Things More Important Than Poker

You know, every once in a while, something happens in your life that gives you a rip-roaring dose of perspective. For me, that thing happened today. We went for our second baby checkup, which is really nothing more than meeting another doctor and having a Q&A session. Today, we got to hear our unborn child's heart beat for the first time. This faint, little, padump-padump-padump that made my heart melt. At first, he could only hear my wife's heart, but after some searching, he found our "little peanut." Baby's doing good. Mommy's doing good.

Wow, I'm really going to be a dad.

Taj Trip Report

Nothin' like it. Wake up in the morning, realize, "Hey. I could be sitting at the Taj in 45 minutes." Domenic calls, and *poof* we're there. I sat at the 3/6 game for about 5 hours, taking in about $181 from the players. Had a few memorable hands, but the most memorable was the last one I was involved in. Of course, it requires some background.

I plopped down about 11am at a jovial, fun-loving table. So fun-loving that seven of the players never left. They were there when we sat, they were there when we left. One guy came in in the middle, and had top two pair cracked 5 times. Not junk 2-pair, either, I cracked him with him holding AJs on an A-J-6 flop. Of course, I had 66. He ended up losing close to $200, and he played much better than that showed. The table was so loose, so passive, so unpredictable, that I actually played "any ace, any place" with some success. Now this other guy, who sat to Domenic's right, was a real jackass. Abusing dealers, and the like. He got what he deserved. The guy to my left was a pure LAG, but one who knew what he was doing. He seemed to be a regular, and as he got bored, the action got fun:

A three way pot, the solid LAG, the asshole, and this older guy. Raised pre-flop, the LAG is in the BB. Remember that--it becomes important later. He calls and sees a flop of A-4-5. Bets and gets called. The turn is another A. Then, all hell breaks loose. Bet-raise-re-raise-cap. River card an 8. Bet-raise-re-raise-cap. Asshole flips A6, Old guy flips A-2. LAG? 2-3. Asshole was all-in on the river. He gets WAY pissed, asks the dealer for a chip to hold his seat (by saying, "What am I speaking, fuckin' Chinese?" to the Asian dealer. This got him warned), and proceeds to the ATM. He was on big-time tilt. It's a shame, because he actually could've been a solid player.

Now I get my turn. I'm in the BB, look down at 63o. Family pot--big time. 6 players come in, then the 7th, the button says, "raise." This guy was a good, talkative guy. I look at him (thinking of Piers' BB defense) and say, "Naah, I don't respect that--I call," after the SB also called. 8 players to raised pre-flop action. Flop? 6-2-3, 2 diamonds (the 6 and the 3). SB fires, I raise, get called in 6 places. The turn? Another glorious 3. SB bets--WTF? I raise, Guy to my right folds, asshole re-raises, old guy caps. I gleefully come along. River is the 8 of diamonds, putting 3 diamonds on the board. Old guy bets, I raise, asshole re-raises all-in. We both call. Asshole stands and literally slams his cards down on the table. 7 of diamonds, two of diamonds, screams at me "FLUSH!" and goes to grab the pot. Old guy shows the 10 of diamonds and the 5 of diamonds and says, "Bigger flush." I turn over my 63o and say, calmly, "Full house." Table goes nuts. The asshole kicks his chair, I offer my hand to him--he just steams away. HUGE pot to me.

I'm feeling, as Teddy KGB would say, "Very satisfied."

Overall, a great trip, a winning day, and I can't wait to do it again.

Addendum to Blind Play Article

Props to MecosKing over at Bet The Pot for further refining my article.

It might have something to do with the fact that the games i play (10/20, 15/30 and 20/40) offer much more of a 'discount' from the SB than the 3/6 game. (1/3bb at 3/6 vs 1/2bb for 10 and 20, and 2/3 bb (!) in the 15) I am working on tightening up my SB play, and working on 3 betting out of the SB rather than calling (in a button steal situation) so i can get the BB out, thus increasing my chances against the button, and giving myself a bit of equity in the pot (the dead BB money)

I was thinking of including that idea in the article. The real bad SB/BB ratios pretty much kill themselves at the 3/6 game, and like you said, at 15/30, you're paying a SB of 10, so why the hell not. I'd like to actually come up with a well-phrased "rule of thumb" about loose calls from the SB, because at a 10/15 blind structure, you have to play looser from the SB just to overcome your disadvantage in the blind.

I think this is an important aspect of blind defense, although admittedly, its hard to 3 bet with QTo, A6o, and other such assorted mess. However, against a button steal, if you have a marginal hand i think the 3 bet is better than the call, because you dont want to give the BB 5:1 on his call when youve got J9o, and are in the worst position. The three bet also takes the initiative away from the raisor.

I can definitely see where 3-betting (especially a button raise) can be very useful. If a player shows ANY semblance of looseness, you almost can't respect the button raise with any kind of hand.

