Sunday, May 01, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Cake Final BAP BUST Hand $5 SNG Sub game
Final Hand for my final game in my 1st BAP! Not very successful with the beats i took in the 3R this morning.Then i obv played one hand pretty bad in my $10 1K Mtt; That i have final tabled twice. The worst part is the fact that the $5 Kamakazee Mtt was cancelled;More or less because they have it named wrong. It's actually a deep stacked $5 MTT so no biggie. Going to end this BAP and run another while doing a little tweaking to it this time.
$5 Deep Stack Kamakazie cancelled
BAP $10 1,000
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
SOLD MY FIRST BAP
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Super Sunday MTT Preview 9:50am
Just wanted to record a short memo for myself as to what i need to do today. I have been noticing that i lose focus a lot of the time when i get mid way through mtt's. I really know what the problem is but i have to overcome this; As i am very money motivated,! And playing smaller stakes mtt's tend to bore me sometimes. I really want to get away from this mindset and focus on playing well and winning the tournament.
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
MTT UPDATE TUESDAY NIGHT
Did some studying earlier in the day after i left the dmv; So i did a little house cleaning to clear my mind. Dmv gave me hell this morning running back and forth;Getting insurance paper work and all that good stuff. Well anyway once i got shit in order i fired up 5 mtt's and went from there. Locked my doors and tuned into rounders radio as usual. It really gets my mind in the poker mindset and then nothing else matters. 6 hours later i was down to one mtt and running deep. Really played well for the most part,but i foud two or three spots i need to take a look at sometime today. I been up all night so i guess ill wake up around 11am or so and go from there!!!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
UPDATE NEW BACKER FOR MTT PLAY
Just giving a little info about picking up a backer too play poker; So i am pretty happy about that. As far as my play in Mtt's i have been running pretty bad with a few big runs for the most part; But i feel like things will turn around soon. Just a pretty bad two last days here with a lot of beats and losing races. I just feel that when i get deep i need to get it done; I lastly i am doing my best to prove myself to my backers and my peers as well.
Friday, March 18, 2011
New upgraded site launch
Willis McCoy a.k.a Sr8tAcEto5 gives a personal update on his playing status. As well as goals and outlooks for this years upcoming poker season. He also informs us of the upcoming S.C.O.O.P at Pokerstars.com as well as upcoming improvments too the blog. He also explains why he has the avitar" black power" on stars. Willis also informs us about his memberships at TPE and Pocketfives.com as well as a few players he respects.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Online Poker Syndicate is back
Well it's been four (4) long years since i have made a post here on our blog! Well a lot has went on while i have been away from the site.This time around i will do my best to keep the site updated,and to build and update the entire database.This time around i plan to have member blogs and forums;That will be updated on a regular basis. So bare with me as i get things together!!!!!
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
INTERVIEW WITH T.O.P.S TOP PLAYER JBIZZLE
Who is this guybut none other then Jeremy Behringer also known as JSB1976 on Poker Stars. Jb has alot of nick names such as JBizzle or The45Kdizzle. He got these nicknames from his very good and very hardcore style of agressive play,and a wide array of smooth moves on the table.
In only 194 games at Poker Stars, JB has racked up plenty of 1st place wins.He i currently a winning player with a ROI of 15% and avarage stake of $11.00.He is a sng specialist on Bodog and Poker Stars,and is always in the running for the top 3 spots.T.O.P.S will catc up to JB for a very in dept interview of his recent accomplishments.
Name: Jeremy Behringer
Age: 30
Birth date: 10/7/1976
Where do you live: Port St. Lucie, FL
Are you single or married: Married since 9/19/1998
Your job status: Self Employed
Your favorite Car: Aston Martin
Do you have children: Yes, 2 Girls (Jordyn 4, Kadyn 1.5) I also have a
Son due on June 29th (Jaxon)
How long have you been playing poker live: About 2 years now
How long have you played poker online: About 1 year
Your favorite game: No Limit Hold Em 6 Max Sng
Your favorite player: Willis
Your best run: I cashed about 12 or so SnG's in a row recently.
Your worst run: Whenever I lose its a "worst run"
Biggest cash: Won $2,200 in a live MTT with a $45 buy in and a field
of about 230
Sites you play: Poker Stars and Bodog. I also used to play on
Paradise
Poker before they shut it down, its actually where I played my first
SnG.
favorite drink: Honestly, I think its Dr. Pepper?
An avg day for you: Wake up, check my work schedule and deal with
issues there throughout the day, come home around 6pm, spend time
with
my family, eat dinner, etc. then start playing poker around 9pm and
run until about 1 or 2am depending on my run.
what kind of player doyou consider yourself: Above average and still
learning, WATCH OUT!!!!
How do you feel about the situation with TOPS and John Green aka
Nutz:
Never heard of him.
How often do you play online: Every day and on average about 30 hours
per week.
How do you balance life and playing poker: I always put family first
and everything works out fine.
What are your goals as far as poker: My goal is to become one of the
most succesful on-line players.
The last time you been to church: No comment, I'm not getting into
that.
Most important persons in your life besides God: My wife and kids.
How do you feel about being player of the month: Ummm, its cool I
guess. Is there a cash reward?
Where do you see your game in 6 more months: Escalating
Please rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 for each!
1.MTT play 7
2.STT play 9
3.Large feild MTT play 8
4.Agression 8
5.Solid play 7
6.Donkey Play 10
7.Improvement 5
8.profit 5
9.Dedication 10
10.Drive to succeed 10
Words of Advice to other player on the grind??? (50 words or more)
Have a plan and stick to it. Learn and know how to manage your
bankroll and always leave reserve money there, NEVER ALLOW YOURSELF
TO
BUST!!!!! Be patient, play ABC poker and feed on others mistakes.
Play your position and leave "calling" for the donks. Never give up
and just know that you are the best at the table. The rewards to
hard
work and dedication will follow.
JB (AKA JSB1976)
Thank you Sir!!!!
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Sr8tAcEto5's How i play a SnG
As you know i have been working very hard on perfecting a profitable playing stlye for a $5 sng tournament.Well so far i have been pretty break even;But i am not quite satified with my results.For record sake this is tourney #51709307 and below i will be posting hands and explaining my thought process.
With the playing style that i am workig on,I need to 1st evualuate the play at the table. This starts at the 10/20-15/30 Levels and my main goal is to see who really understands what's going on,and who doesn't. I also want to see who will lay a hand down and who will call to the river.
During this time my hand playing requirements are very tight,but they are also super Aggressive also.One thing i have noticed is that i need to play my big non-pair hands as close to the button in late position as possible.These hands include (AKo/AKs/AQs/AQo with AKs/o i will push 5-6xbb UTG. But i am not so inclined to do the same with any AQ suited or not from UTG when the blinds are 10/20-15/30. From my experience AQ becomes more valueble at higher levels in middle to late position;The way i play it for a sng anyway.
One big problem in my game that i have found;Is the fact that i want to pull the trigger alittle to early in these things.And this has gotten me into alot of trouble.I have currently played only 2 hands in this tourney so far.Picking up both AK and KQ with no action after the 6xbb raise. But getting the action is not what is important to me;The show of agression is though!
The only thing i want to be remembered for is my agression and my play with big cards.This will give the impression that i only play good cardz and that i play them very hard! As a side note i am starting to work big connectors into my arsenal,but only when i have the ammo and position to do so.
Right now my M=19 and now under 20 so my game changes just a hair.Right now i will no longer play small or Med suited connector;As well as small pairs.My play also become more agressive ect.The current level is now 50/100 my M=10 and i am basicly playing position poker at this time,waiting for 1st in vigorish! 8player remain...
What i am trying to do here is find somethig that works on a consistant basis and then stick with it.I want to be able to mix it up and play hard also.Now if i must get on myself about one thing where i constantly fuck up;And that is not knowing when to let a hand go. And can think of three or maybe four different situations today alone where i lost;Becuase i thought my KK was good on an AA7 flop.
Today at the table even a guy who has gotten used to seeing me play made a comment when i lost the hand;Saying "I thought you learned the other day but i guess not". He then goes on to call me a donkey and to remind me of my shit house stats on SharkScope.com. I think one of my biggest achiles is to learn to lay it down and that should increase my cashflow.
I also have a formula that i am trying to perfect also;That has to do with ICM and the ammt of chips in the pot.The equation is (p)x(s)=(mpd) pot/street/max/pot/def
I have been working on thisformula for a while now;And basicaly i will need to go over hundreds if not thousands of hand histories.But i do plan to develope some kind of a database to take care of all of the guess work.
Basicly what seperates me from being a great player are a number of unseen thought proceses.Such as mastering the Zone System by Harrington,as well as the Blue book and aquiring pocker tracker data as well.And one big word i need to remember is SMALL as in ball poker.The only time i should play Long is in the green only!
And i am also considering keeping track of my hours log in a spreadsheet to better grasp my time investment.The fun thing about your learning curb and playing poker;Is getting familar with proper hand and position play.Now the style that i play does deviate from traditional poker;Such as making a call with to suited cards to a big raise.I call this shooting a flyer or trying to hit a shit hand to bust a better hand.
Patience is number one if you plan to make any money at this game.And honestly my patience sux at the table,the internet table anyway.But i have found that reading and writing such as what i am doing now,greatly helps my game overall.While i am on the subject of my Sng play i must also think about last night;When i played in the $11.70 super sat tournament.I seem to always make the final table in these tourneys rather it beig a full feild or not.
But lately here i find myself to be results oriented;When i have picked up KK in two final tables and had them both cracked! Which brings me to a final table that i attended last night in a super sat.I basicaly got my ass handed to me,becuase i had made my mind up to play bitch ball until the blinds got real big.Well instead of just playing my game i allowed myself to be outplayed;Becuase my mind was not in concert with the game that i am used to.
Peeps can call me a donk a fish or whatever! But i feel real confidient about the style i play in poker at this time.And as reckless as my style of play may look at times.I have been working my ass off to master the way that i play. I am not a Lag or a Tag player i am a HYBRID of both styles;and basicaly the better im running to more LAG i will be.I love playing longball poker when the System allows it;But i also enjoy having a coach roach style of TAG.............................!!!!!!
*********** # 4 **************
PokerStars Game #10202852489: Tournament #51709307, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em
No Limit - Level I (10/20) - 2007/05/31 - 17:24:35 (ET)
Table '51709307 1' 9-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (1500 in chips)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (1490 in chips)
Seat 3: Achille34 (1420 in chips)
Seat 4: GoBirds21 (1340 in chips)
Seat 5: omaha82 (1460 in chips)
Seat 6: vern555 (1460 in chips)
Seat 7: BertieJ (1500 in chips)
Seat 8: Akutama (1500 in chips)
Seat 9: sailor14 (1830 in chips)
omaha82: posts small blind 10
vern555: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SR8tAcEto5 [Qd Kd]
With 10/20 blinds i opt to play this hand hard!!!
BertieJ: folds
Akutama: calls 20
sailor14: folds
JKPoindexter: folds
SR8tAcEto5: raises 100 to 120 In this position this is a standard raise for me!
Achille34: folds
GoBirds21: raises 160 to 280
omaha82: folds
vern555: folds
Akutama: folds
SR8tAcEto5: calls 160 With my hand and another 160 i have np making the call!
