Weird game at the last Big Slick tournament. Only 9 players came out. The tables are maximum of 8 and they also have to leave positions open that they blind out for the first hour of each tournament in case someone shows up late. They'll still have a seat for them that way. So, we got split into a table of 5 and a table of 4 and drew cards for seating position. I got the worst of it here. Headed to the table of 4 and was in the worst possible position. Had the other 3 people to my immediate left, so was the first person to act in half of the hands dealt for every round. Add to that, that I was getting crappy cards and it was an early exit for me. Finished in 6th out of the 9. But, still in a very good position overall.
Standings with total Points
1. Sharon 2650
2. Jim 2600
2. Cory 2600
4. AvenueDave 2550
4. Nelson 2550
4. Katherine 2550
Sunday, December 19, 2010
2-1
Lost my first game when dealt JJ...I raised...got 1 caller. flop of 10-9-6 (two diamonds)...i bet...get called...turn is ace of diamonds...i bet...dude goes all in...i think for awhile...if he had diamonds then why put me all in? wouldn't he slow play it?...figure he must have had a piece of the flop to call my bet...if he did and also has an ace, wouldn't he also slow play that? maybe not if he doesn't have a diamond and is afraid i do have one. i called and was all in. he had A-10. i lost.
struggled through the next two games, but ended up with two top 5 finishes.
Starting Money: $20
$10 Games Played: 15
Record: 9-6
$5 Games Played: 30
Record: 23-7
Current Money: $130
struggled through the next two games, but ended up with two top 5 finishes.
Starting Money: $20
$10 Games Played: 15
Record: 9-6
$5 Games Played: 30
Record: 23-7
Current Money: $130
Friday, December 17, 2010
Making Up For Lost Time
Mmmmmm...tough ones tonight. I guess you get lucky sometimes and sometimes you don't. The key, I believe, is to keep playing solidly and in the long term things will be positive. Played a lot of games tonight, but 3 were quick (too quick!).
Game 1...about 5 hands in I'm dealt 4-4. 4 of us to the flop. Flop comes 4-9h-Jh. One guy goes all in for about 1500. Everyone folds. I call. He is holding 10h-10s. He gets runner-runner hearts and I'm out!
Game 2. Won this game fairly easily. Nothing too significant.
Game 3. Similar situation. I am down to about 900. 2 people have gone out. I am dealt 88 and have the dealer button. First person (with 1300) under the gun raises to 300 (blinds are 50-100). Folded around to me. I go all in. He calls with QJ off suit. Bit of a weak call, I think. I'm ahead again, but he does have a heart and the 5 cards that follow include 4 hearts! Out again!
Game 4. Reverse situation. I raise with AsJc. Called by 2 other people. Flop is 10-6-3...all spades. Dude raises to 1000. One fold. I re-raise all in. A bit risky, I guess, but I have 2 over cards and the nut flush. He makes the call and has a pair of tens. No ace, jack, or spade comes and I'm out!
Now, I ask you. WTF????? :-) Like I said...tough ones.
Game 5. Yes, I kept going. What can I say. The wife was occupied. The kids were in bed. Tough going early on. Had a strong player to my immediate left who either was catching great cards or just had zero respect for me. Kept raising me out of pots I couldn't hit. Eventually I had to double up from about $1000 and it was clear sailing from there. I know I've said it before, but playing with the biggest stack at the table is just freaking AWESOME!
Game 6. HALLELUJAH!!! It does balance out. Down to 6 players and I'm the low stack who hits a flush on the river to get clear of the field!
So. That was a long way to go to end up where I started the night! Technically, that's not true...pokerstars takes .80 cents to enter every tournament, so I guess I'm actually down $4! If nothing else, I think I've proven to myself that I can play at these stakes and come out ahead. I could have conceivably been 6-0 or 5-1 tonight rather than 3-3. Next time.
Starting Money: $20
$10 Games Played: 12
Record: 7-5
$5 Games Played: 30
Record: 23-7
Current Money: $120
Game 1...about 5 hands in I'm dealt 4-4. 4 of us to the flop. Flop comes 4-9h-Jh. One guy goes all in for about 1500. Everyone folds. I call. He is holding 10h-10s. He gets runner-runner hearts and I'm out!
Game 2. Won this game fairly easily. Nothing too significant.
Game 3. Similar situation. I am down to about 900. 2 people have gone out. I am dealt 88 and have the dealer button. First person (with 1300) under the gun raises to 300 (blinds are 50-100). Folded around to me. I go all in. He calls with QJ off suit. Bit of a weak call, I think. I'm ahead again, but he does have a heart and the 5 cards that follow include 4 hearts! Out again!
Game 4. Reverse situation. I raise with AsJc. Called by 2 other people. Flop is 10-6-3...all spades. Dude raises to 1000. One fold. I re-raise all in. A bit risky, I guess, but I have 2 over cards and the nut flush. He makes the call and has a pair of tens. No ace, jack, or spade comes and I'm out!
Now, I ask you. WTF????? :-) Like I said...tough ones.
Game 5. Yes, I kept going. What can I say. The wife was occupied. The kids were in bed. Tough going early on. Had a strong player to my immediate left who either was catching great cards or just had zero respect for me. Kept raising me out of pots I couldn't hit. Eventually I had to double up from about $1000 and it was clear sailing from there. I know I've said it before, but playing with the biggest stack at the table is just freaking AWESOME!
