Party ramblings.
$50/$100 LHE.
I am dealt AA in LP. Folded to MP who raises. I 3-bet. Folded back to MP who calls.
Flop: AT3 rainbow. MP checks, I bet because that's what I would do with pocket nines, MP check-raises me!
Well, what a pleasant surprise. My opponent might actually be holding the case ace. I just call.
Turn: 8. My opponent bets, I raise, my opponent 3-bets, I cap, my opponent calls.
River: 4. My opponent checks, I bet, my opponent calls.
My opponent has AT and my set takes it down.
Now, I ask you, how much must the poker gods love you to give you AA, and your opponent AT, and a flop of AT3? How much?
A lot, that's how much. That being said, I think my opponent overplayed his hand on the turn. I hadn't been getting very far out of line in previous hands, so it's not like my opponent figured he was up against a maniac.
In other news, I decided to try the $100/$200 game at Party. I didn't really have any intention of playing in it, though. I'd heard that at Stars, if you want to play in the $100/$200 game, you get a phone call from Lee Jones first. He explains to you that it is a very big game, that people lose a lot of money incredibly quickly, etc. etc. etc.
So I was curious about whether or not Party would do the same thing, with whatever equivilant to Lee Jones that they have there. Nope. I clicked on an open seat, and they sat me with my full bankroll. I posted after the button, and off I went. I was, in a word, shocked that I was able to just sit down and play in this game. There was a player a few seats to my right named MPROULX or something from Quebec. He was sitting with about 25K and he raised EVERY hand preflop during my brief stay.
I didn't play any hands. I've only recently made the jump to playing $50/$100 on a regular basis, with good results. I don't plan on playing any higher than that anytime soon.
I have also jumped up to playing $500 SNG's on a regular basis, instead of $215's. PokerProphecy tells me that as of this morning, these are my results:
9 wins / 10 losses / 47.37% wins
Of course, 19 games is a very small sample size, and a "win" counts as any in-the-money finish, not first place. Nonetheless, I am happy with the way it's going so far.
My nemesis is "MajorPolk" I believe. He is from "N.L.B.". I have no idea what that means. I checked his stats, he has played over 1,000 $500 buy-in SNG's and is in the money roughly 43% of the time. (I am quoting that particular number from memory... it might be a little higher than that.) I am extremely jealous of MajorPolk. Sustaining a win percentage of over 40% after 1K+ SNG's at the $500 level means that he is probably living off of doing nothing but playing in $500 sit and go's.
I also had a player kind of lose it on me today in one of those. I told him that he takes the game much too personally. He gloats when he wins, and he complains when he loses. He needs to take some meds or something. His username is "Mob Connected" or something very much like that, so I hope it's not true.
I find that it's very easy for me to make it to at least fourth place in these SNG's. If I'm not in the money, I'm in fourth place almost every time. I think this is because I tend to start pushing when we're on the bubble, hoping that the $500 buy-in means a lot to my opponents. Sometimes, I get caught.
I've learned that it is very easy to lose 1K playing $50/$100 LHE. That's like two pots. At the same time, you can win it back in one big pot. So, I'm just getting used to the swings, and the fact that I have to keep more money online than I'm used to.
And finally, it occured to me that if I played one SNG/week, and won it every time, I wouldn't need to play poker, or work, or anything, beyond the 1 hour a week or so that it would take to win that SNG. (Of course, I might WANT to...) How nice would that be. One hour a week... the rest of the time, you do whatever you want. I guess the only catch is that there's no guarantee that I'd be able to win that one SNG. Sigh... tough way to make an easy living, and all that.
Anyway, enough PartyPoker ramblings. It's been an interesting year so far... good luck at the tables.
I am dealt AA in LP. Folded to MP who raises. I 3-bet. Folded back to MP who calls.
Flop: AT3 rainbow. MP checks, I bet because that's what I would do with pocket nines, MP check-raises me!
Well, what a pleasant surprise. My opponent might actually be holding the case ace. I just call.
Turn: 8. My opponent bets, I raise, my opponent 3-bets, I cap, my opponent calls.
River: 4. My opponent checks, I bet, my opponent calls.
