Unanderra - Monday

Mondays tournament at Unanderra was a crazy one. With around 30-35 runners the chances of making final table were a lot better than usual. The tournament was underway when I was announced dealer :). I did not really play the first few hands which made me eager to play my big blind. I made up my mind that I would call any 3 times the blind and under raise before cards were dealt. Sure enough there was a raise from someone in late position of 275 (50/100) blinds... I announced "I call dark." and that is exactly what I did. After this he announced he had almost the same hand he had in the last one... K J. I saw a flop of 2 5 9... I checked... Still not having looked at my cards. He pushed all in for 400 (He was short stacked: one of the reasons I called him without looking at my cards). I looked at my whole cards... 2 3... A pair of 2's... Probably good if he has 2 high cards... "I call". He turned up K J... My pair held up and I took down the pot.
A few hands later I limped in with pocket 2's and saw a flop of 4 2 J (Rainbow)... Beautiful a set. Weapon led out with a bet of 400... I flat called and so did another player. The turn was another J. Weapon let out with another 400 bet which i quickly raised to 800. The other player called (this put him all in) and Weapon folded. He turned up A J and I turned up my 2's. He had 6 outs in the deck. An A or 4 for him to win the pot. The river... A. YUCK! Down to 1400 :(.
A few hands later I have pocket 10's UTG... Bad spot to have em... I decide to min raise the 100/200 blinds (making it 400)... Representing strength but not wanting to commit myself entirely. I get 4 callers... I semi-regretted min raising until I saw the flop... 4 5 10 (Rainbow)... I Check! The button bet 500 and I reraised all in... She called and turned up J 10... Running Jacks did not come and I took down the pot.
I got a further 2000 chips a few hands later when I had pocket Aces after someone pushed all in second to act. He turned up Jacks and I hit yet another set on the flop of 6 9 A (Running Jacks did not come :P).
I then saw a lot of crazy hands... Ben pushed all in preflop for 900 and was called by 4 others. After a board of Q Q 9 there the rest of the people in the hand pushed all in. Ben turned up J J... One player turned up 8 8... Another player turned up K Q... The last player turned up 9 9. Pocket 9's flopped a full house and K Q flopped a set. A nothing card hit the turn and river was an 8 putting another full house in the mix. Ben pushed with the best hand and ended up with the worst.
3-4 Hands later I was on the button and looked down at A K and everyone had folded to me. Both players on my right were short stacked so I pushed all in... I was quickly called by the small blind and the big blind folded. The small blind turned up a Q Q and I turned up my A K. The flop was 4 Q 10... Ouch he hit a set!... I could still hit a J for a straight... The turn... J!! Sweet! Just don't pair the boa... 10! Full house! :( I lose a pot of around 7k :(.
We were down to 13 runners at 200/400 blinds which was insane... I was short stacked at around 4000 but i figured i could grind it out... Final table was about 20 mins later and the blinds were 500/1000... I chose seat 4... UTG :(... at least I will get blinds cheap early. I only had 4500 however... I lost my blind hands but being patient paid off because we were soon on the bubble for cash. In an early position I pushed with an A J and was called and then someone shoved over the top in a later position... The initial caller folded. The person who shoved turned up pocket 10's... Beautiful 2 overs! After an A on the flop I tripled up to around 10k.
I sat on 10k chips for a while... it seemed we were 7 handed for ages... But finally someone was knocked out and we were in the money... The very next hand I picked up a K 10 in early position. I announced "We are in the money" and then shoved. I was called by the small blind who turned up an A Q... Awesome two live cards... Window card... K! My pair held up and I was at around 25k.
A few more players got out and I got a few more chips... we were 3 handed. I was in the small blind for 3k and looked down at a K 3... I had been folding a few of my small blinds but I figured I could afford to call this time. I did... The big blind announced "Lets see a flop... I have not even looked at my cards." The flop was Q 10 7... I checked and he made a min bet of 6k... I looked at his cards and they were in the very same position as before... "I call". The turn was a 4... I checked... He bet again... 6000... "I call"... The river was another 4... I checked and so did he. I turned up my cards and said "I have king high". He turned up a 9... and 5. I took down a 36k pot with K high.
A few hands later a player reluctantly called the small blind and looked like he just wanted to see a flop... I announced "all in". I had not seen my cards... He folded and the game continued.
I was then on the button and had a dominant chip lead over the other two... GSV suggested that I push and I did. I was instantly called by both players before they got their cards. I got a Q 8... Small blind got a J 6... Big blind got A K... Everyone missed the board and each played our high cards. The smallest stack won the main pot and i took the side pot of 12k... The hand had only cost me about 6k and I managed to knock out a player.
Heads up only lasted a few hands... I could tell he wanted to make a deal but I had a 3 to 1 chip advantage and was not ready to make one. The first hand I picket up pocket Queens in the big blind... Just before this however I noticed heavy reluctance in his call. It was the same player from before and this time I wanted action from my Queens. I checked... The flop was J 10 7 (all clubs)... I bet 20k and he got out of the pot.
The next hand he wanted to go all in but he was in the big blind and I told him to take his chips back and wait till I get my cards. I got a K 7 and announced "Ok... all in". He turned up a 8 5 and my K high was good. I won the tournament! :) Also won the first of the New Satellite Poker Hats :)!