Game 6. HALLELUJAH!!! It does balance out. Down to 6 players and I'm the low stack who hits a flush on the river to get clear of the field!
So. That was a long way to go to end up where I started the night! Technically, that's not true...pokerstars takes .80 cents to enter every tournament, so I guess I'm actually down $4! If nothing else, I think I've proven to myself that I can play at these stakes and come out ahead. I could have conceivably been 6-0 or 5-1 tonight rather than 3-3. Next time.
Starting Money: $20
$10 Games Played: 12
Record: 7-5
$5 Games Played: 30
Record: 23-7
Current Money: $120
Monday, December 13, 2010
Ugh.
That did not feel good. Was in a comfortable position with 6 left...had A-10 off suit. Called a raise. Flop AK4. Other guy bet 200. I raised to 600. He called. Turn J. Check. Check (mistake!). River 8. He bet 600. I called. He had K8. How's that for a punch in the gut? My own fault. Knocked me down to 900 and a virtual tie for 6th. Couple of hands later it was folded to me on the button. I went all in with 87 off suit. The big blind was the other short stack. Was hoping to just pick up the 400 in blinds and antes, but he called with A5 and busted me in 6th. :-(
Starting Money: $20
$10 Games Played: 6
Record: 4-2
$5 Games Played: 30
Record: 23-7
Current Money: $120
Starting Money: $20
$10 Games Played: 6
Record: 4-2
$5 Games Played: 30
Record: 23-7
Current Money: $120
You're Lucky, Lucky...You're So Lucky
Credit to Franz Ferdinand for the post title (from the song 'Do You Want To'). Yes, I got extremely lucky in two $10 games tonight. But, hey! I'm allowed to get lucky once in awhile aren't I? I don't have to earn and sweat out every game the hard way do I?? Down early and all-in in the first game and got the river card I needed to double up and cruise to the finish. Down again in the second game and managed another double up when I was behind...although I did have an open ended straight and flush draw, so not THAT far behind. Still, as the post says, I think I got away with a couple tonight.
Starting Money: $20
$10 Games Played: 5
Record: 4-1
$5 Games Played: 30
Record: 23-7
Current Money: $130
Starting Money: $20
$10 Games Played: 5
Record: 4-1
$5 Games Played: 30
Record: 23-7
Current Money: $130
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Internet Connections can Suck
Lost my first $10 game tonight. Partial blame goes to my wireless connection for ditching me for about 5 hands...one of which I was a big blind in that depleted my already smaller stack! Damn you wireless internet!
Starting Money: $20
$10 Games Played: 3
Record: 2-1
$5 Games Played: 30
Record: 23-7
Current Money: $120
Starting Money: $20
$10 Games Played: 3
Record: 2-1
$5 Games Played: 30
Record: 23-7
Current Money: $120
Back to Big Slick!
The next round of the Big Slick Poker tour started a couple of weeks ago. A win last night helped propel me up the leader board despite only playing in 2 of the 3 games so far! Played a really good game, I thought. Well, I won, so something must have gone right, I guess! But, fundamentally, I felt really good...disciplined. Got pocket queens twice and both times the flop came with all under cards. That's always nice. Managed to double up once this way. With 3 people left I was dealt 66 and went all in (26,000). Got called by AQ, who only had 100 more than me. Managed to avoid another A or Q and was the runaway leader heads up. The other guy left was very loose, so I just had to wait for a situation I liked to get it all in again. Final hand was J7 (me) vs. 96. Flop was J92, turn 8, river K. We got it all in on the river and that was that.
Standings with total Points
1. Jim 2600
2. Katherine 2400
3. Sharon 2350
4. AvenueDave 2050
5. Allana 1750
Standings with total Points
1. Jim 2600
2. Katherine 2400
3. Sharon 2350
4. AvenueDave 2050
5. Allana 1750
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Aces are Good. Really.
Game two of the $10 level. Sitting at about $1800 and with 8 people left I was dealt AA in the big blind. That feels good. The dealer raised all-in ($1500) with 99 and my aces held up to put me in the lead for the rest of the game. Exercised some power with the big stack...becoming one of those guys I LOATHE when I'm struggling with a smaller stack! But, you have to use that advantage when you have it.
Starting to feel a little more comfortable at this level.
Starting Money: $20
$10 Games Played: 2
Record: 2-0
$5 Games Played: 30
Record: 23-7
Current Money: $120
Starting to feel a little more comfortable at this level.
Starting Money: $20
$10 Games Played: 2
Record: 2-0
$5 Games Played: 30
Record: 23-7
Current Money: $120
Monday, December 6, 2010
Success!
My first venture into the $10 Double or Nothing realm yielded a top 5 result! Yay! Can't say I noticed too big a difference between this and the $5 game. One crazy dude who was calling down anything after he got lucky and doubled up early, but that happens in the $5 games, too. Hung around the 4th spot for most of the game, until we got down to 7 players, then I got rolling on a few hands and was able to steal a few more to move up to 2nd until the game ended. So, onward I go. Nice for the first game to be a win and give me a bit of a cushion...I now have to lose 2 straight before I have to go back to the $5 games! But, that's negative thinking! Focus on the positive! :-)
Starting Money: $20
$10 Games Played: 1
Record: 1-0
$5 Games Played: 30
Record: 23-7
Current Money: $110
Starting Money: $20
$10 Games Played: 1
Record: 1-0
$5 Games Played: 30
Record: 23-7
Current Money: $110
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Finally!
