Foxwoods day trip 10/29/08… October 31, 2008

I took the bus to Foxwoods yesterday to play some 4/8 limit.  I was seated at a new table and sat at seat 7 and grabbed the first seat change button to keep my options open.  I spent the first two hours watching my great flopped hands go down in a ball of flame to a chased river hand.  I flopped two king high flushes and went down both times to a rivered full boat.  I flopped trip nines and went down on the river to a chased gut shot straight draw.  My Aces and my Kings went down in a ball of flames.  I thought of changing tables when I was down $150 after two hours but the table was just so good I had to stay.   It also helped that two different guys at the table soft-played when against me when they had the best hand and I had the 2nd best hand and they knew it because they were “giving me a break” lol.

After a couple hours, the man in seat ten left and I exercised my seat change button and moved to his seat.  It is one of my favorite seats and I figured the change of scenery just might help.  Oh boy did it…within the next half hour I saw AA, KK, QQ, JJ, 99, 88, AK, AQ and WON with them all lol.  This was not to last though as the cards went cold again and my hands stopped holding up.  Luckily because of my rush though I was only down for the day about $80 (I was actually up for the day during the rush).  I’m sure some people would have left after their rush ended but when I take the bus to play poker, I am in it for a long haul.  I could have changed tables but it was still filled with bad play and I couldn’t leave that.

Towards the end of my day I had a key hand that got me to even.  I had A5 of diamonds in the sb…4 people limped and I called and the bb called.  The flop came Ks, Jd, 3d…I checked wanting a free card and 2nd utg bet and all of us called.  The turn was the 2d giving me the nut flush and the straight flush re-draw (fun)…I checked again, the bb bet, the 2nd utg raised, I called thinking I’d be able to pop it on the river and then the bb re-raised (BINGO), 2nd utg smooth called and I capped it and they both called.  The river came a blank and I bet out, the bb raised me and 2nd utg smooth calls again, I re-raise and they both call.  When the cards were turned over…I had Ad5d, bb had Qd7d, and 2nd utg had KdTd. 

After another round or so I decided to quit for the day as I was getting fatigued and I don’t like playing for cash when I’m overly fatigued.  I ended my day up $15 and although it is frustrating to be hit by the deck on and off all day and not show a huge profit by it I am very proud of the patience I showed, not letting my emotions get the best of me, and making the most out of the hands that did stand up.

Foxwoods trip 10/24/08-10/25/08 October 30, 2008

I arrived at Foxwoods on Friday and headed right for a 4/8 limit holdem game. Hubby and I got seated at a new table together (which isn’t to my liking) and hubby promptly got in the middle of no-good. Sometime in the first round he had AJ suited and a player before him raised and half the table called including hubby. The flop came Jack high and the original raiser bet and hubby raised him to see where he was at. Everyone folded and the guy called hubby’s raise. Turn came a blank as did the river and the guy check-called hubby down. My husband flipped over his top pair, top kicker and the guy slow rolled over KK and smirked at him and said some snide comment that I didn’t catch but I got the gist of from his tone.

Hubster turned to me and said to ME “that hand was played so wrong from beginning to end.” and I agreed and then the dealer was barking down hubby’s throat telling him that if he ever berated how a player plays his hand again that he would be banned from Foxwoods. First off, he said nothing about the player but how the hand played out. Second, this coming right after the KK guy slow rolled hubby and did his smirk/comment thing. The dealer and him got into a pissing match for a bit and then all seemed calm. Except for the fact that in the next hour he was dealt every big hand in the world and did not rake in a single pot. It was unreal to watch. He went broke pretty quick and headed back to the room.

After he left, it felt like a weight was lifted from my shoulders. My attitude lightened up and my play improved and I went from being down $100 to ending the night up $100. I didn’t see any big pairs or many drawing hands. As someone mentioned, I was very creative with my play and took advantage of a couple key situations which helped build up my chips.

Saturday was the $300 ladies event. It started at 10 am (yuk), started with 5k in chips, with 45 minute rounds. The first table I was seated at was MAGIC. I could do no wrong. Not once at that table did I lose a hand that made it to showdown or lose a gross amount of chips. I’ve been reading Gus Hansen’s book and it really had an impact on my play in the early stages that day. So many of the players at that table were scared to raise preflop or to value bet or bet out if they felt they had the best hand and I took advantage of all of it. There was one woman who was a constant bettor/raiser and who I used the check/raise on twice with success. Anytime I was raising or re-raising everyone at the table would get comments that I must have Aces again…yep, don’t they wish lol.

