positive and just pick good spots without being too nitty.
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Bink. 2nd place for $702 + $32 in bounties. I chipped up nice on the bubble and I got lucky in a couple of spots, but I still think the calls were good vs. some short stack shoving ranges. Once I got a few chips I started putting pressure. Head's up was a standard crap shoot since we both had 10bb. I ended up shoving Q9 with 8bb and he woke up with TT. As far as A game goes, I got into a nice rhythm and I was very decisive about my decisions. I made a few folds that were tempting, but I just made a gut read of the situation.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Daily Recap 9/27/09
The good news is that I barely remember any hands. I felt like I was playing in the zone and I was not afraid to go with my gut in a few marginal spots. I was right in a couple of them and I lost a really big pot in another, but I'm not too unhappy about it. I'm gonna take another look tomorrow to see if it was a good call or not. Basically I called a pot sized all-in on the river with 99 with a board of xKxKx. The way the hand was played he could have had a small/mid pair in his range as well as a slow played King. I had a big stack already and could afford it, but it was still a substantial pot.
The bad news is that I didn't cash in any of the KO tournaments except for a few bounties. I bubbled two of them in 13th and 15th respectively and took like 25th in another. In one of them I was down to 2-3bb twice, came back to a nice stack and then ran into a some coolers like TT vs. JJ. I was picking my spots for shoving and probably nitted in a few situations (albiet I had crap hands). There were two super short stacks on the other table and while I wasn't playing to cash, they were so short that I assumed they would be busting. I kept floating between 3 and 6bb and finally lost when I shoved QJ 5 handed vs. AK.
Overall I felt I played my A game. I was able to chip up really nice in most of the tournaments and lost in pretty standard spots either losing a flip or re-shoving with a mid pp and them waking up with a bigger pair. I stayed in control emotionally when I lost pots and stayed confident in my game.
The bad news is that I didn't cash in any of the KO tournaments except for a few bounties. I bubbled two of them in 13th and 15th respectively and took like 25th in another. In one of them I was down to 2-3bb twice, came back to a nice stack and then ran into a some coolers like TT vs. JJ. I was picking my spots for shoving and probably nitted in a few situations (albiet I had crap hands). There were two super short stacks on the other table and while I wasn't playing to cash, they were so short that I assumed they would be busting. I kept floating between 3 and 6bb and finally lost when I shoved QJ 5 handed vs. AK.
Overall I felt I played my A game. I was able to chip up really nice in most of the tournaments and lost in pretty standard spots either losing a flip or re-shoving with a mid pp and them waking up with a bigger pair. I stayed in control emotionally when I lost pots and stayed confident in my game.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Daily Recap 9/26/09
Played at Bentwater tonight. Started off with a crazy laggy table with 2 really bad players who played every pot. I chose to sit back and play my big hands for max value and not get caught in a bunch of marginal spots or try to bluff them. Good strategy, but I unfortunately had really unplayable cards. They both eventually were knocked out and I was able to make a few key double ups and brought my stack up to 55K at the 1k/2k level. At Bentwater, that is a really nice stack.
Overall I felt like I was playing my B game most of the night before that. Not based on the hands I was playing but the reads I was making. I wasn't fully engaged in each hand and I was feeling a little sick/cloudy headed. In some hands I was thinking through all the factors and some I wasn't. One hand that I fully thought through was right after I doubled up shoving AQ for 9bb. An early passive player limped 7 handed for 1k, Snow (with a big stack) made it 3,500. It folded to me in the small blinds and I had ATs with about 22K. I was still stacking chips and was thinking through my options. I felt like I was ahead of Snow because I know he was going into big stack bully mode. I thought about folding since I was out of position, but I was pretty confident I was ahead. I then thought about calling, but again being out of position sucks and I'm just playing my cards and "hoping" to hit a flop. I decided that shoving was optimal since a normal raise would commit 1/2 my stack. I also felt that with my image, I could get him to fold a small pair or even AJ. I shoved and scooped the pot.