Lost the first one AGAIN tonight! Then followed up with 2 wins to get to the $100 mark. Here's an example of some ridiculous playing that happens during these games.
6 players left...top 5 get double their money back. The low stack and big blind has $255 total and blinds are at $100 and $200. First person folds. I call with J3 off suit just to help try and get this guy out of there. Next guy calls with probably the same intentions as me. I should also add that we are the 2 biggest stacks at the table. The next guy goes ALL IN for his last $1600! What??? Why??? Implied collusion people! And a stupid move to boot. So, the big blind folds and has $55 left. I fold. The biggest stack at the table calls with KJ off suit vs. QQ and ends up making a straight to put QQ out! Wow. I can only conclude that this guy either didn't realize he was playing in a top 5 game or he...well, I don't know what else to conclude without sounding like a jerk. Maybe he just wanted the game to end?
Anyway, I'm moving on! Next game will be at the $10 Double or Nothing stage. Well, next 2 for sure. I'm interested to see how it goes, but my record LATELY hasn't been great. It's been good enough, but there's been a lot of win one, lose one going on. I suppose that has to happen to a degree. I couldn't expect to keep winning 9 out of every 10 games! We'll see how it goes soon enough.
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 30
Record: 23-7
Current Money: $100!
6 players left...top 5 get double their money back. The low stack and big blind has $255 total and blinds are at $100 and $200. First person folds. I call with J3 off suit just to help try and get this guy out of there. Next guy calls with probably the same intentions as me. I should also add that we are the 2 biggest stacks at the table. The next guy goes ALL IN for his last $1600! What??? Why??? Implied collusion people! And a stupid move to boot. So, the big blind folds and has $55 left. I fold. The biggest stack at the table calls with KJ off suit vs. QQ and ends up making a straight to put QQ out! Wow. I can only conclude that this guy either didn't realize he was playing in a top 5 game or he...well, I don't know what else to conclude without sounding like a jerk. Maybe he just wanted the game to end?
Anyway, I'm moving on! Next game will be at the $10 Double or Nothing stage. Well, next 2 for sure. I'm interested to see how it goes, but my record LATELY hasn't been great. It's been good enough, but there's been a lot of win one, lose one going on. I suppose that has to happen to a degree. I couldn't expect to keep winning 9 out of every 10 games! We'll see how it goes soon enough.
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 30
Record: 23-7
Current Money: $100!
Still 1 Away!
Lost my first game tonight in the $5 Double or Nothing tournament! Damn! So close. :-) It was a bad game on my part. Sometimes the cards just don't fall for you. Second game was also very tough. Probably compounded by the fact that I entered 2 other free tournaments at the same time! Whew. I won't do that again. At least not for awhile. I was definitely more concerned with what was going on in the $5 game, but the constant interruptions from the other 2 games were annoying. Would have helped if I had a big enough screen to see all 3 tables at once, but I was playing on the micro laptop.
Oh well. Maybe tonight is the night!
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 27
Record: 21-6
Current Money: $95
Oh well. Maybe tonight is the night!
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 27
Record: 21-6
Current Money: $95
Thursday, December 2, 2010
1 To Go!
Another successful double or nothing tournament means I am (potentially) one game away from moving up a level! I guess I am a little more excited about it then I thought!
Fairly uneventful game tonight. Managed to flop 2 pair with QJ within the first round of play on a board of JQK. Got most of the other dude's chips after he led out with a bet on the flop, turn (a 4) AND the river, which was another Q giving me the full house. Tripled his bet on the river (which he called) and cruised for the next 45 minutes or so. Started to get a little dicey in the end, but managed to steal enough blinds and antes to stay ahead of the bottom of the pack.
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 25
Record: 20-5
Current Money: $95
Fairly uneventful game tonight. Managed to flop 2 pair with QJ within the first round of play on a board of JQK. Got most of the other dude's chips after he led out with a bet on the flop, turn (a 4) AND the river, which was another Q giving me the full house. Tripled his bet on the river (which he called) and cruised for the next 45 minutes or so. Started to get a little dicey in the end, but managed to steal enough blinds and antes to stay ahead of the bottom of the pack.
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 25
Record: 20-5
Current Money: $95
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
No Big Slick...2-1
Decided not to go to the Big Slick league tournament tonight. Just didn't feel like being away and making the drive. Planned on watching 'Inception', but there were technical problems. Maybe on the weekend.
Anyway, it gave me some time to add two wins and a loss to my $5 Double or Nothing challenge. Nothing too eventful tonight. 1st game was pretty normal...got a win. 2nd game I didn't catch many cards when I needed to...loss. 3rd game was borderline for awhile, then ended up running away with it in the last 15 minutes as I caught good cards and people tightened up to try to get in the money. 2 more wins with no losses to the next level!
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 24
Record: 19-5
Current Money: $90
Anyway, it gave me some time to add two wins and a loss to my $5 Double or Nothing challenge. Nothing too eventful tonight. 1st game was pretty normal...got a win. 2nd game I didn't catch many cards when I needed to...loss. 3rd game was borderline for awhile, then ended up running away with it in the last 15 minutes as I caught good cards and people tightened up to try to get in the money. 2 more wins with no losses to the next level!
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 24
Record: 19-5
Current Money: $90
Monday, November 29, 2010
Deja Vu
2-0 again tonight in the $5 Double or Nothing Extravaganza! Interesting hands of the night...