*** FLOP *** [Td 8d 9d]
SR8tAcEto5: checks
GoBirds21: bets 1060 and is all-in
SR8tAcEto5: calls 1060 He seems to want to represent a QJ wheel but do you really come over the top with QJ????
*** TURN *** [Td 8d 9d] [2d]
*** RIVER *** [Td 8d 9d 2d] [8h]
IN THIS HAND I BASICALY OPTED TO PLAY FOR MY FLUSH! I KNEW HE WAS PROBOLY ACE HIGH. BUT I WAS ALSO AWARE OF THE FACT THAT,IF I HIT MY K=3 Q=3 OR A DIAMOND=9/I HAVE 15 OUTS TO WIN WITH 2 CARDS TO COME.
*** SHOW DOWN ***
SR8tAcEto5: shows [Qd Kd] (a flush, King high)
GoBirds21: shows [Kc Ac] (a pair of Eights)
SR8tAcEto5 collected 2730 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2730 | Rake 0
Board [Td 8d 9d 2d 8h]
Seat 1: JKPoindexter folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 showed [Qd Kd] and won (2730) with a flush, King
high
Seat 3: Achille34 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: GoBirds21 (button) showed [Kc Ac] and lost with a pair of
Eights
Seat 5: omaha82 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 6: vern555 (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 7: BertieJ folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: Akutama folded before Flop
Seat 9: sailor14 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
In this next hand i am second to act with to big suited and connected cards.
*********** # 20 **************
PokerStars Game #10203114899: Tournament #51709307, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em
No Limit - Level III (25/50) - 2007/05/31 - 17:41:12 (ET)
Table '51709307 1' 9-max Seat #7 is the button
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (2910 in chips)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (2800 in chips)
Seat 6: vern555 (990 in chips)
Seat 7: BertieJ (2900 in chips)
Seat 8: Akutama (1335 in chips)
Seat 9: sailor14 (2565 in chips)
Akutama: posts small blind 25
sailor14: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SR8tAcEto5 [Qh As]
JKPoindexter: folds
SR8tAcEto5: raises 150 to 200 This is my standard raise from 2nd position! But i have now changed this range as a raising had UTG. Here i came into the pot with a 3xbb raise;but after further research i would opt to limp here and call a small raise. I basically want to know where i am at by seeing another bet after i get involved.Doing this i make early position late position why watchign the action.
vern555: folds
BertieJ: folds
Akutama: calls 175
sailor14: calls 150
*** FLOP *** [8d 5d Ac]
Akutama: checks
sailor14: checks
SR8tAcEto5: bets 500
Akutama: folds
sailor14: folds
SR8tAcEto5 collected 600 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 600 | Rake 0
Board [8d 5d Ac]
Seat 1: JKPoindexter folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 collected (600)
Seat 6: vern555 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: BertieJ (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: Akutama (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 9: sailor14 (big blind) folded on the Flop
HERE I PICK UP POCKET 88 IN THIS HAND
*********** # 21 **************
PokerStars Game #10203131838: Tournament #51709307, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em
No Limit - Level III (25/50) - 2007/05/31 - 17:42:17 (ET)
Table '51709307 1' 9-max Seat #8 is the button
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (2910 in chips)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (3200 in chips)
Seat 6: vern555 (990 in chips)
Seat 7: BertieJ (2900 in chips)
Seat 8: Akutama (1135 in chips)
Seat 9: sailor14 (2365 in chips)
sailor14: posts small blind 25
JKPoindexter: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SR8tAcEto5 [8s 8d]
SR8tAcEto5: calls 50 UTG I option to limp to rep AK and keep myself out of trouble
vern555: folds
BertieJ: folds
Akutama: calls 50
sailor14: folds
JKPoindexter: checks
*** FLOP *** [Kd Ad 8h]
JKPoindexter: checks
SR8tAcEto5: checks
Akutama: bets 200
JKPoindexter: folds
SR8tAcEto5: calls 200 Very dangerous not to reraise but with my stack i was wiling to just call here!
*** TURN *** [Kd Ad 8h] [3c]
SR8tAcEto5: bets 250
Akutama: raises 635 to 885 and is all-in
SR8tAcEto5: calls 635
*** RIVER *** [Kd Ad 8h 3c] [Th]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
SR8tAcEto5: shows [8s 8d] (three of a kind, Eights)
Akutama: shows [Td Ah] (two pair, Aces and Tens)
SR8tAcEto5 collected 2345 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2345 | Rake 0
Board [Kd Ad 8h 3c Th]
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 showed [8s 8d] and won (2345) with three of a kind,
Eights
Seat 6: vern555 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: BertieJ folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: Akutama (button) showed [Td Ah] and lost with two pair, Aces
and Tens
Seat 9: sailor14 (small blind) folded before Flop
HERE IS ANOTHER HAND WHERE I PICK UP POCKET 99'S
*********** # 38 **************
PokerStars Game #10203279541: Tournament #51709307, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em
No Limit - Level IV (50/100) - 2007/05/31 - 17:51:41 (ET)
Table '51709307 1' 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (4450 in chips)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (4360 in chips) HERE I HAVE A LOCK ON 2ND PLACE!
Seat 7: BertieJ (2125 in chips)
Seat 9: sailor14 (2565 in chips)
JKPoindexter: posts small blind 50
SR8tAcEto5: posts big blind 100
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SR8tAcEto5 [9d 9c]--MY 9 IS 29 HERE SO IM FREE TO PLAY LONG BALL!!!
BertieJ: calls 100
sailor14: raises 200 to 300
JKPoindexter: folds
SR8tAcEto5: calls 200--BASIC OUT OF POSITION CALL
BertieJ: calls 200
*** FLOP *** [As 6c Jd]
SR8tAcEto5: checks
BertieJ: checks
sailor14: bets 100
SR8tAcEto5: raises 400 to 500--NOTHING MORE THAN A BASIC CHECK RAISE ON A NON-FLUSH BOARD.IM JUST TRYING TO SEE IF HE HAS IT HERE!
BertieJ: folds
sailor14: folds
SR8tAcEto5 collected 1150 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1150 | Rake 0
Board [As 6c Jd]
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (big blind) collected (1150)
Seat 7: BertieJ folded on the Flop
Seat 9: sailor14 (button) folded on the Flop
HERE I PICK UP AK !!!!!!!1
*********** # 39 **************
PokerStars Game #10203294209: Tournament #51709307, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em
No Limit - Level IV (50/100) - 2007/05/31 - 17:52:37 (ET)
Table '51709307 1' 9-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (4400 in chips)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (5110 in chips)
Seat 7: BertieJ (1825 in chips)
Seat 9: sailor14 (2165 in chips)
SR8tAcEto5: posts small blind 50
BertieJ: posts big blind 100
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SR8tAcEto5 [Ah Kh]
sailor14: folds
JKPoindexter: folds
SR8tAcEto5: raises 4899 to 4999 Now that i have reviewed this HH i do not advocate the open push here with AK even though it is suited.The problem i have been having is doig shit exactly like this. Yes it loks good and shure im a big favorite vs 3 random hands.Well atleast i think so LOL. ACTUALLY WE ARE A 40% FAVORITE
BertieJ: calls 1725 and is all-in
*** FLOP *** [7d 2s Kc]
*** TURN *** [7d 2s Kc] [3s]
*** RIVER *** [7d 2s Kc 3s] [Ac]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
SR8tAcEto5: shows [Ah Kh] (two pair, Aces and Kings)
BertieJ: shows [8h 8d] (a pair of Eights)
SR8tAcEto5 collected 3650 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 3650 | Rake 0
Board [7d 2s Kc 3s Ac]
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (small blind) showed [Ah Kh] and won (3650) with two
pair, Aces and Kings
Seat 7: BertieJ (big blind) showed [8h 8d] and lost with a pair of
Eights
Seat 9: sailor14 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
So i ended up getting lucky here even though i feel the open push was wrong on my part! This was also a pretty much coinflip from start to finish vs 88.If my M were let's say 10 are below i would welcome this move with open arms! But here it was just and overly agressive overkill.
IN THIS NEXT HAND IM SURE IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LITTLE ANALYST FOR SURE! THIS WAS A SUPER AGRESSO MOVE HERE LOL!
*********** # 41 **************
PokerStars Game #10203310418: Tournament #51709307, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em
No Limit - Level IV (50/100) - 2007/05/31 - 17:53:38 (ET)
Table '51709307 1' 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (4500 in chips)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (6935 in chips)
1ST I need to break down my game situation here;As i am the chip leader and my M is a whopping (46).My effective m is proboly around 25 or 26 but anyway,as far as the move itself and not the cards is justifiable.
By looking at this hand i am afforded by the math to spend (3000)-6935=20/m(green).So i should be allowed to lose 3000 in chips in this hand ;and still safely have enuff ammo to fight in the orange and yellow zone.
Seat 9: sailor14 (2065 in chips)
JKPoindexter: posts small blind 50
SR8tAcEto5: posts big blind 100
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SR8tAcEto5 [Td Kh]
sailor14: folds
JKPoindexter: raises 100 to 200--JK makes a small mini raise so i decide to push!
SR8tAcEto5: raises 399 to 599
JKPoindexter: calls 399--The flat call here allows me to narrow his holdings!
*** FLOP *** [Qc Ts 9s]
This flop gives me a double draw./If another T spikes i have a set/If i J spikes i have the Nut Wheel!/And the K gives me 9OUTS!
JKPoindexter: bets 600
SR8tAcEto5: raises 600 to 1200 -With this reraise i have consumed 1000 in chips only! and i still have 2000 in ammo to work with if needed!
JKPoindexter: calls 600
*** TURN *** [Qc Ts 9s] [8d]
JKPoindexter: checks
SR8tAcEto5: bets 1400 bARRING he has a Jack i have a double belly draw as well.
JKPoindexter said, "nh"----And there is the white flag!!!!!!!
JKPoindexter: folds
SR8tAcEto5 collected 3598 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 3598 | Rake 0
Board [Qc Ts 9s 8d]
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (small blind) folded on the Turn
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (big blind) collected (3598)
Seat 9: sailor14 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
So maybe this does look Hyper Agresso!!!!! But that's becuase i play with 2nd and 3rd level thinking!
THIS IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF HIGH RISK LOW REWARD!!!!! NO MORE............
*********** # 69 **************
PokerStars Game #10203494999: Tournament #51709307, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em
No Limit - Level V (75/150) - 2007/05/31 - 18:05:15 (ET)
Table '51709307 1' 9-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (3899 in chips)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (7861 in chips)
Seat 9: sailor14 (1740 in chips)
SR8tAcEto5: posts small blind 75
sailor14: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SR8tAcEto5 [Qd Kh]
JKPoindexter: folds
SR8tAcEto5: raises 6849 to 6999
sailor14: folds
SR8tAcEto5 collected 300 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 300 | Rake 0
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (small blind) collected (300)
Seat 9: sailor14 (big blind) folded before Flop
WELL I JUST PLAYED THIS HAND AND WANTED TO SHARE TOTAL STUPIDISM!!!!
