November $ Update and December tourney action
My bookkeeping is really trashed. I ended November down $80.27 for my online play. I don't really know if it was my
1) "ego after October",
2) problems with the chica, or
3) everytime I sat down to play I felt chronically tired.
Probably a combination of all 3. Near the end of the month, I was so leery of playing online I started venturing out into a few local games....
Success!
I took $245 for first place on the last day of the month to finish up roughly $160. Since December 1st I also pulled $30 for 3rd in a small local game, cut a deal in a "first place payout only tourney" for half the pot (another $105), followed up by $80 for another 1st, and took second place last night in a 60 person local league's "Final Week" tourney. I played really well in the final week tourney and even had a crowd of 5 to 10 people constantly standing behind me once we got down to the last 2 tables. I either have:
1) a good table presence,
2) am more likable than I give myself credit for, or
3) people are wondering what the hell I'm doing.
Probably the latter. Lol. Either way, I enjoyed myself and really fed off the other people. I made a monster call that I have to write about:
Final table, I have the chip lead at 85,000. 6 or 7 of us left. Maybe 2 players have less than the big blind. Blinds are 5000/10000. I'm in First Position, have Ac8c and have been pushing hard at the short stacks. Second in chips is the big blind. I make it 20000 chips and everyone folds except BB, he calls.
Flop is Jc 8h and 3d, rainbow
He bets into me 20000.
I count up my stack, wondering if I call will he push again on the turn. I know he's aggressive. I start thinking if a Queen or 7 come off he'll go all in, representing the straight. I estimate his chip stack at maybe 10-15,000 less than mine. If I'm wrong here, and call, then have to call again on the turn, and river, I'll be seriously crippled and facing the blinds with my last 14,000.
I took a good bit of time watching him while I contemplated the call. While only holding 2nd pr here with top kicker, clearly folding my hand was the right "survival" play........so I called.
There were 2 things I saw when he bet, that told me he was on a semi bluff. Post a comment on my site and I'll give you the details of the two tells....
Turn is 7h. He pushes all in for 31,000. Not the civil play I was hoping for, but it reaffirmed by memory of him being aggressive. I really felt like he only had middle pr with maybe a 9 or 10 giving him a gutshot chance on the river. I considered that he was holding 2 hearts and on the flush draw, but it just didn't jive with his bet into me after the flop. I watched, contemplated, and finally called with all but my last 14K knowing it meant the difference between possibly winning the whole thing and taking 6th place.
He congratulates me as soon as I call, like he knew he was beat, and flips over his K8. I show my Ace Eight, and tell him I felt like he only had the 8. River is no help to him and he's gone. It's calls like these that are really building my confidence. I really feel like I can reach at least a semi pro level, and if I can start laying down these marginal hands late, late, late in the tournament, I might begin thinking I can play at an elite level. Either way, I feel the call was based on observation, memory, and interpretation of the "tells".
Tourney continuation: Since I had the big stack, I had been pressing hard at the short stacks going all in with my small pocket pairs. I lost 3 coinflips in a row against the short stacks and ended up chipping myself down a little and chipping up the rest of the table. I tightened up, and the rest of the table fought until there was 3. Now with 3 of us, we are all about even in chips. I'm on the button and stay out. The SB limps, BB goes all in, SB calls, and now it's down to 2 of us. Other fella has me 2-1 in chips. 3 hands in I've got two black eights. He announces he's all in (out of turn) and I call. He turns over Ad5s. Flop is 3 diamonds, not good, but no ace, no five, no eight. Turn is a heart and I'm thinking only one more card and I'm the new chip leader. River is a diamond.....4 diamonds on the board. Probably, the most unjust second place finish ever for me. I really felt the winner didn't have a better game. I didn't see him pressuring, building a stack, outplaying, laying bad calling odds. Matter of fact, he offered a chop everytime he was in the blinds and only played ace junk for the final two tables. He got lucky and won a $500 casino package. I won something to motivate me with...an ugly ass belt buckle. woohoo.
Off I go with books in hand.