My opponent has AT and my set takes it down.
Now, I ask you, how much must the poker gods love you to give you AA, and your opponent AT, and a flop of AT3? How much?
A lot, that's how much. That being said, I think my opponent overplayed his hand on the turn. I hadn't been getting very far out of line in previous hands, so it's not like my opponent figured he was up against a maniac.
In other news, I decided to try the $100/$200 game at Party. I didn't really have any intention of playing in it, though. I'd heard that at Stars, if you want to play in the $100/$200 game, you get a phone call from Lee Jones first. He explains to you that it is a very big game, that people lose a lot of money incredibly quickly, etc. etc. etc.
So I was curious about whether or not Party would do the same thing, with whatever equivilant to Lee Jones that they have there. Nope. I clicked on an open seat, and they sat me with my full bankroll. I posted after the button, and off I went. I was, in a word, shocked that I was able to just sit down and play in this game. There was a player a few seats to my right named MPROULX or something from Quebec. He was sitting with about 25K and he raised EVERY hand preflop during my brief stay.
I didn't play any hands. I've only recently made the jump to playing $50/$100 on a regular basis, with good results. I don't plan on playing any higher than that anytime soon.
I have also jumped up to playing $500 SNG's on a regular basis, instead of $215's. PokerProphecy tells me that as of this morning, these are my results:
9 wins / 10 losses / 47.37% wins
Of course, 19 games is a very small sample size, and a "win" counts as any in-the-money finish, not first place. Nonetheless, I am happy with the way it's going so far.
My nemesis is "MajorPolk" I believe. He is from "N.L.B.". I have no idea what that means. I checked his stats, he has played over 1,000 $500 buy-in SNG's and is in the money roughly 43% of the time. (I am quoting that particular number from memory... it might be a little higher than that.) I am extremely jealous of MajorPolk. Sustaining a win percentage of over 40% after 1K+ SNG's at the $500 level means that he is probably living off of doing nothing but playing in $500 sit and go's.
I also had a player kind of lose it on me today in one of those. I told him that he takes the game much too personally. He gloats when he wins, and he complains when he loses. He needs to take some meds or something. His username is "Mob Connected" or something very much like that, so I hope it's not true.
I find that it's very easy for me to make it to at least fourth place in these SNG's. If I'm not in the money, I'm in fourth place almost every time. I think this is because I tend to start pushing when we're on the bubble, hoping that the $500 buy-in means a lot to my opponents. Sometimes, I get caught.
I've learned that it is very easy to lose 1K playing $50/$100 LHE. That's like two pots. At the same time, you can win it back in one big pot. So, I'm just getting used to the swings, and the fact that I have to keep more money online than I'm used to.
And finally, it occured to me that if I played one SNG/week, and won it every time, I wouldn't need to play poker, or work, or anything, beyond the 1 hour a week or so that it would take to win that SNG. (Of course, I might WANT to...) How nice would that be. One hour a week... the rest of the time, you do whatever you want. I guess the only catch is that there's no guarantee that I'd be able to win that one SNG. Sigh... tough way to make an easy living, and all that.
Anyway, enough PartyPoker ramblings. It's been an interesting year so far... good luck at the tables.
Comments
GL at 50/100 and the $500.00 SNG's...only difference with your game and mine is where the decimal point is...oh yeah, and talent.
ALOT... but they love me more... Link
OK, How many virgins did you 2 have to sacrfice to the Gods....
NH.
Sadly, that was almost a month ago.... Currently I'm seeing the other end of these... Satruday night I was on the bad end of set over set... and flopped top 2 vs. a turned set... UGLY, UGLY, UGLY... anyone know where to get a fresh virgin or 2?
Best backhanded compliment ever! Well played, sir.
I don't get it. Could somebody please explain it to me, slowly. I have no sense of humour.
Yeah, I'm aware of the swings. So far, they've been up, but believe me I'm expecting the down as well. I've altered my target/cashout system to accomodate this sad reality.
GL with the step up and continued success, keep the ramblings coming they are worthwhile!
I think variations of this statement have been made by man forever, with at best mixed results (not saying that has anything to do with your results as your skill level is solid). It just made me chuckle because I think every cheesy infomercial uses this form of appeal as a sales approach, which granted is not your intention.