PokerStars Game #10218275034: Tournament #51787083, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em No Limit - Level II (15/30) - 2007/06/01 - 16:12:51 (ET)
Table '51787083 1' 9-max Seat #5 is the button
Seat 3: OTTER3 (1570 in chips)
Seat 4: Stefanw88 (1120 in chips)
Seat 5: zachsback (2035 in chips)
Seat 6: toronto500 (3620 in chips)
Seat 7: SR8tAcEto5 (1645 in chips)
Seat 8: TrentTX (1740 in chips)
Seat 9: q-dog2k (1770 in chips)
toronto500: posts small blind 15
SR8tAcEto5: posts big blind 30
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SR8tAcEto5 [Ac Th]
TrentTX: raises 60 to 90
q-dog2k: calls 90
OTTER3: folds
Stefanw88: folds
zachsback: folds
toronto500: folds
SR8tAcEto5: calls 60 -Totally a pot odds call with the unsuited AT. BAD CALL!!!!
*** FLOP *** [5d 9s Td]
SR8tAcEto5: checks
TrentTX: bets 300
q-dog2k: folds
SR8tAcEto5: raises 420 to 720
TrentTX: raises 930 to 1650 and is all-in
SR8tAcEto5: calls 835 and is all-in
*** TURN *** [5d 9s Td] [9h]
*** RIVER *** [5d 9s Td 9h] [Kc]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
SR8tAcEto5: shows [Ac Th] (two pair, Tens and Nines)
TrentTX: shows [Jc Jh] (two pair, Jacks and Nines)
TrentTX collected 3395 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 3395 | Rake 0
Board [5d 9s Td 9h Kc]
Seat 3: OTTER3 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: Stefanw88 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: zachsback (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: toronto500 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 7: SR8tAcEto5 (big blind) showed [Ac Th] and lost with two pair, Tens and Nines
Seat 8: TrentTX showed [Jc Jh] and won (3395) with two pair, Jacks and Nines
Seat 9: q-dog2k folded on the Flop
I GUESS IF THERE IS ONE THING THAT I HAVE TO REMEMBER,AND THAT IS TO PLAY SMALL POTS IN THE EARLY LEVELS!
AND RULE #1 OF MY POKER 10 COMMANDMENTS-never go broke in an unraised pot!!!!!
In this hand below i decided to call the short stack with 98s. I ended up being a 60/40% underdog or in other words i am a 3:2 dog in these races.
*********** # 83 **************
PokerStars Game #10203584706: Tournament #51709307, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em
No Limit - Level V (75/150) - 2007/05/31 - 18:10:55 (ET)
Table '51709307 1' 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (1109 in chips)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (8086 in chips)
Seat 9: sailor14 (4305 in chips)
JKPoindexter: posts small blind 75
SR8tAcEto5: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SR8tAcEto5 [9h 8h]
sailor14: folds
JKPoindexter: raises 959 to 1109 and is all-in
SR8tAcEto5: calls 959
*** FLOP *** [6s Kd 5s]
*** TURN *** [6s Kd 5s] [Td]
*** RIVER *** [6s Kd 5s Td] [Jh]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
JKPoindexter: shows [Tc Ad] (a pair of Tens)
SR8tAcEto5: shows [9h 8h] (high card King)
JKPoindexter collected 2218 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2218 | Rake 0
Board [6s Kd 5s Td Jh]
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (small blind) showed [Tc Ad] and won (2218) with a
pair of Tens
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (big blind) showed [9h 8h] and lost with high card
King
Seat 9: sailor14 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
THIS WAS THE LAST HAND THAT I PLAYED FOR THIS SESSION!
*********** # 95 **************
PokerStars Game #10203660519: Tournament #51709307, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em
No Limit - Level VI (100/200) - 2007/05/31 - 18:15:47 (ET)
Table '51709307 1' 9-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (1318 in chips)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (12182 in chips)
JKPoindexter: posts small blind 100
SR8tAcEto5: posts big blind 200
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SR8tAcEto5 [8d 7s]
JKPoindexter: raises 200 to 400
SR8tAcEto5: raises 11782 to 12182 and is all-in
JKPoindexter: calls 918 and is all-in
*** FLOP *** [7d Tc 4c]
*** TURN *** [7d Tc 4c] [8s]
*** RIVER *** [7d Tc 4c 8s] [Qc]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
SR8tAcEto5: shows [8d 7s] (two pair, Eights and Sevens)
JKPoindexter: shows [9h 4h] (a pair of Fours)
SR8tAcEto5 said, "gg"
SR8tAcEto5 collected 2636 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2636 | Rake 0
Board [7d Tc 4c 8s Qc]
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (button) (small blind) showed [9h 4h] and lost
with a pair of Fours
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (big blind) showed [8d 7s] and won (2636) with two
pair, Eights and Sevens
With the playing style that i am workig on,I need to 1st evualuate the play at the table. This starts at the 10/20-15/30 Levels and my main goal is to see who really understands what's going on,and who doesn't. I also want to see who will lay a hand down and who will call to the river.
During this time my hand playing requirements are very tight,but they are also super Aggressive also.One thing i have noticed is that i need to play my big non-pair hands as close to the button in late position as possible.These hands include (AKo/AKs/AQs/AQo with AKs/o i will push 5-6xbb UTG. But i am not so inclined to do the same with any AQ suited or not from UTG when the blinds are 10/20-15/30. From my experience AQ becomes more valueble at higher levels in middle to late position;The way i play it for a sng anyway.
One big problem in my game that i have found;Is the fact that i want to pull the trigger alittle to early in these things.And this has gotten me into alot of trouble.I have currently played only 2 hands in this tourney so far.Picking up both AK and KQ with no action after the 6xbb raise. But getting the action is not what is important to me;The show of agression is though!
The only thing i want to be remembered for is my agression and my play with big cards.This will give the impression that i only play good cardz and that i play them very hard! As a side note i am starting to work big connectors into my arsenal,but only when i have the ammo and position to do so.
Right now my M=19 and now under 20 so my game changes just a hair.Right now i will no longer play small or Med suited connector;As well as small pairs.My play also become more agressive ect.The current level is now 50/100 my M=10 and i am basicly playing position poker at this time,waiting for 1st in vigorish! 8player remain...
What i am trying to do here is find somethig that works on a consistant basis and then stick with it.I want to be able to mix it up and play hard also.Now if i must get on myself about one thing where i constantly fuck up;And that is not knowing when to let a hand go. And can think of three or maybe four different situations today alone where i lost;Becuase i thought my KK was good on an AA7 flop.
Today at the table even a guy who has gotten used to seeing me play made a comment when i lost the hand;Saying "I thought you learned the other day but i guess not". He then goes on to call me a donkey and to remind me of my shit house stats on SharkScope.com. I think one of my biggest achiles is to learn to lay it down and that should increase my cashflow.
I also have a formula that i am trying to perfect also;That has to do with ICM and the ammt of chips in the pot.The equation is (p)x(s)=(mpd) pot/street/max/pot/def
I have been working on thisformula for a while now;And basicaly i will need to go over hundreds if not thousands of hand histories.But i do plan to develope some kind of a database to take care of all of the guess work.
Basicly what seperates me from being a great player are a number of unseen thought proceses.Such as mastering the Zone System by Harrington,as well as the Blue book and aquiring pocker tracker data as well.And one big word i need to remember is SMALL as in ball poker.The only time i should play Long is in the green only!
And i am also considering keeping track of my hours log in a spreadsheet to better grasp my time investment.The fun thing about your learning curb and playing poker;Is getting familar with proper hand and position play.Now the style that i play does deviate from traditional poker;Such as making a call with to suited cards to a big raise.I call this shooting a flyer or trying to hit a shit hand to bust a better hand.
Patience is number one if you plan to make any money at this game.And honestly my patience sux at the table,the internet table anyway.But i have found that reading and writing such as what i am doing now,greatly helps my game overall.While i am on the subject of my Sng play i must also think about last night;When i played in the $11.70 super sat tournament.I seem to always make the final table in these tourneys rather it beig a full feild or not.
But lately here i find myself to be results oriented;When i have picked up KK in two final tables and had them both cracked! Which brings me to a final table that i attended last night in a super sat.I basicaly got my ass handed to me,becuase i had made my mind up to play bitch ball until the blinds got real big.Well instead of just playing my game i allowed myself to be outplayed;Becuase my mind was not in concert with the game that i am used to.
Peeps can call me a donk a fish or whatever! But i feel real confidient about the style i play in poker at this time.And as reckless as my style of play may look at times.I have been working my ass off to master the way that i play. I am not a Lag or a Tag player i am a HYBRID of both styles;and basicaly the better im running to more LAG i will be.I love playing longball poker when the System allows it;But i also enjoy having a coach roach style of TAG.............................!!!!!!
*********** # 4 **************
PokerStars Game #10202852489: Tournament #51709307, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em
No Limit - Level I (10/20) - 2007/05/31 - 17:24:35 (ET)
Table '51709307 1' 9-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (1500 in chips)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (1490 in chips)
Seat 3: Achille34 (1420 in chips)
Seat 4: GoBirds21 (1340 in chips)
Seat 5: omaha82 (1460 in chips)
Seat 6: vern555 (1460 in chips)
Seat 7: BertieJ (1500 in chips)
Seat 8: Akutama (1500 in chips)
Seat 9: sailor14 (1830 in chips)
omaha82: posts small blind 10
vern555: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SR8tAcEto5 [Qd Kd]
With 10/20 blinds i opt to play this hand hard!!!
BertieJ: folds
Akutama: calls 20
sailor14: folds
JKPoindexter: folds
SR8tAcEto5: raises 100 to 120 In this position this is a standard raise for me!
Achille34: folds
GoBirds21: raises 160 to 280
omaha82: folds
vern555: folds
Akutama: folds
SR8tAcEto5: calls 160 With my hand and another 160 i have np making the call!
*** FLOP *** [Td 8d 9d]
SR8tAcEto5: checks
GoBirds21: bets 1060 and is all-in
SR8tAcEto5: calls 1060 He seems to want to represent a QJ wheel but do you really come over the top with QJ????
*** TURN *** [Td 8d 9d] [2d]
*** RIVER *** [Td 8d 9d 2d] [8h]
IN THIS HAND I BASICALY OPTED TO PLAY FOR MY FLUSH! I KNEW HE WAS PROBOLY ACE HIGH. BUT I WAS ALSO AWARE OF THE FACT THAT,IF I HIT MY K=3 Q=3 OR A DIAMOND=9/I HAVE 15 OUTS TO WIN WITH 2 CARDS TO COME.
*** SHOW DOWN ***
SR8tAcEto5: shows [Qd Kd] (a flush, King high)
GoBirds21: shows [Kc Ac] (a pair of Eights)
SR8tAcEto5 collected 2730 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2730 | Rake 0
Board [Td 8d 9d 2d 8h]
Seat 1: JKPoindexter folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 showed [Qd Kd] and won (2730) with a flush, King
high
Seat 3: Achille34 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: GoBirds21 (button) showed [Kc Ac] and lost with a pair of
Eights
Seat 5: omaha82 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 6: vern555 (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 7: BertieJ folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: Akutama folded before Flop
Seat 9: sailor14 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
In this next hand i am second to act with to big suited and connected cards.