Seeing A-A vs. 10-10 all in preflop in the first hand of the night and the flop coming 2-A-A! Quad Aces!
In game 2 I was witness to a flop of QQQd, turn Kd, river Ad, and one player winning a showdown with Jd10d! Royal flush!
Personally, I had another semi-rocky start in game one, but managed to stick around until the money. Only won 3 hands the whole game.
In game 2, I was lucky enough to get the all powerful AA. There was a raise of 3 times the blind to 90 in front of me. I made it 450 to go and shockingly got called! Flop was J83 rainbow and the initial raiser went all-in. I quickly called and he had 99. Double up early to 3000 and the game is that much easier.
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 21
Record: 17-4
Current Money: $85
Seeing A-A vs. 10-10 all in preflop in the first hand of the night and the flop coming 2-A-A! Quad Aces!
In game 2 I was witness to a flop of QQQd, turn Kd, river Ad, and one player winning a showdown with Jd10d! Royal flush!
Personally, I had another semi-rocky start in game one, but managed to stick around until the money. Only won 3 hands the whole game.
In game 2, I was lucky enough to get the all powerful AA. There was a raise of 3 times the blind to 90 in front of me. I made it 450 to go and shockingly got called! Flop was J83 rainbow and the initial raiser went all-in. I quickly called and he had 99. Double up early to 3000 and the game is that much easier.
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 21
Record: 17-4
Current Money: $85
Sunday, November 28, 2010
2-0
Whew. Couple of TOUGH games tonight. Found myself down to 1/3 of a stack within 10 minutes of the first game. I was getting good starting hands, they just always seemed to be second best! Thankfully, the blinds were still super low, so I just had to bide my time and grind my way back into it. Wasn't easy by any means, but happy with myself for being able to do it.
The second game was a marathon as far as these things go. 1 hour 10 minutes. The early chip leader knocked out the first 2 players early and was not afraid at all to flex those new chip muscles. So much in fact that I don't think I even attempted to play a hand for the next 3 rounds. It was a very interesting game. Seeing who was going to get fed up with this raising and make a play. Which happened several times when people went all in against him. Unfortunately he showed a willingness to call those all ins, which meant he wasn't going to be bluffed out of a pot. However, the good news is, if you hit your hand you had a shot to double up against him. I was on the low end in the early going. Not super short stacked, but in around 6 or 7th out of 8 for awhile, while this crazy man raised EVERY pot. Again, I had to bide my time and eventually ended up all in against him after a flop of K76 while I was holding KQ and he had 89. Had to sweat a couple of cards, but doubled up and was never in any real danger after that.
Poker is fun again! :-)
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 19
Record: 15-4
Current Money: $75
The second game was a marathon as far as these things go. 1 hour 10 minutes. The early chip leader knocked out the first 2 players early and was not afraid at all to flex those new chip muscles. So much in fact that I don't think I even attempted to play a hand for the next 3 rounds. It was a very interesting game. Seeing who was going to get fed up with this raising and make a play. Which happened several times when people went all in against him. Unfortunately he showed a willingness to call those all ins, which meant he wasn't going to be bluffed out of a pot. However, the good news is, if you hit your hand you had a shot to double up against him. I was on the low end in the early going. Not super short stacked, but in around 6 or 7th out of 8 for awhile, while this crazy man raised EVERY pot. Again, I had to bide my time and eventually ended up all in against him after a flop of K76 while I was holding KQ and he had 89. Had to sweat a couple of cards, but doubled up and was never in any real danger after that.
Poker is fun again! :-)
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 19
Record: 15-4
Current Money: $75
The Downward Spiral?
I was a very mediocre 1-2 tonight in the $5 Double or Nothing games. Definitely off my game in those 2 losses. So, on the plus side, I know I could have and should have played better!
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 17
Record: 13-4
Current Money: $65
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 17
Record: 13-4
Current Money: $65
Friday, November 26, 2010
It Had to Happen
The winning streak is over for the $5 Double or Nothing tournaments! Wasn't a particularly horrible game. Just didn't get dealt many good hands. That, combined with some very aggressive play by the chip leader lead to my downfall.
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 14
Record: 12-2
Current Money: $70
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 14
Record: 12-2
Current Money: $70
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Big Slick & Double or Nothing Wednesday!!
Started off with the Big Slick tournament tonight and played very average until the break. Made a few nice moves right after the break, followed by a dumb call, immediately followed by being dealt K-K, being raised, going all in, and finding out I was up against A-A! What are you gonna do, right? No miracle king for me and I was out in 9th place.
On the bright side, being out early gave me plenty of time to get back to my $5 Double or Nothing challenge on Pokerstars. Really good game for me tonight. Paid close attention to what was going on...who was just trying to hang around...who was folding to raises, etc, etc. Tried my plan of getting more aggressive after the first few people went out and things worked out very well. Slowly crept my way into the chip lead by the end of the game and earned another $5!
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 13
Record: 12-1
Current Money: $75
On the bright side, being out early gave me plenty of time to get back to my $5 Double or Nothing challenge on Pokerstars. Really good game for me tonight. Paid close attention to what was going on...who was just trying to hang around...who was folding to raises, etc, etc. Tried my plan of getting more aggressive after the first few people went out and things worked out very well. Slowly crept my way into the chip lead by the end of the game and earned another $5!
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 13
Record: 12-1
Current Money: $75
Monday, November 22, 2010
Easy Money?...not so fast!
Interesting $5 Double or Nothing tonight!