My bustout hand was kinda of crappy and I felt like this was an example of playing my B game and not fully thinking through the hand. I probably thought through 90% of it. We are 5 handed on the final table bubble and Brian Sullivan limps utg for 2k. I have KT and decide to be aggressive and raise to 8k. Brian often limps here with hands like QJ, J9, etc. Brian looks really annoyed and decides to call. At this point I put him also on a weak Ace. The flop is J97 with two spades and he checks. There is 18K in the pot because there was a dead small blind, so I c-bet to 11K. I'm not sure c-betting is the best here because it hits a lot of his range. Not that c-betting is always wrong here, but I felt like I wasn't playing my A game because I blindly c-bet instead of thinking through the optimal line in the hand, stack sizes, etc. I just bet hoping to win. Brian calls and the turn is a blank. He checks. There is 40K in the pot now and I have about 28K behind. I considered shoving, but thought he might have a J. I also thought a flush draw with an Ace was in his range as well. I decided to check behind. The river is the 8 of spades giving me a straight. Brian checks. Here is where I misplayed the hand. I did put him on a range of hands which included a J, maybe a 9 or a flush draw. When he checks the river I thought he didn't have a flush although it was still possible. After thinking through a bit, I decide to shove because..."I have a straight. Maybe he'll call if he has a J. I don't want to lose out on a value bet here." The problem with shoving here is that I'm only getting a better hand to call me. Brian also sees there is a flush out there and would fold in fear that I had it. He could also have QT here for a better straight and checked, but would still call because the pot got so big. So while I thought through the hand, I didn't consider that value shoving had no value and that he only calls with hand that beats me. He could have a small flush or he could even be inducing me to bet. It turns out he had As3s and knocked me out.
So overall, I played decent. Definitely not a C game tournament, but not A game either. In the last hand I needed to think through his entire range to determine if I can get called with a worse hand...not "I have a straight, so I should shove". Why am I shoving if all worse hands fold?
Good lesson learned tonight.
Overall I felt like I was playing my B game most of the night before that. Not based on the hands I was playing but the reads I was making. I wasn't fully engaged in each hand and I was feeling a little sick/cloudy headed. In some hands I was thinking through all the factors and some I wasn't. One hand that I fully thought through was right after I doubled up shoving AQ for 9bb. An early passive player limped 7 handed for 1k, Snow (with a big stack) made it 3,500. It folded to me in the small blinds and I had ATs with about 22K. I was still stacking chips and was thinking through my options. I felt like I was ahead of Snow because I know he was going into big stack bully mode. I thought about folding since I was out of position, but I was pretty confident I was ahead. I then thought about calling, but again being out of position sucks and I'm just playing my cards and "hoping" to hit a flop. I decided that shoving was optimal since a normal raise would commit 1/2 my stack. I also felt that with my image, I could get him to fold a small pair or even AJ. I shoved and scooped the pot.
My bustout hand was kinda of crappy and I felt like this was an example of playing my B game and not fully thinking through the hand. I probably thought through 90% of it. We are 5 handed on the final table bubble and Brian Sullivan limps utg for 2k. I have KT and decide to be aggressive and raise to 8k. Brian often limps here with hands like QJ, J9, etc. Brian looks really annoyed and decides to call. At this point I put him also on a weak Ace. The flop is J97 with two spades and he checks. There is 18K in the pot because there was a dead small blind, so I c-bet to 11K. I'm not sure c-betting is the best here because it hits a lot of his range. Not that c-betting is always wrong here, but I felt like I wasn't playing my A game because I blindly c-bet instead of thinking through the optimal line in the hand, stack sizes, etc. I just bet hoping to win. Brian calls and the turn is a blank. He checks. There is 40K in the pot now and I have about 28K behind. I considered shoving, but thought he might have a J. I also thought a flush draw with an Ace was in his range as well. I decided to check behind. The river is the 8 of spades giving me a straight. Brian checks. Here is where I misplayed the hand. I did put him on a range of hands which included a J, maybe a 9 or a flush draw. When he checks the river I thought he didn't have a flush although it was still possible. After thinking through a bit, I decide to shove because..."I have a straight. Maybe he'll call if he has a J. I don't want to lose out on a value bet here." The problem with shoving here is that I'm only getting a better hand to call me. Brian also sees there is a flush out there and would fold in fear that I had it. He could also have QT here for a better straight and checked, but would still call because the pot got so big. So while I thought through the hand, I didn't consider that value shoving had no value and that he only calls with hand that beats me. He could have a small flush or he could even be inducing me to bet. It turns out he had As3s and knocked me out.
