Westside Poker Club Tournament - Nov 12th Report
Nov. 12th was the date of Westside's latest poker tournament; a $60 + 1R freezeout, $2,500 in chips. This is far from being a "winning" poker tournament report, but I want to make sure I capture the day so that I can be reminded that, I too, suffer from Monkey-mind go blank syndrome. I was playing a very-good game up until that point.
Overall, it was another really well run tournament from the guys at Westside. If you haven't been out to a Westside event, then go to one. Enough said.
Cards were in the air with about 60 players in the field, blinds starting at 25-25.
Opening level was tight, with very little pre-flop raising going on. Second hand in I get dealt KK, raise to 75 with two callers. Flop comes low so I fire a half-pot sized bet with no action. So, a few hands later I pick up QT and make a bet to 150. I get two callers and the flop comes K high, missing me. I fire out another pot-sized bet and take down the pot.
Most of the first couple levels has my stack grown and shrink around the 2,300-2,700 level with very little movement. That is, until the first big hand of the tournament comes.
Blinds are at 25-50 and I haven't played much in the last 10 minutes. The table's still tight as I get dealt 64d UTG+1. Feeling adventerous, I raise to 200 and get one caller and the flop comes a beautiful 653, giving me top pair, double-ended straight draw and a backdoor flush draw to boot. My intention is to overbet the pot as if I'm making a bluffed continuation bet and see what action I get.
I fire an overbet into the pot and the other player moves all-in. I have him covered by about 700 chips. Twenty minutes earlier, the same player did the same move on me and showed down a overpair to the Board (Jacks). So, I asked him if he had Jacks again, and he got this slightly paniced look about him, which didn't exude confidence.
I call, and he's shocked to see me turn over 64d. He flips A2o and says that he was bluffing cause he thought I missed the flop. I like my chances here as the turn comes brick and the river is the dreaded 4, giving me two pair, but also filling in his gutshot.
I really liked how I played the hand and I got an awesome compliment on it by the player that bad beat me. (More than likely, only trying to make me feel better for losing the hand.) He said something like, "I'm not really good at reading players, but I'm never been so completely wrong on a read that I was 100% sure of."
I was down to 700 chips and the M immediately sank into the Red Zone. Funny part was, I was not at all upset at the hand. I was too happy with how I played it to care about the results. So, I went to work on bring myself back to life.
In the last few tournaments I've been in, I've been experimenting with by middle/big stack game, which invariably leads to me doing something stupid and putting myself back into a short stack game. Seems to be happening a lot, so the good news is that I'm getting a lot of practice in with my short stacked play! The Harrington book's been a huge help as it really puts the delema of the short stack in proper perpective.
Anyway, for the next couple levels, I was in the Red Zone, making plays to stay alive, but not getting enough chips to put me in a comfortable position. The blinds rose to 50-100, then to 100-200 as our table broke.
I moved to my new table where a massive chip stack sat across the table from me. My stack was still in the 1,000 range and this player was EASILY sitting with 20,000+
This put any interesting twist on Red Zone play. I really wanted to get my chips while I could still use them, but the big stack opened more than half the pots with raises and I was stuck with bad cards. Finally, I pick up KQs and FINALLY get it on a hand that the big stack folds, BUT the player to his right raises to 1,200, giving me a situation which I'd have to to call all-in.
KQs looked like gold based on what I'd been getting so I debated the call. My big issue was that I didn't want to call off the last of chips, I really wanted to be the agressor with the last of what I had to get a little first-in vigorish. I was also worried because KQ is a hand that gets easily dominated. Finally, I decided to fold. My M was only 2-3 at this point, but I really felt that this wasn't the way to go out. It was folded around and the raiser showed everyone his AK. Good fold.
Heading into the blind, I was still looking for my first opportunity to push and found it two hands later with QQ UTG. I pushed, got called by the SB who held A8 and the ladies held up to give me a little life. With minutes left in the rebuy period, the next hand (me in the BB) gave me QJ. I had roughly 2,000 chips but saw that the blinds were going to go from 100-200 to 150-300 (50) on the next level.
My M was currently 7 and was going to go to 3 in a couple minutes. Yikes! The big stack makes it 500 to go, and I call in the Big Blind. The flop comes KQ4 and I push all-in. The big stack hestiates and I know he doesn't have the King. He thinks and thinks and finally folds his hand. As I'm turned away from the action, talking to the guy on my left, I overhear the big stack talking to his neighbour. I get the most important piece of information I'd get at this tournament, when I hear him say, "I should have called him, I KNEW he was bluffing.. I should have called." At this point I know I can get him to call the next time I move in on a pot. This is an AWESOME weapon.
