High On Poker

Hey hey hey. Wednesday, I’m off to Colorado, but I’m already there in my mind. I’ve been playing my fair share of online poker to break even results. I’m just trying to enjoy the process after the first part of the year.

The first four months were abysmal, poker-wise. I wasn’t losing a lot, but I was losing a little fairly often. And then I chop one tourney in AC and I’m back in the black and then some, with a whole new momentum behind me. Sometimes, poker can be a whole lotta nothing followed by a quick something, so I’m trying to just enjoy the game for its gamery and let time take care of the rest.

With that attitude has come a new curiousness about poker. I’m looking at hands in a whole new light, considering different elements of the game and hopefully whittling down my game in the process.

I saw some good press for my gambling home away from home, Atlantic City. According to some schlocky article on Yahoo (sometimes it seems like any dumb-ass can get a gig writing on the Internet…[pause for irony]…), Atlantic City has the BEST BOARDWALK in the whole United States.* That should bring in the real tourist money from all those Boardwalk aficionados who never heard of Vegas’ little developmentally disabled brother.

Still, it’s nice to see AC getting some positive press. It really has come a long way in just a few years.

Meanwhile, I played some poker against a bunch of silly gooses. That’s the only way I can explain these players after the following hand.

We’re playing the $9,500 KO Guarantee, with blinds of 50/100. We are table chip leader (6885) and in the BB when we are dealt 95s. UTG, the second chipleader with 6860, limps. UTG+1 with 5735 limps as well. Two players fold and the CO (2775) limps. The Button (4960) limps too. The SB (1630) flat calls. I mean, Jesus H. Christmas. Maybe this doesn’t seem odd to you, but I don’t think I’ve seen this many limpers online in a tournament well over a year. I must not be playing enough.

When the hand was first dealt, I assumed my hand was going nowhere. Suddenly, it’s a freaking 600 pot and I’m freerolling.

Of course, the flop comes down AKQ, all spades, flopping me the third-nut flush. The likelihood of another player having JXs or TXs is really slim, considering that I have two flush cards and three are on the board. However, with this many limpers, anything is possible and a player could even draw out with a single Js or Ts.

The SB checks to me, so I raise pot (600). I don’t necessarily expect to get any callers, unless I get someone calling with two-pair or a set. I really just don’t want to give any free cards for the spade flush draws with Ts or Js. The UTG folds, and UTG+1 raises to 2400. At first, I’m kinda excited, but then I start to worry. Why re-raise here unless you have an extremely strong hand? That still includes sets and whatnot, though, so I feel calm until the Button re-raises all-in for 4860! WHAT?! How could he NOT have a monster hand to re-re-raise all-in like that with sizeable stacks and small blinds. He must have the JXs or TXs, and if he doesn’t then in all likelihood the UTG+1 has it. I grumble, but decide that maybe, just maybe, the Button has a lower flush and the UTG+1 will fold his weaker hand. To protect myself from the possibility that UTG+1 actually has a superior flush draw, I push all-in. UTG+1 takes his time before calling 3235 all-in. At showdown, UTG+1 shows KQd for two pair and the Button shows JTh for a flopped straight. They are both drawing dead and I take the tourney chip lead, only to lose it later and bust out around 100 out of 680 or so players. At least it was a KO tourney.

Call me crazy, but I just don’t get these two players’ over excitement of their hands. The guy with a straight may have rationalized that no one flopped the flush, but with so many players seeing the flop and the action ahead of him (raise from a BB who could have any two cards, and a re-raise from an EP limper who could easily have limped with suited cards), I don’t see why he pushed all-in there. He was probably trying to protect against a flush draw, but really, he should have called and saw what the turn brought before pushing a flush draw off of his/her hand. After all, by pushing he is offering a set price to see two cards, which can be tempting to someone who already bet 2400 and may have a pair or whatnot. By calling and re-evaluating on the turn, you can instead offer that all-in price when your opponent has only one card to go OR alternatively, check it down if the next card is another spade.

The guy who flopped bottom two pair is even more stupid. AK, AQ, JT, any two spades, the list of hands that have him beat is pretty wide. Add in the fact that he, too, is vulnerable to draws, and I wonder why he didn’t just flat call the flop if he was hoping to turn/river a full house. He must have also thought he was ahead when he raised and wanted to force out the flush draws, which is a better strategy for him than it was for the Button, since UTG+1′s raise to 2,400 with chips behind may have been a deterent to anyone hoping to see two cards for cheap. But once he faces a re-raise push and a re-re-raise push, he has to know that his two pair is woefully behind.
Hence, silly gooses. It’s the freakin’ epitome of players who cannot see past their own hands.

In a whole other category of silly goosiness is the player who builds a pot and then gives it away. Simply put, you cannot just give up a hand like the one I am about to discuss.

I was playing a $8.70 turbo 2-table token SNG, with 1875 at a now 6-person table, with blinds of 30/60. I was in the BB when I was dealt 46h. UTG+1 limps and the button raises to 150, which is a mere 90 more than the BB. When it folds to me, I opt to call. Normally, I just fold here in a Token tourney, but I was feeling like mixing it up and the price was dirt cheap. I also had a hand that could make a lot of money if it hit, but could be easily folded if it missed. The limper folds, which, frankly, is another really weak play. But, whatever.

The flop was 872, rainbow. It’s not a terrible flop for me if he has two high cards, but I try not to bluff in these token tourneys. I check and the Button checks too.

The turn in a King of Clubs, creating a club flush draw. This is a scare card, since the button could be playing just about any King, and especially AK and KQ. I check, and he checks too.