There was one thing said at that table that really bothered (and still does bother) me. A woman at my table said that when she is playing against friends that she tends to soft-play against them, meaning that she’ll check down with them, she won’t bluff them, she won’t value bet against them. I found this to be so WRONG. I don’t care who I am playing, I’m always looking to play my best game.

Our table was one of the first ones that broke up and the next table I was moved to was like hitting a brick wall, literally. I went from a table full of happy, smiley women who were keen on handing me their chips to a table full of grumpy, silent women who were keen on taking my chips. The first five hands I saw played out, the same woman was raising and betting and stealing and never showing down a hand. I took this as she was the aggressor at the table. Her and I got tangled in a hand and she continued her aggressive ways (I had KJ on the button, first one in and raised), she took control of a flop of QQJ and I called, she bet smaller on the turn and I raised and she called. River came with a J and I could not put her on a Q so I called her when she bet out. She had QJ, sigh. I lost a good portion of my chips for mistaking aggression when I should have realized she was just catching cards.

My demise was KQ of hearts…I raised all in with it and was called by pocket 3’s which held up and I was out the door about half way through the field.

After that I headed down to play 4/8 limit holdem again. Again, I was not catching a lot of cards but did have some interesting drawing hands. I was up and down the same 60 or so dollars all day. The one key hand that stands out to me at my first 4/8 table was KQ of hearts (déjà vu). This time though it produced a better outcome in the form of a flopped Royal Flush. I had limped in preflop after a couple other limpers and the button raised and 5 people called his raise. I checked the royal on the flop lol and it was checked around. I checked again on the turn and the original raiser decided it was time to bet out…all 4 players called him and then I raised and they all called. I bet out on the river and two of the four called. Everyone was stunned when I turned up the royal, not a single person suspected it. For my royal effort, I received a nice sized pot and a $50 gas card.

About midway through the day, this older woman sat to my left and proceeded to be GROUCHY, very very GROUCHY. About anything and everything. If she won a pot, she whined and complained. If she lost a pot she whined and complained. If someone bet her out of a pot she whined and complained. If she couldn’t see the cards at showdown she whined and complained. It was HORRIBLE and dragged down the whole vibe of the table. I had KK one hand and raised and she quick called my raise as did a couple others. The flop came with an ace and it was checked around to me. The fastest way to find an ace is to bet out on the cheap street and see what happens so that is what I did. She quick raised me and someone quick called her so I folded my KK.

After the hand was over she showed down A7 off lol. Someone asked me which big pair I folded and I said it didn’t matter, I just know it wasn’t A7 off and it wasn’t the winning hand. I usually don’t say anything but this woman’s vibe was getting me down. She asked her friend sitting next to her if she shouldn’t have played a hand like that and her friend says “no, definitely not”…it didn’t sink in though as a few hands later she snapped off some young gun when his AK went down in a ball of flames to A3 lol. It was at this time that I asked for a table change to a table that one of my chix friends was on. I left my table down $80 and over the next hour I had a much better time and slowly got back most of my chips so I ended the night $25 down.

My hubby said “how did you get a royal and lose $25 for the day?”…well the only big pairs I saw all day I lost with and the only drawing hand that really paid off was the royal flush hand. My other favorite hand of the day is when after numerous callers to a raise when I was in the big blind, I had to call the extra bet with any two cards…even 2,4 off (which is whats I had lol). The flop came 772 and I checked and it was checked around to the button who bet out. I check-raised him and it was folded around to him. This was the weekend of the check-raise for me lol!

“Matrix” sngs on Fulltilt… October 22, 2008

A friend told me about these last night so I headed over to ft to check them out.  How they work is you play 4 sngs at once (you sign up for one matrix sng but it brings up 4 sngs within).  You get a point for each person you last longer than and 2 points for each person you knock out.  If you win a sng you get 2 points for the win.  At the end of it, the top 3 in points win the “matrix” money that is set aside.  Beyond that you win a lil something for cashing in the top 3 of each sng.