1st hand and I'm dealt J-J. Blinds are $10-$20. Starting stacks are $1500. I raise to $80. 3 other people see the flop of 6-6-6! 1st person to act (small blind) goes all-in! Other 2 stacks fold to me. Not much I can do about this one. I see no other option than to call. I hate putting my whole stack on the line immediately, but what are the chances that person has a 6 or an over pair to my J-J? Fortunately, not good. They end up having 5-5 and are out of the tournament. I've doubled to just over $3000 and figure this tournament is over. No, its not.
I don't play much for awhile, go down about $700 on a hand where I had 2 pair (aces and kings) and lose to 3 of a kind (nines). Lucky to only lose that much. Get about $400 of that back then begin a downward spiral until I'm at $800, am the low stack, and am all in with A-J vs. A-8. It holds up and I manage to stay afloat, bouncing from 2nd to 4th until the low stack with about $1000 left is suddenly 'sitting out'. Something must have come up! Eventually the guy gets blinded out and we're all in the money!
Lesson: It ain't over til it's over!
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 12
Record: 11-1
Current Money: $70
1st hand and I'm dealt J-J. Blinds are $10-$20. Starting stacks are $1500. I raise to $80. 3 other people see the flop of 6-6-6! 1st person to act (small blind) goes all-in! Other 2 stacks fold to me. Not much I can do about this one. I see no other option than to call. I hate putting my whole stack on the line immediately, but what are the chances that person has a 6 or an over pair to my J-J? Fortunately, not good. They end up having 5-5 and are out of the tournament. I've doubled to just over $3000 and figure this tournament is over. No, its not.
I don't play much for awhile, go down about $700 on a hand where I had 2 pair (aces and kings) and lose to 3 of a kind (nines). Lucky to only lose that much. Get about $400 of that back then begin a downward spiral until I'm at $800, am the low stack, and am all in with A-J vs. A-8. It holds up and I manage to stay afloat, bouncing from 2nd to 4th until the low stack with about $1000 left is suddenly 'sitting out'. Something must have come up! Eventually the guy gets blinded out and we're all in the money!
Lesson: It ain't over til it's over!
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 12
Record: 11-1
Current Money: $70
Friday, November 19, 2010
Tough Table
Another $5 Double or Nothing. Pretty tough table. Was on the edge for most of the second half of the tournament. Went all-in once and managed to get everyone to fold. After that, I had to then wait out two lower stacks to mark my 10th win!
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 11
Record: 10-1
Current Money: $65
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 11
Record: 10-1
Current Money: $65
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Big Slick Poker - Season 2
Tonight was the first game of the new season of the Big Slick Poker league. Since the weather has been so crappy there were only 12 people who came out. Didn't get a lot going, but struck gold on a couple of hands in the middle of the game, which allowed me to hang in there until I went out in 4th place. A good start and ahead of all of the previous season's top players.
1st place - 1200 points
2nd place - 900 points
3rd place - 800 points
4th place - 700 points
5th place - 600 points
6th place - 500 points
7th place - 400 points
8th place - 300 points
9th to 12th place - 150 points
1st place - 1200 points
2nd place - 900 points
3rd place - 800 points
4th place - 700 points
5th place - 600 points
6th place - 500 points
7th place - 400 points
8th place - 300 points
9th to 12th place - 150 points
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
9-1
Another $5 game the hard way...way down as the short stack for the 2nd time in the last 3 games, but with an incredibly tight table I managed to 'all-in' and 'raise' my way back into the money.
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 10
Record: 9-1
Current Money: $60
Tomorrow is the start of the next 'season' of the Big Slick Poker league. More on that in the next post.
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 10
Record: 9-1
Current Money: $60
Tomorrow is the start of the next 'season' of the Big Slick Poker league. More on that in the next post.
Monday, November 15, 2010
You Know What ?
...playing poker as the chip leader is a lot easier than as the short stack! I'll have to try that more often! :-P
Played another $5 Double or Nothing game tonight (because I'm obviously addicted to gambling) and after a wary start, I ended up running away with the lead and putting the last few people out of the game. Poker is fun!
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 9
Record: 8-1
Current Money: $55
Played another $5 Double or Nothing game tonight (because I'm obviously addicted to gambling) and after a wary start, I ended up running away with the lead and putting the last few people out of the game. Poker is fun!
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 9
Record: 8-1
Current Money: $55
Whew!
Well, I just got super lucky in another $5 Double or Nothing game. Never got anything going the whole time...maybe won one hand. We were down to 6 players and I was the short stack when the 2nd shortest stack went all in with A-A and got called by the biggest stack, who had 2-2. Nailed a 2 on the turn and I was in the money again! I'll take it.
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 8
Record: 7-1
Current Money: $50
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 8
Record: 7-1
Current Money: $50
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Double or Nothing Time
Played Game 7 in my Double or Nothing series and squeezed out another top 5 finish...
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 7
Record: 6-1
Current Money: $45
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 7
Record: 6-1
Current Money: $45
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Big Slick Poker Finals
The Big Slick Poker league finals were today. 165 players. I finished 22nd. Kind of blew up at the end. We started at 11am and I finished at 7:30pm. One thing I learned is that 8.5 hours of poker can be quite mentally exhausting! New respect for pro players from me!
Kind of hung around the average stack area for the most part until I was down to about 30,000 in chips and went all in with 4-4 after one guy had min-raised to 8,000. Turned out he had K-K. Didn't look good, but I caught another 4 on the flop to double up. Finished that level at my high point of around 70,000 in chips.