The river is an offsuit 4. I have to assume I’m ahead here. I bet out 180, and he folds.

I don’t care what this guy has. Facing my check-down behavior, he should have at least sent out a probe bet on the turn. Arguably, I could be slowplaying. HOWEVER, why build a pot in position if you are just going to lie down and play dead once the flop misses you. You are in position, mofo! Use it! If he truly feared being called down or re-raised, he should have bet out a small amount. Frankly, my river bet of 180 is a small enough amount, but even a simple 2x the BB 120 would have been enough to push me off of the pot OR trigger a re-raise if I somehow had a hand and was slowplaying.

I just don’t get some of these people. I don’t mind them either. But looking at the hands I discussed, its clear that some people just refuse to play smart poker. I like to refer to those people as my bread and butter.

I may be quiet for the rest of the week while I am in Colorado. I’m semi-tempted to bring my laptop, but I don’t know if I’ll have use for it. All I know is that I will be making at least one trip to the local casino for some 2/5 Limit poker, the only games they spread.

Until next time, make mine poker!

*Continental United States only.

At the beginning of June, HoP started its epic quest to destroy bankroll building with tiny prop bets on the World Series of Poker, the greatest event in poker history. This is the result of that epic quest:

Fuel55 (+$11.95)

• Main Event Attendance Over/Under ($15.55): My pick is OVER 6218. Success! The actual result was 6,844. +15.55

• Pick 3 Total Most Cash Won ($8.25): Fuel chose Phil Hellmuth, Johnathon Little, and Sorel Mizzi. I chose Phil Ivey, Allen Cunningham, and Johnny Chan. Fuel had one final chance to catch up with Phil Hellmuth’s deep run in the Main Event, but Hellmuth’s ~$150k payday was just too little, too late, netting another win for the HoP. +8.25

• Highest Main Event Finish (Best Single Finish) ($11.85)- Fuel chose Negreanu, Matusow and Kirk Morrison. I chose Cunningham again, Todd Brunson and John Juanda. Matusow outlasted all other players, netting Fuel this victory. -11.85

Ingoal (push)

• Main Event Attendance Over/Under ($5)- I chose UNDER 7325. Another fine victory! (+5)

• Most Bracelets Won Total ($10)- Ingoal chose Johnny Chan and Greg Raymer. I chose Gus Hansen and Patrik Antonius. No one won any bracelets, making this an official push. (push)

• Most Total Cash Won ($5): Ingoal chose Chris Ferguson and Daniel Negreanu. I chose Bill Chen and TJ Cloutier. Chen and Cloutier better have had good runs at the cash games, because neither did much of note at the WSOP. This one goes to Ingoal. (-5)

UWannaBet ($9, subject to change)

• Main Event Attendance Over/Under ($10) – I chose OVER 6700. I just narrowly took this one, sweeping all of my Over/Under bets. (+10)

• Pick 3 Final Table/Bracelet Competitions ($3 per final table, $10 per bracelet): UWanna had two more final tables than I, and even has one of his horses left in the WSOP ME, Brandon Cantu. Let’s hope that Cantu busts before the final table. (-6 minimum, possibly -9 or -16 depending on if Cantu final tables/wins the ME)

• Lime Throwing Championship, Pauly v. Otis ($5): It looks like I have this one in the bag, depending on any updates from Pauly. His last update is as follows: “Lime Tossing Results…. Otis 150, Pauly 150. We played Inside the Limes… two limes each. I threw first and went way left. Otis nailed his toss to go up $150. On his second throw, he missed wide right. I had a chance to tie it. I totally tilted Otis when I skipped my lime into the $150 zone to even the score. Push! Overall I’m up $70 this summer. Looks like a winna to me. I suppose more could happen before we get to the final table, but I’m going out on a limb and calling it for now, subject to possible change. (+5)
  

Add the $20 I won in a HORSE last longer bet with Joe (aka Unimpressed), and it was a fairly decent WSOP for a guy who makes small prop bets and hasn’t stepped foot inside of the Rio ever. I stand to make about $40 total (with Joe’s bet) all for sitting on my ass.

All losers (I’m looking at you Fuel) can send the money to HighOnPoker at Full Tilt or HighOnPokr (no E) at PokerStars. I don’t think it needs to be said, but just in case, hold off on sending anything until everything is set, UWanna.

Until next time, make mine poker!

Another fine series of blogger prop bet wins, brought to you by HighOnPoker!

I grew up on the cusp of the information explosion. As a kid of the 1980′s, I had the pleasure to grow up alongside the technology we live with every day. When I was a young child, the Atari was still new, creating moving blocks on a black screen that was supposed to represent space ships or men riding flying ostriches. As I began to learn to write and read, the Commodore 64 was introduced into our home, still more of a destination for entertainment than for serious thinking. During my early teens years, the Internet was first introduced into my world, initially from my tech-savvy friend’s Prodigy connection, then by another friends BBS fascination, where we would slowly download illicit pictures and fractal programs that created amazing visuals for our impressionable minds. From there, I got my first computer in my room, with an AOL account and an ability to meet strangers and friends alike online…mostly strangers, as me and my goofball friends would pretend to be obscure celebrities or their family members. I believe “Kevin Nealon’s son” was a popular one, if only because it seemed so random that people believed it to be true. By the time college started, most people had a computer in their dorm rooms and AOL Instant Messenger was common place. By the time I left college, everyone had individual computers in their rooms, instead of one computer for 2 to 4 roommates, and AIM was left on 24/7, thanks to the school’s high speed internet. By graduation, high speed internet was available in more places than just college campuses. Today, I spend a good 80% of my rime at a computer while working, and a decent amount of time when I am away from work.