*********** # 20 **************
PokerStars Game #10203114899: Tournament #51709307, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em
No Limit - Level III (25/50) - 2007/05/31 - 17:41:12 (ET)
Table '51709307 1' 9-max Seat #7 is the button
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (2910 in chips)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (2800 in chips)
Seat 6: vern555 (990 in chips)
Seat 7: BertieJ (2900 in chips)
Seat 8: Akutama (1335 in chips)
Seat 9: sailor14 (2565 in chips)
Akutama: posts small blind 25
sailor14: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SR8tAcEto5 [Qh As]
JKPoindexter: folds
SR8tAcEto5: raises 150 to 200 This is my standard raise from 2nd position! But i have now changed this range as a raising had UTG. Here i came into the pot with a 3xbb raise;but after further research i would opt to limp here and call a small raise. I basically want to know where i am at by seeing another bet after i get involved.Doing this i make early position late position why watchign the action.
vern555: folds
BertieJ: folds
Akutama: calls 175
sailor14: calls 150
*** FLOP *** [8d 5d Ac]
Akutama: checks
sailor14: checks
SR8tAcEto5: bets 500
Akutama: folds
sailor14: folds
SR8tAcEto5 collected 600 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 600 | Rake 0
Board [8d 5d Ac]
Seat 1: JKPoindexter folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 collected (600)
Seat 6: vern555 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: BertieJ (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: Akutama (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 9: sailor14 (big blind) folded on the Flop
HERE I PICK UP POCKET 88 IN THIS HAND
*********** # 21 **************
PokerStars Game #10203131838: Tournament #51709307, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em
No Limit - Level III (25/50) - 2007/05/31 - 17:42:17 (ET)
Table '51709307 1' 9-max Seat #8 is the button
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (2910 in chips)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (3200 in chips)
Seat 6: vern555 (990 in chips)
Seat 7: BertieJ (2900 in chips)
Seat 8: Akutama (1135 in chips)
Seat 9: sailor14 (2365 in chips)
sailor14: posts small blind 25
JKPoindexter: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SR8tAcEto5 [8s 8d]
SR8tAcEto5: calls 50 UTG I option to limp to rep AK and keep myself out of trouble
vern555: folds
BertieJ: folds
Akutama: calls 50
sailor14: folds
JKPoindexter: checks
*** FLOP *** [Kd Ad 8h]
JKPoindexter: checks
SR8tAcEto5: checks
Akutama: bets 200
JKPoindexter: folds
SR8tAcEto5: calls 200 Very dangerous not to reraise but with my stack i was wiling to just call here!
*** TURN *** [Kd Ad 8h] [3c]
SR8tAcEto5: bets 250
Akutama: raises 635 to 885 and is all-in
SR8tAcEto5: calls 635
*** RIVER *** [Kd Ad 8h 3c] [Th]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
SR8tAcEto5: shows [8s 8d] (three of a kind, Eights)
Akutama: shows [Td Ah] (two pair, Aces and Tens)
SR8tAcEto5 collected 2345 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2345 | Rake 0
Board [Kd Ad 8h 3c Th]
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 showed [8s 8d] and won (2345) with three of a kind,
Eights
Seat 6: vern555 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: BertieJ folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: Akutama (button) showed [Td Ah] and lost with two pair, Aces
and Tens
Seat 9: sailor14 (small blind) folded before Flop
HERE IS ANOTHER HAND WHERE I PICK UP POCKET 99'S
*********** # 38 **************
PokerStars Game #10203279541: Tournament #51709307, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em
No Limit - Level IV (50/100) - 2007/05/31 - 17:51:41 (ET)
Table '51709307 1' 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (4450 in chips)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (4360 in chips) HERE I HAVE A LOCK ON 2ND PLACE!
Seat 7: BertieJ (2125 in chips)
Seat 9: sailor14 (2565 in chips)
JKPoindexter: posts small blind 50
SR8tAcEto5: posts big blind 100
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SR8tAcEto5 [9d 9c]--MY 9 IS 29 HERE SO IM FREE TO PLAY LONG BALL!!!
BertieJ: calls 100
sailor14: raises 200 to 300
JKPoindexter: folds
SR8tAcEto5: calls 200--BASIC OUT OF POSITION CALL
BertieJ: calls 200
*** FLOP *** [As 6c Jd]
SR8tAcEto5: checks
BertieJ: checks
sailor14: bets 100
SR8tAcEto5: raises 400 to 500--NOTHING MORE THAN A BASIC CHECK RAISE ON A NON-FLUSH BOARD.IM JUST TRYING TO SEE IF HE HAS IT HERE!
BertieJ: folds
sailor14: folds
SR8tAcEto5 collected 1150 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1150 | Rake 0
Board [As 6c Jd]
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (big blind) collected (1150)
Seat 7: BertieJ folded on the Flop
Seat 9: sailor14 (button) folded on the Flop
HERE I PICK UP AK !!!!!!!1
*********** # 39 **************
PokerStars Game #10203294209: Tournament #51709307, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em
No Limit - Level IV (50/100) - 2007/05/31 - 17:52:37 (ET)
Table '51709307 1' 9-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (4400 in chips)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (5110 in chips)
Seat 7: BertieJ (1825 in chips)
Seat 9: sailor14 (2165 in chips)
SR8tAcEto5: posts small blind 50
BertieJ: posts big blind 100
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SR8tAcEto5 [Ah Kh]
sailor14: folds
JKPoindexter: folds
SR8tAcEto5: raises 4899 to 4999 Now that i have reviewed this HH i do not advocate the open push here with AK even though it is suited.The problem i have been having is doig shit exactly like this. Yes it loks good and shure im a big favorite vs 3 random hands.Well atleast i think so LOL. ACTUALLY WE ARE A 40% FAVORITE
BertieJ: calls 1725 and is all-in
*** FLOP *** [7d 2s Kc]
*** TURN *** [7d 2s Kc] [3s]
*** RIVER *** [7d 2s Kc 3s] [Ac]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
SR8tAcEto5: shows [Ah Kh] (two pair, Aces and Kings)
BertieJ: shows [8h 8d] (a pair of Eights)
SR8tAcEto5 collected 3650 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 3650 | Rake 0
Board [7d 2s Kc 3s Ac]
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (small blind) showed [Ah Kh] and won (3650) with two
pair, Aces and Kings
Seat 7: BertieJ (big blind) showed [8h 8d] and lost with a pair of
Eights
Seat 9: sailor14 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
So i ended up getting lucky here even though i feel the open push was wrong on my part! This was also a pretty much coinflip from start to finish vs 88.If my M were let's say 10 are below i would welcome this move with open arms! But here it was just and overly agressive overkill.
IN THIS NEXT HAND IM SURE IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LITTLE ANALYST FOR SURE! THIS WAS A SUPER AGRESSO MOVE HERE LOL!
*********** # 41 **************
PokerStars Game #10203310418: Tournament #51709307, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em
No Limit - Level IV (50/100) - 2007/05/31 - 17:53:38 (ET)
Table '51709307 1' 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (4500 in chips)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (6935 in chips)
1ST I need to break down my game situation here;As i am the chip leader and my M is a whopping (46).My effective m is proboly around 25 or 26 but anyway,as far as the move itself and not the cards is justifiable.
By looking at this hand i am afforded by the math to spend (3000)-6935=20/m(green).So i should be allowed to lose 3000 in chips in this hand ;and still safely have enuff ammo to fight in the orange and yellow zone.
Seat 9: sailor14 (2065 in chips)
JKPoindexter: posts small blind 50
SR8tAcEto5: posts big blind 100
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SR8tAcEto5 [Td Kh]
sailor14: folds
JKPoindexter: raises 100 to 200--JK makes a small mini raise so i decide to push!
SR8tAcEto5: raises 399 to 599
JKPoindexter: calls 399--The flat call here allows me to narrow his holdings!
*** FLOP *** [Qc Ts 9s]
This flop gives me a double draw./If another T spikes i have a set/If i J spikes i have the Nut Wheel!/And the K gives me 9OUTS!
JKPoindexter: bets 600
SR8tAcEto5: raises 600 to 1200 -With this reraise i have consumed 1000 in chips only! and i still have 2000 in ammo to work with if needed!
JKPoindexter: calls 600
*** TURN *** [Qc Ts 9s] [8d]
JKPoindexter: checks
SR8tAcEto5: bets 1400 bARRING he has a Jack i have a double belly draw as well.
JKPoindexter said, "nh"----And there is the white flag!!!!!!!
JKPoindexter: folds
SR8tAcEto5 collected 3598 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 3598 | Rake 0
Board [Qc Ts 9s 8d]
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (small blind) folded on the Turn
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (big blind) collected (3598)
Seat 9: sailor14 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
So maybe this does look Hyper Agresso!!!!! But that's becuase i play with 2nd and 3rd level thinking!
THIS IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF HIGH RISK LOW REWARD!!!!! NO MORE............
*********** # 69 **************
PokerStars Game #10203494999: Tournament #51709307, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em
No Limit - Level V (75/150) - 2007/05/31 - 18:05:15 (ET)
Table '51709307 1' 9-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (3899 in chips)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (7861 in chips)
Seat 9: sailor14 (1740 in chips)
SR8tAcEto5: posts small blind 75
sailor14: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SR8tAcEto5 [Qd Kh]
JKPoindexter: folds
SR8tAcEto5: raises 6849 to 6999
sailor14: folds
SR8tAcEto5 collected 300 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 300 | Rake 0
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (small blind) collected (300)
Seat 9: sailor14 (big blind) folded before Flop
WELL I JUST PLAYED THIS HAND AND WANTED TO SHARE TOTAL STUPIDISM!!!!
PokerStars Game #10218275034: Tournament #51787083, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em No Limit - Level II (15/30) - 2007/06/01 - 16:12:51 (ET)
Table '51787083 1' 9-max Seat #5 is the button
Seat 3: OTTER3 (1570 in chips)
Seat 4: Stefanw88 (1120 in chips)
Seat 5: zachsback (2035 in chips)
Seat 6: toronto500 (3620 in chips)
Seat 7: SR8tAcEto5 (1645 in chips)
Seat 8: TrentTX (1740 in chips)
Seat 9: q-dog2k (1770 in chips)
toronto500: posts small blind 15
SR8tAcEto5: posts big blind 30
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SR8tAcEto5 [Ac Th]
TrentTX: raises 60 to 90
q-dog2k: calls 90
OTTER3: folds
Stefanw88: folds
zachsback: folds
toronto500: folds
SR8tAcEto5: calls 60 -Totally a pot odds call with the unsuited AT. BAD CALL!!!!
*** FLOP *** [5d 9s Td]
SR8tAcEto5: checks
TrentTX: bets 300
q-dog2k: folds
SR8tAcEto5: raises 420 to 720
TrentTX: raises 930 to 1650 and is all-in
SR8tAcEto5: calls 835 and is all-in
*** TURN *** [5d 9s Td] [9h]
*** RIVER *** [5d 9s Td 9h] [Kc]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
SR8tAcEto5: shows [Ac Th] (two pair, Tens and Nines)
TrentTX: shows [Jc Jh] (two pair, Jacks and Nines)
TrentTX collected 3395 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 3395 | Rake 0
Board [5d 9s Td 9h Kc]
Seat 3: OTTER3 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: Stefanw88 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: zachsback (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: toronto500 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 7: SR8tAcEto5 (big blind) showed [Ac Th] and lost with two pair, Tens and Nines
Seat 8: TrentTX showed [Jc Jh] and won (3395) with two pair, Jacks and Nines
Seat 9: q-dog2k folded on the Flop
I GUESS IF THERE IS ONE THING THAT I HAVE TO REMEMBER,AND THAT IS TO PLAY SMALL POTS IN THE EARLY LEVELS!
