Friday, October 16, 2009

sometimes it ain't happening

I'd like to say I drove out to a new venue to play in a live tourney tonight. I'd like to say I sat down, made a few new friends, and got some cards in as well. Well, actually, I did all those things, but the poker part is quickly becoming a memory, because I barely played any poker.

My table was completely wild, with players who all knew each other, and seemed to like making fancy moves on each other and showing. I saw squeeze three bets with absolutely nothing. I saw the Johnny Chan play. I saw lots of crazy stuff.

I made one play of my own early. In a limped pot, I played a weak ace on the button. The board was Q-7-7. Everyone checked to me, so I bet. The big blind called. Of course I immediately think he's got a seven or at least a queen, but he's one of the crazy aggressive ones and might just be floating me with nothing. The turn bricks and I feel like I need to double barrel, but of course he raises me and shows the seven after I fold. Betting into trips usually doesn't work, and I'm down about 1600 of 10000 chips early.

That's the first hand I played. The second was calling a minraise, again on the button, with AT. That missed entirely so I folded there.

Hand 3 was trying to steal the blinds from the button. I had 62o. The big blind, who played as fewer hands than I had, pushed all in over me. Uh, I folded that one.

Hand 4 was a shove in middle position with 12 big blinds and ace-king. I thought about playing it differently and trying to get a smaller ace in, but I've been burned by that before, so I just shoved and hoped for a call. I didn't get one, so I won the blinds. That was my only hand won of the tourney.

Hand 5, with 5 big blinds left, and under the gun - is a shove with ace-rag. The big stack calls me, with a bigger ace, and down I go in 14th place.

I had one tough decision on the night. An early position, aggressive player made it 4 big blinds. A female player who played well but perhaps a bit weak-tight - cold called the 4x bet. She didn't have the chips to cold-call, she should have folded or pushed all in. I looked down at king-jack suited. I had 12 big blinds, and felt like I still had enough to push out the first player, but I was pretty sure the female player would look down at her chip stack and then realize she had to call me. I also thought that her playing style might be hiding a much stronger hand - unaggressive players might easily cold-call with pocket jacks or ace king and my king-jack would be in trouble. I folded.

As it turns out, the fold was a good one, but I would have gotten lucky anyway. The board came ace-jack-rag and the early player lead out. The female folded, saying it was a bad board (I put her on a small pair then). The aggressive player didn't show but said he had king-queen. Had I shoved, I would have beaten KQ if he called by hitting my jack, and also beaten the (presumably) small pair. Easy to look back with regrets, but my logic and fold were sound, I think.

So there it is. Five hands played in 3 hours, I win the blinds one time, and that's my tourney. I was looking all along for some opportunities to re-steal or make a move, but my cards were such that any of these would have had to be a naked bluff into players I didn't really know. I tried a couple "standard" plays and neither worked out. My mood stayed positive - I did not get frustrated one time. I kept the mantra of "make the correct play, make the correct play", and managed to do so time and again.

I think I played well, but had no opportunities to win chips, and took a quick exit. It happens.

I came home and played one online - that didn't work out too well, either. I got low early and started shoving correctly until the guy behind me called me with pocket aces, and I went out 10th of 18th.



3 comments:

Memphis MOJO said...

I got low early and started shoving correctly until the guy behind me called me with pocket aces,

Called with A-A? The nerve of some of those guys, lol. Seriously, sorry it didn't go better.

bastinptc said...

Word verification says it all: "barph."

diverjoules said...

It was nice to see you Matt. Sorry you were card dead, but in the long run I am sure it helped me. :-) .. Not having you at the final table is always a plus. HAHAHAH