Somewhere in there, something happened to my brain. Perhaps it was always there all along. Multitasking. My first memory of multitasking came when I was in 7th grade. I was sitting in math class, my teacher going through some algebra problem as I doodled in the margins of my notebook. I had been doodling for the entire class, and my margin-art was spilling over to the rest of the page. I eventually turned the page over to have the entire back for my doodling masterpiece, likely some variation on the Incredible Hulk or Spiderman. I remember hearing something from the teacher, something important, and then turning the page back to add that tidbit of useful information to my notes. I looked around the class, this I remembenr vividly, and noticed that when I was done with my brief notes, they all continued writing. Those who didn’t had returned their attention to the teacher. Granted, I was in an advanced class, probably considered the worst of the best, but I was still amazed at their focus. Where were their doodles? How was I the only one in a class of thirty to be completely bored by the teacher’s useless lecturing. For every important nugget of information, there were five minutes of story telling and three minutes of bullshit. And I was able to do the two things, doodling and listening for important information, at once.

Years later, I would literally sit in class with a paperbook open in my lap. I would listen while I read, taking notes as needed and ignoring the rest of the prattle. When computers came into play, my multitasking just heightened. I would sign on, begin a download and walk off for 20 minutes while the picture of Samantha Fox loaded. When the tech got better, I would chat with multiple people at once. Common things; things that you and I do today without a second’s thought. In college, I would be on the computer, writing a paper, doing research, chatting, with the TV on, all at once. I perfected my multitasking there. In law school, I would play games on my laptop while the professor taught. I would surf the net and even play online poker in my (ironic) Computer Law class, once the school introduced wireless internet.

The incidence of ADD in children today seems alarming. In my day, I don’t think ADD was even invented. If a kid couldn’t pay attention, it was because they lacked discipline. And yet, I wonder if I have developed ADD or had it all along. At work, I have no less than three things going at a time. I can’t help it, or perhaps I can, but choose not to. I accept that this is the way I work. My brain hates to stick to one task. I start writing a motion for work, switch to a quick letter, then some research, call a client, back to the writing. And it’s rapid, too. 20 minutes here, 10 minutes there, 5 minutes elsewhere. At home, I can barely make it through a 22 minute sitcom (no commercials, thanks to DVR). Halfway through I feel a sense of boredom or restlessness. A need to check my email (again) or switch to poker or a videogame or something, anything other than what I had just been doing for the last 15 minutes. Even now, typing this, I have an urge to switch windows, check out what’s on sale at Woot, or who posted a new entry in their blog. Sometimes, I even stop reading a blog after a few paragraphs, only to go back to it later. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy the first few paragraphs. It’s that I have grown restless.

My brain is constantly looking for more input, more stimulation to stave off the boredom that eats at me every second of every day. Boredom is my enemy, and my weapon against it is to keep my mind busy.

And so, last night, I hit a new multitasking high (or low). After signing up for the Riverchasers event, wifey Kim decided that she wanted to play Mario Kart. We mostly play on the internet mode against other players. Each race takes between 2 and 4 minutes with about 45 seconds lag time between races while players pick their vote for next race. I have learned to live in those 45 seconds. I can fold laundry while playing Mario Kart. I can read blogs. I can do a whole lot in those individual packets of time. And yesterday, I played poker, a tournament no less, in 45 second increments for about an hour. Wifey Kim > poker, so I chose to let the Riverchasers tourney sit while I played a race, only to play for a fleeting 45 seconds before the next race began. I would never do such a thing, save for the fact that it was a cheap enough tourney ($11 donation, essentially) and spending time with wifey Kim always comes first. Of course, I ended up busting shortly after finishing Mario Kart, so I suppose there is a touch of irony involved too.

Sometimes I wonder if I have ADD. I think that I could benefit from seeing a doctor and getting on pills that would increase my concentration. Perhaps these magic pills would save me from myself, easing the mental Restless Leg Syndrome kicking around in my head. But most of the time, I embrace my multitasking mind. I give it what it wants. It’s the way I work, be it at school, office or home. It’s gotten me this far and to deny it is to deny myself.

So, I continue on with multitasking mind, even now pulling me to some other unnecessary task or perhaps a necessary one upon which other less addled-minded folk would focus entirely. I don’t know if it was growing up with computers (literally) or if my mind was already going in this direction. But it’s me, and it’s worked so far.

Until next time, make mine poker!

I moneyed in 3rd in the Mookie last night, good for $81 and a bunch of knockout bounties along the way. It was an interesting tournament, as my good bud from the ‘real world’ Dave Roose felt a hankerin’ for some online poker, so after I got him outfitted with a couple of bucks, he joined the fray.

“tight!” he exclaimed via AIM. Tight was right. Roose, who is not used to playing against bloggers, was initially surprised by the style of play. Play poker just about anywhere, online or live, and you are bound to find your share of donks willing to pay the fare for the funnest (or most depressing) carnival ride on Earth. Play poker online with a bunch of bloggers, though, and unless the game is intentionally rabid, the play is decidedly more conservative. For what its worth, I consider the tight style to be vastly superior to the donk style of which I just spoke, so while some naysayers would poo poo bloggers as worse than the average player, I have to maintain my stance that bloggers, on a whole, are better players than the average bear.

I considiered a last-longer bet with Roose, but he got off to an early lead at his table, so I kept my mouth shut. Meanwhile, somewhere the gods were on vacation, because I became a freakin’ card rack (that’s right, gods, I know your stupid little plan. I shake my fist at thee. SHAKE!).