As for BB defense, i personally prefer the CR rather than the weak lead, only because i really have no respect for weak leads, and i will raise with overcards against one usually, and bet the turn- in other words, i will turn the pressure up, especially against a TAG who i know is capable of folding, because usually if someones gotta hand thats worth a showdown against a raisor, they will CR it. The way i look at it is that even if im on a stone bluff, if i feel my fold equity is over 50%, like on a flop of 684 or 782 or J35 against a button thief, i am going to CR the flop, be it my flush draw, some random pair, or nothing at all, for VALUE against someone who is likely to have overcards and not be able to call me more than 1/2 the time.

I think that's as much perspective as anything. With a rag flop, where I hold overcards in the BB, I would actually 3-bet that situation if someone tried to raise me. It where MY table image comes in quite handy. People using GT+ look at my numbers and see 17/8/3.2 and that 3-bet scares the hell out of them.

Thanks, Mecos for the addition!

Limit Lessons: Playing From the Blinds

Over at Bet The Pot, we've had a spirited discussion about starting hands to play from the blinds in Limit Holdem. Just as some people play a LAGgy style and win, and others play tight/aggressive and win, the many opinions out there regarding playing from the blinds can drive the unsure player crazy trying to figure out what way is best for them.

Here are some key stats from my 20k+ LHE PokerTracker database:

VP$IP from SB: 25.19% overall, 19.75% at 3/6.
Win Rate from SB: -0.06 BB/Hand
Win Rate from BB: -0.14 BB/Hand

Many players were surprised at my rather low losses from the blinds, as it is natural (with forced betting) that these will be your least profitable or highest losing positions. A lot of this is attributable to my rather low VP$IP from the SB, and that I don't get goaded into doing what ESPN's Norman Chad calls "playing for a discount."

The Importance of Position

Position in the blinds in LHE is somewhat of a quandary. Pre-flop, the blinds are the last to act. You have a positional advantage over your opponents before the flop, mainly to offset the enormous positional disadvantage you have after the flop. Because you are forced to bet a full small bet, 1/2 small bet, 1/3 small bet, or 2/5 small bet pre-flop, you are given the advantage of acting last and seeing what other players do. After the flop, however, the blinds act first, making a blind essentially play under the gun (UTG) on subsequent streets.

Pre-Flop Hand Selection

This is likely the biggest debate in the poker world with regard to playing from the blinds. Some people, including Sklansky, Malmuth, and Miller, in Small Stakes Holdem (SSHE) recommend that you play essentially any two suited cards from the SB, figuring that winning with any disguised hand you may make will offset any losses you incur from playing so many hands. Piers Majestyk, a highly successful mid-limit player for many years and a frequent poster and moderator over at BTP, advocates only playing those hands from the SB that you'd play UTG. I tend (obviously by my stats) to play far more like the latter. As for the BB, obviously any unraised pot gives you a free look at the flop, while a raised pot should yield similar tendencies to playing unraised pots from the SB.

Defending Your Blind

Another controversial discussion is how and how often to defend (specifically) your BB. Here, we primarily employ and apply the "Gap Concept."

You need a better hand to call a raise with than you need to make a raise with.

A great deal of this involves recognizing the position of the raiser. By the guidelines of the Gap Concept, if you're in the BB facing an EP raiser, you should only call the raise with a hand that you would raise with from EP. Likewise for MP and LP. I take this a little further and say that if I'm in the BB, and the button raises, I'll call and "peel one off" with basically any two suited cards or better to defend my blind from a steal. A chart for consideration:

Blind Defense

The Pre-Flop Open-Raiser is in...	You should call with...
Early Position (UTG, UTG+1, UTG+2)	AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AKs, AQs, AK
Middle Position	AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, 99, AKs, AQs, AJs, AK, AQ, KQs, KJs
Late Position (LP, CO, Button)	Read-Dependent: Pocket Pairs, Suited Paint (face cards), Big Offsuit Broadways
Small Blind	Read-Dependent: If SB is tight, no worse than LP. If SB is loose, perhaps any two suited (requires solid post-flop play)

This may not be ideal for you, depending on how well you play post-flop (the looser you play pre-flop, the better you need to play post-flop to play and make up for weaker holdings), but it may be a solid guideline. Also, as if you couldn't tell, my poker play is not from a chart. I create the charts as a guideline, then vary my play according to my read on the players. Live, this is quite easy, especially when playing the novices that play the 3/6, 4/8, and 6/12 games in Atlantic City. Online, this requires careful observation and is enhanced with tools like PokerTracker, GameTime+ or Poker Ace HUD (PA Hud). It is vital that if you have a read on a player who is raising pre-flop, that you consider that read in every decision you make from calling the raise to your post-flop play. Without a read on a player, it is undoubtedly better to tighten up either relatively or absolutely in blind defense. Better to save a small bet now than to cost yourself small bets and big bets later.

To a 3-bet, just as you would suspect, fold everything but absolute premium hands like AA, KK, QQ, and AKs. You never want to call 2 or more bets cold without an absolute premium holding.

Pre-Flop Blind Play Summary

You should play nearly as tight from the Small Blind as you do from Under the Gun (UTG)

The looser you play any position pre-flop, the better and more efficient your post-flop play needs to be.

Defending your blind is easier to do when the pre-flop raiser is in a later position.