So overall, I played decent. Definitely not a C game tournament, but not A game either. In the last hand I needed to think through his entire range to determine if I can get called with a worse hand...not "I have a straight, so I should shove". Why am I shoving if all worse hands fold?
Good lesson learned tonight.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Daily Recap 9/25/09
I feel really good playing right now. I'm focused and making good decisions. Keeping it light tonight again since I was kind tired. I'm adapting to using the HUD as something in the background for a reference tool as opposed to focusing on the numbers too much, so that's good.
Got 8th in a $69/45 man on Full Tilt and unfortunately busted at the bubble making a standard shove with A9 and getting called by AT. I had like 6bb left and was in the cutoff.
....
Just made a really nice play with KK on a J high board, got it in on the turn vs. tp and a J hit the river...happy with my play though since I got tp to stack off.
....
Got deep in a $48/90 man KO and was playing really well and lost a flip with AK to the chip leader who was winning every single flip. I made a couple of well timed bluffs and I think I picked good spots for the couple of multi-barrel bluffs I made tonight. I was very confident they would work as opposed to betting and hoping.
I made a really strange call earlier in the night with AK on the river and no pair. The guy had been flatting all my raises and betting into me and in this hand he checked flop, min bet turn and potted river when a flush draw hit. I thought for a while and called 1/2 my stack. I'll have to re-look at the hand tomorrow and see if making a big hero call like this was good. I mean obviously committing half my stack isn't good, but I was comfortable with making a big call there. The one thing I'm not sure is if I was making it more out of ego than a solid read...I think a little ego was in there, but my justification was somewhat logical. It wasn't a spite call or anything.
Anyway, no cashes tonight other than some bounties, but bubbled two tournaments and lost in completely standard situations so I felt good about my play.
Got 8th in a $69/45 man on Full Tilt and unfortunately busted at the bubble making a standard shove with A9 and getting called by AT. I had like 6bb left and was in the cutoff.
....
Just made a really nice play with KK on a J high board, got it in on the turn vs. tp and a J hit the river...happy with my play though since I got tp to stack off.
....
Got deep in a $48/90 man KO and was playing really well and lost a flip with AK to the chip leader who was winning every single flip. I made a couple of well timed bluffs and I think I picked good spots for the couple of multi-barrel bluffs I made tonight. I was very confident they would work as opposed to betting and hoping.
I made a really strange call earlier in the night with AK on the river and no pair. The guy had been flatting all my raises and betting into me and in this hand he checked flop, min bet turn and potted river when a flush draw hit. I thought for a while and called 1/2 my stack. I'll have to re-look at the hand tomorrow and see if making a big hero call like this was good. I mean obviously committing half my stack isn't good, but I was comfortable with making a big call there. The one thing I'm not sure is if I was making it more out of ego than a solid read...I think a little ego was in there, but my justification was somewhat logical. It wasn't a spite call or anything.
Anyway, no cashes tonight other than some bounties, but bubbled two tournaments and lost in completely standard situations so I felt good about my play.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Daily Recap - 9/22/09
Light night again. Only played 3 multi-table sngs.
$38/45 man turbo - 38th (ick...lost an early flip with AK to a SS and then lost another flip with an 8bb shove..oh well)
$36/180 man tubo - I got teased by my 2nd place finish so I played again. 21 left I shove 8.5bb (which is a good stack with this many left) with AK. BB snap calls with A8 and hits an 8.
$24/90 man KO - Played really well here and don't really remember any hands. So that's a good thing. I was on complete auto-pilot and didn't have to think much. I had one hand where a big stack randomly shoved the river and I had tp (K) with KJ on the flop. Nothing made sense with the way the hand played out and I was about to call but my time bank ran out. Who knows if I was right or not, but lasted longer than that player and ended up out in 6th place when I shoved A5 and 75 called in the BB and hit a 7.
So overall the night was a profit and I felt good about my play.
$38/45 man turbo - 38th (ick...lost an early flip with AK to a SS and then lost another flip with an 8bb shove..oh well)
$36/180 man tubo - I got teased by my 2nd place finish so I played again. 21 left I shove 8.5bb (which is a good stack with this many left) with AK. BB snap calls with A8 and hits an 8.
