Sorry I haven't updated in a while but I was swamped at work from abt late Sept through Oct 15 so while I did play some poker, I didn't play a huge volume.
I did go deep in the Full Tilt Daily Double events earlier in the month finishing 6th and 15th. Making a final table and not closing or at least getting into the top 3 always stings (top 3 all make 700+) and in the case where I finished 6th I got my money in good and lost AJ vs. KT for basically all of my chips. Unfortunately, late in on-line tournaments the average chip stacks are generally never that deep and you just have to take chances like these and hope for the best.
I also have started sattelliting into a few different events including the FT 50-50, Stars nightly 70k guarantee, and a few others. Nothing spectacular has happened in any of the events though I did cash 2x in the FT 50-50. In one case I had a pretty good sized stack (25bb or so) and shoved from the small blind with AQo into a button raiser. Obv he had KK and I was out. But the button raiser could have a lot of hands there and I think my 3 bet shove is ok. If I had 10BB more I think taking a flop is better.
I did take down a smallish PLO tournament a week or so ago (39 players). I got to the FT with the big stack and then a combination of good play and good cards led me to absolutely destroy the final table. I was punishing the cash bubble (5 cashed) and accumulated a lot of chips. When we finally got Heads-Up I had a 90-10 chip lead and just was a matter of time. That cash was worth $300+ which was good for a $20 buy in event.
Finally, I have been playing the Full Tilt Matrix SNG a little bit with some success. These are 4 simultaneous SNGs played with the same players. Each SNG is worth $ and then the overall results from the combined 4 tables is worth additional $. You get points based on the number of people you bust and/or outlast. I haven't figured out the optimal strategy here yet but it seems that folding in some marginal spots that I would normally push makes sense. The key is to really last as long as possible in all 4 and obviously try to win one or two of the individual tournaments.
Golf is pretty well winding down. I did play in two tournaments this month and both were atrocious. I have been pretty busy at work and with the family so I just haven't been playing or practicing much at all. I have one more tournament this weekend and that is basically it for the year. Most likely I will shut it down and not play much if any until next spring. However, I am very disappointed with how my season went and am going to work hard to work on a few things (overall fitness and putting mainly). I played well most of the summer but didn't get it done in key spots and it seems like my putting wasn't my normal reliable self. Also, I just don't have the distance I used to have and need to tone and strengthen up to recover some of that lost distance.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
Full Tilt $4,000 Guarantee-PLO
I have been playing this tournament a bit more recently. It is a $26 buy-in and typically attracts 230+ players. 27 players typically cash. Played it 2x last week and 2x this week. Last Thursday and last night (also Thursday) I min cashed by just sneaking into the money.
Actually last night I was 13th with 27 left when my bust-out hand came up. An player raised to 5500 from SB (blinds were 500/1000 and there had been 2 limpers including me on the button). I was going to fold my 5699 but the c/o called and I had to call 4500 into a pot of 12,500. Stacks were approx.-raiser 32k, c/o 40k and me 30k. Flop comes A97 with 2 clubs. Now what are the hands that an active player would be raising with out of the SB:
1) AAxx is the most obvious. If so I am crushed here, though I do have 4 likely outs (3 non-club 8s and the case 9) although only the case 9 is clean.
2) 4 broadways probably suited. If this is the case he may have a fl draw or a gutterball to a bigger str8 (i.e. JTQK with two clubs). Now I am ahead and just need to avoid a club, an 8 and/or runner runner str8 cards.
3) A smaller rundown hand like 789T or a one gap hand like 78TJ. This player seemed capable of making a raise with that hand. If this is the case he has a huge wrap and I need to fade a lot of outs.
So back to the action and he leads for 12k into the pot of 17k. What do I do? I have 2 options: ship and pray or fold and wait for a better spot. Well it was late and I opted for the push and pray method. He calls and flips AAxx and I lose. Think that was a fold after he leads at the pot. He isn't putting that much into the pot post flop with much that I can beat. Best I can hope for is scenario 2.
I did finish 3rd in this same tournament last Sunday night. Was fun to make a final table again and I really think I played very well. I was all the way down to 1250 in chips at one point (start with 3k) and fought my way back. Chipped up from 16k to 60k without much difficulty during the play down from the money bubble to the final table. The final hand was a doozy:
Actually last night I was 13th with 27 left when my bust-out hand came up. An player raised to 5500 from SB (blinds were 500/1000 and there had been 2 limpers including me on the button). I was going to fold my 5699 but the c/o called and I had to call 4500 into a pot of 12,500. Stacks were approx.-raiser 32k, c/o 40k and me 30k. Flop comes A97 with 2 clubs. Now what are the hands that an active player would be raising with out of the SB:
1) AAxx is the most obvious. If so I am crushed here, though I do have 4 likely outs (3 non-club 8s and the case 9) although only the case 9 is clean.
2) 4 broadways probably suited. If this is the case he may have a fl draw or a gutterball to a bigger str8 (i.e. JTQK with two clubs). Now I am ahead and just need to avoid a club, an 8 and/or runner runner str8 cards.
3) A smaller rundown hand like 789T or a one gap hand like 78TJ. This player seemed capable of making a raise with that hand. If this is the case he has a huge wrap and I need to fade a lot of outs.
So back to the action and he leads for 12k into the pot of 17k. What do I do? I have 2 options: ship and pray or fold and wait for a better spot. Well it was late and I opted for the push and pray method. He calls and flips AAxx and I lose. Think that was a fold after he leads at the pot. He isn't putting that much into the pot post flop with much that I can beat. Best I can hope for is scenario 2.
I did finish 3rd in this same tournament last Sunday night. Was fun to make a final table again and I really think I played very well. I was all the way down to 1250 in chips at one point (start with 3k) and fought my way back. Chipped up from 16k to 60k without much difficulty during the play down from the money bubble to the final table. The final hand was a doozy:
So I am in BB. Villian in SB. He has been playing rather poorly and taking HUGE gambles and winning those. I have 130k in chips, he has 200k and third guy has remaining chips (like 350k). Big stack folds. Blinds 4,000-8,000. Villian min-raises to 16k. I call with 9956 (same holding as last night). Flop comes 358. He donk bets half the pot (16k again). All I have is an overpair and a double belly buster str8 draw. But I read through this donk and am pretty sure this guy is weak. So I ship it to 80k, effectively putting me all in (have less than 25k behind), so I am not folding obv. Donktard instantly ships and I call. He flips 47QT (WOW do people play bad). He is now dead to 3 6s. He plays for 4 ½ hours and stacks off to 3 outs (although the Q and T were outs he couldn’t have believed they were). Turn is a 6 and I miss my river 7. Out in 3rd for $800. First paid like $1,700. Sick shit. I make a sick read and shove and the cards reward the donktard.
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