The A 10 hand I suppose he could have just called the raise on the turn. His position made it harder for him not to overplay it to this extent, and he did juct check call on the river with top 2 pair. You could easily have AK or AQ.
Best of luck.
Yeah, I know it's blue-skying it. I get the same wistful feeling thinking about playing and winning one SNG/week as I do when I think about winning the lottery, or the WSOP, or some such nonsense. None of these things is very likely, but I gotta dream! It's just that my dream (playing and winning exactly one $500 SNG/week) isn't exactly what most people spend their days longing for.
I agree. The more I thought about it, the more I decided that it would indeed be very easy for my opponent to put me on AK/AQ. Position, and the way I'd played the hand to that point, made it a fairly unavoidable turn 3-bet for my opponent.
Consider this, though. A hand from last night. I am dealt 44 in MP and limp with a couple of other players.
Flop: 345 with 2 hearts. SB bets out, BB folds, EP calls, I raise, LP calls 2 cold, SB calls, EP folds.
3 of us to the turn: Js. SB checks, I bet, LP raises, SB calls 2 cold, I just call.
River: a brick of some kind, an offsuit king or something. SB checks, I bet, LP raises, SB folds, I just call.
LP had 67s for the nut straight.
Now, what do you think of the bet/call a raise and bet/call a raise play that I made on the turn/river? I think this is a good way to play a hand that is very strong, but not an absolute powerhouse considering the board. Basically, I believed my opponent COULD have raised the turn with AJ or something, so I didn't want to miss a river bet, but was prepared to just call a river raise. I think this is a good way to prevent the floodgates from opening up into disasterland.
Do you think my opponent in the AA vs. AT hand could have played it like this? Just call the turn raise, and then fire a bet on the river?
You are out of position in a LHE game with a very strong hand. You think it is likely the best hand, but there's something about the texture of the board, or the action so far, or both, that gives you the feeling that it might not be a bad idea to try and control the size of the pot (ie: no 3-bets that can lead to caps, and no check-raises that can lead to 3-bets).
And, the board isn't COMPLETELY co-ordinated in hand #2. The flush draw didn't materialize. Only A2, 26, or 67 make a hand that is bigger than a set. I wouldn't call that completely co-ordinated. If the board was 9TKQ3, or it was 345JK with 3 or 4 hearts, etc. etc., THEN it would be completely co-ordinated.
#Game No : 4232758647
***** Hand History for Game 4232758647 *****
$50/$100 Texas Hold'em - Wednesday, May 10, 10:47:43 ET 2006
Table Kingfisher (Real Money)
Seat 6 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 1: orly63 ( $1345.78 )
Seat 3: SenorPasta ( $5011.50 )
Seat 4: NOCCUOUT ( $2831 )
Seat 7: JelsinKirriu ( $7291 )
Seat 9: LETZkickITup ( $1745 )
Seat 10: Hasuwisp ( $3763 )
Seat 2: Aces_All ( $2725.50 )
Seat 6: nianmin ( $2306.50 )
Seat 8: Chesnut1267 ( $1545 )
Seat 5: DIMES_DAVIS ( $1000 )
JelsinKirriu posts small blind [$25].
Chesnut1267 posts big blind [$50].
DIMES_DAVIS posts big blind [$50].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Aces_All [Â Tc Ts ]
LETZkickITup folds.
Hasuwisp folds.
orly63 folds.
Aces_All raises [$100].
SenorPasta folds.
NOCCUOUT folds.
DIMES_DAVIS folds.
nianmin raises [$150].
JelsinKirriu folds.
Chesnut1267 calls [$100].
Aces_All calls [$50].
** Dealing Flop ** [ 8h, 5c, 8c ]
Chesnut1267 checks.
Aces_All bets [$50].
nianmin calls [$50].
Chesnut1267 calls [$50].
** Dealing Turn ** [ 4s ]
Chesnut1267 checks.
Aces_All bets [$100].
nianmin calls [$100].
Chesnut1267 calls [$100].
** Dealing River ** [ 7d ]
Chesnut1267 checks.