$24/90 man KO - Played really well here and don't really remember any hands. So that's a good thing. I was on complete auto-pilot and didn't have to think much. I had one hand where a big stack randomly shoved the river and I had tp (K) with KJ on the flop. Nothing made sense with the way the hand played out and I was about to call but my time bank ran out. Who knows if I was right or not, but lasted longer than that player and ended up out in 6th place when I shoved A5 and 75 called in the BB and hit a 7.
So overall the night was a profit and I felt good about my play.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Daily Recap 9/20/09
I felt good playing tonight. I kept it really light since I was tired and only played 3 45 man turbos. I have been playing under my roll the last few sessions just because I was getting over some tilt and didn't want to be affected by big losing sessions. I've started to run well and I've re-tooled myself so my confidence is high.
At first I wasn't going to play tonight but one thing I have noticed in the past is that I don't ride the upswings enough. I'm not sure I'm on a full upswing yet, but I have started to run better and I've hit a few wins the last couple of days, so I decided to at least play some. I didn't cash tonight, but I played really well. I honestly don't really remember many hands because I was instinctively making reads and plays. So that's a good thing. I'm no longer thinking about things on a conscious level. I did save one hand from tonight which I was proud of.
Full Tilt Poker Game #14832008906: $69 + $6 Sit & Go (108866952), Table 5 - 25/50 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:20:52 ET - 2009/09/20
Seat 1: hdkeisk (1,375)
Seat 2: DP388 (3,725)
Seat 3: vardar14 (1,825)
Seat 4: KRISDRU (1,305)
Seat 5: DIMJR (1,765)
Seat 6: voff voff voff (1,615)
Seat 7: Sando85 (3,285)
Seat 8: Dr_Krimsonn (1,375)
Seat 9: Tinmannohearts (1,325)
hdkeisk posts the small blind of 25
DP388 posts the big blind of 50
The button is in seat #9
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to DP388 [7d 8c]
vardar14 folds
KRISDRU calls 50
DIMJR has 15 seconds left to act
DIMJR has timed out
DIMJR folds
DIMJR is sitting out
voff voff voff folds
Sando85 folds
Dr_Krimsonn folds
Tinmannohearts has 15 seconds left to act
Tinmannohearts calls 50
hdkeisk folds
DIMJR has returned
DP388 checks
*** FLOP *** [3s Jc 8s]
DP388 checks
KRISDRU checks
Tinmannohearts checks
*** TURN *** [3s Jc 8s] [5d]
DP388 bets 100
KRISDRU calls 100
Tinmannohearts calls 100
*** RIVER *** [3s Jc 8s 5d] [Jh]
DP388 checks
KRISDRU bets 200
Tinmannohearts folds
DP388 has 15 seconds left to act
DP388 calls 200
*** SHOW DOWN ***
KRISDRU shows [Ah Kd] a pair of Jacks
DP388 shows [7d 8c] two pair, Jacks and Eights
DP388 wins the pot (875) with two pair, Jacks and Eights
Him having a jack didn't make since since he checked the flop that had a couple of draws. When he called the turn, I put him on a flush draw or possibly a hand like 89, A8 or A5. After he bets the river and the other guy folds, it just didn't make since. He would likely check behind with an 8 since it had showdown value and he'd be afraid of the other guy having a Jack. So I called and it was a poorly played AK. I did think for a moment before calling to go through a range of hands and once it didn't ad up, I called with confidence.
At first I wasn't going to play tonight but one thing I have noticed in the past is that I don't ride the upswings enough. I'm not sure I'm on a full upswing yet, but I have started to run better and I've hit a few wins the last couple of days, so I decided to at least play some. I didn't cash tonight, but I played really well. I honestly don't really remember many hands because I was instinctively making reads and plays. So that's a good thing. I'm no longer thinking about things on a conscious level. I did save one hand from tonight which I was proud of.
