Casino Regina Diamond Poker Classic Limit Hold’em Tournament
Casino Regina Diamond Poker Classic Limit Hold’em Tournament
I met Bob Jarret – finished 20th at the WSOP – and his wife Terry. Very nice people. He is a very pleasant guy and very tough player. Fun at the table and very dangerous. Easy to cheer for and would have made a great Canadian WSOP champ. Hey, anybody who buys me a martini can’t be all bad. Bob made the final table.
I also had a great chat with David Troung – 23rd at the WSOP. Remind me not to go up against David at the table. Tough player.
I also met the guy who won the tournament at Brantford. With apologies, I have forgotten his name (I think Dwayne?). He was still in with three players left.
Level Five Average Stack: 5200 (158 player) My stack: 7750
I play no hands. The only playable hand I got was Q-Q but it was declared a miss deal because the dealers was in Omaha mode and kept dealing cards. Doh.
Level Six Average Stack: 5300 (155 players) Mt stack: 7250
HAND 1: UTG raises. I am the big blind with Q-Q and three bet. He calls. The board comes three small. I bet and get called the whole way. The hand is only significant because UTG exhibited a huge "think about it" tell the whole way giving me confidence that my Q-Q was good. The "think about it tell" is one of the single most useful tells in poker in my experience. If a player has to genuinely "think about it" then you can rule out A LOT of hands.
Impressed a couple of players sitting beside me by calling a guys hand. I was not involved in the hand in question. There is four way action and then on the river the UTG player bets out. He gets called. I whisper to the guys beside me, "He has 6-5 of spades." I was wrong. He rolled over the 5-4 of spades. Heh.
At the halfway point of the level I get moved to a new table. Too bad because I liked my first table, but the new one is also OK.
Level Seven Average Stack: 5520 (150 players) My stack: 8000
HAND 2: Folded to the button who raises. I re-raise from the small blind with 7-5s. I flop a four flush and bet, he calls. The turn is a miss. I check. He checks. On the river I make my flush and bet out. He folds. I think I had this player in the wrong box. I thought he was an aggressive blind stealer. Thus, I played the very next hand against him badly.
HAND 3: He is the cutoff. It folds to him and he raises. I am the button with 9-9. I flat call. My thinking is that if no ace comes on the flop I will bet or raise. The flop is Q-x-x. He bets I call. Why didn’t I raise? I don’t know. This is a phenomenon I call "converting your thinking." You see this phenom frequently. I player with a small pair thinks "maybe I will hit a set and win a lot of chips." Then he misses the flop and thinks "maybe he is bluffing with A-K." As the hand plays out, a person constantly changes their thinking to suit their purposes. The turn was a K. He bets again, I call again??? River is an ace. He bets again and now I fold. BADLY PLAYED HAND.
HAND 4: It is folded to me in the small blind. I limp in with J-2o. The big blind checks. The flop is a complete miss. I bet. He folds. This is what I call the "limp steal." Against comes players that will ALWAYS defend their blind, there is no point in raising pre-flop since you set yourself up to lose more, but win the same. You can better off limping in and then betting out on the flop.
Level Eight Average Stack: 6300 (130 players) My stack 8400
HAND 5: UTG limps in. I know this player well. He plays a lot of hands and is, generally, very aggressive. It folds to me in the small blind with Q-Js. I call. Big blind checks. Flop is J-x-x. I am confident that UTG will bet if it is checked to him. I am also reasonably confident that he does not have a jack. If he had a hand that included a jack he could have raised pre-flop. So… he could have a slow played big pair or he could have a set, but I think I have the best hand. I check. BB checks. UTG bets. I check raise. BB goes into the tank, but eventually calls. UTG folds. OK, I am pretty sure my Q-J is good (because of the "I have to think about it tell"). Turn is an ace. I bet, he folds.
HAND 6: Very short stacked UTG player raises. I reraise on the button with 7-7 which holds up against his A-8. My thinking I was probably getting into a coin flip but with the dead money from the blinds and my stack size I was willing to take the gamble.
Level nine Average Stack: 8200 (100 players) My stack: 8600
HAND 7: I raise UTG with K-Js. I get one caller in middle position and the BB. The flop is K-Q-x. I bet. The MP player lets out a big sigh and calls. I am, or course, terrified. BB folds. I check and call the turn. The river goes check and check and he shows J-J. I win. The sigh tell was wrong. But, this hand does represent and area of my game that I am trying to improve. I have a tendency to be too aggressive. Often, chips saved are just as valuable as chips earned. When I find myself in a position that has "one of us as a big dog, but I am not sure who" I will often proceed with caution.