Good luck.
Ed
1) "ego after October",
2) problems with the chica, or
3) everytime I sat down to play I felt chronically tired.
Probably a combination of all 3. Near the end of the month, I was so leery of playing online I started venturing out into a few local games....
Success!
I took $245 for first place on the last day of the month to finish up roughly $160. Since December 1st I also pulled $30 for 3rd in a small local game, cut a deal in a "first place payout only tourney" for half the pot (another $105), followed up by $80 for another 1st, and took second place last night in a 60 person local league's "Final Week" tourney. I played really well in the final week tourney and even had a crowd of 5 to 10 people constantly standing behind me once we got down to the last 2 tables. I either have:
1) a good table presence,
2) am more likable than I give myself credit for, or
3) people are wondering what the hell I'm doing.
Probably the latter. Lol. Either way, I enjoyed myself and really fed off the other people. I made a monster call that I have to write about:
Final table, I have the chip lead at 85,000. 6 or 7 of us left. Maybe 2 players have less than the big blind. Blinds are 5000/10000. I'm in First Position, have Ac8c and have been pushing hard at the short stacks. Second in chips is the big blind. I make it 20000 chips and everyone folds except BB, he calls.
Flop is Jc 8h and 3d, rainbow
He bets into me 20000.
I count up my stack, wondering if I call will he push again on the turn. I know he's aggressive. I start thinking if a Queen or 7 come off he'll go all in, representing the straight. I estimate his chip stack at maybe 10-15,000 less than mine. If I'm wrong here, and call, then have to call again on the turn, and river, I'll be seriously crippled and facing the blinds with my last 14,000.
I took a good bit of time watching him while I contemplated the call. While only holding 2nd pr here with top kicker, clearly folding my hand was the right "survival" play........so I called.
There were 2 things I saw when he bet, that told me he was on a semi bluff. Post a comment on my site and I'll give you the details of the two tells....
Turn is 7h. He pushes all in for 31,000. Not the civil play I was hoping for, but it reaffirmed by memory of him being aggressive. I really felt like he only had middle pr with maybe a 9 or 10 giving him a gutshot chance on the river. I considered that he was holding 2 hearts and on the flush draw, but it just didn't jive with his bet into me after the flop. I watched, contemplated, and finally called with all but my last 14K knowing it meant the difference between possibly winning the whole thing and taking 6th place.
He congratulates me as soon as I call, like he knew he was beat, and flips over his K8. I show my Ace Eight, and tell him I felt like he only had the 8. River is no help to him and he's gone. It's calls like these that are really building my confidence. I really feel like I can reach at least a semi pro level, and if I can start laying down these marginal hands late, late, late in the tournament, I might begin thinking I can play at an elite level. Either way, I feel the call was based on observation, memory, and interpretation of the "tells".
Tourney continuation: Since I had the big stack, I had been pressing hard at the short stacks going all in with my small pocket pairs. I lost 3 coinflips in a row against the short stacks and ended up chipping myself down a little and chipping up the rest of the table. I tightened up, and the rest of the table fought until there was 3. Now with 3 of us, we are all about even in chips. I'm on the button and stay out. The SB limps, BB goes all in, SB calls, and now it's down to 2 of us. Other fella has me 2-1 in chips. 3 hands in I've got two black eights. He announces he's all in (out of turn) and I call. He turns over Ad5s. Flop is 3 diamonds, not good, but no ace, no five, no eight. Turn is a heart and I'm thinking only one more card and I'm the new chip leader. River is a diamond.....4 diamonds on the board. Probably, the most unjust second place finish ever for me. I really felt the winner didn't have a better game. I didn't see him pressuring, building a stack, outplaying, laying bad calling odds. Matter of fact, he offered a chop everytime he was in the blinds and only played ace junk for the final two tables. He got lucky and won a $500 casino package. I won something to motivate me with...an ugly ass belt buckle. woohoo.
Off I go with books in hand.
Good luck.
Ed
posted by Ed_Zackary at 2:13 PM
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