A new hope

8. January 2005 | Category: 50outs

After that failure on friday morning (well, mid-day here) I unfortunatly got no sleep. I went to lunch with my son and did some work afterwards. At 8pm we left for our live PLHE game, having already registered for the second qualifier. There all went well (me loosing 2k but Katja won over 4k) and when we drove home we decided to quit playing live now and concentrate on tournament play for Tunica now. We won a decent sized bankroll in the last 14 days that allows both Katja and me to play each and every event in Tunica from the moment we arrive (13th) untill the big one without having to worry about any satelites or sidegames (okok, I will not resist these famous cash games anyway). I guess this all you can ask for and we are both very happy about our little rush here. I already see this as a sign for a good and sucessfull 2005.

Coming back home I was tired as hell but played the 2. PPM IV qualifier anyway (and as I was there the 200 friday night tourney also). Being awake 40 hours and playing 32 hours of poker in this time is not a bad thing by itself but dont expect to be fresh and concentrated for the task ahead. I failed in both tournaments and was HAPPY TO BUST OUT so I could finally get some sleep. I bet I could have donated these 430$ also to something more useful… I wont go into any details about these 2 hours, it’s just to embarresing.

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Matt, better known as Partypoker killer IBustChumps (go read his excellent blog), was at my table when I made the 26th place in the 1st qualifier. He made it. Congratulations Matt, I am rooting for you. He inquired about some hands I had while we were here (any intentions to find out something for the future my friend?) and I told him what I had in the most critical hand there – critical as it costed me most of my chips and the tourney and for him as it was so close – had he not gotten AA the very next hand he would have been history also. Let me share with you what I wrote to him:

“Matt,

in the first hand I did have a pair of eights. I was moved from the other table directly into the BB and was still in that other table mode where I got a lot of respect. And trying to insolate was exactly what I did – on the flop I had a straight draw along with my overpair (567 with two spades?) and I still figured my hand might be good. I only called your bet – when I now (much less rushed) think over it I could have played the hand waaaay better (especially I should have raised your flop bet) but I did not know anything about the table, had no clue what you might have held and what your “style” at that table was. On the 3s turn I just could put nobody on the flush draw and actually remember to have thought: “Matt might have top pair here or trips but not that flush, I’am gonna call”.That reraise from NYFred on the turn made is almost clear to me that I was beaten then I made the most critical mistake: call that raise. When I look at that hand history now I could beat myself for by finding all these (wrong) arguments to further call there – this is classic fish play 🙁

My only possible reason is that I was worn out already (I played over 7 hours in a live wild action deep-money PLHE game before I entered the satellite).

What I only saw in that hand history is that the inital raiser made the straight around his 4.

On the next hand I had presto. I was totally out of control of the game at that point and already felt pushed-around from you and NYFred and was scared about my precious chips, lol. I just followed that old rule “no set, no bet” there and your re-raise before the flop screamed strength. If with you alone I would have called anyway but without position and then trapped between your all-in bet and a possible raise from fred I did let the hand go (which I should not have based on the outcome, it would have made my tournament. In the moment my decision was correct I believe even now).

Congratulations to you for making it, I watched the action until it was clear that you make it. Maybe I can get Katja and me onto that boat also, then we take one or more drinks together.

Thanks for sweating me, I appreciate it.

Jan “50outs”

Matt came back with:

“88 makes a lot of sense, I thought it might be that or 99. I did laugh when I found the other guy had K 4. I had been watching you at your other table a little bit and didn’t think you could have anything bad there but that you were capable of isolating with a number of hands. That guy cold calling 3 bets with AJs was pretty bad, but I guess you expect that from him.
I figured you laid down the next hand because of Fred. I probably would have folded presto there too, figuring you likely are beat or will be by the river since I am all in and you know Fred isnt folding anything. I usually just fold those early, but I know what you mean about feeling out of control.
At the point where I came back to 100k I studied the field for a bit and talked to a friend and we both thought I could blind in, so I started folding everything. I would have played AA, just because I wasn’t 100% sure I could blind all the way, but that would have been about it, and even then only if I could get the pot down to one or two opponents. I think it was a good call. Looked scary for a while because so many of the baby stacks started doubling and tripling, but still I had two people who had to play all-in before I would have to when we were one spot away, and even if they both won I could have won either blind myself and then numerous people would have had to all-in before me. I folded so many beautiful hands, even a QQ that would have flopped a set and won a big pot and an AJ that would have flopped quads, but my plan worked. Still it was very hard to fold that stuff.
Thanks for telling me what you had. I agree with you about raising the flop with that 88, though in the end it would have only hurt both of us because Fred would never fold that flush draw. Actually it would have busted both of us in hindsight because I am sure I would have come back over, but still it would have been the play. Good luck in the later ones though, hope you and Katja make the boat.”

I guess that shows a little about the way we share some thoughts how to play – but I still fail way to often to apply these thoughts in actual game situations 🙁 Got to work on this.

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PPM IV 3rd qualifier updates

-Race is on, Katja and I playing both
-Katja wins AK first hand
-I loose AK having just started
-Next hand I win with AT against AK, lol
-30 minutes over, I have my initial chips, 3,000 and Katja has 1,345 starting with only 1,000
-I raise with KQ, flop comes Q high with 2 hearts, I bet, got raised, I call (heads up). Turn is a Jh, I bet anyway and got raised again. I call and check-call from there. Opponent shows JJ, lol.
-Lucky me, I rivered a third T against 2 opponents
-Lost a big pot with AQ in SB against A7 in BB, heads up. He made two pair.
-Won with QQ and 33 (3 in flop), no showdown, back to average chip count
-Katja already over 3,500 chips
-Katja lost big with AQ, flopped two pair but the river brought a flush so his 63 of diamonds (!)
-Now she lost KK against AA, nearly broke in 90secs
-I lost AKo and AQs in two hands also, down to 1,200
-Katja out in 851th place with 77
-I am out 812th with AJs against TT.
-End of short story 🙁

We will try again – tomorrow.