Full Tilt Poker Game #14832008906: $69 + $6 Sit & Go (108866952), Table 5 - 25/50 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:20:52 ET - 2009/09/20
Seat 1: hdkeisk (1,375)
Seat 2: DP388 (3,725)
Seat 3: vardar14 (1,825)
Seat 4: KRISDRU (1,305)
Seat 5: DIMJR (1,765)
Seat 6: voff voff voff (1,615)
Seat 7: Sando85 (3,285)
Seat 8: Dr_Krimsonn (1,375)
Seat 9: Tinmannohearts (1,325)
hdkeisk posts the small blind of 25
DP388 posts the big blind of 50
The button is in seat #9
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to DP388 [7d 8c]
vardar14 folds
KRISDRU calls 50
DIMJR has 15 seconds left to act
DIMJR has timed out
DIMJR folds
DIMJR is sitting out
voff voff voff folds
Sando85 folds
Dr_Krimsonn folds
Tinmannohearts has 15 seconds left to act
Tinmannohearts calls 50
hdkeisk folds
DIMJR has returned
DP388 checks
*** FLOP *** [3s Jc 8s]
DP388 checks
KRISDRU checks
Tinmannohearts checks
*** TURN *** [3s Jc 8s] [5d]
DP388 bets 100
KRISDRU calls 100
Tinmannohearts calls 100
*** RIVER *** [3s Jc 8s 5d] [Jh]
DP388 checks
KRISDRU bets 200
Tinmannohearts folds
DP388 has 15 seconds left to act
DP388 calls 200
*** SHOW DOWN ***
KRISDRU shows [Ah Kd] a pair of Jacks
DP388 shows [7d 8c] two pair, Jacks and Eights
DP388 wins the pot (875) with two pair, Jacks and Eights
Him having a jack didn't make since since he checked the flop that had a couple of draws. When he called the turn, I put him on a flush draw or possibly a hand like 89, A8 or A5. After he bets the river and the other guy folds, it just didn't make since. He would likely check behind with an 8 since it had showdown value and he'd be afraid of the other guy having a Jack. So I called and it was a poorly played AK. I did think for a moment before calling to go through a range of hands and once it didn't ad up, I called with confidence.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Daily Recap - 9/19/09
AM Session:
So Jenni took the kids to a play date and I figured I'd fire up a few turbo multi-table sngs. I was feeling good from the nice cash the night before and wanted to start riding an upswing. I played only 2 tables at a time so I could concentrate better and played well, but busted out on completely standard shoves. But for some reason, I still felt angry that I busted. I was hoping that the night before would have helped erase some of that but obviously there is still some lingering emotion from the downswing.
While I've felt pretty good, I've only given myself a couple of small 1-2 day breaks. I didn't think I needed it, but it might be time for me to take 3-4 days off to fully reset my head. I still have two tables going so we'll see what happens. Unfortunately I'm sitting at like 8bb because I had to rush to the bathroom and folded JJ when I would have doubled up...oh well.
Bleh...A8 > my AT...one left. I'm cool though.
...Ship it! Had a super passive final table and completely took control. It was just a $24/45 man on Full Tilt, but I played well and did not settle for anything other than first. I pushed back the voices that were telling me to not get too aggressive and it paid off. I just kept raising until people played back and they never did.
PM Session:
Things are starting to click back into focus now. I am kind tired so I only 2 tabled and played just a few turbo multi-table sngs so I could go to be early. I took 7th in a 90 man and was unfortunate to have my AT get beat pre-flop by Q8, but that's how it goes. So overall profit for the last two days is around $1,100 or so.
Here's a pretty big hand that came up:
Full Tilt Poker $24 + $2 KO No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t120/t240 Blinds + t25 - 8 players
CO: t1335 M = 2.38
BTN: t6200 M = 11.07
SB: t11325 M = 20.22
BB: t1125 M = 2.01
Hero (UTG): t6425 M = 11.47
UTG+1: t6740 M = 12.04
MP1: t2360 M = 4.21
MP2: t7480 M = 13.36
Pre Flop: (t560) Hero is UTG with KsJs
Hero raises to t595, 2 folds, MP2 calls t595, 2 folds, SB calls t475, 1 fold
Flop:(t2225) JdKd6s (3 players)
SB bets t960, Hero raises to t2640, MP2 folds, SB requests TIME, SB calls t1680
Turn: (t7505) Qc
SB bets t3840, Hero requests TIME, Hero calls t3165 all in
River: (t13835) 8s
SB shows [7h Kh]
Hero shows [Js Ks]
Opening KJs utg is definitely marginal and loose for me, but my image was tight and I felt I could get away with it and definitely get away from a marginal spot if I needed to. When he bet the flop, it felt like a probe bet to see where he was or possibly a flush draw that was trying to control the action. When he called, it really didn't change his range much. He could have various diamond draws and hands like KT and K9. I think KQ bets out stronger or check-raises here, but either way I'm taking him to value town.
