Grow A Pair...

You are a wuss: part wimp, and part pussy. - Mike Demone - Fast Times At Ridgemont High


I think I've made a little bit of a discovery. I play better poker when everyone else plays better poker. This is a Good Thing(tm) I guess, since my move up to higher limits may actually allow me to encounter some better players. As it is, the tourneys I play on weekday mornings, while certainly not populated with good players, are at least populated by players who know what a raise is.

Today was Super/System clone day. Playing against players who's only real play is the "all-in" tango is a simple affair, if you're getting cards. It allows absolutely no drawing hands, though, unless you have them very chip dominated. In a sit and go, when they start that shit right away, they're either an even stack, a monster or gone. The proverbial slot machine.

And it wasn't paying out. I sat and watched pocket aces get cracked 4 times today. Thankfully, I was never involved in those hands, but it was unreal none-the-less.. I felt their pain every time Q7o would river two pair and send the rockets to the Death Of A Thousand Screams.

The only, and I mean only time I saw the rockets hold up, I was holding them.. And it was a beut...

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t100 (5 handed) converter

BB (t2160)
UTG (t3110)
MP (t380)
Button (t1065)
ICP_Paul (t1285)


Preflop: ICP_Paul is SB with As, Ac.
UTG folds, MP raises to t380 (All-In), Button raises to t660, ICP_Paul calls t610, BB folds.


Flop: (t1800) 4d, Kc, 6d (3 players, 1 all-in)

ICP_Paul bets t625 (All-In), Button calls t405 (All-In).


Turn: (t2830) Ks (3 players, 3 all-in)


River: (t2830) 4s (3 players, 3 all-in)


Final Pot: t2830
Main Pot: t1240 (t1240), between MP, Button and ICP_Paul. > Pot won by ICP_Paul (t1240).
Pot 2: t1370 (t1370), between Button and ICP_Paul. > Pot won by ICP_Paul (t1370).
Pot 3: t220 (t220), overbet by ICP_Paul.

Results:
MP shows Qc Jd (two pair, kings and fours).
Button shows Ah Th (two pair, kings and fours).
ICP_Paul shows As Ac (two pair, aces and kings).
Outcome: ICP_Paul wins t2830.

Could you ask for anything more? Unfortunately, I ended up heads up with an ultra-aggresive guy and I couldn't get the cards to make him pay. The coup de gras was when I picked up QJo and shoved. He turns over A5o and spikes the ace on the flop. See ya.

Results below.

$20+$2 - 5th - -$22
$10+$1 - 3rd - +$9
$10+$1 - 6th - -$11
$10+$1 - 2nd - +$19

No luck with the one $22 sit and go. No cards, a short stack, and no chance of taking control of the table. Unless I had a legit hand, I had to bail, and that happened several times. A couple of missed flops in a game like that and you're pretty much done. No need to get sucked out on. T800 is certainly a miserly amount of chips. I look forward to getting to the level where they give you T1000 to start.. It will make a difference, I think. One thing I am happy about is my short handed play. Once it gets down to 4 or less, I really have good results. I think it's because when the table gets short, others feel it's desperation time and they have to go into ultra-aggressive mode. If you're patient and don't fall in love with hands, you can really beat the snot out of these guys.

Okay, so a -$5 hit today. Not as bad as it could have been. I think that this being on the bubble between the $20 and $10 games will see some small losses like this until I can get a money on a $20. Once that happens, I think I'll be okay for the $20 level. One loss on the $20 level, though, and I have to slip back to $10.