A few hands after the break, I'm sitting with about 3,300 and pick up A8d UTG. I raise 1,000 more and the player to my left goes all-in for 50 more. The big stacks calls and we see a flop; A83 giving me top two pair. I have 1,900 left and pull the trigger. I know exactley how the hand's going to end. I push all-in and the big stack calls show KQ for King high. The other all-in player turns over AQ and I triple up to almost 10,000.
This was moment #2 that I was really proud off. The Big Stack let me know how to get his chips and I kindly obliged.
The rest of this level was unremarkable, and the tables collapsed to four, and I went card dead at my new table.
Blinds rose to 200-400 (50), I lost a couple small pots and my stack was sitting at around 6,000. I had enough room to wait a bit for a hand, but instead I played one hand like a monkey and was properly punished for it.
I pick up 33 (which looked like gold... that's a leak I think I have to work on; basing hands on their own and not based on the cards that I've been getting up to that point.)
UTG calls and I announce raise. I COMPLETELY overbet the pot by raising an additional 3,000 (into a pot of just over 1,000 -- great raise, Rob) and was called by the original caller. I'm not sure why I bet that high, because as soon as the chips left my hand, I wanted them all back so I could fold.
I think I miscoutned the pot, or miscaluated what I needed to grab the pot as there was one extra player beside the blinds. Who knows. Monkey mind go blank - BIGTIME.
Flop comes K94 and the UTG player put me all in. I've got 2,300 that I'm looking to call into a pot of about 10,000 and reluctantly make the call. (Actually, assuming I'm facing a high pair, I'm about 11-1 to catch my 3, so I should have just cut my losses and folded, and built back from the Red Zone.). UTQ turns over A4c for bottom pair and I'm in a world of hurt. How bad was my raise that UTG was willing to call a 3,000 raise on A-crap. There is no 3 for me, and I'm out in about 18th place.
Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. And I beat myself up for the rest of the evening over the way I played that hand. There was no need to go bust on that hand. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.
Anyway, another good tourney and I'm looking forward to the December multi-day event. It's going to be fun playing with a deep stack!
Overall, it was another really well run tournament from the guys at Westside. If you haven't been out to a Westside event, then go to one. Enough said.
Cards were in the air with about 60 players in the field, blinds starting at 25-25.
Opening level was tight, with very little pre-flop raising going on. Second hand in I get dealt KK, raise to 75 with two callers. Flop comes low so I fire a half-pot sized bet with no action. So, a few hands later I pick up QT and make a bet to 150. I get two callers and the flop comes K high, missing me. I fire out another pot-sized bet and take down the pot.
Most of the first couple levels has my stack grown and shrink around the 2,300-2,700 level with very little movement. That is, until the first big hand of the tournament comes.
Blinds are at 25-50 and I haven't played much in the last 10 minutes. The table's still tight as I get dealt 64d UTG+1. Feeling adventerous, I raise to 200 and get one caller and the flop comes a beautiful 653, giving me top pair, double-ended straight draw and a backdoor flush draw to boot. My intention is to overbet the pot as if I'm making a bluffed continuation bet and see what action I get.
I fire an overbet into the pot and the other player moves all-in. I have him covered by about 700 chips. Twenty minutes earlier, the same player did the same move on me and showed down a overpair to the Board (Jacks). So, I asked him if he had Jacks again, and he got this slightly paniced look about him, which didn't exude confidence.
I call, and he's shocked to see me turn over 64d. He flips A2o and says that he was bluffing cause he thought I missed the flop. I like my chances here as the turn comes brick and the river is the dreaded 4, giving me two pair, but also filling in his gutshot.
I really liked how I played the hand and I got an awesome compliment on it by the player that bad beat me. (More than likely, only trying to make me feel better for losing the hand.) He said something like, "I'm not really good at reading players, but I'm never been so completely wrong on a read that I was 100% sure of."
I was down to 700 chips and the M immediately sank into the Red Zone. Funny part was, I was not at all upset at the hand. I was too happy with how I played it to care about the results. So, I went to work on bring myself back to life.