When he bets the turn, it really threw me off. Could he have AdTd? Maybe...but why would he want me to fold here? Why not check and let me shove what looks like AK? I also think a set jams the flop since I showed strength. KQ was definitely something I was worried about but based on the flop play it wasn't as likely so I decided to call. This was the pivotal hand of the tournament.
So Jenni took the kids to a play date and I figured I'd fire up a few turbo multi-table sngs. I was feeling good from the nice cash the night before and wanted to start riding an upswing. I played only 2 tables at a time so I could concentrate better and played well, but busted out on completely standard shoves. But for some reason, I still felt angry that I busted. I was hoping that the night before would have helped erase some of that but obviously there is still some lingering emotion from the downswing.
While I've felt pretty good, I've only given myself a couple of small 1-2 day breaks. I didn't think I needed it, but it might be time for me to take 3-4 days off to fully reset my head. I still have two tables going so we'll see what happens. Unfortunately I'm sitting at like 8bb because I had to rush to the bathroom and folded JJ when I would have doubled up...oh well.
Bleh...A8 > my AT...one left. I'm cool though.
...Ship it! Had a super passive final table and completely took control. It was just a $24/45 man on Full Tilt, but I played well and did not settle for anything other than first. I pushed back the voices that were telling me to not get too aggressive and it paid off. I just kept raising until people played back and they never did.
PM Session:
Things are starting to click back into focus now. I am kind tired so I only 2 tabled and played just a few turbo multi-table sngs so I could go to be early. I took 7th in a 90 man and was unfortunate to have my AT get beat pre-flop by Q8, but that's how it goes. So overall profit for the last two days is around $1,100 or so.
Here's a pretty big hand that came up:
Full Tilt Poker $24 + $2 KO No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t120/t240 Blinds + t25 - 8 players
CO: t1335 M = 2.38
BTN: t6200 M = 11.07
SB: t11325 M = 20.22
BB: t1125 M = 2.01
Hero (UTG): t6425 M = 11.47
UTG+1: t6740 M = 12.04
MP1: t2360 M = 4.21
MP2: t7480 M = 13.36
Pre Flop: (t560) Hero is UTG with KsJs
Hero raises to t595, 2 folds, MP2 calls t595, 2 folds, SB calls t475, 1 fold
Flop:(t2225) JdKd6s (3 players)
SB bets t960, Hero raises to t2640, MP2 folds, SB requests TIME, SB calls t1680
Turn: (t7505) Qc
SB bets t3840, Hero requests TIME, Hero calls t3165 all in
River: (t13835) 8s
SB shows [7h Kh]
Hero shows [Js Ks]
Opening KJs utg is definitely marginal and loose for me, but my image was tight and I felt I could get away with it and definitely get away from a marginal spot if I needed to. When he bet the flop, it felt like a probe bet to see where he was or possibly a flush draw that was trying to control the action. When he called, it really didn't change his range much. He could have various diamond draws and hands like KT and K9. I think KQ bets out stronger or check-raises here, but either way I'm taking him to value town.
When he bets the turn, it really threw me off. Could he have AdTd? Maybe...but why would he want me to fold here? Why not check and let me shove what looks like AK? I also think a set jams the flop since I showed strength. KQ was definitely something I was worried about but based on the flop play it wasn't as likely so I decided to call. This was the pivotal hand of the tournament.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Daily Recap - 9/18/09
So I was inspired by a Cardrunners video to start doing a brief recap of each night's session as a way to evaluate my play while it's fresh in my mind.