I saw more KKs and TTs then I could count, but unfortunately, Roose’s characterization of this particular tourney was right, and most raises were met with folds. I was called a card rack evenso by NewinNov, accurate to a point, since I was getting my fair share of premium hands. Unfortunately, one such hand, a QQ, ran into AA. Un-unfortunately, after the money got all-in on the under-card flop, the turn was another Queen, saving me from my temporary turn of luck.

Before I continue, though, I should take a step back to discuss a fun hand. Fun for me, that is. I was sitting on about 3200 or so, from a starting stack of 3000. I held 33 and PirateLawyer, from EP/MP pushed all-in for 210 more than my SB (I don’t recall the blinds, but I know the call was just 210 more). When it folded to me, I took a while. Obviously, 33 is not a monster hand, especially in this spot. I figured it was 50/50 that he had an overpair or two overcards. Logic will tell you that in the former situation, I was drawing extremely thin, whereas in the latter, I was only slightly ahead, close to a coin toss. Math will tell you that, assuming this range, my chance of winning the hand was probably only about 35% (against an overpair, I’m 20% to win; against overcards, I’m about 50% to win; average the two, and voila!).

But, I called. It was a knockout tourney, I had some momentum, and I could afford the tiny amount of chips. PirateLawyer showed 84c, missed the board and I won an extra $2. There were some words exchanged afterwards in frustration. Something about “Call with 3s!” I thought it was funny, overall. I was trying to donk some chips to the Pirate. I figured I was behind, but he was so low in chips that I didn’t mind doubling him up. After semi-joking that I was trying donate, I finally just said, “It’s not my fault you push with 84c.” Ok, a bit cutting, but you get the point. Don’t be mad at me for your play. If 84c doesn’t push there, he doesn’t get called by 33 or any other pocket pair or high Ace; after all, he was in EP/MP, with a lot of players left to act.

I had a nice hand at the final table, although I did not keep the hand history. It was against RecessRampage, a player who I know to be intelligent and plays well. I held 55 on the button when Recess raised pot or thereabouts from MP. I called, set farming. One other player called.

The flop came down 567. It checked to Recess, who bet out. I considered raising, but wanted to keep the EP caller in the hand. I also figured that Recess was not likely ‘catch up’ to my hand. If he had a high pair, he could hit a set, but it was a slim chance. If he had two high cards, he would fold to a raise anyway.

The turn was a 9, if memory serves correctly. I think Recess checked, and this time, I bet pot, which was the majority of my remaining stack. Recess had me slightly covered. He took his time and even took the TIME option, which had a whopping 40+ seconds. During that time, I feared his fold, so I did what I usually do at live games when I want a call but the player looks like he is going to fold…I began talking (or chatting, as it were). All paraphrased, naturally:

Me: “43 seconds! That’s a lot of time to decide!”
Recess: “I’m not good enough to fold this.”
Me: “then don’t.”

And so, he didn’t. He put me all-in for a few bucks more, I called, and he showed AA. He was busted not too long after by someone else, reaping the benefit of my hard work.

I came into the final table as the shortstack or second shorstack, but by the time we were down to 8 players, I was in the top 3, all of whom were head and shoulders over the rest. The top three changed while people busted out, but I remained up there most of the time. Finally, it was just down to me and two other players. I had about 25k, the other shortie had 25k, and Obie (blog?) had a whopping 100k+. And he played that big stack like a freakin’ champ. I had to admire his play as he essentially raised 6-10k for the first 6-8 hands. He slowed down a tad when we started firing back, but he had such a lead, it was no sweat for him to fold a few hands. Finally, in pushing mode, with blinds at 1000/2000 with antes and barely over 20,000 each, the other shortie and I got allin against each other. I did the pushing from the SB with QJs. He called from the BB with A7. Two Aces flopped and I go home.

Not for a minute did I seriously entertain the idea of winning a Mookie. I don’t know why, but I just don’t see it happening, and I don’t care to envision it happening until it happens. But, it was nice to have a decent cash and my decent results in blogger tournaments continues.

Until next time, make mine poker!

While wifey Kim continued chatting away on the phone last night, I slid into my position on the couch and lowered the laptop and, what I affectionately call the Cancer Pillow, since it protects my junk from laptop exposure, onto my lap. I fired up FT, my compulsive choice between the three sites where I am currently funded (Stars and Bodog being the other two) and tried to choose a game.

I eyed wifey Kim, who was now on her second call of the evening while she half-heartedly deleted old mail from her Hotmail account on our desktop. She was talking about plans for this upcoming weekend with her HS friend who would be visiting home from out-of-state. I tried to figure the pot odds on wifey Kim continuing the conversation long enough to get in a good multi-table SNG. It was only her second call of the night, she was meeting a bunch of friends for a Sex & the City tour this weekend and she was also planning bridesmaid stuff for the antisemetic wedding coming up next week.

The chances looked good for a 2-table game, but I the last thing I wanted was to calculate my odds wrong and find myself with a tourney running and a very busy wifey Kim finally freed from her responsibilities. I could tell from my own flighty mood that I would be too prone to play poorly to spend time with my girl, so I did what any other respectable degenerate would do. I checked out the cash tables.

My first thought was Razz. I looked at the tables and jumped into one, losing two early hands thanks to good hands turning progressively worse. Down a few bucks, I clicked Sit Out and retreated to greener pastures. As much as I love Razz, it didn’t feel like a Razz night. I wanted action, and I wanted variety. Razz can be a great game, not to mention profitable, but the smart way to play was to play tight and that just wasn’t what I was looking for in my limited time.