Cabbage Tree - Thursday

Today I did not do too great in either the freeroll or sit n' go. I lost a lot of 50/50 races and peeps kept on picking up better pockets when i had them. When I had 8's someone had 10's and when I had Q's someone had K's. So I will be going on a shorter different route tonight. I want to talk about a specific hand I watched on the final table, a hand Troy (Joker) was involved in. Troy had a massive chip lead over both players three handed... He had around 130k and was up against 17k and 50k. Troy was on the button with 15k/30k blinds... The short stack was in for 15 of his 17k and the big blind was in for 30 of her 50k. Troy made a push with a 10 6... This may sound stupid because it isolates a committed player and there would be less chance of knocking that player out but in reality this play was extremely technical. Now the person in the small blind was all in regardless of any move... The onus was all on the big blind. She new if she was to call and the small blind was to have the best hand and Troy the second best she would be out in third. But if she folded, she would be on the short stack but a decent chance to at least make 2nd... Her hand was marginal so she threw it away. Troy lost the hand... Which was not such a bad thing. What Troy had created was two short stacks. If he had folded the hand and allowed the big blind to take out the small blind, she would have been a contender for first place. Troy would have only had a 2 to 1 chip lead going into heads up play, where one hand could change everything. He was up against two stacks of around 30k which was the blind to play at the time... Troy won the tournament with ease from then on... If he had not isolated the shorter stack with 10 6 it may have been a different story.

Straight Flushing!

Straight Flush > Queens and Nut Flush!

My First Royal Flush

At the moment i'm playing a $100 Full Tilt free roll and I just got my first royal flush :).

I'm holding K J of Diamonds online... Flop is AD 7H 10D... I call a 1200 bet... The Turn... QD... ROYAL FLUSH BABY!!!... I flat call a 4200 bet... The river 4H... I raise a 5400 bet up to 14k and get called !