In the last few tournaments I've been in, I've been experimenting with by middle/big stack game, which invariably leads to me doing something stupid and putting myself back into a short stack game. Seems to be happening a lot, so the good news is that I'm getting a lot of practice in with my short stacked play! The Harrington book's been a huge help as it really puts the delema of the short stack in proper perpective.
Anyway, for the next couple levels, I was in the Red Zone, making plays to stay alive, but not getting enough chips to put me in a comfortable position. The blinds rose to 50-100, then to 100-200 as our table broke.
I moved to my new table where a massive chip stack sat across the table from me. My stack was still in the 1,000 range and this player was EASILY sitting with 20,000+
This put any interesting twist on Red Zone play. I really wanted to get my chips while I could still use them, but the big stack opened more than half the pots with raises and I was stuck with bad cards. Finally, I pick up KQs and FINALLY get it on a hand that the big stack folds, BUT the player to his right raises to 1,200, giving me a situation which I'd have to to call all-in.
KQs looked like gold based on what I'd been getting so I debated the call. My big issue was that I didn't want to call off the last of chips, I really wanted to be the agressor with the last of what I had to get a little first-in vigorish. I was also worried because KQ is a hand that gets easily dominated. Finally, I decided to fold. My M was only 2-3 at this point, but I really felt that this wasn't the way to go out. It was folded around and the raiser showed everyone his AK. Good fold.
Heading into the blind, I was still looking for my first opportunity to push and found it two hands later with QQ UTG. I pushed, got called by the SB who held A8 and the ladies held up to give me a little life. With minutes left in the rebuy period, the next hand (me in the BB) gave me QJ. I had roughly 2,000 chips but saw that the blinds were going to go from 100-200 to 150-300 (50) on the next level.
My M was currently 7 and was going to go to 3 in a couple minutes. Yikes! The big stack makes it 500 to go, and I call in the Big Blind. The flop comes KQ4 and I push all-in. The big stack hestiates and I know he doesn't have the King. He thinks and thinks and finally folds his hand. As I'm turned away from the action, talking to the guy on my left, I overhear the big stack talking to his neighbour. I get the most important piece of information I'd get at this tournament, when I hear him say, "I should have called him, I KNEW he was bluffing.. I should have called." At this point I know I can get him to call the next time I move in on a pot. This is an AWESOME weapon.
A few hands after the break, I'm sitting with about 3,300 and pick up A8d UTG. I raise 1,000 more and the player to my left goes all-in for 50 more. The big stacks calls and we see a flop; A83 giving me top two pair. I have 1,900 left and pull the trigger. I know exactley how the hand's going to end. I push all-in and the big stack calls show KQ for King high. The other all-in player turns over AQ and I triple up to almost 10,000.
This was moment #2 that I was really proud off. The Big Stack let me know how to get his chips and I kindly obliged.
The rest of this level was unremarkable, and the tables collapsed to four, and I went card dead at my new table.
Blinds rose to 200-400 (50), I lost a couple small pots and my stack was sitting at around 6,000. I had enough room to wait a bit for a hand, but instead I played one hand like a monkey and was properly punished for it.
I pick up 33 (which looked like gold... that's a leak I think I have to work on; basing hands on their own and not based on the cards that I've been getting up to that point.)
UTG calls and I announce raise. I COMPLETELY overbet the pot by raising an additional 3,000 (into a pot of just over 1,000 -- great raise, Rob) and was called by the original caller. I'm not sure why I bet that high, because as soon as the chips left my hand, I wanted them all back so I could fold.
I think I miscoutned the pot, or miscaluated what I needed to grab the pot as there was one extra player beside the blinds. Who knows. Monkey mind go blank - BIGTIME.Flop comes K94 and the UTG player put me all in. I've got 2,300 that I'm looking to call into a pot of about 10,000 and reluctantly make the call. (Actually, assuming I'm facing a high pair, I'm about 11-1 to catch my 3, so I should have just cut my losses and folded, and built back from the Red Zone.). UTQ turns over A4c for bottom pair and I'm in a world of hurt. How bad was my raise that UTG was willing to call a 3,000 raise on A-crap. There is no 3 for me, and I'm out in about 18th place.
Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. And I beat myself up for the rest of the evening over the way I played that hand. There was no need to go bust on that hand. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.
Anyway, another good tourney and I'm looking forward to the December multi-day event. It's going to be fun playing with a deep stack!