ITM at 2014 Wall Pajama Classic

I placed 5th out of 27 in this year's Wall Pajama Classic. Drove 2.5 hours to see high school buddies, got stock behind two spiteful sand trucks that were de-icing the roads as it snowed. Arrived upset but calmed down after eating. Key hand, among others, was down to 5 handed, raising a short stack all in, my K6o to his Ad8d board 6d4d2s, he had lots of outs and hit his flush, proper call but if I win that hand, i believe I win this tournament. I also got my 89o all in with a board of 9xx and was looked up by AKo, who hit the turn and crippled me. I'm then all in from the small blind with 67o and hit two pair against big blind, but her T7o also hit two pair.

2014 Main Line Poker Club

The Main Line Poker Club (MLPC) started off a new year, and I continue to under-perform. Format is two SnGs per evening, paying 3 spots. RS and SP were run over by the deck and had a good night. I managed to chop game #1 but not a good outcome for me. Gonna try to take this game more seriously and improve my results.

2014 Wall Winter Classic

I played well in the Wall Winter Classic, a yearly family and friend event, finishing 9th were it not for getting rivered J7 > J8, and for Kevin O to my right who plays any two cards as if they are AA. I was the usual target for getting picked on for wanting a cleanly executed game, but it's still a fun event.

Out in 16 AJ vs QQ

We are down to 19, with 13 spots paid. I'm nursing a short stack (as usual)

FTP Rush Poker

Giving it a go at FullTilt Rush Poker. So far so good. Not had a losing session in one week. Up approx 8-10 buy=ins, even with some very brutal rivers.

So far, I think aggression is the key. As far as the game itself, this fast format really sharpens the following skills:
-bet sizing
-reckognizing dry flops
-playing position
-effective stack and pot odds calculations
-trapping

Showboat June 18 2009

First break. Although i have not lost a hand, i only have starting stack 10k. Level 5 starting 400/800, will likely get it all in very shortly.

Second break. 30k down to 21 players from 73. Blinds will be 1.5/3k. Cannot get away from a 10bb stack. Would have won a few showdows if i call all in with weak aces. Shoving ranges very wide right now.

Busto at 11. I wake up with KK to call AT and as usual flot comes xAx. I win this i coast to ITM.

Bubbled a SnG 3/10.

June 2009 Recap

6/22/09
Main Line Poker Club
I got run over by the deck tonight. Won game #1 outright, took 2nd in game #2 (got lucky to get there), and chopped 1st in game #3. Basically I got a hand when I needed it late. Here are the results as I remember them:
Game #1: RW, MB, IB
Game #2: FB, RW, MB
Game #3: RW, JS, BS

6/8/09
2/18 ITM got my chips in good
not playing much, as you can see. concentrating on far more important things. an occasional recreational tournament is still enjoyable but other priorities have taken over.

my WSOP fantasy team seems to be holding up so far.

March 2009 Recap

3/29/09
22/180 nice run but no ITM. one hand did me in. may post it here...
4/180 ITM nice run but small ITM

3/23/09
Main Line Poker Club: i chopped-first game #1, bubbled game #2 55 < QTs, busto game #3. we should be back on track for a monthly game again.

3/18/09
3/45 ITM a little back on track. dinking around with some token frenzies too.

3/5/09
I really hit a bad streak the last week in February and have started off March just as poorly. Hoping things will turn around at Caesars. Stay tuned for updates at the breaks.

WSOPC Event #3
break #1: entering level 4 i am short 20bb,m~10. two others from the group have busted.

break #2: 360/983 left. i have 9bb.

break #3: busto just prior to dinner. i shoved KQh into a tighty/shorty with board 2h34h, did not think thighty would call of 7bb with AQo. i did not get the flush or pair so i'm out.

congrats I.B. for finishing ITM at 61/983

February 2009 Recap

2/17/09
3/45 ITM KK < AQ, standard
5/45 ITM QQ < JJ river, standard
another multi-table final table finish met with bad luck

2/12/09
1/9 ITM against a really tough heads up foe

3/45 ITM
33 vs AJs i flop a set but villain hits runner-runner flush. nice run i suppose but i needed a win.

busted a 180, missed a token, won a small token.