When defending your blind, apply the Gap Concept and only call with hands better than you would raise with from the raiser's position.

If you play well post-flop, and have a read on your opponent, defend your blind more aggressively against a LP or SB raiser.

If you're 3-bet, and you don't hold a monster, let it go--you're likely waybehind.

Post-Flop Play

DISCLAIMER: I play extremely aggressively post-flop and bet or raise nearly half the flops I see. If you can't let go of a marginal hand or you tend to chase too far, be cautious with the following advice. It can lose you a great deal of money.

A great deal of post-flop play is situation-dependent. For example, in a tighter game, where you only have 2 or 3 to the flop, and especially when the players to the flop are in late position and/or your blind counterpart, it is just about a guarantee that if I hit ANY part of the flop, backdoor flush draw, gutshot straight draw, any pair or even sometimes just a draw to a draw, I will lead out and bet. Many players see aggression from an early position player as representing strength, that your "BB special" hit the flop hard. In my experience in the tighter games at Stars, many players will fold to aggression from the blinds, and those that don't will either raise you, putting you to a decision of whether to call or raise or to dump it right there at a minimal cost, or call you, and essentially give you a free card on the turn. I get a large amount of folds on the flop, as my table image is tight-aggressive, and players figure me for a solid hand or that I hit the flop. Flops that are ragged, without draws, and featuring lower cards are usually best for stealing pots on the flop.

With players remaining in EP, you must be more careful taking a stab a pot without a decent hand or at least a draw to a good hand. Bluff those players you feel will fold (totally read-dependent), play cautiously around those players you feel are very strong. Regardless, I'm usually taking a stab at any pot I have any part of. I feel this is profitable mainly due to the high number of folds I get from opponents, but also to the fact that I'm playing mainly solid hands from the SB, and that I'm not paying anything over and above my blind from the BB, and that I'm showing early position aggression with a tight-solid-aggressive table image.

On the turn, the number of variables obviously increase, and sometimes a turn lead-out bet is enough to get rid of a straggly player who is hanging around, especially from the SB or in LP. You also need to start thinking that you may end up showing a hand down.

More PT stats:

From the BB: Win% in Position: 23.54%, WtSD: 24.66%, W$SD: 52.80%, PFR%: 5.29%
From the SB: Win% in Position: 12.36%, WtSD: 37.88%, W$SD: 51.00%, PFR%: 5.95%

What these indicate from here is that first, I do win more than expected by probability from the blinds, and far more than expected from the BB. I only play full-ring games, and it also indicates that I'm not showing down a lot of hands from the BB. I'm winning a majority of those hands before a showdown. This is a testament to not only my aggressive play, but to the weakness of my opponents. From the SB, I'm still winning more than my share at showdown, and that is solely a function of the hands I play in that position and their relative strength.

If the pot is multi-way through the turn, without a decent hand or again, a read on your opponent, you may need to consider dropping your hand, as the price for your bluff or semi-bluff now increases to at least a full big bet, and perhaps another one on the river.

Post-Flop Blind Play Summary

If you're in an unraised pot pre-flop, and only have 2 or 3 players to the flop, take a stab at early aggression if you catch ANY part of the flop, including having just overcards.

Be more cautious dealing with EP limpers and tight MP limpers when showing post-flop aggression.

If you catch a solid hand on the flop, especially if you've been aggressive defending your blind previously, play it hard.

Don't get married to a hand in the blinds, regardless of how premium it is. You're out of position. Remember, without an A or a K on the flop, AK is nothing more than a drawing hand.

I hope this provides some insight on how I play from the blinds, and I hope it shows that while it's nearly impossible over the long term to defeat the blinds, it certainly is possible to minimize your losses and maximize your potential profit.

Limit Lessons--Slowplaying

To begin with, I'd like to mention that slowplaying anything can be foolish and dangerous, especially in Limit Holdem where bets aren't as big and it becomes more difficult to drive people out of the pot. Slowplay a lot and you WILL GET SUCKED OUT ON. Disclaimer finished.

Slowplaying is when you play a hand weakly to suck people in for future rounds of betting. Check-calling with a very strong hand is an example of slowplaying. It has in essence, the opposite desired effect as the check-raise. A check-raise is used to drive people out of the pot, where as proper slowplaying keeps potentially weaker hands in so you can profit more from them later.

From Sklansky's Theory of Poker, there are requirements that need to be fulfilled to allow for slowplaying. First, you need a strong to monster-level hand. This is obvious. Top trips on a rainbow, no-straight possibility board, things like that. Second, you're giving a free card (which can be a cardinal sin in LHE). This free card should have a reasonable expectation of giving an opponent a second-best hand to yours. Thirdly, and what is really part of the second point, there should be a low likelihood of any free card you give to create a better hand for your opponent, or even a draw to a better hand that yours. Also, you must be reasonably sure that your aggression will drive people out of the pot, while your passivity will keep them in. In addition, it is best to slowplay when the pot has not grown to be very large.

The goal in slowplaying is to make an opponent with a second-best hand commit as many chips to the pot as possible before revealing your strength, preferably with the absolute nuts.

