Wednesday, August 12, 2009

plugging away

Soccer has started up again for Gabby, so we're at practice three nights this week. Last night I had to work my day job late into the evening (the nerve). Therefore, only had time for one tourney in past two nights.

Played fine, took second place once again. On the bubble, I raised AKo from the button and the small blind re-raised me small. Uh-oh. Big hand or just taking a stand against my button raise? One never knows for sure, but my notes said he wasn't all that good, so he might call with less. Plus, I was fourth in chips out of the four players left - AK is a pretty good hand to make your move with. I shoved and got a call from AJ, which held up (sweet). I played the rest of the bubble well, taking small shots to keep earning chips, with not one but two shorties, each trying to outlast the other.

Heads up lasted only 7 hands, I didn't win one of them. I was outchipped 10K to 3.5K. My opponent appeared to be a beginning player (at least sharkscope pegged him that way), so my plan was to play small ball, see pots cheaply, try to outplay him after the flop. Here's the hand history.

Hand one, Q3i. I limp, he raises 4x, I fold.

Hand two, A7o. He limps, I check. Flop JTK, two spades. I check, he bets pot, I fold. (maybe raise preflop, or lead out here, but this didn't match my strategy)

Hand three, 64o. I limp, he checks. Flop AhQd3d. I bet, he raises. I fold.

Hand four, 9c4c. He limps. I check. Flop TdAhJh, we both check. Turn 2d. Both check. River 6s. He bets, I have nothing, I fold. (maybe take a shot at the turn?).

Hand 5, JTo. I limp, he raises 4x. I think about shoving, but I fold, fearing domination from KJ/AJ/AT.

Hand 6. K3. He raises 4x, I fold.

Hand 7. J6o. This time I raise 2x preflop, he calls. Flop As Jd 4h. He checks, I bet, he checkraises all in. He's been an animal every hand (and he wasn't this crazy during the game, BTW). I decide he might just be riding the rush of beating me 6 hands in a row. I call with middle pair, no kicker. He's got A4 for two pair. Done.

Played passively, to be sure, but that was my plan against what I thought was a beginning player - to keep pots small and wait for a big hand. The action was so aggro, though, that I veered off my plan in short order, thinking maybe I was just being run over.

Or, maybe he just got a run of cards.

Whatever the reason, I really need some heads up work.

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