2/11/09
i'm embarking on a strategy to help me move up on buy-ins. i'm playing alot of FullTilt token tournaments, allowing me to lay out small buy-ins in exchange for tokens into higher tournaments. once i accumulate 10 tokens, i'm gonna see what my results are in the higher buy-ins. if i have success, i'll stay there.

i continue to lose an abnormal amount of 70/30 dominations, and i've been bubbling the token tourneys. i'm confident i will finish ITM at a regular rate.

2/9/09
7/45 bubble
down to 8, i get AA and raise, get popped all-in, get another caller, and i call. i'm up against QQ and KQo. flop xxQ case queen, busto. whine whine whine you betcha. i'm supposed to triple up there and coast into the top three.

i bubbled a token tourney shoving 55 into a 449 flop after another shorty played TT for a limp on the button. this tilted me more than anything. what good is it to not be afraid of the bubble if no one else is afraid of it either?

played NYRPS event #11 and what an uber-waste of time, plus i have to put up with some kid taking cheap shots at me in the chat. who needs that?

2/8/09
6/45 ITM
bad luck at the final table, running TT < QQ and when the bubble broke, A3s < ATo.
33/148 missed a token by 6 places. BB was courageous to call me down with A9o IMO.

2/3/09
3/45 ITM
a disappointing night again with numerous beats when dominating 70/30. don't care to revisit them here. i also had router problems as my connection went down every time the cordless phone was in use. changing the channels did not help.

homeys partagas and bdd67 continue to suffer beats as well, including a 10/1628 finish for partagas on the FT bubble in the 32K guarantee.

i think that's it for me until the conshy classic on saturday.

Conshohocken Classic Winter 2009

WHAT: Texas Holdem Freeze Out Tournament (no rebuy, no add-on)
WHERE: Wayne, PA
WHEN: February 7, 2009
WHO: top local talent and friends
WHY:


Post-tourne recap:
Well another tournament is in the books. Congratulations to PokerStars regular G.R. for taking it down over new-comer B.G. I successfully predicted bdd67 and partagas to go deep, as both made the final table along with Main Line Poker Club regulars T.R. and D.L.
The final went down as follows:
G.R.
B.G.
B.D.
D.L.
T.R.
F.A.
M.B.
A.K.

Personally, ran AA into T8o which turned a boat, and even with pot control, I lost a good deal of my stack early on. My premium hands never saw any action later in the tournament, and ultimately i ran into AA, and then at 2bb of course ATo < 94o busto.

In the aftermath, I go up a bit in a cash game, but then bust set over set. I rebuy and end up recovering my loss and my tourney buy-in.

It was good to see some new faces and to see some old faces that don't come around too much. Next time i'm sure we will max out, so more fun in store in the Fall.

Pre-tourney hoopla:
we have 37/40 registrants, and need to fill two spots.

well, it's that time of the year again. like Rocky, soon i will take my pre-tourney walk around the venue to take it all in, to make sure my promotional poster is accurate, and to meditate over whether i want to go the distance or go for the knockout. the field this time will be tougher than ever. i am one of the more experienced players for this tourney size, but anything can happen. good luck to all the Main Line Poker Club regulars - i expect a deep run from each of you. i think bdd67 will go deep this time, as he is due and he's been plugging leaks in his game. partagas also is likely to go deep, not to mention final tablists from last time S.M. S.H. W.E. we are disappointed squasher is not playing.

i hope to send blog updates during the breaks if i have time while coloring up.

my preparation will be similar as last time, which helped my 4th place finish. lots of rest, lots of study, and i've switched energy drinks (purely on taste). this time i'm going with

Villain Hall of Shame

hey pokerfans,
maybe this will be a new thread. with so many books and videos out there trying to tell you how to play poker, here are some lessons from my foes that can teach you how NOT to play poker:

the following are from the PokerStars nightly 70K:
1. here is the worst way possible to play AQo for value