HAND 8: I raise with A-Q. One called in middle position. Flop is Q-T-x. I bet. He called. Turn is J. I bet he calls. River is T. Uh-oh. I check. He checks. I win. He shows 9-9. Nothing special about the hand except it reminded me of my own 9-9 hand from HAND 3. If you think you have a guy beat, put it a raise and see what happens. Calling down is OK if you think that a guy will push a bluff the whole way, but generally, at some point, you want to put in a raise to at least freeze up the action or tell yourself where you stand.
Level ten Average stack 10,200 (80 players) My stack: 18,500
When I get a big stack I deploy what I refer to as my "high variance package." Long story made short, I start to make a lot of player that are, I think, positive EV, but very high variance. The goal is to turn a big stack into a DOMINATING stack.
Such is the case here. In fact, such is the case of this whole tournament for me. Step one: Get well ahead of the curve. Step two: Deploy the high variance package. Step three: Get on the losing end of variance and bust myself back down to average. Step four; Repeat.
HAND 9: Middle position player raises. He is a snug player with a big stack who can be a little out of line, but not too badly. I three bet from the button with 8-5s. He calls. Flop is T-9-6 giving me a gutshot. He checks. I bet. He check-raises. I call. At this point I put him on a overpair. I need to hit my straight to win. Turn is a blank. He bets and I called. THIS WAS A BAD CALL. I thought I was getting the pot odds to call, but I wasn’t. I as getting 8.5 to 1 on a 10.5 – 1 shot. I should have folded. The river went check-check and he won with A-To. Arg. I picked the right time and place for the "three bet steal" but he got lucky and hit his hand.
I had it as high as 28,000 in this level.
I met Bob Jarret – finished 20th at the WSOP – and his wife Terry. Very nice people. He is a very pleasant guy and very tough player. Fun at the table and very dangerous. Easy to cheer for and would have made a great Canadian WSOP champ. Hey, anybody who buys me a martini can’t be all bad. Bob made the final table.
I also had a great chat with David Troung – 23rd at the WSOP. Remind me not to go up against David at the table. Tough player.
I also met the guy who won the tournament at Brantford. With apologies, I have forgotten his name (I think Dwayne?). He was still in with three players left.
Level Five Average Stack: 5200 (158 player) My stack: 7750
I play no hands. The only playable hand I got was Q-Q but it was declared a miss deal because the dealers was in Omaha mode and kept dealing cards. Doh.
Level Six Average Stack: 5300 (155 players) Mt stack: 7250
HAND 1: UTG raises. I am the big blind with Q-Q and three bet. He calls. The board comes three small. I bet and get called the whole way. The hand is only significant because UTG exhibited a huge "think about it" tell the whole way giving me confidence that my Q-Q was good. The "think about it tell" is one of the single most useful tells in poker in my experience. If a player has to genuinely "think about it" then you can rule out A LOT of hands.
Impressed a couple of players sitting beside me by calling a guys hand. I was not involved in the hand in question. There is four way action and then on the river the UTG player bets out. He gets called. I whisper to the guys beside me, "He has 6-5 of spades." I was wrong. He rolled over the 5-4 of spades. Heh.
At the halfway point of the level I get moved to a new table. Too bad because I liked my first table, but the new one is also OK.
Level Seven Average Stack: 5520 (150 players) My stack: 8000
HAND 2: Folded to the button who raises. I re-raise from the small blind with 7-5s. I flop a four flush and bet, he calls. The turn is a miss. I check. He checks. On the river I make my flush and bet out. He folds. I think I had this player in the wrong box. I thought he was an aggressive blind stealer. Thus, I played the very next hand against him badly.
HAND 3: He is the cutoff. It folds to him and he raises. I am the button with 9-9. I flat call. My thinking is that if no ace comes on the flop I will bet or raise. The flop is Q-x-x. He bets I call. Why didn’t I raise? I don’t know. This is a phenomenon I call "converting your thinking." You see this phenom frequently. I player with a small pair thinks "maybe I will hit a set and win a lot of chips." Then he misses the flop and thinks "maybe he is bluffing with A-K." As the hand plays out, a person constantly changes their thinking to suit their purposes. The turn was a K. He bets again, I call again??? River is an ace. He bets again and now I fold. BADLY PLAYED HAND.
HAND 4: It is folded to me in the small blind. I limp in with J-2o. The big blind checks. The flop is a complete miss. I bet. He folds. This is what I call the "limp steal." Against comes players that will ALWAYS defend their blind, there is no point in raising pre-flop since you set yourself up to lose more, but win the same. You can better off limping in and then betting out on the flop.