A great example of slowplaying:

You're in MP in a tight game with two black eights. A player limps before you, you limp, the button limps, and the BB checks his option.
The flop comes 8-4-4, with two clubs. A bet here frequently would drive players out, especially in tighter games. The EP player checks to you, you check, and the button leads out with a bet. You immediately put him on a flush draw, but you currently have the nut full house. The BB calls, and the EP player folds. You should just call the bet here, allowing anyone on a flush draw to hit their flush on the next card. The turn card brings the 3 of clubs, putting 3 clubs on the board, and no possibilities for a better full house. The only hand that beats you here is 44 (unlikely). It is a reasonable assumption that your full house is the best hand here. The action is on you, and you check, continuing your slowplay. The button leads out, and the BB calls. At this point, you're at a decision. Do you spring your trap now, and hope that one of the players is holding the ace-high flush or do you wait one more street in the hope that someone else won't potentially catch a higher full house? You check. The button bets. The BB calls.

In this case, you spring a check-raise on your opponents, and the button caps, while the BB folds. The river is the 7 of diamonds. You lead out and are raised by the button. You have the stone cold nuts here unless he holds 44. He re-raises, you cap, he calls and shows Ac-Jc for the nut flush. You show your full house and rake in the nice pot.

Slowplaying can really work in your favor in the right circumstances. However, it can backfire when your trap springs back on you. Allowing someone to catch a better hand, or not springing the trap at the right time could be very bad for your bankroll. Generally in lower-limit games, it is best to only slowplay when you have the absolute nuts and you're sure that your opponent could only make a second best hand. Otherwise, you may find yourself on the wrong side of that pot-dragging.

Thursday $30+3 LHE Tourney Report

Well, I came to defend a title, and failed. I got bounced unceremoniously in 101st place out of 135, not even making the first break. That doesn't make me real happy, and I've effectively shut it down for the weekend in response. There's no use playing when you're on tilt.

This will be a short report, so just sit back, relax, and enjoy the carnage.

Level 1 (20/40):
1:32pm (T1470)-- You know, this could really have been the thing to set me off and get me off my game. I raise in the CO with As 9s, and get 2 callers, the BB and the button. The flop comes Ad-Td-9d. Two pair, but crap--a flush draw on the board. The BB checks, I bet, button and BB both call. Hmmm. Th on the turn. BB checks, I bet, button and BB both call. Hmmmm. 3c on the river. BB checks, I check, button checks. The button was so much of a fish, his mom must have been a mackerel. I show my two pair, the button shows J9o for a pair of nines (?), and the BB shows me 6d-2d for an Ace-high, 6-kicker flush. I know he couldn't have laid it down, but damn....calling a raise with 62s? or J9o for that matter? In a prophetic mark of what I was dealing with, both of these idiots busted out even before I did.

1:39pm (T1500)--Another one. The guy who was the button previously is my final opponent here. QQ in LP, I raise it up, and get called cold by the fish and in 2 other places. 4 see the flop 5d-2d-Ts. It gets checked to me, I lead out, and only fish-boy calls. Turn is the 8s. I lead, he calls. River is the Jh. I lead, he calls, and flips JJ. Nice 2-outer, jackass.

Level 2 (30/60):
1:51pm (T1155)--This time from the button, I get Ac Ks. The fish from hand 1 open raises UTG, and I re-raise to isolate him, successfully. Flop comes Kc-8s-2s. He checks, I lead, he calls. Turn card is the 3s. He checks, I lead, he calls. The river is the Ts. He leads out, and I can't believe what I'm seeing, so I call. He turns over As-2d for the runner-runner nut flush. Mouse goes flying into the wall.

1:58pm (T885)--From the SB, and tilting a little, I pick up Js-9s. It's raised UTG and called by the button, myself, and the fish in the BB. Flop is 4c-7h-9c. I lead out and get raised by the original pre-flop raiser. My senses tell me to let it go, but the tilt monster calls. The turn card is the lovely 9h. I lead out and get called by both, The As river bothers me a tad, but I lead anyway, the fish folds and the original raiser sees my trip 9s. He had TT and lost a T480 pot. Yay me.

Level 3 (50/100):
2:05pm (T1185)--AQs UTG for a raise, flop comes Q-9-9, I bet and take down the baby pot. Again, yay me.

2:06pm (T1260)--The killer. A9o in the SB. I get the player UTG (who is loose) to call, and I raise it. BB (the fish frm the second hand) calls my raise, as does UTG. The flop comes 3c-8s-Ah. Yahtzee. I bet, fish calls. Turn is the 6c. I bet, he calls. River is the 4c. I bet, he raises, I make the crying call expecting to see the club flush--no. He turns over 4h-3h for the rivered two pair. Mouse destroyed. I'm crippled with T760 at this point.

Level 4 (100/200):
2:10pm (T610)--The situation's dire now. I pick up KQs in the BB and it's raised by the button. Blind defender to the rescue! I defend my blind to see a flop of 8-2-2. Another 2 falls on the turn, and a J on the river. He, of course, flips over AQo to take all my chips, and end my tournament.