2. here is the worst way possible to play TPNK

3. here is the worst way possible to try to bluff after your opponent bets into half your stack

from the FTP 45
4. How to NOT bluff the river when your opponent (me) has shown strength of every street
can this board be any more dangerous by the river to try to bluff?

horrible river bluff

Theory Corner

How to get your stack in smoothly:
% of pot to bet on each street with 2 players & 3 streets



Approximate odds that someone in later position is holding a pair stronger than yours:
C = (n * R) / 2
n = # of players left to act
R = # of pair ranks higher than yours
C = % chance player has a higher pair

Poker Homework: An ICM Calculation

Texas Holdem Probabilities

Seminole Hard Rock recap

55 runners in the 1pm tourney. i sit down at a hyper-aggressive table with what seems to be a few regulars and some noobs. i was pretty card dead, and when i had some kind of hand (AJs etc) i ran into very coordinated boards and had to let them go. i think i won only a single hand all day, and that was a semi-bluff. i busted in level 5. all in all, i have to say that the play at AC is considerably better.

the highlight was really meeting my online mentor LuckyTown and eventually playing at the same table. neither of us cashed in the tourney. i played a six-max SnG and chop/won it.

i was up decent in a cash game but lost AA to K3s to one of those guys playing any suited cards looking for flush draws.

January 2009 Borgata Recap

Borgata 12pm
191 runners, 10k starting stacks.

Break #1 18k. Doubled up on: 4 limpers at 50/100 i pop to 400 in sb. one caller - UTG sammy farha type, similar in age, personality, and ethnicity. nice fun-going guy. all others fold. sammy was late, missed perhaps 5 orbits. he actively splashed around after joining the table and has about 8k+. i had increased my stack to about 13k. Flop 899. I lead 800 (about 2/3 pot). sammy asks how much i have behind LOL. he calls. turn 5, i check, he bets 2200. i tank and feel confident in a read. i raise to 5000, he calls. river 6, he shoves, i insta-call and he should know that based on my bet sizing. i show TT he shows KTo for a busted bluff.

Break #2 short update from the loo. stack about 30k just trying to play smart. Some weak players at the table. Down to approx 95 players.

Break #3. Less than 10bb, down to 38. Too many interesting hands to recount here. Passed on a race and had a premium hand lose. i also bet table CL off a hand in which i should have extracted my full house for value, but i was playing for his whole stack and wanted to represent a flush draw, hoping he puts me all in, but he folded. Got lucky also JJ vs QQ we both flop sets but i river a flush.

Busto at 32. not a bad run but a few changes and i could have gone deeper. over all, i think i can now hang with the friday crowd.

i played 1/2NL with a bunch of young guys, including a talkative German guy (i like many things about Germany), and just had a blast. i played many more hands, particularly those that play well multi-way, and it paid off. i recovered about half my tournament entry fee.

January 2009 Recap

1/31/09
2/45 ITM losts QTs v 66 flush draw on board. good HU foe.
1/112 ITM for a token. too bad it wasn't a true tourney, as i took actual first when it shut down.

1/30/09
i'm losing JJ < AKo 3 times in a row now. i'm losing most races and most all dominated hands. this just has to turn around.

1/29/09
as further proof that i am inherently unlucky, i took some winnings and played a higher buy-in: the 10pm big double. i didn't know what to expect as far as play, but very early on in each tourney (perhaps level 2) i get JJ, i raise it up, i get re-raised, and i shove all in and get called - by the SAME villain! in one tourney he tables AKo and hits, in the other he tables A4s and hits. i try my luck at a higher 45 and run two pair into a set. finally, i return to my bread-and-butter to finish 8/45 but lost a number of key races to keep me OTM. i'm not giving up on the higher level - i'm happy to race in those spots.