Level Eight Average Stack: 6300 (130 players) My stack 8400
HAND 5: UTG limps in. I know this player well. He plays a lot of hands and is, generally, very aggressive. It folds to me in the small blind with Q-Js. I call. Big blind checks. Flop is J-x-x. I am confident that UTG will bet if it is checked to him. I am also reasonably confident that he does not have a jack. If he had a hand that included a jack he could have raised pre-flop. So… he could have a slow played big pair or he could have a set, but I think I have the best hand. I check. BB checks. UTG bets. I check raise. BB goes into the tank, but eventually calls. UTG folds. OK, I am pretty sure my Q-J is good (because of the "I have to think about it tell"). Turn is an ace. I bet, he folds.
HAND 6: Very short stacked UTG player raises. I reraise on the button with 7-7 which holds up against his A-8. My thinking I was probably getting into a coin flip but with the dead money from the blinds and my stack size I was willing to take the gamble.
Level nine Average Stack: 8200 (100 players) My stack: 8600
HAND 7: I raise UTG with K-Js. I get one caller in middle position and the BB. The flop is K-Q-x. I bet. The MP player lets out a big sigh and calls. I am, or course, terrified. BB folds. I check and call the turn. The river goes check and check and he shows J-J. I win. The sigh tell was wrong. But, this hand does represent and area of my game that I am trying to improve. I have a tendency to be too aggressive. Often, chips saved are just as valuable as chips earned. When I find myself in a position that has "one of us as a big dog, but I am not sure who" I will often proceed with caution.
HAND 8: I raise with A-Q. One called in middle position. Flop is Q-T-x. I bet. He called. Turn is J. I bet he calls. River is T. Uh-oh. I check. He checks. I win. He shows 9-9. Nothing special about the hand except it reminded me of my own 9-9 hand from HAND 3. If you think you have a guy beat, put it a raise and see what happens. Calling down is OK if you think that a guy will push a bluff the whole way, but generally, at some point, you want to put in a raise to at least freeze up the action or tell yourself where you stand.
Level ten Average stack 10,200 (80 players) My stack: 18,500
When I get a big stack I deploy what I refer to as my "high variance package." Long story made short, I start to make a lot of player that are, I think, positive EV, but very high variance. The goal is to turn a big stack into a DOMINATING stack.
Such is the case here. In fact, such is the case of this whole tournament for me. Step one: Get well ahead of the curve. Step two: Deploy the high variance package. Step three: Get on the losing end of variance and bust myself back down to average. Step four; Repeat.
HAND 9: Middle position player raises. He is a snug player with a big stack who can be a little out of line, but not too badly. I three bet from the button with 8-5s. He calls. Flop is T-9-6 giving me a gutshot. He checks. I bet. He check-raises. I call. At this point I put him on a overpair. I need to hit my straight to win. Turn is a blank. He bets and I called. THIS WAS A BAD CALL. I thought I was getting the pot odds to call, but I wasn’t. I as getting 8.5 to 1 on a 10.5 – 1 shot. I should have folded. The river went check-check and he won with A-To. Arg. I picked the right time and place for the "three bet steal" but he got lucky and hit his hand.
I had it as high as 28,000 in this level.
Comments
Level 11 Average Stack 13,100 (63 players) My stack: 18,600
Remove the "high variance package from the mix" I am still ahead of the curve but not enough that I am interested in the roller coaster of high variance. Slow down.
HAND 10: Late position player who is very capable of a steal raises. The small blind re-raises. I find K-K in the big blind and cap it. The flop is A-x-x. SB bets. I raise. LP folds. SB calls. Turn is another ace. SB bets. I raise. He mucks. I raised on the flop thinking that if he had A-K which is the only hand I could really put him on that he woujld re-raise pre-flop with then he would three bet me on the flop. When he didn’t I felt pretty good about my hand. Good enough that I thought another raise on the turn was warranted. I was lucky to be right. He says he had Q-Q.
HAND 11: UTG limps. EP raises (aggressive player who will raise in this spot with any pair). MP calls. I am big blind with Q-7s. I am sure that UTG will call so I am getting 7-1. I call. The flop is Q-x-x. I bet and get only MP caller. Turn is another of my suit giving me top pair and a flush draw. I bet and MP calls. River is a blank. Check, check and my queens are good against his 9-9. See a theme here?