Tonight started off brutal as it has for the last couple of months. A flush draw got there on the river leaving me short and my AQ vs. TT ran out QxxxT...weeee. I was okay after that and picked up some really nice pots playing the players tendencies. Then a massive hand occurred where I flopped a straight with J8 in the big blind with a straight flush draw. The pot was only 450 and a guy shoved for 2700 and gets flatted by the button. I shove and the button calls with a king high flush draw! He spikes a gut shot J on the turn (3 outer!) and knocks us both out. I kind of laugh that one off and then play a hand what I feel was very optimal with QT. With the board reading T4x44, I check to induce a bluff or possible chop with another T. He shoves, I call, he shows A4! At this point a really start steaming. It had been like this for a while now and I literally started breathing like a pregnant woman trying to stay calm.
I had one more tournament still going and it was a $36 180 man turbo on Stars. I rarely play these (maybe 5 times total) because the variance was so high. But I was trying to play under my roll tonight and figured I would give it a shot since the payout to buy-in ratio is really high. I won a couple of pots and eventually I calmed down and managed not to tilt-shove my way out. Eventually it got down to about 40 people and as a super short stack I was able to win a crucial flip with 66 vs. KJ. I double up to 10bb and then pick up AA the next hand and build up to $25K. Down to 30 and I win a huge flip with AK vs. QQ and now I'm up to $45K at the 1k/2k level which is huge for this tournament.
I then make a bad play when we are down to 3 tables left I believe. A new player arrives at the table and he min raises the cut off and it folds to me in the BB with Ah8h. Believe it or not, I can often times find a fold here and my instincts were screaming to fold since I did not know how the guy played yet. But I called because of odds, I had a decent stack and the fact that I could have the best hand. The flop is 832 rainbow. I check to evaluate his play and he bets over 1/2 his stack to $16K into a $5k pot. My initial reaction was that people in these tournaments sometimes make these really weird overbet plays with big hands to make it look like they are bluffing even though no one really ever bluffs like this. BUT where I went wrong was not trusting my initial instinct and convincing myself that he had overcards or a hand like AK and he was just trying to take down the pot. I mean there were no draws present, so what is he protecting. So I shove to put him all in and he flips up KK. I guess he assumed that if I had a PP that I would stack off. Well, I hit the 8 and stacked off. So it's not the worst thing in the world, but the main thing is that my instincts are crazy good and I've been so emotional and anxious to win lately that I'm not trusting them because I'm forcing wins.
Well, the good news was that I didn't berate myself and just stayed calm and focused. I ended up taking 2nd for $1,188 which was a much needed win that felt really good. I would have loved to take it down, but I felt like I played well overall.
So this recap was longer than expected. I plan on making them shorter. But evaluating the A8 hand was good because it reminds me to trust my gut even if there is no logical explanation. It doesn't have to be logical at the moment, it just has to feel right.
Tonight started off brutal as it has for the last couple of months. A flush draw got there on the river leaving me short and my AQ vs. TT ran out QxxxT...weeee. I was okay after that and picked up some really nice pots playing the players tendencies. Then a massive hand occurred where I flopped a straight with J8 in the big blind with a straight flush draw. The pot was only 450 and a guy shoved for 2700 and gets flatted by the button. I shove and the button calls with a king high flush draw! He spikes a gut shot J on the turn (3 outer!) and knocks us both out. I kind of laugh that one off and then play a hand what I feel was very optimal with QT. With the board reading T4x44, I check to induce a bluff or possible chop with another T. He shoves, I call, he shows A4! At this point a really start steaming. It had been like this for a while now and I literally started breathing like a pregnant woman trying to stay calm.
I had one more tournament still going and it was a $36 180 man turbo on Stars. I rarely play these (maybe 5 times total) because the variance was so high. But I was trying to play under my roll tonight and figured I would give it a shot since the payout to buy-in ratio is really high. I won a couple of pots and eventually I calmed down and managed not to tilt-shove my way out. Eventually it got down to about 40 people and as a super short stack I was able to win a crucial flip with 66 vs. KJ. I double up to 10bb and then pick up AA the next hand and build up to $25K. Down to 30 and I win a huge flip with AK vs. QQ and now I'm up to $45K at the 1k/2k level which is huge for this tournament.