1/28/09
4/45 ITM
6/45 ITM
i final-tabled two 45s simultaneously. i played aggressive and smart, got into trouble once in each one by getting 3-bet when i raised light. in one, i ran AKs into QQ that improved to QQQQ. but i finish ITM when AQo beats K6s from CL who didn't mind calling my shove. i'm crippled when i shove KQo < 77. in the other game i get QQQQ myself but there are no knockouts to help me move up. down to 6 i shove JJ < QKo. this is the kind of night i have in mind when i sit down to play, although i could/should have finished higher IMO.

1/27/09
70/1602 ITM

Thats why volume is important. If u can squeeze that bad streak of 300 tourneys into one week u wont be depressed for as long as someone who plays 2 tourneys a day and always complains about running bad. -Annette_15

at 1:42am, this is how i am rewarded for going so deep. it's so not worth playing MTTs unless you are under 25 years old. and mind you, this was the THIRD overpair that lost to an underpair long after the bubble burst.



1/25/09
2/9 ITM
7/45 bubble boy
returned from vaca to multi-table two tourneys. the SnG i think i could have won but i was busy final-tabling a 45, which i ultimately bubbled. i was the CL down to 8 when i pick up 99 in LP and IronMan/pro with half my stack overshoves, which i take to be AK so i decide to race. he was suited and hit his flush on the river. shortly thereafter i sense weakness in a MP limp and shove my 6bb with A8s, only to be called by the donk who has me slightly outstacked. his JTs flops a J and i'm out. you just can't play JTs any worse than that. my game was on but it's not enough in poker. this is when i usually feel like quitting - i don't do the volume to just shake off beats. every time i play, i play to win it, and it's no fun staying up late just to bubble.

1/16/09
1/45 ITM
just played one tourney tonight, fighting a cold and falling asleep. after the prior night's horrible coolers and beats, i notch a victory against a tough, successful player.

1/8/09
6/27 bubble boy.

1/6/09
9/90 ITM
7/45 ITM
an ice storm knocked me out of two tournaments. usually i have an adequate backup via my HTC FUZE/3G cell phone which can act as a wireless wifi router, but i was foolish to not have the battery fully charged. no problem - i can tether my Samsung Blackjack1/3G to my laptop for a connection. aahhrrgg i left the sync cable at work. i decide to go to the car to charge the FUZE, so i made the trek across my ice-covered driveway in my robe and survived the ice pelting and scorn from my teenagers, but i had busted by the time i was back online. immediately following this escapade, the power came back. too bad - i was deep in each of these tournaments. why go through the effort of having a backup system if i don't keep the backup system ready to go?

i entered another two turbos and manged to get the last paying spot in each. were it not for some bad beats, i could have recovered nicely from the disconnects bust outs.

i'm likely to not play until friday borgata and try to catch up on sleep before then.

1/3/09
2/90 ITM
an absolute heart-breaker against someone from Norway who stayed up all night and played 45o and hit a straight against my paired AQ. i really wanted to notch this victory on PS as i hardly ever win there. i have noticed a big difference in play in some tournaments so maybe there's hope for me if i can profile the table a little better.

54/402 in the 9pm R+A. my streak of donking off my chips in this tournament continues. all i had to do was look at the payout and i could have finished ITM but i spaced out. this is why i remain just average. just a poor play by me.

1/2/09
4/45 ITM
18/180 ITM
96/242
dropped down in buy-in on PS and the play is horrible down there. got a bad beat in the PS 9pm R+A.

1/1/09
played really well multi-tabling but in the end exhaustion got the best of me and i made some donk calls. a shame too - i was 5th in the PS 9pm R+A with a great table image and poised to make a decent run, but ultimately i made a poor decision. lesson learned.

2009 Goals

last year i exceeded my goals, winning the FTP 45 numerous times, winning a 90KO, winning/cashing a casino MTT a few times, and working with a mentor.

my goals for 2009 are:
improve post-flop play
begin thinking about more variables and putting the pieces together
final table a PokerStars 180
final table a MTT > 400 (24th is my best)
qualify for the WSOP ME via satellite or steps
cash in a casino large MTT (31st is my best)
win one of the two scheduled Conshy Classics

December 2008 Recap

12/31/08
4/45 ITM
7/45 bubble
i played so well in each of the 4 tourneys yet only managed 4th and the bubble always hurts. ran A9s into 55 BvB gutsy call by him on the bubble. would like to have ended the year better.