I next clicked the Hold’em tab and perused the NLHE tables. I hovered over a couple of tables but felt the same feeling I had with Razz, only this time, without even sitting. It wasn’t a NLHE night, largely because I could feel my need for action would be an immediate detriment. I wanted to have fun, but I wanted to win. Nothing is more fun than winning.

I clicked off of Hold’em and switched to Mixed Games. I saw a red table at the $1000/2000 level, and decided to double-click to see which FT pro was playing. It was Gavin Smith, a player I met briefly at the Bash two years ago. He is also someone I listen to regularly on PokerRoad radio. I’m not much for star gazing and hadn’t watched a pro’s table ever, from what I can recall, but knowing as much about the Caveman as I do from his radio show, I decided to watch a little bit of the action. The game was O8, and the Caveman was hovering around even, heads-up with a loose aggressive player. I watched for a few hands before closing the window and looking at the HORSE games I could afford. I found one and clicked through.

When I opened up the room, the game was Razz. Hmmm. Same problem as earlier. I just didn’t have the right mindset for the Stud games, so I packed it in.

And then, inspiration hit like a bolt of lightning. Omaha 8! That was to be my destination. That is what piqued my interest at Gavin Smith’s cash game and it was a game I was all to familiar with.

This may or may not surprise some of the newer readers, but if I had to choose any game of online poker, it would have to be Limit Omaha 8. I love the game. It’s a perfect balance of crazy action and controlled odds. There are so many ways to win (or lose), and if you can get a good read on your table or, better yet, control your table, it can be a fun ride.

Make no doubt about it, suckouts happen in O8, so the Limit variety is wholly preferable to the Pot Limit variety. I had dabbled in that game as well, but found that the urge to push players out of pots when I was ahead, the limitation of betting pot or less, and the proclivity for chasers (and the opportunity for draws) makes PLO8 a high variance game. LO8, then, is the perfect alternative. Even at its worst, you can just go to call-down mode and already know how much you are going to spend on your stupid draw or stupid vulnerable hand (all hands are stupid in O8).

I was hoping for a 2/4 game, but settled in to the 3/6 game when I saw no 2/4 games going. I played well, bullying opponents into calling when I had hands and getting out of the way when I didn’t. During the next 30 minutes, players joined and left, most discouraged. There was one other player at the table playing winning poker, and he and I basically bled chips slowly from our opponents (when they were not sucking out). After the four players left, it was just me and the other profitable guy. We played one hand and both sat out, our work done.

I’m a big fan of playing multiple games for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t. In my experience, when I follow that guy feeling that a game isn’t right or that I am in the mood for this or that, good results follow. By playing a variety of games, I can choose my game based on my strengths at any given moment; if I want to fold a lot, I can play a token SNG. If I want to play lots of hands, I can play O8 (in moderation). If I want to play a strictly straightforward game, I have Razz. If I want to put more thought into my play, there is NLHE. If I want to shake things up there is HORSE (but never HOSE, because really, that’s like ordering an ice cream sundae but then saying “hold the ice cream”).

Before I exit, I will leave you with a hand narrative from my LO8 session. I am a big fan of following one’s reads and this hand was just that.

Acting on instinct. At the river, only possible hand was AAXX or A234, and based on the fact that I had an Ace, I didnt think AA. Tough call pays off.

I was up to $126 from $100 playing 3/6 LO8 at a 6-handed table. I was in the CO with AK75, double suited. The player UTG raised to $6 and I decided to call. 6-handed AK75 ds is a marginal hand. If I hit a low with A5, A7 or 57, I can very easily be behind. However, my cards were fairly well coordinated, I had a bit of momentum behind me, and I was controling the table well. I also had position, which is always nice. All of these things factored in to my decision. After calling, the button folded, but the SB, Spartak, raised to $9. The BB folded and Baron called. I called as well, even though part of me wanted to fold.

The flop came down K99 with two diamonds. My AK meant that I held two pair, Kings and Nines, with the nut kicker. My 7 and 5 were of diamonds, so I also had a weak flush draw. It was also apparent from the flop that no one would be taking the low.

None of these hands I just mentioned are particularly strong. However, when Spartak bet out and Baron folded, I opted for a call. I thought about Spartak’s hand range. My biggest fear was AAxx. A 9XXX didn’t make sense, since middle cards like 9s are the worst hands to play in O8, since they can’t make a low and rarely are good for a high. His re-raise preflop suggested that he had decent cards underneath, and other than AA9x double suited, I couldn’t imagine why he would hold a 9. AAxx was the real concern, as any other pocket pair was behind me. Flush draws were also a concern, but until the flush card hit, I wouldn’t worry about it.

The turn was an offsuit 8. Spartak bet out $6 fast. Too fast. I called again. The same facts held true. Aside from AAxx, there were no hands that beat me and made sense here. 88 wasn’t likely, especially considering the preflop action.