The blow up...blinds were at 3,000-6,000...I'm in the small blind. Folded around to dealer, who raises to 20,000. I assume he is trying to steal the blinds. I have AJ of diamonds and put him all in. He calls and has AA. Boooo! So, I lost a big chunk of my stack there. Couple of hands later, I'm at about 40,000 in chips when the short stack at the table goes all in for 21,000. Gets folded to me and I have KQ off suit. This is where I made a mistake. I fully expected that person to have an Ace, but I still called, hoping to get back to where I was a few hands ago. Turns out they had A8 off suit and it held up, putting me down to around 20,000 in chips. That sucked. Not because I lost, but because I KNEW I would be behind and I still called. I guess I was tilting a bit from the AJ hand and should have held on a little longer. Learning all the time. Blinds were then up to 3,500-7,000 and I went all in with a 6-9 of spades and lost to the big blind who had an AJ.
Oh well. Lessons learned.
Kind of hung around the average stack area for the most part until I was down to about 30,000 in chips and went all in with 4-4 after one guy had min-raised to 8,000. Turned out he had K-K. Didn't look good, but I caught another 4 on the flop to double up. Finished that level at my high point of around 70,000 in chips.
The blow up...blinds were at 3,000-6,000...I'm in the small blind. Folded around to dealer, who raises to 20,000. I assume he is trying to steal the blinds. I have AJ of diamonds and put him all in. He calls and has AA. Boooo! So, I lost a big chunk of my stack there. Couple of hands later, I'm at about 40,000 in chips when the short stack at the table goes all in for 21,000. Gets folded to me and I have KQ off suit. This is where I made a mistake. I fully expected that person to have an Ace, but I still called, hoping to get back to where I was a few hands ago. Turns out they had A8 off suit and it held up, putting me down to around 20,000 in chips. That sucked. Not because I lost, but because I KNEW I would be behind and I still called. I guess I was tilting a bit from the AJ hand and should have held on a little longer. Learning all the time. Blinds were then up to 3,500-7,000 and I went all in with a 6-9 of spades and lost to the big blind who had an AJ.
Oh well. Lessons learned.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Back At It
Well, it's been a little while since I played some meaningful poker. I say meaningful, because I have been entering a bunch of 'freeroll' tournaments that would eventually lead to an entry in the Pokerstars Caribbean Adventure (PCA). It's a big package...trip to the Bahamas, tournament entry, etc, etc. But, you have to be top 2 in the freeroll to go to another tournament that you have to win to actually get the package. The odds are long! So, those tournaments are basically an All-In fest from the get-go. They're free, so nobody seems to mind putting it all on the line and trying to build a big stack early. Not really a classic poker game, but fun and free, so why not, right? Needless to say, no luck for me yet in those games.
Anyway, the 'meaningful' poker tonight was my $5 Double or Nothing experiment. Managed to grind out another win...
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 6
Record: 5-1
Current Money: $40
Made one major mistake during the tournament...playing A 10 off suit and eventually losing a big chunk of my stack to AK when an Ace hit the flop. Bad Dave! That knocked me down to short stack and I eventually had to put it all in with an Ace that held up against a KJ and put me in the lead with 6 people left in the tournament (remember, top 5 get double their money). So, I'm sitting at about 3100 in chips...short stack is 1200 (the guy I just doubled up through) and everyone else is mid 2000s. About 2 hands later, I get dealt pocket queens and the 1200 guy raises to 450. I figure he is pretty committed and am deciding whether to put him all in. If I do and win, then the tournament is over. If I do and lose, then I'm the short stack and am fighting for my life again. What would you do? Eventually, I decided to fold it. He probably had nothing, but if he had KK, AA I was in real trouble. Even against AK it would only be 50/50. Obviously, it worked out this time, but I'm wondering about that hand.
Tomorrow is the Big Slick Poker finals! Updates tomorrow!
Anyway, the 'meaningful' poker tonight was my $5 Double or Nothing experiment. Managed to grind out another win...
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 6
Record: 5-1
Current Money: $40
Made one major mistake during the tournament...playing A 10 off suit and eventually losing a big chunk of my stack to AK when an Ace hit the flop. Bad Dave! That knocked me down to short stack and I eventually had to put it all in with an Ace that held up against a KJ and put me in the lead with 6 people left in the tournament (remember, top 5 get double their money). So, I'm sitting at about 3100 in chips...short stack is 1200 (the guy I just doubled up through) and everyone else is mid 2000s. About 2 hands later, I get dealt pocket queens and the 1200 guy raises to 450. I figure he is pretty committed and am deciding whether to put him all in. If I do and win, then the tournament is over. If I do and lose, then I'm the short stack and am fighting for my life again. What would you do? Eventually, I decided to fold it. He probably had nothing, but if he had KK, AA I was in real trouble. Even against AK it would only be 50/50. Obviously, it worked out this time, but I'm wondering about that hand.
Tomorrow is the Big Slick Poker finals! Updates tomorrow!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
WSOP Final Table
The World Series of Poker's 'Main Event' final table is on TSN tonight. Its a 2 hour broadcast. Everyone at the final table will be walking away with a minimum of $1,000,000, with the winner probably in the $7,000,000 range! Tune in!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Double or Nothing Challenge
About two months ago I discovered the "Double or Nothing" one table tournaments ('Sit & Go') on pokerstars.com. There are a variety of entry fees for these tournaments...$1, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100. Ten people enter and after 5 people are eliminated, the 5 survivors get double their entry fee back. Makes sense, no?
