Thursday, January 28, 2010

Hand from a recent PVT member Sng

Does this hand sound about right, or did I play it too weak?

2 people knocked out, everybody playing pretty solid poker in position and out of position.

I had both large stacks to my right and small stacks to my left.

Everybody's VP was under 20 and PFR was under 15 so it was a solid strong game vs good playing members.

Did I simply get outplayed in the following hand? Or is it pretty obvious he has the flop hit real hard?


Full Tilt Poker Game #17942772133: PokerVT (133983758), Table 1 - 40/80 - No Limit Hold'em - 22:20:49 ET - 2010/01/26
Seat 2: dafalenangel (6,125)
Seat 4: strnr004 (2,705)
Seat 5: dwvw (2,100)
Seat 6: Cratos8 (2,435)
Seat 7: Spadezaspade (5,525)
Seat 9: Aczey (5,110)
Cratos8 posts the small blind of 40
Spadezaspade posts the big blind of 80

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em Tournament, 40/80 Blinds (6 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (MP) (t6125)
CO (t2705)
Button (t2100)
SB (t2435)
BB (t5525)
UTG (t5110)

Hero's M: 51.04

Preflop: Hero is MP with A, A
1 fold, Hero bets t205, 3 folds, BB calls t125

Flop: (t450) Q, 4, Q (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets t305, BB raises to t610, Hero raises to t915, BB calls t305

Turn: (t2280) 5 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets t1120, BB raises to t4405 (All-In), Hero folds

Total pot: t4520

dafalenangel folds
Uncalled bet of 3,285 returned to Spadezaspade
Spadezaspade mucks
Spadezaspade wins the pot (4,520)

*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 4,520 | Rake 0
Board: [Qd 4s Qc 5h]
Seat 2: dafalenangel folded on the Turn
Seat 4: strnr004 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: dwvw (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: Cratos8 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 7: Spadezaspade (big blind) collected (4,520), mucked
Seat 9: Aczey didn't bet (folded)

Did I simply get outplayed in the following hand? Or is it pretty obvious he has the flop hit real hard?

I mean if I was in his position and I hit the Q for trips on the flop I would have played it the same way he did.

If I check behind on the turn to see a free river and maybe hit the A then fine, but if I check and miss and he bets huge or all in on the river I almost have to call if I check behind on the turn as if to say "I have nothing, PLEASE STEAL the pot from me!"

He also could have had 44's or 55's with the way he played it.

In hindsight he could also of had JJ or KK or AA but I don't think he raises my turn bet with those hands unless he is absolutely thinking on a super mega game level and simply knows I would have to fold without a Q.

A few replies I got about the hand are this: from sJacob (PVT member)

Sup with flop minraises? This is a pretty weird hand from both of you.

I obv don't know anything about this opponent, but on average I'd expect a c/c if he has a Q, mid pocket pair or a 4. Minraise looks bluffy to me, I'd call it and reevalute, probably call at least one more street. When you 3bet, you can't expect him to call you with a worse hand (although when you min 3bet I guess he can call you with worse). Good thing about flatting is that it will let him fire more bluffs if he is indeed bluffing.

falenangel wrote:
"If I check behind on the turn to see a free river and maybe hit the A then fine, but if I check and miss and he bets huge or all in on the river I almost have to call if I check behind on the turn as if to say "I have nothing, PLEASE STEAL the pot from me!""

But you don't have nothing, you have a decent hand; you want him to try to steal the pot with worse hands.

As played I'd be tempted to call, because he's really not repping that much, it's tough to put him on a reasonable hand... maybe 55 exactly.

And this: from Alternativ (PVT member)

It would be really hard for him to play the hand this way with anything worse. You know how often he is defending his blind? Some PVT members have picked up blind defending from DN and will defend way to wide for their skill level.

I disagree with sJacob on the c/c with a Q, I think a random opponent would c/r most of the time with a Q here.

And your min 3bet on the flop is really wierd, I would never do that. You bet 305 into a 1975 pot. And you build the pot. if you flat, check behind the turn (if he do check), the pot will be 1625 on the river, he is a PokerVT member right? So I don't expect him to overbet, so you can catch a lot ore bluffs in this situation, because he will be bluffing here way more often then he would the way the hand played out. And you can call a lot cheaper. Since you both are so deep I don't think pot control is to bad an idea.

If you flat and he keep firing, you could think of letting your hand go imo.

sJacob wrote:
"As played I'd be tempted to call, because he's really not repping that much, it's tough to put him on a reasonable hand... maybe 55 exactly."