AND RULE #1 OF MY POKER 10 COMMANDMENTS-never go broke in an unraised pot!!!!!
In this hand below i decided to call the short stack with 98s. I ended up being a 60/40% underdog or in other words i am a 3:2 dog in these races.
*********** # 83 **************
PokerStars Game #10203584706: Tournament #51709307, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em
No Limit - Level V (75/150) - 2007/05/31 - 18:10:55 (ET)
Table '51709307 1' 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (1109 in chips)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (8086 in chips)
Seat 9: sailor14 (4305 in chips)
JKPoindexter: posts small blind 75
SR8tAcEto5: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SR8tAcEto5 [9h 8h]
sailor14: folds
JKPoindexter: raises 959 to 1109 and is all-in
SR8tAcEto5: calls 959
*** FLOP *** [6s Kd 5s]
*** TURN *** [6s Kd 5s] [Td]
*** RIVER *** [6s Kd 5s Td] [Jh]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
JKPoindexter: shows [Tc Ad] (a pair of Tens)
SR8tAcEto5: shows [9h 8h] (high card King)
JKPoindexter collected 2218 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2218 | Rake 0
Board [6s Kd 5s Td Jh]
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (small blind) showed [Tc Ad] and won (2218) with a
pair of Tens
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (big blind) showed [9h 8h] and lost with high card
King
Seat 9: sailor14 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
THIS WAS THE LAST HAND THAT I PLAYED FOR THIS SESSION!
*********** # 95 **************
PokerStars Game #10203660519: Tournament #51709307, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em
No Limit - Level VI (100/200) - 2007/05/31 - 18:15:47 (ET)
Table '51709307 1' 9-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (1318 in chips)
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (12182 in chips)
JKPoindexter: posts small blind 100
SR8tAcEto5: posts big blind 200
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to SR8tAcEto5 [8d 7s]
JKPoindexter: raises 200 to 400
SR8tAcEto5: raises 11782 to 12182 and is all-in
JKPoindexter: calls 918 and is all-in
*** FLOP *** [7d Tc 4c]
*** TURN *** [7d Tc 4c] [8s]
*** RIVER *** [7d Tc 4c 8s] [Qc]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
SR8tAcEto5: shows [8d 7s] (two pair, Eights and Sevens)
JKPoindexter: shows [9h 4h] (a pair of Fours)
SR8tAcEto5 said, "gg"
SR8tAcEto5 collected 2636 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2636 | Rake 0
Board [7d Tc 4c 8s Qc]
Seat 1: JKPoindexter (button) (small blind) showed [9h 4h] and lost
with a pair of Fours
Seat 2: SR8tAcEto5 (big blind) showed [8d 7s] and won (2636) with two
pair, Eights and Sevens
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
HU SNG PLAY NEED TO KNOWS
Heads Up SNG Advice
by shipitthisway on 6/19/2006 20:50
Heads Up. One-on-One. Mano-a-Mano. Some refer to it as the truest form of poker.
Playing someone heads up is a different form of poker. I like to think of it in basketball terms, another game I enjoy. In basketball, we always see NBA and College teams playing 5-on-5---10 guys on the floor like ten guys at a full poker table. With ten guys on the floor, each person adapts to the game, seeing what their teammates and opponents are doing and how they are playing and developing a role as a result. In tournaments, when you are playing with a full table of ten people, your responsibilities are usually more limited because your role calls for you to be patient and only attack a minority of the time.
Now think of a 3-on-3 game of basketball at your local gym. There weren't enough guys to run a full game, so you play a half court game with only six players. This is similar to SNGs that only seat six people or short-handed tournaments. In 3-on-3 basketball, everyone is forced to be more active and have more responsibilities. With five guys on a squad, you can ignore a bad teammate by not passing to him and having him set screens. With only three, however, a good player will get double-teamed and the other two teammates have to be capable of knocking down a shot or getting open under the hoop to help the team. In 6-man SNGs, you also have to be more active and have more responsibilities, since the blinds will come around more quickly and there are fewer opponents.
Now imagine that it's just you and a buddy. You decide to play one-on-one, and it's a whole new ballgame. There are no teammates to pass to, and you don't have to worry about screens or double-teams. You have all the responsibilities, as you're the only one to score, defend, and rebound. I used to play one-on-one with my older brother all the time growing up. He was 2 years older, a couple inches taller, and a few pounds heavier. As a result, I had to adjust my game by playing tougher defense and perfecting my jumpshot and fade away moves. When you're one-on-one, there is nobody else to blame but yourself, but you're also the only person to receive credit if you succeed. This is why I started to play heads-up poker; it was just me and my opponent. There was only one person to focus on, one person to beat. Winner take all.
Another real reason I played heads-up was when I used to receive transfers online, they were only $6. I played $5 SNGs, so I only had two options: A full table or heads-up. I decided that getting better heads up would also improve my overall poker game, and that the vice-versa would not be true. In the past year, I have probably played between 2,000-2,500 heads up SNGs, and now will offer some advice on things I have picked up:
1) The button is your best friend. Position is key in all forms of poker, especially in heads up play. The button gives you power. It allows you to control pots, consistently pick up "dead" pots, chase draws at the right price, bluff a weak opponent, etc. etc. etc. When Phil Ivey played John D'Agostino heads up at the 2004 Turning Stone tournament, they each held the same hand, 8-9 offsuit. Howard Lederer said that the player with the button (Ivey) was about a 2:1 favorite because of their position. On the flop, both players missed and Ivey took it down by stabbing at the pot.
A few months ago, I was helping a friend who was new to poker. He had seriously never played a hand in his life, and he put a couple bucks on an online site. He played a couple heads up games as I offered advice, and he started winning. He put $25 on and soon he was playing for $100 a game. He had just won one match, but he accidentally hit the rematch button. I had to leave, as I was already pretty late for a class and had to force my buddy to fend for himself. I told him just to be aggressive with the button and bet his big hands hard. Somehow, he won.
I like to raise from the button just about every hand. If I'm not raising, I'm at least calling. Unless the blinds are very high, I want to see just about every hand where I have the button.
2) Bet, bet, bet. Your chips are your ammo. Put in tester bets, bluff-raises, continuation bets, value bets, whatever. When I play heads up, I am trying to pick up every single pot and not let you do the same. You have to have heart to play No Limit poker, but you gotta have a big pocket pair between your legs to really win at Heads Up No Limit poker. If you control the action, you will control the outcome most of the time. Know when to stop, but don't be afraid to put them to the test. The beauty of heads up poker is that every chip you win, your opponent also loses. You absolutely cannot sit around and wait in heads up.
3) Tilting is very common in heads up play. I don't care who you are, if you're any kind of a competitor, you will tilt when you play poker. You lose to a 3-outer, and you think about the swing you just took. It may not also lead to losing money, because some are smart enough to realize when they are doing so, but the thing that tilting people love to do the most is gamble to win their money back. When you're playing to break even, you're going to play some horrendous poker. I can tell you from personal experience about nights when I have lost six figures---tilt is very dangerous and very common in heads up poker.
In heads up, you will inevitably run into someone who thinks that you simply got lucky when you won. If you show them a bluff, they want nothing more than to bluff you back. Ultimate Bet has the beautiful Re-match button, which has led to some very profitable sessions for me. I once won seven straight $200 Heads up SNGs in less than thirty minutes against an opponent who was making the most ridiculous losing plays I have ever seen. Identify and try to attack those who are on tilt, but also keep your own emotions in check. As a rule, I would never lose more than two SNGs in a row to a single opponent.
When I was early in my days at high stakes SNGs, I played a series of games with Muddywater from CardRunners that really gave me confidence. We had played a couple of $500 SNGs that he won when he asked to play for $1k a pop. We moved to the next level, and I started to control the action. I had just watched a couple of his videos on his site, and was in complete control of the match. I was picking off his bluffs, getting hands paid off, and showing my bluffs just to try and get in his head. The two of us laugh about it now that we know each other, but I had him rattled and calling me a "cardrack." I was hitting some flops, which one person is bound to do more than the other, and got Andrew, who is a very intelligent and tough opponent, to go on tilt and lose eight consecutive games to me before we quit.
4) Don't expect to win every time. A 52.5% is the water level win percentage for a heads up player. That also means that you will almost lose half of all games you play. You are going to lose. Your opponent is either going to pick off a bluff, outflop you, suck out on you, or catch hands all match. These things happen, and they happen a lot of the time. Keep your head.
5) Identify which sites you play best on. For me, for example, I always played my best on UB's structure because it dealt hands the quickest, allowed the re-match option, allowed for skilled play, and always placed me in the center of the table.
6) Understand the facts and react accordingly. I am going to reference Vol. 2 of Harrington on Hold 'Em (which I recommend reading) for some facts that are permanently stuck in my head for heads up play. Dan says that flopping top pair heads-up is the equivalent of flopping a set at a full table. I don't think top pair is quite that strong, but it is very, very strong heads up.
Your kicker also matters. My favorite hand in heads up play is K-Q, because if either a K or Q flops, you have top pair, great kicker. If it comes j-10-x, you have two overs with the nice draw. After the flop, having a draw with overcards is a huge hand, one that you will want to push the action with almost all the time. Holding A-J on a 10-6-3 flop should look like a set to you when you're playing heads up.
One statistic that really sticks in my head is this: The frequency of both you and your opponent holding pocket pairs on the same hand is a little less than 1 in 300 hands. What does this mean? It means that any pair is very valuable in heads up play. At a full table, you will take a hand like 3-3 and try to flop a set. At a heads up table, you can take that pair and push with it, re-raising and moving all-in, being willing to gamble. Especially when the blinds are high, I love to push with baby pairs and pick up the dead money from the blinds. Remember that every chip you win, your opponenet loses, and vice versa.
Heads up is a unique yet interesting form of poker. I suggest trying it out for anyone who is serious about improving their game.
by shipitthisway on 6/19/2006 20:50
Heads Up. One-on-One. Mano-a-Mano. Some refer to it as the truest form of poker.
Playing someone heads up is a different form of poker. I like to think of it in basketball terms, another game I enjoy. In basketball, we always see NBA and College teams playing 5-on-5---10 guys on the floor like ten guys at a full poker table. With ten guys on the floor, each person adapts to the game, seeing what their teammates and opponents are doing and how they are playing and developing a role as a result. In tournaments, when you are playing with a full table of ten people, your responsibilities are usually more limited because your role calls for you to be patient and only attack a minority of the time.
Now think of a 3-on-3 game of basketball at your local gym. There weren't enough guys to run a full game, so you play a half court game with only six players. This is similar to SNGs that only seat six people or short-handed tournaments. In 3-on-3 basketball, everyone is forced to be more active and have more responsibilities. With five guys on a squad, you can ignore a bad teammate by not passing to him and having him set screens. With only three, however, a good player will get double-teamed and the other two teammates have to be capable of knocking down a shot or getting open under the hoop to help the team. In 6-man SNGs, you also have to be more active and have more responsibilities, since the blinds will come around more quickly and there are fewer opponents.