Problem is this…it has to be your night in order to make these profitable.  In the first one I played, I cashed in 2 of the 4 sngs…one 3rd and one 2nd and overall I ended up 5th in points and lost .35 overall lol.  The second one I tried, I cashed in 3 of the 4 sngs, all 3rd place finishes and ended up 4th overall in points…this one I only lost .29 lol.  The people that were making money in these were playing every hand and more importantly HITTING every hand.  In the last one I played in there were 2 people playing every hand in all 4 sngs.  One of them ended up out first in 3 of the 4 and last in points and the other ended up winning it all.

I find these hard to beat the rake and make a profit at with the way the money is divided up.  I find them an interesting concept but very frustrating and would only play them if I wasn’t looking to make a buck or two and was just trying to kill time.

Would love to hear about anyone elses experience with this format of tournament.

“Double or Nothing” stts on Pokerstars… October 15, 2008

Hubby told me about these yesterday after hearing about them from one of his friends.  They are a new style of stt on Pokerstars where you either double your money (minus rake) or you lose.  They are 10 handed and the top 5 players double their money.

I tried one last night after hubby urged me to try.  He thought this might be an easy way for me to regrow my ps bankroll (I did some transfers for someone that left my live bankroll heftier but my ps bankroll pretty soft).  He knows that unless something drastic happens to me in an stt (like either a donkey move by me or another that takes me out of the game) that I usually finish near the bubble or in the money.  They have $1, $5, $10 ones that I saw.  I tried a $1 turbo one because the rake is .05 cheaper than the non-turbo one and at that small a stake every penny counts.

It was quite different than playing a normal stt.  In the first level there is a lot of activity.  Lots of limpers trying to catch a good flop and build some chips.  After the first level it really tightened up.  This is where I gathered my chips.  After that I just hung out waiting for the maniacs to take out the short stacks.  It took about a half hour to make it to the top 5.  I definitely think I’ll try these again, it could be a way to work on slowly growing my bankroll back up.

Has anyone else tried them or have thoughts on them?

$100 nlhe tournament at Seabrook Poker Room… October 14, 2008

So hubby convinced me to go play in this tournament yesterday because it had the same blind length and chip stack as the women’s event at Foxwoods that I’m playing in later this month.  I’m pretty sure the tournament structure was a bit fast as compared to Foxwoods but still a better structure than normal for Seabrook.

$100 buy in, 40 minute levels, with 5k in starting chips (we suggested to tournament director maybe next time he does this structure to start with 7k or more in chips). 

Level one…25/50 blinds…I win the first 5 hands of the tournament…the first 4 were steals based on the situation and the 5th hand I actually probably had the best hand.  I ended the round with about 8k in chips and after the 5th hand I showed down AQ suited that went with a coordinated board of A73 with two clubs (I had clubs) to show what a tight lil player I am.

Level two…50/100 blinds…I can’t pick up a hand here and a person has joined through late registration and is now stealing away and we’ve not figured out how to stop her yet (I eventually will).  I end the level with just over 7k in chips.

Level three…100/200 blinds…Again no hands, and the table has become overly aggressive.  I’m just stealing blinds where I can to stay afloat and end the round with about 6k in chips.

Level four…200/400 blinds…same same, lose about another 1k this round and end the round with 5k in chips knowing I need to make a move.

Level five…300/600 blinds…make a move time has come!  I’m sitting in the sb with JJ, a super-short stack moves in for her last 1600 and then two people FLAT CALL lol.  There is no way in heck I’m flat calling or folding as this is my big chance to double up or go home.  I move in for 5kish, bb folds, a limper folds, and the two flat callers fold after lots of biatching and agonizing over the hand.  Short stack turns over K7 and I win the pot to more than double up to 11k in chips.  Guy to my right is whining that I made a bad move by moving in because if I hadn’t he would have won the hand.  Uhm yah sure, great logic lol.   By the end of the round I’m down to 8300 in chips though, sigh.

Level six…400/800 blinds…I need to make moves again because I now only have about 10 times the bb.  I’ve finally figured out the early raiser.  She’s a double and triple bettor lol.  If you bet out 1600, she’ll raise to 3200 trying to steal.  If you limp, she’ll raise to double or triple the blind trying to steal…mostly with hands like QJ.  I got her twice by betting, letting her raise and then moving in. I had my stack up to 13,500 in a couple hands by doing this to her.  I had a very tight image at the table and was using it to my advantage.