This is no way for a champion to be eliminated. I am fully tilted now, and I figure playing now would be counterproductive to my bankroll. Enjoy the weekend all. I may write a strategy post over the weekend on playing from the blinds, but as for playing, I'll see you at the tables later...much later.

PokerStars Monday $10+1 LHE Tourney Report

I played in this morning's Limit Tourney, and took a chop in the final 3. I had a big chiplead and ended up chopping for $424.50. By the time support got to the table to enforce the deal we had made, I was down to 3rd place, and I had to fight for it, but the chop got done appropriately.

Report:

Level 1: 20/40 blinds:
10:05am (T1320): I take a couple hits early folding to raises and re-raises when my hands miss the board. Hands like ATs, AKo just missed and I ate a little chip loss.

Level 2: 30/60 blinds:
10:18am (T860): My AJ runs into JJ. Bad news. I'm way closer to the bottom of the leaderboard than the top.

10:24am (T785): Yay! A pot win! A small win, but it equals the number of showdown wins I had last tourney.

Level 3: 50/100 blinds:
10:34am (T1170): My A9s flops two pair and holds up. There may be life!

10:36am (T1635): I get KJs in the BB, flop the open ended and river the straight. No resistance, so sure, I'll lead. A nice pot win for me, and...

Level 4: 100/200 blinds:
10:45am (T2170): AQ wins me an uncontested pot on the flop. Rollin'!

I take a couple small hits, until---

Level 5: 150/300 blinds:
11:11am (T2020): Rockets on the button. One caller to my pre-flop raise. I flop the set with a 6-A-9 rainbow. I lead out (after his check) and get called. The turn card fills me up, I check it. Damnit---I missed a bet. The river brings an 8. He leads, I raise, he folds. I have to show it. Yay me!

I stay pretty much out of the way, folding and playing tight until:

Level 6: 200/400 blinds:
11:22am (T2695): I look down to see 2 red nines. I open raise in LP after two limpers. I get re-raised by the BB, and call, just me and him to the flop. I flop the set with a 9-7-T board (2 clubs). He leads into me and I raise him, fearing a flush or straight draw. He calls. The river puts the King of clubs on the board (3 clubs). I get nervous here, especially when he leads out with a 400 chip bet. I flat call him. Then, the beautiful King of diamonds falls on the river. He leads, I raise him, he re-raises me (??--I'm worried about KK here, but he could have hit a flush and I could just go crazy here.), then I re-raised him, going all-in. He shows AKo, and MHIG. I drag the T3195 pot.

Level 7: 300/600 blinds:
11:36 am (T4390): My AKo wins a pot on the flop uncontested after someone calls my pre-flop raise then bails on my lead out.

11:45 am (T4390): Mostly all blind play until my 88 runs into a turned flush.

11:46 am (T2890): KQo in EP. I open-raise with it (just to vary things up), and flop top two. It holds up for a nice pot. Another player flopped a flush draw and missed all the way to the river.

11:47 am (T7390): Next hand--rockets. My rockets hold and I take down ANOTHER great pot. I had T10540 in chips, and I'm think ing--"Hey, maybe I can make the money here."

Level 8: 400/800 blinds:
11:52 am (T8317): Rockets again. They hold again, and I eliminate a player in the process. Some more blind play until this gem of a hand that hurt so bad, I had to post it's full history:

11:56 am (T9617):
PokerStars Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind t400 (8 handed)
CO (t6939)
Button (t3119)
SB (t11350)
BB (t13710)
UTG (t13700)
UTG+1 (t2510)
MP1 (t6027)
Hero (t9617)
Preflop: Hero is MP2 with As, Tc.

UTG calls, 2 folds, Hero raises, 4 folds, UTG calls.

Flop: (5.50 SB, t2200) 5h, Kc, 8h (2 players)

UTG checks, Hero bets, UTG calls.

Turn: (3.75 BB, t3000) Ah (2 players)

UTG checks, Hero bets, UTG calls.

River: (5.75 BB, t4600) Jd (2 players)

UTG checks, Hero bets, UTG calls.

Final Pot: 7.75 BB (t6200)
UTG has Td Qh (straight, ace high).
Hero has As Tc (one pair, aces).

UTG wins 7.75BB.

I paired my ace on the turn, and he called 800 chips with Th, Qc to hit a gutter. He was down the whole way, and hit a 4-outer. Punk.

12:04pm (T5817): Revenge is mine. Rockets in the small blind. They hold up again for a great pot win.

Level 9: 600/1200 blinds:
12:14pm (T9817): QJs UTG (I know, I know). I flop top pair, and I show aggression all the way to the river where my opponent gives up the hand. He asked me if I had rockets again. I told him no. He tilted real good.

From that point, I was only involved in blind play, not really gaining or losing a lot until these back-to-back hands:

Level 11: 1200/2400 blinds:
12:53pm (T9412): Q7s in the BB. I limp with the SB who redefines LAGgy play, and I miss the flop. He'll bet with anything, so I call. A queen falls on the turn. He bets, I raise, he calls. Another queen on the river, I go all-in and take down the pot uncontested. Yes, you heard that right. He walked away from a T16800 pot so he wouldn't call T1012 on the river.
12:54pm (T17812): AJo in the SB. I flat call, flop an ace, and win another pot.