So, I started playing some of the $1 tournaments. What can I say? I'm thrifty! Anyway, I started out pretty cautiously in my first few games. Playing pretty solidly. Trying to get a feel for how people played them, etc. And I started winning! Not a lot. But, probably 4 or 5 in a row. Then the wheels started to fall off. I found myself thinking they were easy and stopped playing the optimal game, y'know? I also started getting in situations where there were some iffy calls in front of me and my mindset switched to 'what the hell...it's only $1'! Wrong attitude for any poker tournament! ...if you want to win that is. So, eventually I lost 3 or 4 in a row and was pretty much back where I started.
Solution? Move up to the $5 entry fee tournaments. Still not a huge chunk of change, but enough to make me think about playing properly again. I also set up a couple of personal rules for myself to help keep me in line:
1. Start with $20 total (told ya I was thrifty)
2. If I should lose and get down to $10, I switch back to the $1 tournaments until I am back up to $20 (or broke, I guess) :-)
Tonight was my fifth game of the $5 Sit & Gos. Here's the record so far...
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 5
Record: 4-1
Current Money: $35
Hopefully, I can keep this up. There are going to be ups and downs, I know, but a nice consistent/reasonable record of 3-2 (or better) out of every 5 games overall will keep me ahead of the game. I'm not sure how long I will keep this up. I'll have to see how it goes, of course, but if things go really well, I've been thinking of trying to run my 'bank' up to $100, then giving the $10 games a shot.
Steady as she goes!
So, I started playing some of the $1 tournaments. What can I say? I'm thrifty! Anyway, I started out pretty cautiously in my first few games. Playing pretty solidly. Trying to get a feel for how people played them, etc. And I started winning! Not a lot. But, probably 4 or 5 in a row. Then the wheels started to fall off. I found myself thinking they were easy and stopped playing the optimal game, y'know? I also started getting in situations where there were some iffy calls in front of me and my mindset switched to 'what the hell...it's only $1'! Wrong attitude for any poker tournament! ...if you want to win that is. So, eventually I lost 3 or 4 in a row and was pretty much back where I started.
Solution? Move up to the $5 entry fee tournaments. Still not a huge chunk of change, but enough to make me think about playing properly again. I also set up a couple of personal rules for myself to help keep me in line:
1. Start with $20 total (told ya I was thrifty)
2. If I should lose and get down to $10, I switch back to the $1 tournaments until I am back up to $20 (or broke, I guess) :-)
Tonight was my fifth game of the $5 Sit & Gos. Here's the record so far...
Starting Money: $20
Games Played: 5
Record: 4-1
Current Money: $35
Hopefully, I can keep this up. There are going to be ups and downs, I know, but a nice consistent/reasonable record of 3-2 (or better) out of every 5 games overall will keep me ahead of the game. I'm not sure how long I will keep this up. I'll have to see how it goes, of course, but if things go really well, I've been thinking of trying to run my 'bank' up to $100, then giving the $10 games a shot.
Steady as she goes!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Big Slick Poker Final Standings
Well, its official...I'm on my way to the Alberta South Finals. Here are the final standings...top 6 move to the final:
Final Standings with total Points
1. Richard 4950
2. AvenueDave 4025
3. Lisa 3900
4. Larry 3900
5. John 3525
6. Heather 3050
There was also a wild card position available to someone outside of the top 6 who made the final table this week, in addition to a Tournament Director's choice. So, really, a healthy amount of the 35 people overall that have signed up are moving on to the final. Still, an even healthier amount aren't, so I'll take it.
Don't know a lot about the final tournament. Starts at 11am...there are lunch and supper breaks...and the final table resumes play on Sunday morning, so it sounds like it could be a bit of a marathon if you get far enough. Only prize announced so far is the trip to Vegas for the winner, but I have to think there will be others. We'll see soon enough.
Final Standings with total Points
1. Richard 4950
2. AvenueDave 4025
3. Lisa 3900
4. Larry 3900
5. John 3525
6. Heather 3050
There was also a wild card position available to someone outside of the top 6 who made the final table this week, in addition to a Tournament Director's choice. So, really, a healthy amount of the 35 people overall that have signed up are moving on to the final. Still, an even healthier amount aren't, so I'll take it.
Don't know a lot about the final tournament. Starts at 11am...there are lunch and supper breaks...and the final table resumes play on Sunday morning, so it sounds like it could be a bit of a marathon if you get far enough. Only prize announced so far is the trip to Vegas for the winner, but I have to think there will be others. We'll see soon enough.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Big Slick Poker Nov. 3rd
Well! Tonight was the final night for this cycle of league play for the Big Slick Poker league. About 20 people signed up. Before we began, the tournament director announced that the top 6 in overall points after tonight would be going to the final tournament in Calgary. Good news for me, since the 7th overall person could not mathematically catch up to me! Also, good news since I was the 2nd one to bust out tonight! :-) Now, would I have busted out that early knowing that I needed points to move on? Hard to say. Here was the hand that wiped me out of everything but one big blind. Let me know if you think I was right, it was a toss up, or I made a bad play...