I had 88 utg and decide if I’m going to play it, I’m going to raise with it or just fold.  So I raise my standard 4 times the bb (that’s what it took in this tournament to attempt to thin the field at all) to 2400…it’s quickly folded around to the bb who is super tight and only shows down great hands.  He goes in to the tank for a while and then moves all in…he has me covered by about 3k.  In hindsight, I probably should have taken a stand here but I counted down my chips and decided that I had enough time to make a move with the 11k I had left and folded.  I put him on AK suited at the very minimum with the possiblity of an overpair…if it was AK suited we were racing and if anything else I was in trouble.  He knew what I had and he nicely showed me that we would have indeed been racing as he did have the AK suited I thought he had.  I could have called there but I definitely prefer to be the aggressor with 88 than the caller.  If it had been any other person but me he wouldn’t have moved in but they had me pegged as a solid player that could lay down after a raise if needed, and in this case he was right.

Two hands later I’m in the sb with AK suited.  I’m planning on making a move with this hand as with the blinds I’ve just payed, I’m at about 10k in chips.  One of the guys at my table had just sat down and he was pitching a fit because the guy after him was trying to hurry to sit down and play his hand that the dealer was mucking.  He freaked out that the guy shouldn’t get to play and he was all huffy and then he says “fine I raise to 4300″…wtf, FORTY THREE HUNDRED, 5 1/2 times the bb lol???  The blinds are 400/800 and he is 2nd utg.  I peg him as being on tilt and having an Ace but not AK or not a big pair.  It is folded around to me and I move in for my 10K or so in chips and he gets all snooty and ticked off and calls. 

I was right, he had AQ off and he was ticked I had the better hand…until a Q spiked on the turn and I was out.  Then he tells me nice hand and good game.  I don’t say anything but I do kind of snort and I roll my eyes at hubby and say to him (him being hubby) “omg so sick, let’s get out of here”.  Idiot AQ off guy hears me and freaks out.  He says to me “what are you going to cry” “haven’t you ever been sucked out on before little girl” and saying all this idiotic stuff.  I had to about drag my hubby out of there because he was ready to punch the guy for heckling me.  Why can’t people just have class, why do they have to rub it in like that?  That never happened to me live, only online where I expect it.  What I don’t expect is a grown man to say it to me in a room packed with people gawking at us.

So once again, I’m close but no cigar.  I went out about 20 or so from the money.  Again, besides a couple big Ace hands (AQ where I won, and AK where I lost) and having pocket Jacks twice, I had no huge hands.  I forced my way through that field (started with 188 players, I went out 40 something) with just sheer determination that I wanted to further my game.  I had a bad attitude about it all evening but I’ve calmed down a lot to realize that you can’t control the luck factor of the game and I just need to roll with that.

nlhe tournament at Seabrook Poker… October 2, 2008

I’m trying to get out more and play live and decided to head down to Seabrook Poker room for their nightly $70 nlhe tournament.  You start with 4k in chips, 20 min levels, no antes.  There were 61 players and they were paying top 6.

Things weren’t going great for me…no big hands at all, no pairs and no big aces.  After the first level I had 3500 in chips.  Same with the second level…I ended it with 3100 in chips.  Ditto for level 3, not much going on with me but the two guys to the left of me were raking in the chips, their cards could do no wrong.  When break came I was happy to see that I was getting moved to a new table. 

First hand after the break, I have 2200 chips and the blinds are 100/200 and I look down at JJ utg.   I raise to 3 1/2 x the bb (700) and it’s folded around to two off the button who is looking down and reading a magazine and says “raise to 800″.  The dealer tells him that I’ve already raised and the guy looks up and is completely lost and says “so I just call then”.  The dealer tells him no, you have to min raise now since you said “raise”.  The guys says “okay then I’m all in” and he moves 6k in chips to the middle.  The dealer again tells him no, he can only raise to 1200.  The guy does and it comes back around to me.  I don’t put him on a big hand since he seemed to be just raising to steal the blinds.  I put him on some kind of Ace or small pair at the most.  I have a choice, I can just call and see the flop or call the raise and push the last 900 of my chips in as well.

I decide that since they are going in on the flop anyway to just push them now. I feel that he’s going to call me no matter when the money goes in as he’s really steaming away over his mistake.  He flips over AJ (so my read was right) and a guy at the table says I folded AT off so the guy is drawing to two Aces.  Flop is 9 high rainbow, turn is a 7 and river is….AN ACE.  Always so lovely to see such bad play get rewarded.  It won’t deter me though, I’ll be back to play again next week.