Level 12: 1600/3200 blinds:
12:56pm (T26212): Pocket 3's UTG. The way this table is, I call with them. Another lag raises another T330 and is all-in, so I call that. Flop the set, turn the boat. Capped betting on the river. My 3's full beats his Q6o for trips. I now have T52072, and hold the chip lead!
1:04pm (T51272): QJs in the BB. I re-raise with it to isolate a player successfully. He's the small stack at the table with just 10 players left in the tourney. I flop a gutshot with a backdoor flush draw, lead out, and he mucks his pocket 7's.

Blind play (and hand-for-hand) continues until:

Level 13: 2000/4000 blinds:
1:18pm (T64872): QQ in the small blind wins me a T10000 pot uncontested on the flop.

1:21pm (T74872): KK in the big blind next orbit. I 3-bet pre-flop, 3-bet the flop (5-9-8, all hearts, with me holding the King of hearts), and lead out with a caller on the turn and the river. MHIG, and I win T25000.

A lot of folding on the flop as we reach the final table, and I build a chip stack (shown above) to over T150K. I offer a deal starting at the 5-handed point. Everyone wouldn't accept until we got 3-handed. I was getting low on chips (dropped to 3rd), when we finalized the deal and chopped the pot evenly for a nice profit on the tourney. I ended up finishinig 3rd, but got better than 2nd place money with the even chop. I felt like I played well, and overall, my first MTT final table was a success.

Limit Lessons: Utilizing the Check-Raise

According to Sklansky and Malmuth's Holdem Poker for Advanced Players (HEPAP), the check-raise is "the play of checking your hand with the intention of raising on the same round after an opponent bets." S&M continue with the following: "...the check-raise should often be used to exclude opponents from competing for the pot. Sometimes, in limit holdem, this is the most desirable characteristic of check-raising."

According to my PokerTracker database (get your copy of PokerTracker by clicking the logo on the front page), I've executed check-raises on all three post-flop streets. Why, and what does the check-raise accomplish? Again, according to S&M, raising in and of itself can serve 5 purposes:

1) To get more money in the pot.
2) To drive players out.
3) To bluff (or semi-bluff)
4) To get a free card.
5) To get information (not really applicable here)

The check-raise is used similarly, but for its shock value alone, can serve as an even more effective tool than by simply raising alone.

1) To get more money in the pot: The C/R is used this way when you have a monster hand. Most weak players figure that they've already committed one bet to the pot, so why not commit a second? For example, I picked up AJs in EP and raised. The flop came J-5-9 rainbow, and I let out and was called. The turn brought an Ace, completing the rainbow. This hand is a monster. Unless the opponent has a set, you have the nuts with top two pair. I checked the turn, my opponent bet, and I raised him. He then called the bet, as he had already committed $15 to the $40 pot, and couldn't justify folding for another $6. The turn paired the 9, I bet, he called with Aces and Nines, and I took down the pot.

2) To drive players out: You have a solid hand, but a vulnerable hand, and you want others to get the hell out of your way. I picked up K8s in MP, and limped. The flop came 7-K-K in a 5-way pot. I checked, the button bet, and I raised. Two of the 5 players folded. I wanted someone who paired their 7 still in, but anyone with any other overpair out.

3) To bluff (or semi-bluff): I wouldn't use the check-raise to bluff, because you're throwing 2 bets away with nothing. The only time that it can be effective is if you feel your opponent is weak, and that he/she will fold to your check-raise.

4) To get a free card: The check-raise, when you utilize it properly is quite the scare tactic. Most players will back down from you unless they have a monster hand. It is the tendency of players to check to the raiser. An opportunistic check-raise can force your opponent to check the next street to you and give you a free card.

The check-raise is an effective weapon to keep in your arsenal in Limit Holdem. Learn to use it properly in each situation, and become a more profitable player.

Wednesday Night $30+$3 LHE Tourney Report

I decided during the day that I would play in this tourney, my first really significant online tourney except for the WSOP Main Event FPP Qualifier last May. I started off with this really LAGgy guy to my right, and he somewhat dictated the pace early on--not that it would've mattered--I was totally card-dead.

11:01 pm (T1580): I steal a couple blinds, and am starting off well.

11:06 pm (T1620): I flop top two with AJs, but get no action on my turn bet. Not bad, though.

11:16 pm (T1350): I get pushed off a pot by Mr. LAG. I have AJo, flop is A-T-T. I raise pre-flop, raise the flop, and he re-raises me. When he leads out on the turn, I let the hand go, figuring him on KT or the like. Meh.

11:26 pm (T1005): Best hand of the night. QQ in the SB. LAG boy of course raises from the button. I oblige and re-raise him. The flop is the beautiful J-8-Q, but they're all clubs. The turn is the King of clubs, I bet, he raises, and I flat call him. The river completes the flush on board, and I lead out with him calling. He shows AJ of hearts, and splits the pot. This guy was behind the whole way. Maybe I should've re-raised the turn--would you have re-raised it? Didn't think so.