The river was an offsuit 3. Spartak bet out $6 once agian. I took my time, letting the clock run down as I replayed the hand in my head. AAxx. That was all that I had to be concerned about. However, it is not enough to say that only one hand could beat me and therefore I call. That’s a losing way to play poker in limit games, particularly LO8, where players have obviously more possibilities to have that “one hand”. I clicked the TIME button, securing myself a few more seconds to make my decision. AAxx. OR A234. It came to me like a vision. It was always a possibility, but not one I had considered post-flop. Many players play the low cards like they are the nuts. Once that flop comes off, his low cards are crap, but it is all too easy to still want to win. I considered the possibility that my opponent had a bunch of low cards, likely with a nut flush draw on the flop. It would make sense preflop, since the scoopable hand could cause Spartak to re-raise, particularly with his proclivity for aggressive play, observed over several hands. Once the flush draw came, he may have tried to bet his way to the river, hoping to hit and take the pot. When it didn’t come, he probably made one of the more common mistakes in LO8, a river bet designed to win the pot once and for all, even though he didn’t have the goods. It was all speculation, but it made sense in the context of the hand. I resigned myself to one of two fates: he had AAxx and I was cooked or his low cards with a flush draw did not come in, and he was making a desperation bet on the end. My head said fold, but my heart and ergo my finger said call.

At showdown, Spartak showed AQJ3, with the AQ of diamonds. I won the pot, $57. Frankly, I gave the farker too much credit. Only one more reason to love LO8.

Until next time, make mine poker!

First, let’s get last night’s recap out of the way. I bubbled the Hoy, which has changed to a shorthanded shoot-out format. I was super happy it stayed shorthanded since shorthanded tournaments suit my aggressive style. I finished my first table in record time, beating all other tables, including a marathon match at one table that took well over an hour longer than it took me to dispatch my four competitors. I should note that I was seated at the only 5-person table, making my feat a little less impressive; even so, I still finished more than 30 minutes before the next player to win his table. That, and my table was STACKED with the likes of Surflexus and TwoBlackAces (much respect to both players).

After waiting for the hour plus, we finally kicked off the 4-person final table, with three spots paying. I started aggressively, playing for first place the whole way. I quickly dipped to about 2k of my starting 1k stack due to over aggressiveness and my opponents’ ability to play back at me. At my lowest, I was down to 1200, but Bayne doubled me up when I needed it. Eventually, Bayne and I settled into around 1800-2200 chips apiece, hovering in that range for quite a while before I finally got all-in against Bayne preflop, my JJ to his AT. The turn was a Ten, the river was an Ace, and I go home. I’ll admit, I was a bit steamy after, but I just took my lumps and moved on. I tried to figure out where my error was. If anything, it was being in a position where I was outchipped. In other words, I could have been more cautious early. That is the only logical way I could have changed the outcome. HOWEVER, I reject it wholeheartedly, since I played with a strategy in mind, namely to exploit the bubble and play for first, and while it did not work out, failure to cash/win a tournament does not mean failure to play well. After all, if I wasn’t as loose aggressive early on, I doubt Bayne would’ve called my re-raise push with AT preflop and if that hand broke my way (which it will at least 67% of the time, even assuming his AT was suited and that I didn’t hold a card in his suit), Bayne would’ve been on fumes and I would have been more than healthy, securing a money spot and momentum to hopefully win the game.

With a thought process like that, it’s pretty easy to get over the disappointment of bubbling.

Aside from that, I played a few token SNG, won a few $26 tokens, and lost them all, trying to convert them in the Hoy and a 45-person SNG. Whatever.

One quick hand review from the final table of the Hoy. This is why I feel comfortable with gambling a bit. If you have confidence in your reads, you can make plays that many people will miss. Here is an example where I saved myself some dough where other people may’ve lost even more.

I was already down to 1810 with blinds of 30/60. We were four-handed and I was UTG with A7c when I decided to limp. The button folded and the two blinds, VinNay (2675) and lucyfred (4710, blog?), called.

The flop was a useless K43 with two hearts. It checked around. The turn was an Ace of Spades, giving me top pair, but creating a Spade flush draw. It checked to me, at which point, I bet 120. I was confident I was ahead based on the action, but I was so aggressive that I was hoping I would get a loose call from someone anyway. VinNay called.

The river was a Queen of Spades, filling any possible flushes. VinNay checked and I was tempted to bet. He may’ve called my turn bet with any number of cards, including a weak King (which would explain his reluctance to bet the flop OOP but call a LAG’s bet on the Ace turn) or even a 4 or 3 based on the amount of action I was giving. However, everything to me smelled like a flush.

So, I followed my read, avoided any sort of value bet, and just checked. He showed J5s, for runner-runner flush.

Admittedly, this isn’t the most amazing river-check ever, but my initial impulse was to bet out. Then I realized that a re-raise was highly likely and that VinNay’s last check meant he either had a monster or crappola. Crappola won’t call here, so I had no reason to bet out.

This is nothing revolutionary, but I did feel a sense of pride, oddly, when he showed his flush. I had a feeling it was there, and I was glad I, in my LAGgy state, didn’t try to push the action on the river.

I thought I’d take some time to discuss the shakeup that’s happening due to Google’s decision to downgrade blogs such as HoP because of Google’s new Terms & Conditions. I won’t go into the details of the change, but I did want to address one of the concerns I see discussed somewhat on the intertubes.

The change in Google’s processing of page rake and treatment of blogs is a tad disappointing, largely because if you search for “High on Poker” on Google or even “High On Poker” and “Jordan” together, you can’t find this corner of the intertubes. That sucks, since I often tell people who are curious about this site that they can just Google the name. But aside from that, I’m just accepting.

The biggest concern is that the change will affect bloggers’ ability to sell ads. Well, it may or may not be true (no need for you all to explain why it probably is true in the comments), but the money is easy come, easy go. I wrote before the first banner ad was up and I will write when the last one is down. It’s disappointing that this era may be ending, but that is life. No complaining, kicking or screaming will change it. In life, you have three choices. If something can be fixed you can fix it. If something cannot be fixed you can accept it. And if you refuse to do either of those two things, you can expend a lot of energy and emotion rallying against something that won’t change regardless. I go with acceptance (although I’m keeping an eye out for opporutnities to fix the situation).