Cabbage Tree - Thursday

Another day another freeroll. The tournament started off pretty good for me tonight... I won a few average sized pots after hitting top or middle pair when the quality of my hands got better i started to lose. I limped in with a QS 10S and after no raise i saw a flop... AS 8S 7D. I flopped a flush draw... I led out with with a bet of 75 (25/50 blinds) on the come (a term used when someone bets on a pretty strong draw). I got one caller... I did sense a bit of weakness in his call however... maybe he was on the same draw as me... so i made up my mind to keep betting even if the draw did not come... The turn was a 4H... not an action card... I doubled my bet to 150 trying to represent the A. He called... reluctantly. At this point I both, wanted to hit my flush and not hit my flush... If my flush hit I figured it would probably win (being the second nuts) but there was a small chance he was calling with the nuts flush draw (the KS)... He might have layed down the smaller flush draw on the turn after my bet... I was pretty sure however, I could steal the pot away from him with a big bet on the end if the flush did not come. The river... JS. My flush hit... I doubled my previous bet... 300... He min raised me... It became obvious that he was also on the draw... I announced "There is one card I am afraid of you having. But, I have to call."... Sure enough he showed up a KS 4S and took down the pot.
A hand just before the break I was in the big blind... Small blind asked the dealer "Can I have pocket Queens please... suited."... I replied with "Ill have Aces suited then... So I can split em." After a few limpers i looked down at my cards Q Q... I was surprised (which i did not show on the outside mind you). I raised 400 more (550 total)... I got one caller... After a 9 high board I bet 600 and took down the pot... I showed my Queens to the small blind and then the rest of the table...
After the break i was experiencing a bit of a cold deck... I was in the small blind for 200 and there was a massive raise of 1800... I looked down at my first card... a K "Oh please pair up"... My next card... an A... It did not pair up but i put him on Jacks... or at least a pair... So I knew it was a coin flip... I reraised all in and was quickly called... He turned up Queens and I turned up my A K... The window card was an A... Second card K and a 9... Although this may seem like a pretty good flop... all cards were clubs... I darted my eyes over to his hand and sure enough he had the Queen of clubs... The turn... 8C... He had made his flush... With no A or K on the river I was knocked out of the tournament.
With the risk of making this post too long... After the tournament i played a 6-max sit n' go for a Main Event ticket... Johnno dominated... Every hand he played he won... The second hand he tripled up... He opened up with a raise which was reraised quickly by Brett... Joker called... I looked down at pocket 6's which I quickly threw away... Johnno reraised all in and was called by both Brett and Joker... Johnno had pocket Kings and was up against two A K's. After no Ace Johnno raked in a pot of close to 9k.
A few hands later Matt pushed all in UTG. Johnno quickly reraised... I looked down at an A Q... Not the hand you want to see in this position. I threw it away... Matt turned up A J and Johnno turned up Pocket 10's... After no A or J (or Q :P)... Johnno took down the pot and we were 3 handed...
I was in the big blind and was faced with a raise from Johnno... I looked down at pocket 10's... I quickly reraised all in... Johnno called and turned up K 10 suited... The first two cards gave him the flush draw... But the turn was a K and left me drawing for the case 10... It did not come.
Johnno lost his first hand heads up... a pretty amazing feat since he played almost every hand. But... after he raised and was called preflop... And after a board consisting of A Q 10... Steel pushed and Johnno called and turned up a K J (the nuts straight) Steel was holding a J 10... Johnno won the Main Event ticket.

Cabbage Tree - Thursday

Umm, i'm not dead. Its my last week of Uni and i still have 8 assignments to do :\. Ive played two tournaments since the last post and did ok in both (19th and 13th). Poker at the tree last night was tough. 65 runners made the average chip stack very very high. Both of the tournaments i played (Monday and Thursday) ive started out with the mind set of playing position poker. Raising every button and following with continuation bets depending on the action i got. But i have come to the conclusion that in a freeroll it is virtually impossible to play like this. Not until the late rounds anyway. This technique is highly dependant on the table you are sitting on. I had two players on my table that were playing most hands and calling with any draw, low-mid pair and even high card. My mate Ben was in a pot with one of them. He pushed all in after hitting a Q on the board of Q 6 4. His opponant started questioning him... "Have you got pockets?...Have you got pockets?...HAVE YOU GOT POCKETS!?". As if he had just learnt what "pockets" were and was trying to show off his extensive pocker knowledge. He then came to the assumption that Ben was bluffing or or he could have thought he was on pockets or maybe he just wanted to show that he knew what a "call" was. He called... He turned up a J 10... No pair no draw. Even a bluff could beat him. No cards came that helped his hand and Ben doubled up.
He was also the same guy who doubled me up. I limped in UTG with an A 10... Jen raised min raised in late position which scared me a little. I had played maybe 3 hands all night so my table image was very tight, i had also limped into the pot in the worst position for that move so the standard my hand had to be at was high. This information i figured she knew so i put her on a pretty good hand because of my image. A few people called the raise and i did as well... The flop came 7 2 10. I pushed all in for 1400... Taking the risk that Jen had maybe some suited connector hand. She folded... The same guy who was in Ben's pot was counting out chips... Now this is who i wanted to call... He threw his chips in and i turned up my A 10. He turned up a J 2. Bottom pair... Now i did have a little bit of worry but not much. The table was talking up that a bad beat was emminent... It did not come and i doubled up.
When it was down to 2 tables i was on the short stack... I made a push in late position with K 9 for 3500 with blinds at 1000/2000... I expected BB to call which he did. I was miles ahead of the 8 9 Bull turned up and i doubled up, he did have to make the call due to the odds he was getting. My last hand was a J 8 which i received in late position once more... It is my second fav hand and i decided to get my chips in the post. After missing everything on the board however Bull turned up the brunson (10 2). He had hit the 2 and knocked me out in 13th place.