11:27 pm (T1140): Next hand, I raise with QJ on the button. Flop is 6-6-5. I lead out and get called. The turn brings a Queen. I lead out and am called again in two places. The river is the Ace of hearts, and it gets checked around. LAG-boy shows me A4o to beat me. The second caller shows 84o, finishing 3rd in a 3-horse race. I'm pissed at this point.

11:39 pm (T1290): I pick up a nice pot with AQs when a Queen falls on the turn, and all I get are folds.

11:49 pm (T915): I get 33 in MP, and flop a set. No callers. Damnit.

12:20 am (T815): Beginning to run for my life at this point. Blinds are 75/150, I raise in MP with QJ (tricky, aren't I), and pick up a pot with a turn bet with just my overcards.

12:29 am (T1040): Q8o in the BB. I open-raise pre-flop, get a call from UTG. Bet the flop on a bluff and I take it down. Hey, any way you can, right?

12:30 am (T1440): Same thing with A8o from the button.

12:37 am (T1390): Big pot win. I pick up KJ on the button, and open-raise. The flop comes 9-5-K rainbow. UTG bets. I raise and take down the pot.

12:40 am (T2590): In better shape. I just noticed that I outlasted PokerStars' uber-star Jennicide. I pick up AJs UTG+1, raise it up, and when an Ace falls on the flop , take down the pot with a bet.

12:43 am (T2440): The crippler. Our table chip leader (think he was #2 overall) took me for most of my chips. AJs on the button. I raise pre-flop, and get two callers (CO-1--the chip leader, and the SB). I flop a nut flush draw, with a T-7-3 flop, bigger cards being spades. Chip leader bets, and I raise. I still get called...(is trouble afoot?). Turn pairs a 7, I bet and get called. River is a 4. It's checked around to me, so I take one last stab at the pot. Chip leader calls, and flips over K3o. He called me down with BOTTOM PAIR. Worst part is that this guy got hit with the deck all night. Limps with Q2--flop comes Q-Q-6, turn is the deuce. Stuff like that.

12:47 am (T340): All-in with A4o from UTG, I don't improve and I go home in 37th place of 139 players.

Not too bad for being card-dead. An amazing fact: I finished 37th in the tourney (with the top 18 getting paid) without winning a single hand at showdown. I split the pot with the QQ hand. Other than that, not a single win of mine went to showdown. 37th is a sort of moral victory, though. I outlasted Mr. LAG from earlier, and played fairly well despite my lack of cards. A fun time. I'd obviously rather have finished ITM, but overall, encouraging signs.

An observation: The blind structures in the limit tournies on Stars are BRUTAL. At no point did the chip leader have more than 25BB, and the average stack moved between 6-8BB during basically the whole tournament. It moved the tourney fast, but it turned it into a card-catching contest at times.

"Reward the Retard Day" at Stars

It was bound to happen. You can't run as hot as I've been and not have it happen to you. Today, it happened. I lost $100 on a 3/6 table--here's some of the carnage:

AKs loses to KJo. Guy called my raise cold from the SB.
AQs loses to BOTH QTo and QJo. QJo called 3 bets cold to get there.
88 loses to K8o. At least he just checked the BB.

My VP$IP in the session was 10.81%, and I won one hand. I won with 77 when a guy called down with his AJo to the river and missed. It happens. Back to the drawing board.

The Difference Between 2/4 and 3/6

You know, I was playing last night (because insomnia is such a bitch), clearing my Stars reload at 3/6. I had my first downswing in a while, losing a couple tough hands, but finishing my session up a paltry $13. I wouldn't even be mentioning it, but at one point, I was up by $100, continuing my streak of doubling buy-ins at the 3/6 game. I went from that peak down through a monster streak of getting decent hands cracked by better ones, and by a bad read or two along the way.

Preflop: Hero is Button with 9d, 9s.
UTG calls, 2 folds, MP2 calls, MP3 raises, 1 fold, Hero calls, 1 fold, BB calls, UTG calls, MP2 calls.

Flop: (10.33 SB) 5s, Ks, 7h (5 players)

BB checks, UTG checks, MP2 checks, MP3 bets, Hero raises, BB folds, UTG folds, MP2 folds, MP3 calls.

Turn: (7.16 BB) 8h (2 players)

MP3 checks, Hero bets, MP3 calls.

River: (9.16 BB) 7s (2 players)

MP3 checks, Hero bets, MP3 calls.

Final Pot: 11.16 BB

MP3 has Qd Qh (two pair, queens and sevens).

Hero has 9d 9s (two pair, nines and sevens).

Outcome: MP3 wins 11.16 BB.

A bad read--the guy had been LAGging it up, trying to run over the table. Doesn't he know that's my job? He mustn't have gotten the memo.

Preflop: Hero is MP2 with Qd, Qs.
3 folds, Hero raises, CO 3-bets, 3 folds, Hero caps, CO calls.