Is it lemons? Yes. But it’s also life. Now go make some lemonade.

Until next time, make mine poker!

Playing poker over the long term is largely like riding an emotional rollercoaster. There are times when you are the highest you’ve ever been, flush with cash, confident in your abilities, and looking forward to the next day. There are other times, when you are in the lowest depths of the ride, where nothing works, your play suffers and your bankroll seems to slip through your fingers.

For a while, I had been riding the downslope, concerned, as per usual, about what it all meant. The first few months of 2008 were brutal, the result of a variety of things that are not worth discussing here. However, over the last few weeks, the sun has peaked through the clouds, and I have seem to reach that lovely area of contentment that is the key to a happy life.

It reminds me of something my father once told me. In the 90s, growing up in a predominantly reformed Jewish suburbs, I naturally fell right in line with the poor working class grunge music scene. It spoke to my soul like no other music at the time, specifically to my teenage angst, spurred by a variety of things. It was in one of my darker moments when my father shared this pearl of wisdom on our front porch. Life is 10% happy and 10% sad. It’s what you do with the other 80% that counts.

Contentment. That’s the other 80%, if you can accept the fact that life isn’t always sunshine and puppy dogs or rain clouds and dead puppy dogs.

And contentment isn’t such a bad place. At least not for my poker game.

This weekend kicked off with an odd HORSE Kill game at the Wall Street Game, Thursday night. I made a slight comeback from my low point of -$180, eventually leaving down $86. We were playing 3/6 limit, with an odd Kill variation. In Hold’em, two wins in a row changed the game to .50/1 PL with a forced min-raise to the kill player (i.e., whoever won the two hands in a row). In Omaha 8 or Better, a scooped pot of $60 or more led to a similar PL kill. In the stud games (Razz, Stud and Stud 8), the kill was a more traditional doubling of the bets. The result were some crazy hands with $12 raises and re-raises leading to huge pots.

I wish I remembers individual hands, but I do not. I do remember once again letting the frustrating nature of limit non-hold’em games get to me. This was right after I lost my first stack due to a probably foolish call of ~$60 into a ~$150 pot when all I could get is a low draw and I knew my opponent had the nut high hand. Ironically, it was a kill pot in O8, meaning that we were playing pot limit. I had a good draw to a low with A24 in my hand and 37xx on the board, so I bet out $25, hoping to shut down the action and take down the pot. To my surprise, a new player to the WSG raised all-in after me for about $60. All players folded, and I was stuck with a tough situation.

I immediately assumed that my opponent had the nut flush. It made perfect sense since he waited until the third heart was dealt before making his aggressive play. Therefore, I could comfortably assume that I was only playing for the low. Now, I had to do the math to determine if I had the odds to call, even though I was playing for half of the pot.

With my A24x on the 37xx board, I counted 21 outs, which in hindsight should have been reduced to 20 outs, assuming that my opponent did have the nut flush, and therefore an Ace. My outs to the low were as follows: two Ace, three 2s, three 4s, four 5s, four 6s, and four 8s (20 total). I knew 8 out of the 52 cards (4 in my hand and 4 on the board), so there were roughly 20 out of 44 unknown cards that helped me, almost a 50% chance of hitting on the river. The pot was $150 or so but since I was only playing for half the pot, it was effectively $75 or so. Paying $60 or so to win $75 on a near coin toss isn’t horrible, but in reality, I hadn’t considered the fact that my opponent may have had A2. In fact, he did have A2, reducing my clean outs significantly (only 4 cards would award me a superior low, the two remaining Aces and the two remaining 2s). Even a quarter would give me most of my final call back, since that would make the pot approximately $210 and my 1/4 would be a little over $50 for my $60 river call. But, as it turned out, none of my outs came, and I was near felted. After buying back in, I took a break to try some GTA IV, which seems just like its predecessors, which is to say, amazing. After cooling off a bit, I returned to the game, where I lost some more before mounting a late game comeback. In the end, most of my losses can be attributed to the aforementioned hand.

On Friday, wifey Kim and I headed to Long Island for Roose’s annual July 4th BBQ. We got drunk, as per usual, and overate largely due to my goal to eat one of everything, no small feat at a Roose BBQ. After my fill of chicken, and burgers, and hot dogs, and skirt steak, and about 8 other dishes, wifey Kim and I made our way back to my family’s Long Island house, where we slept like vagrants on the floor of the living room. My older brother had called dibs on the guest room and there was insufficient room in what used to be my little brother’s room (who, incidentally, had moved into my room). After an oddly decent night’s sleep on the floor, we headed back to NYC on Saturday, where wifey Kim and I had a little date night.

Sunday was relegated to poker, though, thanks in part to wifey Kim’s errands in advance of our trip to an antisemetic wedding in Colorado next week. While she was out, I was playing a $12, 2k Guarantee tournament at Bodog, eventually busting in 6th out of 172 players for a little over $100. I was also loading up on tokens, one of which I converted to a little bit of cash in a 6-seater SNG. There were more SNGs, but nothing particularly exciting to report.

I’m back to contentment, happy about my game and about the opportunities available to me. My online bankroll is no longer paltry, even though I still maintain the fact that online poker is the ham sandwich to live poker’s filet mignon. To that end, I may make a solo trip to AC this Saturday if the planets align.

That’s it for me for today. I may try out the Hoy’s new shootout format tonight, which I believe is still shorthanded (or so I hope).

Until next time, make mine poker!