Now imagine that it's just you and a buddy. You decide to play one-on-one, and it's a whole new ballgame. There are no teammates to pass to, and you don't have to worry about screens or double-teams. You have all the responsibilities, as you're the only one to score, defend, and rebound. I used to play one-on-one with my older brother all the time growing up. He was 2 years older, a couple inches taller, and a few pounds heavier. As a result, I had to adjust my game by playing tougher defense and perfecting my jumpshot and fade away moves. When you're one-on-one, there is nobody else to blame but yourself, but you're also the only person to receive credit if you succeed. This is why I started to play heads-up poker; it was just me and my opponent. There was only one person to focus on, one person to beat. Winner take all.
Another real reason I played heads-up was when I used to receive transfers online, they were only $6. I played $5 SNGs, so I only had two options: A full table or heads-up. I decided that getting better heads up would also improve my overall poker game, and that the vice-versa would not be true. In the past year, I have probably played between 2,000-2,500 heads up SNGs, and now will offer some advice on things I have picked up:
1) The button is your best friend. Position is key in all forms of poker, especially in heads up play. The button gives you power. It allows you to control pots, consistently pick up "dead" pots, chase draws at the right price, bluff a weak opponent, etc. etc. etc. When Phil Ivey played John D'Agostino heads up at the 2004 Turning Stone tournament, they each held the same hand, 8-9 offsuit. Howard Lederer said that the player with the button (Ivey) was about a 2:1 favorite because of their position. On the flop, both players missed and Ivey took it down by stabbing at the pot.
A few months ago, I was helping a friend who was new to poker. He had seriously never played a hand in his life, and he put a couple bucks on an online site. He played a couple heads up games as I offered advice, and he started winning. He put $25 on and soon he was playing for $100 a game. He had just won one match, but he accidentally hit the rematch button. I had to leave, as I was already pretty late for a class and had to force my buddy to fend for himself. I told him just to be aggressive with the button and bet his big hands hard. Somehow, he won.
I like to raise from the button just about every hand. If I'm not raising, I'm at least calling. Unless the blinds are very high, I want to see just about every hand where I have the button.
2) Bet, bet, bet. Your chips are your ammo. Put in tester bets, bluff-raises, continuation bets, value bets, whatever. When I play heads up, I am trying to pick up every single pot and not let you do the same. You have to have heart to play No Limit poker, but you gotta have a big pocket pair between your legs to really win at Heads Up No Limit poker. If you control the action, you will control the outcome most of the time. Know when to stop, but don't be afraid to put them to the test. The beauty of heads up poker is that every chip you win, your opponent also loses. You absolutely cannot sit around and wait in heads up.
3) Tilting is very common in heads up play. I don't care who you are, if you're any kind of a competitor, you will tilt when you play poker. You lose to a 3-outer, and you think about the swing you just took. It may not also lead to losing money, because some are smart enough to realize when they are doing so, but the thing that tilting people love to do the most is gamble to win their money back. When you're playing to break even, you're going to play some horrendous poker. I can tell you from personal experience about nights when I have lost six figures---tilt is very dangerous and very common in heads up poker.
In heads up, you will inevitably run into someone who thinks that you simply got lucky when you won. If you show them a bluff, they want nothing more than to bluff you back. Ultimate Bet has the beautiful Re-match button, which has led to some very profitable sessions for me. I once won seven straight $200 Heads up SNGs in less than thirty minutes against an opponent who was making the most ridiculous losing plays I have ever seen. Identify and try to attack those who are on tilt, but also keep your own emotions in check. As a rule, I would never lose more than two SNGs in a row to a single opponent.
When I was early in my days at high stakes SNGs, I played a series of games with Muddywater from CardRunners that really gave me confidence. We had played a couple of $500 SNGs that he won when he asked to play for $1k a pop. We moved to the next level, and I started to control the action. I had just watched a couple of his videos on his site, and was in complete control of the match. I was picking off his bluffs, getting hands paid off, and showing my bluffs just to try and get in his head. The two of us laugh about it now that we know each other, but I had him rattled and calling me a "cardrack." I was hitting some flops, which one person is bound to do more than the other, and got Andrew, who is a very intelligent and tough opponent, to go on tilt and lose eight consecutive games to me before we quit.
4) Don't expect to win every time. A 52.5% is the water level win percentage for a heads up player. That also means that you will almost lose half of all games you play. You are going to lose. Your opponent is either going to pick off a bluff, outflop you, suck out on you, or catch hands all match. These things happen, and they happen a lot of the time. Keep your head.
5) Identify which sites you play best on. For me, for example, I always played my best on UB's structure because it dealt hands the quickest, allowed the re-match option, allowed for skilled play, and always placed me in the center of the table.
6) Understand the facts and react accordingly. I am going to reference Vol. 2 of Harrington on Hold 'Em (which I recommend reading) for some facts that are permanently stuck in my head for heads up play. Dan says that flopping top pair heads-up is the equivalent of flopping a set at a full table. I don't think top pair is quite that strong, but it is very, very strong heads up.
Your kicker also matters. My favorite hand in heads up play is K-Q, because if either a K or Q flops, you have top pair, great kicker. If it comes j-10-x, you have two overs with the nice draw. After the flop, having a draw with overcards is a huge hand, one that you will want to push the action with almost all the time. Holding A-J on a 10-6-3 flop should look like a set to you when you're playing heads up.
One statistic that really sticks in my head is this: The frequency of both you and your opponent holding pocket pairs on the same hand is a little less than 1 in 300 hands. What does this mean? It means that any pair is very valuable in heads up play. At a full table, you will take a hand like 3-3 and try to flop a set. At a heads up table, you can take that pair and push with it, re-raising and moving all-in, being willing to gamble. Especially when the blinds are high, I love to push with baby pairs and pick up the dead money from the blinds. Remember that every chip you win, your opponenet loses, and vice versa.
Heads up is a unique yet interesting form of poker. I suggest trying it out for anyone who is serious about improving their game.
BAD BEATS ARTICLE FROM POCKET FIVES
Why Me? A Perspective on Bad Beats
by + to the EV! on 8/16/2006 00:28
10 people are left in the Sunday Million on PokerStars. Your 2,000,000 chips puts you solidly in third place. However, two to your left is the chip-leader, who has been running over the table with constant aggression.
Then, bingo! You look down at KK. As it folds around to the button, you make a standard three times the big blind raise. After the small blind folds, the big blind quickly shoves all of his chips in the middle. You make the call, and upon seeing his A9, the fresh new car smell is already in the air. You're five cards away from becoming the new chip leader, and the flop comes out Q 2 7 – beautiful! The turn worryingly brings your opponent a flush draw. The K of clubs appears on Fifth Street, giving your opponent his flush.
Beats such as these are no rarity in poker. Any player who has been around the block at least once has seen it many times. People often wonder how they can be a great player when such beats “happen every time.” What great players have is the correct perspective on such hands. There are a few things that a great player must realize in order to cope with the bad-beats of poker over the course of a lifetime.
Bad beats happen:
The main reason that poker is such a popular game is the fact that anyone can win on any given day, and that any two cards can win a single hand. Bad beats are a part of poker, plain and simple. Learn to deal with them or find a new game.
What can I learn from the hand?:
Many times in a hand that seems to be a terrible beat, there is something to be learned. Questions you need to ask yourself are:
-Did I raise pre-flop?
-Did I raise enough?
-Did I bet enough to give my opponents an incorrect price for their draws?
Although it may not have changed how the hand ended up, it is important to learn from everything you can when playing the game of poker. Make it a habit to save hand histories and discuss them with friends. On top of that, use programs like PokerTracker or PokerOffice to analyze your play.
The money went in when I was in front:
All a good poker player can do is to get his or her money in with a statistical advantage over their opponents. You should be completely happy with yourself if you can accomplish this feat more times than not. You have outplayed and manipulated your opponents, and by being able to get all the money in with the best of it, you are on the road to long-term profit, regardless of the result of any individual hand.
Damn the Results:
A great player once told me, “Play the hand to the best of your ability, and damn the results.” Nothing is more important than this statement. The results of one hand do not in any way, shape, or form, indicate how a hand was played. If a person consistently gets in with the best statistical hand, positive results will follow.
The perspective, or understanding, that great players have of "bad beats" also includes many things that may not be apparent to the average or casual player. One thing that a player must understand is the true meaning of the word "dominated." In a literal sense, dominated means "to enjoy a commanding, controlling position." In poker, how much of a favorite does it take to be in command of a hand? Many players do not have a sense of domination when considering bad-beats.
For example, consider our previous hand - A9 against KK. The kings will win 67.57% of the time, while the A9 takes down the pot 32.07% of the time (a split occurs 0.36% of the time). Basically the kings are going to scoop 2 out of 3 pots. Look at it this way: suppose that 32.07% of time you ate egg salad for lunch, you would be sick for the rest of the day. Would you be surprised to get sick when you ate it? No, of course not. There is a one in 3 chance you are going to be spending your evening in the bathroom. Now, consider a hand more along the lines of Aces versus A9 suited. Aces are a 93.27% favorite. The difference in the two examples is being a 2:1 favorite and being an 18:1 favorite.
Rivered? Turned? Flopped? It's all the same:
Another key factor to coping with bad-beats is being able to understand that it does not matter what street your opponents hand improves on relative to when the majority of the money went into the pot. In regards to pre-flop play, Ace-Nine suited seems a much tougher beat when your opponent hits arunner-runner flush on your King-King. But, this is no different than your opponent getting an Ace as the door card, if all the money was in the middle before the flop. The 32.07% chance to win the hand incorporates every possible scenario in which A9 suited beats KK.
Another common complaint from multi-table-tournament (MTT) players is that they always seem to go out with the best of it. However, when diving into the statistics of MTTs, you may find that it is more-so a "bad-beat" when you win a tournament after winning multiple 67%/33% scenarios. It is more likely for you to lose one all in as a 2:1 favorite over the course of an MTT than it is likely for you to win every 2:1 favorite scenario. Over the course of an MTT, there are many times when a player does get his/her chips in the middle as a 2:1 favorite, whether it be Ace-X against a pair bigger than X, top pair against a flush draw with no live cards, or an open-ended straight draw. Over, say six of these situations, you are more likely to lose one than you are to win them all. In MTTs, you can expect to lose six of eighteen out of thesituations where you are a 2:1 favorite. However, you can expect to lose only one when you're an 18:1 favorite. The math is simple, but the perspective on how often a bad-beat should happen and how often a bad-beat does happen is a very complex issue.
The fact is that bad-beats are a part of the game of poker. The negative aspects of beats come from the psychology behind them. The human brain being what it is, however, means that you're much more likely to remember the beats you suffer than the beats you deal to other players.
by + to the EV! on 8/16/2006 00:28
10 people are left in the Sunday Million on PokerStars. Your 2,000,000 chips puts you solidly in third place. However, two to your left is the chip-leader, who has been running over the table with constant aggression.