12/28/08
2/45 ITM
5/27 ITM
2/18 ITM
i busted out of the 9pm R&A by running A3 into A9 board AAx9x gg him. i then proceeded to multi-table 3 tourneys and got deep in all three of them when my two year old woke up ill. i am in the dog house for a long long time since QueenPrussia had to tend to the little guy alone. i have walked away from tourneys a number of times due to home crises, but i have been running bad and really wanted to mount a comeback of sorts. if it's any consolation, i did bust out of the 27 once the bubble broke.

there were some interesting hands on the night and i was getting slammed big time in the chat window by "professors" getting picked off on bluffs. i will try to look some up and report them here. i was happy to see that the PS moderator now intervenes almost immediately to chastise the offender, so i didn't have to send a follow-up email. it seems that generation "P" (as i like to call them) are reading books which tout being aggressive as the great neutralizer. they are hoping for fold equity but if they would actually finish reading the books they would learn that there is an equilibrium point and that if they are going to shove wide, they should be expected (at some point) to be called wide. i'm starting to recognize the pattern more and more, and although i'm wrong sometimes, i'm also right often enough to make it profitable. someone once told Doyle Brunson "how could you call that" to which he replied "how could you bet that." classic!

12/27/08
AA back to back in the PS180. first time it holds nicely, second time it loses to 74 LOL. lost every single 70/30 domination and got rivered numerous times. horrible beats. not a good night at all.

12/26/08
3/18 ITM AA < KQo obv
was deep in 3 other tourneys but got bad beats in all 3. morale is low again. i'm back in the "it's all luck" camp.

12/25/08
13/45 called all in from BB when SB shoved and we were both at 10bb. i was trying to pick off a bluff with my K6o but shover had AQo. kind of dumb but i see a lot of players bluff shove in that spot.

458/1213
was very deep in the FTP 28k but KK < AKs flush obv

8/45 final table but not ITM. A8 ran into KK, i flop the A but river is K gg me.

in other action, i lost a number of races tonight in key hands, so nothing to show for my time.

12/23/08
Home Game results
Game #1: 1.DL 2.SH 3.RW
Game #2: 1.SH 2.BS 3.RW
Game #3: 1.RG 2.BL 3.BS

made a few mistakes by not shoving certain starting hands at certain M-levels where i was probably ahead. lost a tough runner-runner flush in game #2 that would have given me a huge CL. couldn't get anything going in game #3. thanks to DL,BL,RG for sitting in for missing regulars - it paid off nicely for them.

12/19/08
i continue to struggle on PokerStars and do not know why there is such a difference in play between FullTilt and PokerStars. My experience and observations don't point to anything conclusive. For example, just when I think I can conclude that on PS players call you much tighter, I run into a guy calling me with K3o, so when the board comes K45rb, i'm inclined to think my JJ is good and that his reraise is a bluff. Not so.

12/17/08
The blogament and the PxF subscriber tournaments were both frought with my toddler climbing all over me while trying to play, and as expected, the results were dismal. I'm hoping his sleep schedule adjusts and so i can get back on track. We may pull off a home game 12/22/08.

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker!

This PokerStars tournament is a No Limit Texas Hold’em event exclusive to Bloggers.

Registration code: 829001

12/10/08
6/27 bubble boy. shoved AKo into CL 88 who limped UTG. PokerStars is obviously rigged. this was probably an ICM blunder of major proportions.

36/441 ITM in the 9pm PS RR+A, of course 88 < AQo i never win races when they matter. would have been in the top 10 with ~40 to go.

12/6/08
1/45 ITM that's 4 firsts and 1 second in my last 11 tries. looks like PokerXfactor is worth it after all.