I then make a bad play when we are down to 3 tables left I believe. A new player arrives at the table and he min raises the cut off and it folds to me in the BB with Ah8h. Believe it or not, I can often times find a fold here and my instincts were screaming to fold since I did not know how the guy played yet. But I called because of odds, I had a decent stack and the fact that I could have the best hand. The flop is 832 rainbow. I check to evaluate his play and he bets over 1/2 his stack to $16K into a $5k pot. My initial reaction was that people in these tournaments sometimes make these really weird overbet plays with big hands to make it look like they are bluffing even though no one really ever bluffs like this. BUT where I went wrong was not trusting my initial instinct and convincing myself that he had overcards or a hand like AK and he was just trying to take down the pot. I mean there were no draws present, so what is he protecting. So I shove to put him all in and he flips up KK. I guess he assumed that if I had a PP that I would stack off. Well, I hit the 8 and stacked off. So it's not the worst thing in the world, but the main thing is that my instincts are crazy good and I've been so emotional and anxious to win lately that I'm not trusting them because I'm forcing wins.
Well, the good news was that I didn't berate myself and just stayed calm and focused. I ended up taking 2nd for $1,188 which was a much needed win that felt really good. I would have loved to take it down, but I felt like I played well overall.
So this recap was longer than expected. I plan on making them shorter. But evaluating the A8 hand was good because it reminds me to trust my gut even if there is no logical explanation. It doesn't have to be logical at the moment, it just has to feel right.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
High Expectations
I've noticed a trend over the last few years. When I make a really deep cash or have big success, I tend to follow that up with a downswing. Now some of this is just the natural ups and downs of poker, but I also realized that the downswings have a much more emotional effect which can start affecting my play.
Case in point - I had a great WSOP this year and hit a few wins right after that building my bankroll up to $11.5K. I then hit a bit of a downswing and I was down about $1600 in August and then had a negative trip to Biloxi. I've hit a few wins here or there online, but nothing major. So far, I'm down in September as well and my roll is down to about $7,500. So that really sucks.
For the most part, I feel like there are parts of my game where I am killing it. And honestly, I feel like I am a better player now than I have ever been. I am going through a rough patch in terms of not winning coin flips and getting 3-outered. BUT, the more important thing is that I have been letting it affect me emotionally. I might play fine in 3-4 tournaments and then the last 2-3 I am either getting anxious or nitting up and afraid to bust or I am not making clear reads.
I think the trend I am noticing is that after a big win I am on top of the world and I start expecting my "superior play" to yield continuous wins and put me in the ranks of poker's elite or something. Am I good? Yes. Do I have things to learn? Absolutely. Do I expect to make big cashes and 5 figure scores online? Yes. BUT...I can't force that to happen. I can't assume I will run like god and because I had a nice WSOP that I "deserve" to keep winning. So therefore I can't get mad when it doesn't happen. I have to keep making +EV decisions and finding edges. I have to keep improving my play. And I have to be consistent about controlling my emotional reaction to situations. If I start the night playing great, I can't let one or two bad outcomes affect the rest of the night or rest of the week. All I can do is control my decision making process and trust my instincts and the results will come.
Case in point - I had a great WSOP this year and hit a few wins right after that building my bankroll up to $11.5K. I then hit a bit of a downswing and I was down about $1600 in August and then had a negative trip to Biloxi. I've hit a few wins here or there online, but nothing major. So far, I'm down in September as well and my roll is down to about $7,500. So that really sucks.
For the most part, I feel like there are parts of my game where I am killing it. And honestly, I feel like I am a better player now than I have ever been. I am going through a rough patch in terms of not winning coin flips and getting 3-outered. BUT, the more important thing is that I have been letting it affect me emotionally. I might play fine in 3-4 tournaments and then the last 2-3 I am either getting anxious or nitting up and afraid to bust or I am not making clear reads.
I think the trend I am noticing is that after a big win I am on top of the world and I start expecting my "superior play" to yield continuous wins and put me in the ranks of poker's elite or something. Am I good? Yes. Do I have things to learn? Absolutely. Do I expect to make big cashes and 5 figure scores online? Yes. BUT...I can't force that to happen. I can't assume I will run like god and because I had a nice WSOP that I "deserve" to keep winning. So therefore I can't get mad when it doesn't happen. I have to keep making +EV decisions and finding edges. I have to keep improving my play. And I have to be consistent about controlling my emotional reaction to situations. If I start the night playing great, I can't let one or two bad outcomes affect the rest of the night or rest of the week. All I can do is control my decision making process and trust my instincts and the results will come.
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