Then, bingo! You look down at KK. As it folds around to the button, you make a standard three times the big blind raise. After the small blind folds, the big blind quickly shoves all of his chips in the middle. You make the call, and upon seeing his A9, the fresh new car smell is already in the air. You're five cards away from becoming the new chip leader, and the flop comes out Q 2 7 – beautiful! The turn worryingly brings your opponent a flush draw. The K of clubs appears on Fifth Street, giving your opponent his flush.
Beats such as these are no rarity in poker. Any player who has been around the block at least once has seen it many times. People often wonder how they can be a great player when such beats “happen every time.” What great players have is the correct perspective on such hands. There are a few things that a great player must realize in order to cope with the bad-beats of poker over the course of a lifetime.
Bad beats happen:
The main reason that poker is such a popular game is the fact that anyone can win on any given day, and that any two cards can win a single hand. Bad beats are a part of poker, plain and simple. Learn to deal with them or find a new game.
What can I learn from the hand?:
Many times in a hand that seems to be a terrible beat, there is something to be learned. Questions you need to ask yourself are:
-Did I raise pre-flop?
-Did I raise enough?
-Did I bet enough to give my opponents an incorrect price for their draws?
Although it may not have changed how the hand ended up, it is important to learn from everything you can when playing the game of poker. Make it a habit to save hand histories and discuss them with friends. On top of that, use programs like PokerTracker or PokerOffice to analyze your play.
The money went in when I was in front:
All a good poker player can do is to get his or her money in with a statistical advantage over their opponents. You should be completely happy with yourself if you can accomplish this feat more times than not. You have outplayed and manipulated your opponents, and by being able to get all the money in with the best of it, you are on the road to long-term profit, regardless of the result of any individual hand.
Damn the Results:
A great player once told me, “Play the hand to the best of your ability, and damn the results.” Nothing is more important than this statement. The results of one hand do not in any way, shape, or form, indicate how a hand was played. If a person consistently gets in with the best statistical hand, positive results will follow.
The perspective, or understanding, that great players have of "bad beats" also includes many things that may not be apparent to the average or casual player. One thing that a player must understand is the true meaning of the word "dominated." In a literal sense, dominated means "to enjoy a commanding, controlling position." In poker, how much of a favorite does it take to be in command of a hand? Many players do not have a sense of domination when considering bad-beats.
For example, consider our previous hand - A9 against KK. The kings will win 67.57% of the time, while the A9 takes down the pot 32.07% of the time (a split occurs 0.36% of the time). Basically the kings are going to scoop 2 out of 3 pots. Look at it this way: suppose that 32.07% of time you ate egg salad for lunch, you would be sick for the rest of the day. Would you be surprised to get sick when you ate it? No, of course not. There is a one in 3 chance you are going to be spending your evening in the bathroom. Now, consider a hand more along the lines of Aces versus A9 suited. Aces are a 93.27% favorite. The difference in the two examples is being a 2:1 favorite and being an 18:1 favorite.
Rivered? Turned? Flopped? It's all the same:
Another key factor to coping with bad-beats is being able to understand that it does not matter what street your opponents hand improves on relative to when the majority of the money went into the pot. In regards to pre-flop play, Ace-Nine suited seems a much tougher beat when your opponent hits arunner-runner flush on your King-King. But, this is no different than your opponent getting an Ace as the door card, if all the money was in the middle before the flop. The 32.07% chance to win the hand incorporates every possible scenario in which A9 suited beats KK.
Another common complaint from multi-table-tournament (MTT) players is that they always seem to go out with the best of it. However, when diving into the statistics of MTTs, you may find that it is more-so a "bad-beat" when you win a tournament after winning multiple 67%/33% scenarios. It is more likely for you to lose one all in as a 2:1 favorite over the course of an MTT than it is likely for you to win every 2:1 favorite scenario. Over the course of an MTT, there are many times when a player does get his/her chips in the middle as a 2:1 favorite, whether it be Ace-X against a pair bigger than X, top pair against a flush draw with no live cards, or an open-ended straight draw. Over, say six of these situations, you are more likely to lose one than you are to win them all. In MTTs, you can expect to lose six of eighteen out of thesituations where you are a 2:1 favorite. However, you can expect to lose only one when you're an 18:1 favorite. The math is simple, but the perspective on how often a bad-beat should happen and how often a bad-beat does happen is a very complex issue.
The fact is that bad-beats are a part of the game of poker. The negative aspects of beats come from the psychology behind them. The human brain being what it is, however, means that you're much more likely to remember the beats you suffer than the beats you deal to other players.
The Endgame
The Endgame
by The Shrike on 8/27/2006 00:30
I received some compliments on my play in a recent $109 rebuy tournament on Pokerstars, including one from legggggggy indicating there was something to be learned from the skills I showed that night. I have always been told my short stack game is very good, so I thought it might be a decent time to offer my thoughts on short stack end game play.
There are many things that go through my mind when I am in that spot, but I always keep in mind that odds aren’t everything. At times during this tournament, I was the smallest stack by a lot. Frankly, I don’t remember a ton of specific hands, but I can tell you that there are always times late in these tournaments when I have to stop and think, where some players might say you have to call because you are committed.
Mostly, what I am referring to is being in the big blind, with say ¼ of your chips in the pot already. You look down at K10 or A2, and since you have ¼ of your chips in, you pretty much have to play for your tournament life, right? Well, not necessarily. Conventional thinking is that if you fold, you won’t be able to make a decent raise, and you will get called, so you can’t allow yourself to fold and become that low where you have no ability to make people fold to your raise. Again, this is not necessarily true, in my opinion.
I trust my instincts. Suppose I have 83 off suit in the big blind with 2000 of my 5700 chips invested in that big blind. A guy raises who isn’t a huge fan of Ace rag, a player who is a little tight in general in that spot normally. If I fold, I have 3700 with blinds at 1000-2000, which is not very appealing. And yet, I have to think: what hand do I put that raiser on? Maybe it is overs and my cards are live, but it is very possible that he has a pair, middle or 99 and up.
Many people would say you have to call anyway, and people have criticized me at the table and from the rail for folding. True, I can’t put a solid raise up now, but if I know the table and the players, I can pick a spot to still get my chips in ahead perhaps, and I have 7-8 hands to get better than 83. In this tournament, for example, Beatiful Man was huge and had been raising with a wide range of hands, especially Ace rag. I hate Ace rag, but if in the next 4-5 hands I get A7 or A9 with him raising in front of me, I may very well be ahead, and there IS a solid raise (from him) that can’t just be called by anyone behind me. If I win the hand, I now have 3700+3700+3000 in blinds and the antes. This “jumping in” behind a raise is a play I have used with great success. I’d rather trust my instincts and “reads” in that way than simply give up with 83 and be up against 99.
Furthermore, reads are possible online. I often have a very good idea of the exact hand people have online, as many of my friends could tell you. Sometimes you just know when someone has AJ or A10, and I might very well fold in my big blind with A6, if I am sure. I like my chances in picking a spot to jump in and call underneath a raise and either be ahead or be live, and I’ll play that way no matter what the railbirds think.
Right or wrong, this has been a very successful short stack end game strategy for me, and I get endless amounts of praise for my late play; so do what you will with my thoughts, and good luck.
by The Shrike on 8/27/2006 00:30
I received some compliments on my play in a recent $109 rebuy tournament on Pokerstars, including one from legggggggy indicating there was something to be learned from the skills I showed that night. I have always been told my short stack game is very good, so I thought it might be a decent time to offer my thoughts on short stack end game play.
There are many things that go through my mind when I am in that spot, but I always keep in mind that odds aren’t everything. At times during this tournament, I was the smallest stack by a lot. Frankly, I don’t remember a ton of specific hands, but I can tell you that there are always times late in these tournaments when I have to stop and think, where some players might say you have to call because you are committed.
Mostly, what I am referring to is being in the big blind, with say ¼ of your chips in the pot already. You look down at K10 or A2, and since you have ¼ of your chips in, you pretty much have to play for your tournament life, right? Well, not necessarily. Conventional thinking is that if you fold, you won’t be able to make a decent raise, and you will get called, so you can’t allow yourself to fold and become that low where you have no ability to make people fold to your raise. Again, this is not necessarily true, in my opinion.
I trust my instincts. Suppose I have 83 off suit in the big blind with 2000 of my 5700 chips invested in that big blind. A guy raises who isn’t a huge fan of Ace rag, a player who is a little tight in general in that spot normally. If I fold, I have 3700 with blinds at 1000-2000, which is not very appealing. And yet, I have to think: what hand do I put that raiser on? Maybe it is overs and my cards are live, but it is very possible that he has a pair, middle or 99 and up.
Many people would say you have to call anyway, and people have criticized me at the table and from the rail for folding. True, I can’t put a solid raise up now, but if I know the table and the players, I can pick a spot to still get my chips in ahead perhaps, and I have 7-8 hands to get better than 83. In this tournament, for example, Beatiful Man was huge and had been raising with a wide range of hands, especially Ace rag. I hate Ace rag, but if in the next 4-5 hands I get A7 or A9 with him raising in front of me, I may very well be ahead, and there IS a solid raise (from him) that can’t just be called by anyone behind me. If I win the hand, I now have 3700+3700+3000 in blinds and the antes. This “jumping in” behind a raise is a play I have used with great success. I’d rather trust my instincts and “reads” in that way than simply give up with 83 and be up against 99.
Furthermore, reads are possible online. I often have a very good idea of the exact hand people have online, as many of my friends could tell you. Sometimes you just know when someone has AJ or A10, and I might very well fold in my big blind with A6, if I am sure. I like my chances in picking a spot to jump in and call underneath a raise and either be ahead or be live, and I’ll play that way no matter what the railbirds think.
Right or wrong, this has been a very successful short stack end game strategy for me, and I get endless amounts of praise for my late play; so do what you will with my thoughts, and good luck.
SPECAIL ARTICLE JUST FOR JEREMY BEHRINGER
by Colombo18 on 1/9/2007 20:48
Your heart is racing; thoughts of riches flow through your mind like tourists through Times Square. Then it happens. The ace sends a sharp coldness through your body as it lands on the river, and you are forced to muck your pocket kings. You feel like a tired and withered boxer, using your last ounce of strength to keep your knees from buckling while being pummeled in the chest by Joe Frazier’s nasty left hook. You take the most painful swallow of your life and realize that you have lost.
How could this happen? How could my opponent get so lucky against me? These are common questions that we ask ourselves when someone sucks out on us. It’s frustrating, yes, but the first step to becoming a successful poker player is to grow to accept these shortcomings; you will not win every time.
Failure to accept this will result in succumbing to our ultimate enemy - tilt. Tilt is a rush of negative emotion caused by bad luck or failure. It strongly clouds our judgement, and it must be avoided. Playing on tilt is like trying to beat Michael Jordan in a one on one basketball match. At first, you play your usual game, but then Mike starts to overpower you. You can’t score; nothing works. Eventually, you just start hurling half court shots, hoping to get lucky. Now Jordan has the complete advantage, and he runs away with the game. If we allow ourselves to tilt in poker, we will fail.