You really think he is bluffing here often enough to make this a call? I really agree with falenangel, a lot of people would play their Q like this. And falenangel has played solid as well, and 3bet flop (even tho it was a tiny 3bet that woulden't make him fold to many hands), and fired again on the turn. This would be a really hard spot for him to bluff. I just don't think he is bluffing often enough here. People bluff way less then you would think.

And this: from puyan (PVT member)

Flat the flop raise and see what he does on the turn. Try and small ball it to showdown. Why go nuts against the big stack when your almost guaranteed money spot? Sort out your reraise sizing too, they should be at least 2.5-3x the previous bet. Min reraises don't work because your not really getting the information you need since the sizing is so small they're never folding to those odds.


My ending thoughts... for now on the hand are:


After thinking it through after the fact I think that I have to agree in hindsight I should have flatted the flop raise and see how much he leads for on the turn. I could maybe have called to river for the same amount that I 3bet and bet on the turn.

The same player also bet huge pot on river in other hands so I guess I was thinking he might shove the river if we got to it and I wanted as much information as possible.

I am really looking forward to the possibility of this tournament being put together by Dixie with all the HH's so I can see what the player had.

Yet I still firmly think he had my AA beat with the line he took even if my line seemed awkward and weak.

Cheers and Shambone

The fun part is, since it was on Full Tilt I am not familiar with the PVT screen name for Spadezaspade and am not sure who it was, but later in the tournament he said that he did have the Q back in the hand posted above.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Just playing 10-20 a day...

What a time for me to start feeling like playing poker is WORK! I have bonuses on 2 different sites for as much as $450 that I only have until the end of January to play out and the middle of February for the other. I almost decided to play enough to guarantee that I will get $100 of the $250 on 1 of the sites and $150 of the $200 on the other. By playing about 10 games a day on each...???

What am I thinking, it's free money and to give up $200 in free money is just plain STUPID IMO. I am running/have been running not so great and am basically breaking even or losing in SNG's as of the last 2K games or so and have been dabbling in super turbo's and mixed games just trying to change things up a bit. I have a winning session 1 day and a losing session the next. Back and forth for the past couple of months.

I think it's time to admit I have learn to use a new software program. SnG Wiz seems to be the most popular suggestion from anybody I talk to on the forums or who plays online poker. My fear of not getting a new program for fear of incompetence is just plain sad, pathetic and old. I am never going to have a chance at being a consistent winning player if I don't put in the hours to work on my game a become better. I am a poker tool and need to get better and I know I will start having more fun.

I used to take a couple of days a week off and play like 50 games or so on the days I did play. That's like 250 games a week, lately at about 20 games a day I am playing like 140 a week and am needing some time to myself. I don't need the extra bonus, which is small, that is provided by some online poker rooms (for playing everyday) so I think I need to go back to my old ways of 2 days off per week. I am still studying by watching videos and am actually going through PT3 to see what I can work on to become better in given positions with given hand ranges.

I am following a few more blogs and anticipate seeing how some old PokerVT friends and members are doing with there ongoing growth and training in the poker world. Good Luck to all of you, I wish you all the best in your journey!

I liked the movie Avatar so much the wife and I went to see it again but in 3-D and it was worth every penny. Can't wait for the last season of Lost to start up again. Looking forward to a new year with new strides in my poker game. I will post some goals for the year in the next few weeks. I am also going to try and earn a $1K bonus on the Ipoker network.

Plus I have pre-paid for a year in advance until January 2011 on PokerVT as I can't imagine becoming better without at least a couple of poker sites and forums to learn and become better from. I also qualified for the final event of the 12 week +EV tournament they have been running for the past 3 months and am looking forward to a strong performance in a few weeks when it takes place.

Cheers and Shambone!

Friday, January 8, 2010

WBCOOP 2010

Online Poker

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker! Bloggers can register for to play for free in the WBCOOP, if you don’t have a PokerStars account you can get your Poker Download here.

Registration code: 396376



Okay so I am going to give this event a try, I have been playing alright as of late and have been getting better at the mixed games. If you have a blog and play poker and have an account with PokerStars I highly suggest and recommend signing up for this event. You can also create an account on Stars anytime and if you have a blog sign up for this event.

The field ratio should be small and the payouts huge for ZERO investment.

I have been moving away from my addiction to free rolls except when the prize is way worth it.

Like playing the million dollar challenge free rolls to have a shot at Daniel N.

Cheers and best of luck at the tables, I will update my progress along the way.

Here is a cut and paste of the information available about this event.

The WBCOOP returns for 2010!