Level 12 Average Stack 19,200 (43 players) My stack: 36,500
Capt Kirk on the bridge gives the command: "Scotty, Deploy the High Variance Package!"
HAND 12: I raise UTG with Q-Ts. LP caller and BB calls. Flop K-8-8. I bet. LP calls. I am guessing a pocket pair below 8-8. Turn is a jack. I bet hoping he will lay down his 4-4. LP raises. Uh-oh. I can’t put him on a hand that will beat my straight if I make it. I call and river an ace. I check, he bets and I call. He shows A-K and I win. Whew. Damn lucky hand.
HAND 13: Folded to me in the small blind. I raise with K-Q. BB defends. Flop is 8-x-x. I check. He bets. I call. Turn is a Q putting three flush on board. I check and call. River is an 8. I check and call and win. He shows 7-7. Interesting hand for two reasons only. I did not bet the flop because I felt certain he would call. He had called other hands with two overcards and that’s what I was guessing he had. An ace at least. Also interesting because he said to me "Well, not point in three betting you pre-flop I still lose." Wrong. I fold on the flop if he three bets me pre-flop. A good lesson in the usefulness of aggression. (1) It is very good at defining when you stand; and (2) It will often lower your variance by taking out some hands that otherwise will beat you.
As a side note, sometime in the level my nose starts to feel funny. I can’t shake the feeling that my glasses are crooked even though I am sure that they are not. It’s really bugging me though.
At some point during this level I had m stack up to 58,000 chips. Bad variance bad.
HAND 14: I raise UTG with J-Ts. Button calls. Flop is J-x-x. I bet, he calls. Turn is Q. I bet, he raises. I call. Check-check on the river and he shows A-Q. Sigh.
HAND 15: UTG raiser. I three bet on the button with 5-3s. Flop is T-6-4. He checks I bet he calls. Turn is a three giving me a pair. Check, bet, call. River puts a four flush on board. Check and check. He wins with K-T. Ugh. Another case of deploying the high variance three bet steal at the righy moment and getting unlucky.
Level 13 Average Stack: 23,600 (35 players left) My stackL 43,500
Yes, the high variance package is still in.
HAND 16: Here is the MOST AMAZING HAND OF THE TOURNAMENT. I salute my opponent in the hand. UTG raiser. I re-raise in the cutoff with J-8s (yes, deploy the three bet steal). This player was making a lot of raises and would commonly raise A-xs in any position and drive it hard. The flop is a complete miss. I bet the flop, turn, and river all the while putting my opponent on two overcards. I was wrong. He didn’t have two overcards, he has one overcard. He called me the whole way with A-2s. No draw of any kind. No pair. Just a naked ace. Wow. I bluffed off 20,000 chips on the hand. Ugh.
Great play by my opponent. I prefer, if I am him, to put in a check-raise at some point to find out if I am right. Nonetheless, great play.
Scotty in the engine room, "But captain, the high variance package is not our friend today. She’s gonna blow."
Kirk: "Very well Mister Scott, return to the low variance weapon."
Level 14 Average stack: 32,000 (26 players) My stack: 27,500
I did not record any more hands. Hmmm… think I was rattled by the A-2 call down?
Level 15 Average stack: 37,600 (22 players) My stack: 27,500
I survived the previous level with a couple of judicious steals. Made it up to 40,000 and one point and then lost a hand.
Level 15 Average stack: 48,700 (17 players) My stack: 29,500
Fifteen spots get paid. A couple of us tried to broker a deal to save $500 for the next to players out but it was vetoed by one of the players, so no save.
HAND 17: I am in the big blind when we get down to sixteen players. There is a raise. I look down at 5-4o. Ugh. But, I decide that I will take off the flop and play out the hand if I hit anything. The raise was from a skilled player whom I respect a great deal and I thought he was very capable of picking on me thinking that I wanted to make the money. Flop was K-8-4. I bet out he raised me all-in and beat me with J-J.
Yes!
Captain: "Mr Spock, what to the sensors show?"
Spock: "We seem to be caught in some sort of a Klingon stinkhole sir. A violent weapon that results in a long day of poker and NO MONEY."
Captain: "How do we escape it Spock?"
Spock: "Martinis sir. At least two. A pizza wouldn’t hurt either."
Sigh… today is another day.
That was a hell of a play by the guy who called you down the whole way with A2. I'm not sure it's a good play, though... I've called people down with ace-high plenty of times, as I'm sure we all have, but I like a better kicker in case it's ace vs. ace. Despite that, you can't knock the guy's read on you in this hand.
Great report, very enjoyable read.
Regards,
all_aces
On to the NL report...