Unfortunately, tilt is unlike many other sicknesses of today. The reality is that no matter how hard you try, it cannot be cured. It’s not as simple as going to the doctor for a flu shot. The key to overcoming tilt is, strangely enough, not to rid yourself of the disease, but instead to destroy the side effects. Nobody will ever stop tilting in their lifetime. Our only goal is to realize what is happening and prevent ourselves from taking half court shots.
As I previously stated, we must understand that we won’t win every time. Our mission is to simply get all of our money in as the favorite. If you are an 80% favorite to win the hand, then expect to lose 20% of the time. The sooner you can accept this and take these bad beats in stride, the quicker you will become a force at the tables.
It’s not so easy, though. Everybody struggles with coming to terms with this concept. Don’t get discouraged if it takes you a very long time to get comfortable with losing. Only a few months ago, it was I that would erupt in a burst of anger when getting unlucky in a home game. Looking back, it is very reassuring to see how far I have progressed, and you can do it too.
The final piece of advice that I can give you is to simply quit if things aren’t going your way. A game of poker lasts a life time. There will always be tomorrow, and quite frankly, quitting early today won’t really affect you in the long run. Playing bad and chasing losses, however, will.
Good luck at the tables.
- Ryan Colombo
Your heart is racing; thoughts of riches flow through your mind like tourists through Times Square. Then it happens. The ace sends a sharp coldness through your body as it lands on the river, and you are forced to muck your pocket kings. You feel like a tired and withered boxer, using your last ounce of strength to keep your knees from buckling while being pummeled in the chest by Joe Frazier’s nasty left hook. You take the most painful swallow of your life and realize that you have lost.
How could this happen? How could my opponent get so lucky against me? These are common questions that we ask ourselves when someone sucks out on us. It’s frustrating, yes, but the first step to becoming a successful poker player is to grow to accept these shortcomings; you will not win every time.
Failure to accept this will result in succumbing to our ultimate enemy - tilt. Tilt is a rush of negative emotion caused by bad luck or failure. It strongly clouds our judgement, and it must be avoided. Playing on tilt is like trying to beat Michael Jordan in a one on one basketball match. At first, you play your usual game, but then Mike starts to overpower you. You can’t score; nothing works. Eventually, you just start hurling half court shots, hoping to get lucky. Now Jordan has the complete advantage, and he runs away with the game. If we allow ourselves to tilt in poker, we will fail.
Unfortunately, tilt is unlike many other sicknesses of today. The reality is that no matter how hard you try, it cannot be cured. It’s not as simple as going to the doctor for a flu shot. The key to overcoming tilt is, strangely enough, not to rid yourself of the disease, but instead to destroy the side effects. Nobody will ever stop tilting in their lifetime. Our only goal is to realize what is happening and prevent ourselves from taking half court shots.
As I previously stated, we must understand that we won’t win every time. Our mission is to simply get all of our money in as the favorite. If you are an 80% favorite to win the hand, then expect to lose 20% of the time. The sooner you can accept this and take these bad beats in stride, the quicker you will become a force at the tables.
It’s not so easy, though. Everybody struggles with coming to terms with this concept. Don’t get discouraged if it takes you a very long time to get comfortable with losing. Only a few months ago, it was I that would erupt in a burst of anger when getting unlucky in a home game. Looking back, it is very reassuring to see how far I have progressed, and you can do it too.
The final piece of advice that I can give you is to simply quit if things aren’t going your way. A game of poker lasts a life time. There will always be tomorrow, and quite frankly, quitting early today won’t really affect you in the long run. Playing bad and chasing losses, however, will.
Good luck at the tables.
- Ryan Colombo
GREAT ARTICLE FROM POCKET FIVES
For those of you looking for a fast and easy way to improve your game, try never limping and never calling any bet. This was one of the first pieces of advice I received, and while I don't follow it 100% of the time, it is a great base strategy off of which to branch. I've never really understood why people limp in, but I love to be at a table with a lot of limpers. I know everyone wants to "see a flop," but if you want to become a profitable player, seeing a lot of flops is not going to help. Limping in a pot allows others to control the action and makes it so you don't know how strong the other players are, especially in the blinds.
The most common type of limp I see is from early position with mid pocket pairs. I think players do this because they don't want to commit a lot of chips with a mediocre hand with so many unknown hands behind them. But think of what happens when you see an early position raise; you immediately put them on a strong hand, and rightly so. Poker is all about misperception, so if you raise with 66 in first position, a lot of players will fold hands like 88 and AJ because they think you have a stronger hand than them. Now if you limp, the same player with 88 or AJ might think of raising 4 times the big blind, which would let them take control of the hand with some weak, limper chips in the pot. So what are you going to do? Fold and give up an extra big blind? Or call, hope to hit a set, and if not, then check-fold? Neither are good decisions, so don't limp in the first place!
Now what happens if someone limps in front of you, and you hold a hand that is playable? Try asking yourself these two questions: how strong is the player that limped? Is it worth it to raise roughly 4 times the big blind with position? If you think the player is strong, and it's not worth the raise, then just be patient and fold. When I'm playing my best poker, you will never see me limp in a pot with 40x the big blind or less; the only time I would is with more than 40 big blinds, a small pocket pair or suited connector, and with 3-4 bad limpers in front of me.
Now on to calling bets... If your struggling and want to start over with your game, start with never calling any bet without getting at least 4-1 on your money. When I say never call a bet/raise, I mean when there is a button raise to 3 times the big blind, NEVER call from the blinds; either raise or fold. When there is a middle position minimum raise, NEVER call; raise or fold. When you start calling these bets, you're playing weak poker, and stronger players will start making squeeze plays and/or betting any flop that comes. This is going to leave you with the decision to either make a big bluff back at them or fold. Again, neither are good scenarios.
But what about slow playing? First of all, I would recommend never slow playing with more than 40 times the big blind. Too often a bad card will come, and there are too many chips left in your stack to commit your whole stack to the hand. With less than 40 times the big blind, slow playing can be effective in unique spots, especially against an aggressive player. Think of situations where you have recently had the opportunity to slow play a hand. If you are out of position, it should be because a loose/aggressive player called your preflop raise and you hit a set, two pair, straight, etc.
In this case, the biggest question you have to ask yourself is how concerned you are about the turn card. If you think that most cards won't hurt you, check-calling and letting him control the action is not a bad idea, and then check-raising the turn or betting out are both solid plays to follow up. If you are in position and you aren't worried about the turn, calling a lead out bet or checking a flop are passive plays that can be profitable. You really have to play your opponent in most cases and think about whether or not he is going to bet the turn if he sees weakness in a checked flop. Knowing when to slow play is a very important aspect in poker, and it is the only time I would ever recommend calling a bet.
Try following this base strategy for a month or so, and then slowly branch out and see how other moves can fit into your game. Keep in mind each scenario, and then use the ones that are successful as often as you feel comfortable. This should help you become a better poker player. I still keep "never limp, never call" in the back of my mind whenever I play, and it has helped me become a profitable player.
The most common type of limp I see is from early position with mid pocket pairs. I think players do this because they don't want to commit a lot of chips with a mediocre hand with so many unknown hands behind them. But think of what happens when you see an early position raise; you immediately put them on a strong hand, and rightly so. Poker is all about misperception, so if you raise with 66 in first position, a lot of players will fold hands like 88 and AJ because they think you have a stronger hand than them. Now if you limp, the same player with 88 or AJ might think of raising 4 times the big blind, which would let them take control of the hand with some weak, limper chips in the pot. So what are you going to do? Fold and give up an extra big blind? Or call, hope to hit a set, and if not, then check-fold? Neither are good decisions, so don't limp in the first place!
Now what happens if someone limps in front of you, and you hold a hand that is playable? Try asking yourself these two questions: how strong is the player that limped? Is it worth it to raise roughly 4 times the big blind with position? If you think the player is strong, and it's not worth the raise, then just be patient and fold. When I'm playing my best poker, you will never see me limp in a pot with 40x the big blind or less; the only time I would is with more than 40 big blinds, a small pocket pair or suited connector, and with 3-4 bad limpers in front of me.
Now on to calling bets... If your struggling and want to start over with your game, start with never calling any bet without getting at least 4-1 on your money. When I say never call a bet/raise, I mean when there is a button raise to 3 times the big blind, NEVER call from the blinds; either raise or fold. When there is a middle position minimum raise, NEVER call; raise or fold. When you start calling these bets, you're playing weak poker, and stronger players will start making squeeze plays and/or betting any flop that comes. This is going to leave you with the decision to either make a big bluff back at them or fold. Again, neither are good scenarios.
But what about slow playing? First of all, I would recommend never slow playing with more than 40 times the big blind. Too often a bad card will come, and there are too many chips left in your stack to commit your whole stack to the hand. With less than 40 times the big blind, slow playing can be effective in unique spots, especially against an aggressive player. Think of situations where you have recently had the opportunity to slow play a hand. If you are out of position, it should be because a loose/aggressive player called your preflop raise and you hit a set, two pair, straight, etc.
In this case, the biggest question you have to ask yourself is how concerned you are about the turn card. If you think that most cards won't hurt you, check-calling and letting him control the action is not a bad idea, and then check-raising the turn or betting out are both solid plays to follow up. If you are in position and you aren't worried about the turn, calling a lead out bet or checking a flop are passive plays that can be profitable. You really have to play your opponent in most cases and think about whether or not he is going to bet the turn if he sees weakness in a checked flop. Knowing when to slow play is a very important aspect in poker, and it is the only time I would ever recommend calling a bet.
Try following this base strategy for a month or so, and then slowly branch out and see how other moves can fit into your game. Keep in mind each scenario, and then use the ones that are successful as often as you feel comfortable. This should help you become a better poker player. I still keep "never limp, never call" in the back of my mind whenever I play, and it has helped me become a profitable player.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
MY BEST PERFORMANCE EVER TO DATE!
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 89 hands and saw flop:
- 7 out of 21 times while in big blind (33%)
- 7 out of 22 times while in small blind (31%)
- 6 out of 46 times in other positions (13%)
- a total of 20 out of 89 (22%)
Pots won at showdown - 4 of 6 (66%)
Pots won without showdown - 29
This was by for my most dominating show of agression that i have ever displayed! I was on my A game for this one and i can say it proudly.I must say i was in the Zone for this game staying in the green most of the time.
PokerStars Tournament #51279451, No Limit Hold'em
Buy-In: $5.00/$0.50
9 players
Total Prize Pool: $45.00
Tournament started - 2007/05/26 - 15:20:11 (ET)
Dear SR8tAcEto5,
You finished the tournament in 1st place.
A $22.50 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
Congratulations!
Thank you for participating.
- 7 out of 21 times while in big blind (33%)
- 7 out of 22 times while in small blind (31%)
- 6 out of 46 times in other positions (13%)
- a total of 20 out of 89 (22%)
Pots won at showdown - 4 of 6 (66%)
Pots won without showdown - 29
This was by for my most dominating show of agression that i have ever displayed! I was on my A game for this one and i can say it proudly.I must say i was in the Zone for this game staying in the green most of the time.
PokerStars Tournament #51279451, No Limit Hold'em
Buy-In: $5.00/$0.50
9 players
Total Prize Pool: $45.00
Tournament started - 2007/05/26 - 15:20:11 (ET)
Dear SR8tAcEto5,
You finished the tournament in 1st place.
A $22.50 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
Congratulations!
Thank you for participating.
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