Flop: (9.33 SB) 9d, Ad, 4s (2 players)

Hero bets, CO raises, Hero calls.

Turn: (6.66 BB) Js (2 players)

Hero checks, CO bets, Hero folds.

Final Pot: 7.66 BB

No showdown. CO wins 7.66 BB.

Another poor read--he showed me TT. I almost threw my monitor out the window.

---

So, I get ready to shut off the computer, check my bonus status, and see that I only need 3 FPPs to complete the bonus. So I decide to finish it off at 2/4. I buy in woth $60 and check out a table where the "% see flop" is about 32%. I have no idea how I ever won money there. AA cracked after an EP raise, called COLD by a LP player with K5s. He caught a king on the flop, called another bet, and bookended his 5 on the river. I ended up down $40 on a 2/4 table. It could just be because it's bonus-clearing time, but for a guy who runs over 3/6 tables like Andy Reid on his way to the all-you-can-eat buffet, it was discouraging to be taken down so crappily. The session dropped my winrate at 2/4 down to just 1.98 BB/100--nothing to sneeze at, but FAR lower than at any other limit. Enough to depress me, so I sulked off to bed.

Good news: I cleared the bonus.
Bad news: I donked away $40 of it to the fish at 2/4.

They'll pay for it today.

Happy Labor Day!

That banner will be appearing with every post for a while, so give whatever you can afford. This is our own people who benefit from your donation of time or money. Please. It's a worthwhile cause, and if you don't want to give that way, play in one of the many Katrina Relief tournaments around.

PokerStars Katrina Relief Tourney Schedule:

Monday, September 12, 2005, 9:30 pm: $5
Wednesday, September 14, 2005, 9:30 pm: $20
Thursday, September 15, 2005, 9:30 pm: $50
Friday, September 16, 2005, 9:30 pm: $100

Playing some 3/6 on Stars, I hit back-to-back full houses. But these weren't any ordinary boats. They were FLOPPED boats. Back-to-back hands. I had been Mr. Rock until then, 22 hands at the table, VP$IP of 0%--just got nothing. Dealt 88. Flop? A-8-A. I check the boat, then watch as the ultimate scare card comes on the turn--another ace. I bet, opponents fold. Whew. Next hand, JJ. Flop? 5-5-J. Nothing like flopping the stone-cold nuts. I ended up winning a 13BB pot with that against somebody with AJo.

I had never had that happen before. Sweet.

Finally saw Wedding Crashers last night. Side-splittingly funny. Vince Vaughn is just hilarious.

As of right now, over 3500 hands, I'm beating the 3/6 at Stars at a >5BB/100 win rate. I know it isn't sustainable, but damn. The 3/6 was my schneid when I first tried to move up. Now I've been slaughtering it. I'm playing patient, ABC poker and winning. That's the key. Don't get too high, don't get too low. I'm closing in on my goal to move up again to 5/10, but I'm taking that slower than I have before. It's a big psychological step, and without the emotional crutch of a 4/8 game spread at Stars, moving up too fast and enduring a couple shitty sessions could be extremely bad.

With that being said, my 2/4 winrate dropped down below 2.5 BB/100. It almost makes me laugh.

As of right now, my overall winrate is at 4.76 BB/100 from 0.50/1 up to 3/6. Poker life is pretty good.

The BIG Announcement

The time has come for my huge announcement. As most of you know, I was recently married to the love of my life. We just officially found out that we are expecting our first child! A baby shark is on the way! The wife is due April 25, 2006--so you can say that the honeymoon was a really good time/ Yes, our little one is a honeymoon baby, and I couldn't be happier. Everybody's doing just fine, and I'll of course keep my three readers up to date on all the information!

Give Until it Helps...

Dabbling Here And There

Well I've been playing a bit of Omaha Hi at Empire, some NLHE, and even some O8B. I haven't really had any big wins or big losses, so my poker time has pretty much been a wash, with me just gaining some experience with playing with the fish. I've enjoyed myself, and I've come to like Omaha hi, especially when people know how to play the game.

Next on the agenda is the PokerStars reload (20% up to $120)--I'll be taking money from Empire and shoving it into Stars later today, then it'll be back to my Limit ways over at the 3/6 full ring games. Notes on playing at Empire--players are TERRIBLE. They will call, call, call--you'll stack them sometimes, they'll suck out on you others. Overall, I'm not especially pleased with the site, though I have heard that higher limit games are far better quality.

I also need a casino trip. Badly.

Also, a plea. I personally wasn't affected by the tragedy unfolding along the Gulf Coast. I do know some who were. Regardless of whether or not you know someone who was affected, this is a tragedy that (if it hasn't already) WILL affect all Americans. If you have the resources, please donate money to the American Red Cross.

Use this link to donate directly to the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts:

Donate Money Here!

This will send money directly to the Red Cross, where it will be used for a fantastic cause. Charity begins at home, folks. Here's our chance to do something good in our own community. I've already sent money. If you have the resources, please join me in helping those who Mother Nature put a real bad beat on.

Details on the project are upcoming...I'll let you know as soon as I can! Meanwhile, enjoy the tables and the long weekend!