12/1/08
2/45 ITM
unreal. heads up i flop a set and the guy rivers a wheel. if i dodge 4 outs i notch another victory.

December 2008 Atlantic City recap

12/12/08

Showboat 11am tournament. 61 runners started. i'm feeling good after having a few good showings online. i feel this size tournament is tailored to my style.

first level i lost a tough hand to a regular. i had only showed down KK prior and my table image was tight. i was blind stealing and the dude called from the BB. i c-bet and he stayed around. i forget the rest but he turned a flush and showed 9c4c. how he stays in with that is beyond me. we tangled again when i raised 3bb from MP with TT and he called. flop Jxx. we do not fear a J here so i c-bet about 3/4 pot. he deliberates and says "i'm ahead here, you know that" (not taunting, just talking). he shoves and i insta-call. he asks if i have AKo to which I show the TT and he shows 99. I doubled up to 20k and there are 40 left at first break.

Break #2 i have 5bb and button. 19 players left. i can't remember much about this level, but i've clearly dried up. but i get moved to a new table and steal blinds successfully three times. once, from utg, guy to my left folds 99 - jeesh. i have a working stack. by the time i move to another table. one key hand helped me a great deal. UTG limps, MP limps, and I complete from SB with Ad6d, while BB checks. flop comes xdAhxd. i bet, BB folds, UTG folds, MP calls. turn 9d - i hit my flush. i show dismay and check, MP checks. river blank, i go into tank, thinking of a good value bet. my stack is awkward - any real bet seems strange, so i put it in. MP calls with AK. after he busted he took an interest in how i was doing - he respected my game and called me the professor. that's quite a compliment. he was a nice kid.

Final table, 8 left. Paying 6 spots. 3 of us have a similar short-stack, 2 other just a little more. I dried up last level. Made a number of mistakes - still not playing sharp. Too passive - missed some real opportunities.

We paid the bubble spot, and i really kick in my short stack play. i triple up, but I ultimately bubble when my A8s < A4o when CL flops a 4. So unreal. Why do we subject ourselves to such nonsense? the two other shorties just did not belong at the final table.

i'm starting to think that i'm probably better than the average recreational player (the demographic that i associate myself with). i've cashed in the showboat tournaments (including two chopped victories), and bubble-cashed a couple. i think i have an advantage at bet sizing, reading strength/weakness, and small stack play. however i still lack the testosterone to make crucial bets and take key stands in these live venues. for example in level 3, at 6BB, an UTG limper caused me to fold KQo from MP. not to be ROT but the flop came KxQ and i would have tripled up based on how the hand played out. i'll be working on this aspect of my game. i continue to do poorly at the borgata.

Borgata SnG
4/10

i played a SnG at the Borgata with 7 regulars, one of whom was drunk and arguing across the table with another regular. i thought the taj had spilled over some of its scum the way they were carrying on. the name calling was unbearable and the entire experience was awful. as far as the play was concerned, these regulars were acting faster than an online tournament. they were so battle-hardened that they needed no thought whatsoever. they were robotic in their blind stealing and raises. they played very similar to a cash game, wanting to see flops and alot of turn and river betting. i managed to knock out 3 players at once when my AK held to AJ,QK,KJ when i flop an Ace. we were quickly down to 4 when i took a stand all-in from my big blind with KQo against an aggro-raiser. she showed TT and i flopped a K but she turned a set to bump me.

November 2008 Recap

11/29/08
i end the month on a downer. after commanding a chip lead due to set-over-set-over-set, a shove monkey over-pushes his AKs over my JJ and flops an A to cripple me.



11/21/08
BORGATA TRIP
busted somewhere around 100/291

11/19/08
2/18 ITM not much more i could do - villain got red hot down to 3 players.

11/18/08
1/45 ITM back-to-back victories in this tourney - sweet!

11/17/08
HOME GAME TONIGHT
got rivered in game 2 (3 outer) and game 3 (2 outer).

11/3/08
1/45 but don't remember the details