Poker Dome Hurstville - Friday

The boys from the Uni Poker League went up to Hurstville tonight and played a $75 deep stack. Everyone was disappointed... We were expecting a lot from the poker dome but none of our expectations were met. I was expecting a big complex of at least two stories high with at least one floor devoted to poker. The reality was more like a bar with a poker room... We were expecting a lot of runners, making a prize pool of 5k+. It was more like 16 (5 of us from uni poker) runners producing a prize pool of less then $1000... We expected the level of play to be high. We were corrected after we saw an all-in call, with a Q 9 in the first hand (was up against K K)... We were expecting a 'deep stack' tournament... Starting stack was only 5000 with 20 minute blinds. We were expecting the tournament to be well organised... We basically just sat at a table and expected to create our own poker (we were not told how much blinds were; just notified when they were up)... Luck was not on our side.
The first bad beat came from Siggy. Flopping a set with J 9 on a flop of K 9 9 (rainbow). He checked... The pot was bet into and he reraised. After he was insta called the turn was a 7... This put 2 diamonds on the board. Siggy bet again and was insta called... The river was a 4D... Siggy bet and was reraised all in. He called. His opponent turned up a QD 3D... He was being called on a back door flush draw and it hit...
The second bad beat was from Dan. After limping in behind the button the pot was raised. The raiser had been playing a lot of position poker and he had shown some pretty bad starting hands after raising in that position... Dan called with AS 10S... The flop was AC 7S 8S... Dan had flopped top pair with the nut flush draw... he checked. The pre flop raiser bet out and Dan quickly reraised. He was called... The button showed up an A 8... 2 pair! Talk about pre flop domination... Dan still had heaps of outs... Any spade would give him the flush, or he could hit his 10. After another A hit the turn Dan was drawing to a 10... It did not hit.
The next person out was yours truly. It was at the final table... Blinds were 100/200 which is ridiculous for a final table. I had some decent hands. I won a pretty good pot with Pocket J's. But i gave away most of what i won after a pot odds call (a calculated decision) with a K Q suited (was against A 9)... 7 Handed i was dealt pocket 7's in late position... I raised the pot to 700. I was called by two others. the flop was 3 5 5. Excellent flop for 7's. The big blind bet out with an 800 bet. I considered reraising all in. But she was one of the blinds and she could have called me with anything... The turn was an 8. She checked... I bet out 1300. She reraised all in... I only had 400 chips left and was too committed to the pot to back out (even though i was pretty sure i was behind). She turned up a K high flush... I regretted not reraising all in, but she assured me she would have called. The flush held up and knocked me out. Not a bad beat but definitely a hand that is worth reviewing to prevent it happening again.
Miguel was next out. He pushed all in with pocket K's and was snap called by a J 8... After a J hit on the flop he got nervous... On the river... an 8. A pretty bad beat from him.
Matt the best position of all of us went out in 4th position (the bubble). He was forced all in with an A Q in the big blind... It was unfortunate for him the button had picked up an A K. The A K held and the last of us were knocked out.
A pretty bad tournament. $75 for a $900 prize pool is horrible... Wont be playing satellite for a week. Public holiday Monday and working on Thursday...