Aces_All bets [$100].
nianmin calls [$100].
Chesnut1267 folds.
Aces_All shows [ Tc, Ts ] two pairs, tens and eights.
nianmin doesn't show [ Ac, 4c ] two pairs, eights and fours.
Aces_All wins $1170 from the main pot with two pairs, tens and eights.
Game #4232764586 starts.
Anyone check the river?
Unless you consider this a "value check" in that your opponent might bluff a missed flush draw (which is what happened here, but the guy actually caught a piece of the board as well). If he's LP though, I agree a bet is better.
I thought the 3-bet with Ac4c was a little weird too. Nianmin is usually one of the more solid players too... I recently laid down QQ on an uncoordinated J-high flop to him because I was certain that, given the action/number of opponents/nianmin's play in the past, nianmin had AA or KK. That was before this Ac4c hand. If it had been after, I may have played it differently.
I played with a guy last night who was the craziest player I've ever seen. He lost easily 6K at my table (not to me... I couldn't pick up a thing during this hemorrhaging of cash). His name was Drage, IIRC. He called with everything... I saw him call two bets cold on the turn with one overcard to the board and absolutely no hint of a draw. Probably the worst LHE player I've ever seen, at any level.
One player who I play with regularly said to me at another table: "You just have to know how to play against him." I said: "A monkey could play against him. All he does is call and lose."
I always 3 bet in his position there on the flop and likely bet the turn (though I probably would go in call check/call mode after another turn raise).
In the second hand with all the limpers, I am having a hard time thinking of many hands the LP person can have to call 2 bets on the flop and raise the turn that you happily beat. Maybe 33, but it is hard for me to see him playing A5 suited or AJ that way assuming he is a reasonable player.
That's the main difference I see. He just does not have as many hands you beat that would be played that way (again assuming he is a reasonable player).
I don't really mind how he played it. The call post flop keeps more people in, including those who are drawing near dead. People who have trips or flush draws likely will not fold anyways and he can wait to the turn and use his position to make it more expensive for those draws if the flush doesnt hit and the board does not pair up.
I likely would lead out betting on the turn, but would go in call check call mode after that (unless the board paired in which case I would bet the river and hope he doesnt have 55)
Bear in mind I am not playing 50/100 so if there may very well be differences in that game vs 5/10 that I usually play :P
That seems like a good way to play it... still gets the chips in there, but is less risky than 3-betting the turn.
I don't mind how my opponent played the second hand either. I don't mind the way I played it, I like just calling the turn bet and then leading out on the river with the intention of calling a raise if it's a brick. SB is clearly on a draw that missed, I could easily have 66, 77, 88, which means my opponent could easily raise with AJ, KJ, JQ and still not be a maniac. After the river raise though, I decide that he doesn't have those hands, but until that point, I'm thinking I could have the best of it.
Not much difference... good, thoughtful poker is good thoughtful poker regardless of the stakes.
What's your username? I will try not to get mixed up in big heads-up pots with you.
So far the 50/100 has been profitable for me. I have found that there are enough soft spots in the game who will pay you off so as to make it worthwhile. But then, it's been like a week. Still, I have played a LOT in that week, multi-tabling 2 50/100 LHE's and 1 $500 SNG at a time, with good results. If the texture of the 50/100's changes, I'm not to proud to get out of the game, switch limits, switch sites, etc. I had to do that a month or so ago... PokerRoom's 25/50 was VERY soft for an extended period of time, and then the weak players were gone and the game became barely beatable. Instead of banging my head against the wall, I took the money and ran. I'll do it again and again and again, as I'm sure you would.
It was a comment based on what wolfhound said that the only difference between him and you was the decimal point and of course talent. I've played a few higher stakes games and still seen some pretty donkey plays which lead to my comment about the money. It all made sense in my mind anyways.
Some of the SNG players are pretty bad at times. Not the regulars.... MajorPolk, SamENoles, THE________END, bluffman, etc etc etc, but usually there are one or two players in each game that you've never seen before.
If you have to double-check that you're in a "regular" SNG instead of a Turbo because 2 players are gone in the first 5 minutes, you're in a good game.