3rd hand of the night. Everyone starts with 5000 in chips, so we're all fairly close. 7 people at my table. Blinds are 25/50. Get dealt AA! Wooo! I am first to act. I just call hoping someone else will raise and I can re-raise. No dice. 1 other call and the big blind checks. 3 to the flop. Flop is As, Qd, 9h. Yes! Big blind is first to act...check...I check...3rd person bets 600! Big bet for what's in the pot. Big blind folds. I raise it to 1600 total. Get called. All is well, so far. Turn card is 10s. There are now straight possibilities and a potential flush if a spade comes on the river. I lead out, betting 1000. Get called. River is the 8c. So, I check. Other player goes all-in for his last 2200ish. I think for a long time. I finally decide that he either has a Jack and has me beat or a busted flush draw. Knowing that my position was secure for the big tournament I finally called and he turned over AJ off suit. Thought he maybe had pocket Jacks. But, obviously leaned toward the flush draw...maybe a KsQs. But, still, he made a fairly risky play for someone who had the nuts, if he was trying to build his stack. 1000 value bet might have been in order. Especially since it was so early in the tournament and people don't usually like to put it all in right away. But, looking back, I probably should have folded. You live and learn! I remember reading that to be a good poker player you have to be able to lay down a big hand...how true!
Next up is probably some online pokerstars play. Calgary tournament is the weekend of the 13th.
3rd hand of the night. Everyone starts with 5000 in chips, so we're all fairly close. 7 people at my table. Blinds are 25/50. Get dealt AA! Wooo! I am first to act. I just call hoping someone else will raise and I can re-raise. No dice. 1 other call and the big blind checks. 3 to the flop. Flop is As, Qd, 9h. Yes! Big blind is first to act...check...I check...3rd person bets 600! Big bet for what's in the pot. Big blind folds. I raise it to 1600 total. Get called. All is well, so far. Turn card is 10s. There are now straight possibilities and a potential flush if a spade comes on the river. I lead out, betting 1000. Get called. River is the 8c. So, I check. Other player goes all-in for his last 2200ish. I think for a long time. I finally decide that he either has a Jack and has me beat or a busted flush draw. Knowing that my position was secure for the big tournament I finally called and he turned over AJ off suit. Thought he maybe had pocket Jacks. But, obviously leaned toward the flush draw...maybe a KsQs. But, still, he made a fairly risky play for someone who had the nuts, if he was trying to build his stack. 1000 value bet might have been in order. Especially since it was so early in the tournament and people don't usually like to put it all in right away. But, looking back, I probably should have folded. You live and learn! I remember reading that to be a good poker player you have to be able to lay down a big hand...how true!
Next up is probably some online pokerstars play. Calgary tournament is the weekend of the 13th.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Big Slick Poker
5 weeks ago I joined the Big Slick Poker Tour. They are free weekly tournaments held at Legions around Western Canada and Ontario. The tournaments award points only, depending on how well you did. Approximately the top 5 (maybe 6) from each Legion, at the end of each cycle (July 5 - November 14), for southern Alberta move on to a final tournament in Calgary. There, the winner receives a trip to Las Vegas, accommodations, and entry into a World Series of Poker event. I joined the local Legion league a couple of weeks after it had started, so I was at a bit of a disadvantage right from the start points-wise. However, I ended up winning the 1st tournament I was at, placing 5th in the next one, and finishing 1st again in the 3rd! That helps make up some ground! Granted, the tournaments only consist of about 20 people each time, but I'll take it. I've been a regular since I started and have clawed my way up to 2nd place overall. This week is the last tournament of the cycle, so I should know officially by the end of this week, if I'll be at the final tournament on the 13th of November.
Current Standings with total Points
1. Richard 4350
2. AvenueDave 3950
3. Lisa 3750
4. Larry 3750
Current Standings with total Points
1. Richard 4350
2. AvenueDave 3950
3. Lisa 3750
4. Larry 3750
5. John 3450
6. Heather 2950
7. Cory 2650
6. Heather 2950
7. Cory 2650
Saturday, October 30, 2010
CFL Package Tournament
Tournament: CFL Grey Cup Package
Date: October 29th/2010
Cost: Freeroll
Entrants: Approx. 3000
Places Paid: 1
Final Placing: 24th
The last couple of Fridays, I've entered a pokerstars freeroll. Its a winner take all event. Winner gets 2 Grey Cup tickets, accommodations, and airfare to Edmonton. Usually there is between 2-3000 people entered. Tonight there was 3000. The tournament started at 7pm and 3.5 hours later I finished in 24th. Ugh. That was long. And even though I came close in the end, it was not as disappointing as other tournaments i've come close in. I guess because it was a very up and down evening with some great calls, good luck, and bad beats. I could have easily been out earlier, but managed to hold on at times and grind my way back into contention quite a few times. I'll have to remember to do that in the future instead of throwing in the towel too early.
Date: October 29th/2010
Cost: Freeroll
Entrants: Approx. 3000
Places Paid: 1
Final Placing: 24th
The last couple of Fridays, I've entered a pokerstars freeroll. Its a winner take all event. Winner gets 2 Grey Cup tickets, accommodations, and airfare to Edmonton. Usually there is between 2-3000 people entered. Tonight there was 3000. The tournament started at 7pm and 3.5 hours later I finished in 24th. Ugh. That was long. And even though I came close in the end, it was not as disappointing as other tournaments i've come close in. I guess because it was a very up and down evening with some great calls, good luck, and bad beats. I could have easily been out earlier, but managed to hold on at times and grind my way back into contention quite a few times. I'll have to remember to do that in the future instead of throwing in the towel too early.
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