It’s time for all poker-playing bloggers to put down the keyboard and mouse and get ready for action, because the annual PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker (WBCOOP) is back once again. This time round the seven-day event includes six preliminary tournaments, running January 25-30, 2010. The action culminates with the Main Event on January 31, and you can register for all of the events now. What’s more, the WBCOOP is completely free-to-enter for all verified bloggers.

Every year the WBCOOP gives bloggers from all over the world the chance to play tournament poker for great prizes. It’s the perfect way to challenge other poker writers, and compete to prove that you are the best in the business. This year you can win seats to the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP)*, plus SCOOP Steps satellite tickets. We’ll also be awarding spot prizes during the event for the best live blogs and Twitter posts. See below for more about what you can win.

Simply register as a verified blogger to take part. Once you’re in, use your blog to tell everyone that you’ll be playing, and then keep them updated on your progress. It doesn’t even matter if your blog isn’t about poker or if you’re new to the game - everyone is welcome to play.

How to Enter

For your blog to be eligible, it needs to have been online for at least two months and updated on a regular basis. Blogs created specifically for this promotion, or that only have a few posts, will not be granted entry to WBCOOP. If you have been eligible in the past for WBCCOP but have not updated your blog on a regular basis since the last event, you will not be eligible to play. All decisions about eligibility rest with WBCOOP management and are final.

Visit the registration page to find out how to submit your blog for verification. Once you are registered, you can play in any or all of the free WBCOOP preliminary events and the Main Event.

Preliminary Events

The preliminary tournaments are free-to-enter and run daily from January 25-30, in a range of different games at the times listed below. You can find them listed in the PokerStars lobby, under ‘Tourney’ & ‘All’.

Game
Date
Time
No Limit Hold’em January 25 17:00 ET
Pot Limit Omaha January 26 17:00 ET
No Limit Hold’em January 27 18:00 ET
No Limit Hold’em January 28 18:00 ET
8-Game Mix January 29 19:00 ET
No Limit Hold’em January 30 15:00 ET

Prizes

Each preliminary tournament will award $6,038 worth of SCOOP Steps tickets, as follows.

Place
Prize
1 SCOOP Tickets to Value of $1,050
2-9 SCOOP Tickets to Value of $215
10-27 SCOOP Tickets to Value of $33
28-45 SCOOP Tickets to Value of $16.50
46-136 SCOOP Tickets to Value of $11

Main Event

The 2010 WBCOOP Main Event takes place January 31 at 15:00 ET. Find it in the PokerStars lobby under ‘Tourney’ & ‘All’.

Prizes

Place
Prize
1 SCOOP Tickets to Value of $3,150
2-9 SCOOP Tickets to Value of $2,100
10-27 SCOOP Tickets to Value of $215
28-45 SCOOP Tickets to Value of $55
46-136 SCOOP Tickets to Value of $22

Spot Prizes

During the WBCOOP, you can also win spot prizes, awarded to bloggers who write the best posts and Twitter updates about the action taking place.

Achievement
Prize
Best Live Event Blogging SCOOP Tickets to Value of $425
Highly Commended Blogger (three of these will be awarded) SCOOP Tickets to Value of $33
Best Tweeter SCOOP Tickets to Value of $425
Highly Commended Tweeter (three of these will be awarded) SCOOP Tickets to Value of $33

WBCOOP 2008

The last WBCOOP took place in 2008, with 369 bloggers from around the world playing in the Main Event. Imric_est took the title, walking away with a PokerStars live event package. Priitk and Lesage88 also won big for finishing in the top three. Hundreds of other players took part in the preliminary events, all of which were free to enter. Go to the PokerStars Blog for full coverage of the 2008 Main Event.

Contact support@pokerstars.com if you have any questions about the WBCOOP.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Took down $20 Horse tournament!

The title of the post says it all! Applause

151 runners!

I was chip leader from 15 left until 3 handed, at one point was down to as low as 3rd. During HU had the lead then was down to 4-1 disadvantage in chips and made the comeback. Boo hoo!

Back and forth battle HU, played 3 handed hold em, then omaha 8. Anxious

Went Hu during Razz and finished off the game on Stud Hi.

$906 for the victory. Applause

Studying the mixed games is slowly paying off, had a lot of cashes recently and satty wins but this was my first 1st in a simple MTT with a buy in of over $10.

Most thanks to PVT and Devo for bringing him on and having videos on mixed games!

Cheers! Angel

Sorry Tan, Just short of 1K.... but I am getting to it! LOL and I haven't forgot! Shhh

Shambone