Getting closer

13. September 2005 | Category: 50outs

On Tuesday I played some hours $100/200 limit holdem on stars and like surfers would say “I got washed”. I played my A game all the time, was very patient but could not win with my good hands. I got outdrawn by legitimite and miracle draws and my big hands got busted also. In one of those hands I raised with AQs in middle position and got one caller, “broksi” (3 times WPT winner Gus Hansen) in the BB. Flop came AQ3 giving me two pair and Gus bets out after a little while. I raised to $200 and he re-raised again. I was thinking about calling only like I would in 30/60 to raise on the turn but decided to play my good hand strongly so I made it four bets. That worked out as he checked to me on a 7 turn. I bet, he raised. Ughh. I smelled danger right away. I thought: Gus Hansen in the BB, sitting on a $23,000 stack and playing a conversative game for at least 2-3 hours so is most likly not any steal, he got a hand. What could it be? Given the way he played (betting out on the flop and re-raising there) he must have hit something. Now he is check-raising me on the turn. I thought: A7? A3? Q7? Maybe, maybe AQ for the same hand? AA? QQ? Bahhh no!, I am seeing ghosts here, he would have tried to trap me with those holdings. 77? No way he raised me preflop with that as I showed strength already by braising in MP. So my hand must be good! Yippppi, reraise on the turn to $600! Bad news, Gus capped and I called. He bets the blank river and I call, curious and expecting to lose. Right, he shows 33, the only hand I have not thought of. Here shows a very important poker concept: don’t slowplay your trips against week opponents (and I have no doubt he would describe me as exactly that, a weak opponent, lol). I myself stopped that long ago and play those hands strongly in limit cash games (tournaments are another story) until I have very good reasons to do otherwise. We see that he was right in his analysis about me as being weak – certainly nobody would have folded that hand heads-up against the BB in the loose game that was but I could have surly saved $400 on the turn (I guess my cap on the flop was ok).

That was the only hand where I lost because I was beat from the start on. When you lose a $3,500 pot holding AA on a A26-T4 rainbow board against 35 you can’t do much, neihter with AK on a A68-2Q board against AQ. It hurts when you get no hands for hours (paying $150 a round in blinds) and get your good hands cracked that way but one can’t do to much against it. After about 5 hours I quited a 5k loser and called it a day, ready to come back the next day.

The very next morning (in fact, only about 6 hours later) the 100/200 looked to shorthanded to me so I decided to play some 30/60 while waiting. BAD DECISION! One player took $2,000 from me in no time, “visagold”. Let me bore you with some details: the very first hand this morning I took my seat after the button and posted a extra-blind to get a hand. J8 of hearts. “visagold” was to my right, so he was in middle-late position. Two players called the blind as did “visagold”. I checked and the button folded. We saw a flop 6 handed. A88. Wow! Everybody checked to me and I bet out 30. All fold to “visagold” who raised. I re-raised, he called. Turn is a 5, he bets, I raise, he re-raised and I just call fearing he got the case 8 with a better kicker or AA. River comes offsuit 3. He bets, I call, ready to see A8 and lose. He proudly shows 38 offsuit for a rivered full house! I was still tired and it was my first hand that morning but I tell you, that went thru me like a lightning bolt! Right about 5 hands later he cracked my AA with J7o (making two pair on the turn) and 10 minutes later he rivered a straight against my two pair. A cold shower could not have done a better job.

The days evening I went out with a friend so I could not play the PLHE WCOOP event #04 but Katja did. She got far 339th out of 2,345 players, missing the money. The next day I played the WCOOP event #05 NLHE with rebuys but got a ugly beat right after 10 minutes holding AK on a AT9 flop, going all-in, getting called by A6 and seeing a 6 right on the turn. I did not make any rebuy there, it was just not my day. Next day I played the daily $109+Rebuys where I was in for $409 total. When only 12 players remained I got 77 on the button and attacked the blinds with my just below average stack. The chipleader in the SB re-raised for protection, showing AQo. An ace showed up right away and I was out. Many discussions with Katja and some friends sweating me online. Katja: you should have waited with your decent stack to make the money (about $1,000) and THEN attack. Me: I don’t play to make the money, I play to win and that hand on the button combined with the fold equity I had was a sure all-in, at least when you carry a nickname “50outs” as you could also get lucky in case you are really beat there. My friends agreed with me but I myself have doubts left – I mean, $1,000, hold it or not.

Anyway, in the meantime the WCOOP event 06 had started, limit holdem. I had a bad start but came back big time and was in the top 20 during the middle stages of the tournament. Then, 1-2-3 I lost a few big hands in a row (like AQ on KQ6-Q-3 board against 66) and went out in 265th place out of 1,781, missing the money by less than 90 spots.

Saturday Katja played the $500 WCOOP event #07, pot limit holdem, her specialty. 1,185 players entered and she played a very tight game. I was sweating her (after busting out of the $300 NLHE on draw that does not came). She got far as 175th spot there, 99 in the money. It was all over for her when she got moved to a new table, getting nothing (not even by my standards) for 90 minutes and then low-chip’d getting it in on AJ only to find the BB with AK and no miracle.

Sunday we did’nt play the $1,000 NLHE but I played mondays $300 WCOOP #07 7stud event. Not having played any stud recently I could not really fight there and hand a early exit (and because friend Henry Nowakosky “nofearhenry” sucked out on me 2 times!). My buddy Frank played the same event and got busted holding full-house 9’s in 5 cards against quad 8’s in 5 cards when only 150 players were left. Outch.

Today’s triple shoutout I wont play, Katja neither, so I guess we will get back in action only later – Katja will play the Omaha PL event #13 and I play the #14, another limit event.