I made three over/under bets for the WSOP Main Event attendance and with the last of the Day 1s taking place today, the numbers are finally in. First, a list of the bets (the bets listed are my picks):

Fuel55: OVER 6218.
Ingoal: UNDER 7325.
UWannaBet: OVER 6700.

Essentially, I needed to hit the sweet spot between 6700 and 7325 to win all of my props for the Main Event attendance.

The result, as taken from PokerNews.com:

I received a comment from HughDuffy, a name that no matter how many times I see it, my brain reads as Hillary Duff (no offense intended). Once I realized that it was not Ms. Duff, I discontinued my email asking for her autograph on my Lizzy McGuire trapper keeper and decided to write this post instead. (I STILL LOVE YOU HILLARY!)

Hugh was involved in a hand I recapped in this post. I will go over it again today, but this time take the hand from Hugh’s perspective. Here is Hugh’s comment to get this ball rolling:

I looked up the hand you mentioned that involved me. I had 99. I think you’re probaby right that I should have bet the pot on the turn although the two calls told me all I needed to know at the time – that at least one of you had a King. Would betting the additional $60 there really induce a fold from either or both of you? I don’t know. I’d be interested to hear how you or anyone else would have played that hand from my position.

Since it’s always fun to view a hand from a different perspective, let’s start from the top, using Hugh’s perspective.

Preflop, NumbBono raised to 90 from MP at a 6-handed table. Hugh, in the SB, called with 99. The BB, a handsome individual whom all the ladies love, called. Now, before the critiquing begins, let me just say that I thought Hugh played very well throughout the tournament, so any critique on this one hand is just that…a critique on one hand. Let’s proceed with the slam.

The preflop call was Hugh’s first mistake, in my estimation. 99 is a very strong hand at a short-handed table. Since he was facing a raise from an active player, Numb’s range was pretty wide (at the very least, KQ on up and all pocket pairs). He is either a coin-toss to two higher cards, utterly dominated by an overpair, or utterly dominating an under pair. For this reason, I would have raised to 270 or so, 3x Numb’s raise. The reasoning is as follows: the dominating hands (AA-TT) will probably re-raise you big, so you can fold confident that you are out of position, likely facing a dominating overpair. An underpair may call hoping to set-mine or fold, if it is a baby pair (55-22). In either event, you are happy. You either win a few pesos outright without any sweat or you are in a dominating position. Two overcards may also call, unless it is AK or possibly AQ, which may raise. Still, a call is more likely than not and in any event, you are on a cointoss; you may lose a tad here when you fold to the AK or AQ re-raise, but it’s better than flying blind the rest of the hand.

Here’s a little cheater’s info, since we know what Numb and I both had (K6h and KTs, respectively). If Hugh bets there, we likely both fold, and he wins 120 easily. Instead, he ended up losing 300.

The flop came down Kc8x7c, which is sorta tricky for an OOP (out of position) 99. Hugh still doesn’t know if Numb has a higher pocket pair. It’s safe to assume from my call preflop that I do not have a higher pocket pair. However, both of us could (and actually do) have a King. In this spot, I like a check, since it will allow Hugh to act after receiving more information. He does check, as do I and Numb.

The turn is an 8c, pairing the 8 and filling the flush draw. Hugh bet out 210, and I decided to call, as did NumbBono. Now, in my commentary, I mentioned that I would bet pot there (pot was 270). Actually, that was my error. I originally thought 210 was pot, so I meant that I liked Hugh’s play there. I think he took it to mean that I would’ve bet 270 instead.

Whatever the case, I like the bet there because (a) it looks like we both whiffed on the flop and had abandoned the pot, (b) he couldn’t afford to give any free cards in case one of us had a club that would four-flush on the river, and (c) if someone already had the flush, he’d be re-raised and could fold fairly easily. At the time, I thought he had AcX, so I really liked the play. Looking back, with 99 (not sure if one was a club, but it doesn’t matter too much), I think a check is in order here. It’s just too scary of a situation to be betting out. Someone may’ve had the 8 and now has trips. The BB may’ve been playing a weak King. Either of the other players could’ve checked the flush draw hoping for (or guaranteeing in Numb’s case) a free card. If I were to bet here, I would actually bet less that 210. Its probably mostly psychological, but 180 seems more scary to me there, as though he wants the action because he just hit his flush in a pot where it seems like the other players have abandoned ship. I’m not sure if that would have changed anything, but I am merely explaining what I would have done in that spot.

The river was 3d, which is an utter blank if ever there was one. Hugh checked, I bet, Numb called, and Hugh folded. I think this was another error by Hugh. Since we both passively checked the flop and called the turn, I think you need to fire a second bullet here, especially since we all had decent ~3k stacks at the beginning of the hand. With a pot of 900 (my previous calculations from the last review were slightly off, as I said the pot was 840 here), an 800 bet would look awkward and would complete the turned-flush story. That awkward number can scare a lot of people off and overall it would look like a final value bet. If Hugh was called and lost, he would be down to 1500 or so in chips, and would have room to play with the 15/30 blinds. Since he checked, he was essentially giving up on the hand. I picked up on that and decided to make my value-bet of 450, and after Numb called, Hugh made the right move and folded. He could’ve re-raised big or pushed all-in here as a bluff, which is actually a pretty high-level play based on the action and perfectly reasonable, but the safe move is a fold.

So, there you have it, Hugh. I personally would’ve raised preflop, ending the entire hand, or fired a second bullet on the river, hoping to represent the flush that no one else seemed to have.

Any other thoughts?

Until next time, make mine poker!