In the past few years our home games have been nearly non-existent. We will pick things up for a month or two, but eventually it all returns to games being scarce.
During this slow decline of play I have gone from being one of the best players at our home re-buy tournaments, to being the constant bubble boy (going out in the highest spot without winning money), to lasting a few hours and not coming close to the money (or the bubble for that matter). I knew a change was needed.
Knowing my play needed some work, I pulled a Boase and read a few paragraphs in a few chapters of a few books last night prior to a $20 re-buy tournament at Danny's house. We have always made fun of the fact that our buddy Chad Boase would do such a thing, leaving the game prior to the re-buy time being over and returning at the last minute claiming he had read the first and last paragraph of each chapter in some poker book he had stashed away in his car. Not expecting to find some life-altering point in whatever books I could find at a local half-price bookstore, I did come across a tip that wasn't new, but reminded me to implement a strategy I have apparently abandoned.
The idea was to play some questionable starting hands like K-5 suited and not getting caught up in it if you hit a king. Without a regular game to hone my skills, I have become complacent in my strategy. Playing the questionable starting hands wasn't a problem, because you can't wait all night for aces only, but my problem had become getting attached to top pair, weak kicker when the strategy going in was to hit the flush. I needed to revamp my scheme and learn to let go of the hands I thought would improve and ultimately would get me to lose half my stack chasing a second pair to beat my opponent's better kicker.
Following games I would claim it just wasn't my night, blaming the cards for my loss. How can you win a tournament when you only win two hands? But the real problem was in siphoning off my chips all night chasing bad turns and rivers, it didn't give me the time needed at the table to ever find the good starting hands that are needed to mix in with the ones you are speculating with.
If I could learn to fold a pair with a weak kicker after the flop, whereas before I would chase to get a better hand knowing I was behind, it would keep my chips with me so when I did hit a big hand I had more to double up with.
All that said, I stuck to my new strategy of continuing the prospecting game of playing lots of hands pre-flop but not committing myself post-flop and it ended up improving my night. I still didn't make the money, but I did make the bubble. While that sounds like it is just as bad as busting out in last place, what makes me feel like strides are being made to improve my game is that I really can blame the cards last night.
Prior to becoming a bit of a maniac on the short stack at the end of the night, I only won two legitimate hands, one with pocket aces and another where I flopped trips and turned a full house. Other than those couple of hands, I either let go of missed opportunities and mediocre hands that were second best after the flop or I bluffed a turn or river bet that I was nearly positive would win the pot. The only bluff I lost on was my last hand of the night and as it was three handed and I was on the short stack, there wasn't much I could do at the time. I gave myself every opportunity to improve on speculation hands, but I didn't commit to anything subpar.
I saw improvement last night and think if I can get a little luck on my side and continue to be disciplined at folding the speculation hands when they improve a little but are still not good enough to win then I really think I will start seeing some wins again in the future.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
Weatherford (January 7)
Kicking the year off with a win or loss can set the tone for a player’s psyche. A win will boost confidence that can be carried over for many other games to come and a loss could have the opposite affect, resulting in decisions and doubts during a game. Luckily I started 2012 in a positive mood with a $50 profit from the monthly game in Weatherford.
I had to re-buy once after my pocket kings went up against pocket aces, but I didn’t let the big loss put me on tilt. After getting another $100 to work with I focused and won some pots to put myself back in the black.
The biggest win for me during the night was with 7-5 when I turned a straight and won about $120 from one guy. Other than that it was medium-sized pots that I won most of the night.
In regard to bluffs, I made about three or four that I got away with and one I was caught in. The only bluff worth mentioning was when the river produced four clubs. I was going for a straight that didn’t get there and when the woman on my right checked it to me after betting on the flop and the turn I decided she was too afraid of the clubs to make a call. I bet about a third to half the pot and she folded. It was a calculated risk of what was on the board and the player I was against that paid off.
The final hand I was a part of involved pocket fours with a flop of 2-3-5. With an open-ended straight draw I bet a third of the pot and was called by a tight player. The turn was a seven. At this point there were two diamonds on the board also. I made a bet not relative to the pot but a large enough bet in relation to my opponent’s chip stack that if he moved all-in I would be priced in to call. He did bet it all and I called. The river was a nine and I flipped up my pair of fours. My opponent sheepishly said he caught on the river and showed A-9 of diamonds.
It was upsetting to lose the hand, but in hindsight he was going for the straight or flush to beat me. It just worked out in his favor that a nine also benefitted him. I had to avoid any diamond, nine, or four.
That hand lost me about $100 and my ill-timed bluff occurred late in the evening also to bring me down to the $50 profit. I played for five-and-a-half hours, resulting in a $9.09 hourly rate.
There is one final thing to be discussed, but it doesn’t have to do with any hands I was involved in. Actually, it didn’t even take place at my table. While stretching my legs during play I was watching the table next to us when two players occupied in an all-in hand decided to run the river twice. What that means is they deal out the last card two times and split the pot up to the winners for each card. The community cards were 6-J-4-A and a seven came on the first river. The player holding K-J beat his opponent, who held Q-J. The second river card was a six, creating a board of 6-J-4-A-6 and resulting in a split pot. The pot should have been split in two and the second half split again. However, the player holding K-J was taking the entire pot for himself (instead of the 3/4th he should have been given) and his opponent, or nobody else at the table for that matter, was speaking up about the gaffe. As a natural reaction to make sure the fair thing was done I spoke up and asked shouldn’t the second river have created a split pot. The community cards had already been reshuffled into the deck so my observation couldn’t be verified. Finally, two players at the table said it was a six on the river and because of what else was out there it was a split pot. In the end, all the money went to the correct players.
So my questions are these: should I have not said anything as I was not sitting at their table and is it more fair that anyone who sees a mistake happen speak up or should it only be amongst those involved in the hand? My intervention had no outcome on a call, fold, or other type of play prior to the end of the hand. It only regarded the division of money righfully won.
I had to re-buy once after my pocket kings went up against pocket aces, but I didn’t let the big loss put me on tilt. After getting another $100 to work with I focused and won some pots to put myself back in the black.
The biggest win for me during the night was with 7-5 when I turned a straight and won about $120 from one guy. Other than that it was medium-sized pots that I won most of the night.
In regard to bluffs, I made about three or four that I got away with and one I was caught in. The only bluff worth mentioning was when the river produced four clubs. I was going for a straight that didn’t get there and when the woman on my right checked it to me after betting on the flop and the turn I decided she was too afraid of the clubs to make a call. I bet about a third to half the pot and she folded. It was a calculated risk of what was on the board and the player I was against that paid off.
The final hand I was a part of involved pocket fours with a flop of 2-3-5. With an open-ended straight draw I bet a third of the pot and was called by a tight player. The turn was a seven. At this point there were two diamonds on the board also. I made a bet not relative to the pot but a large enough bet in relation to my opponent’s chip stack that if he moved all-in I would be priced in to call. He did bet it all and I called. The river was a nine and I flipped up my pair of fours. My opponent sheepishly said he caught on the river and showed A-9 of diamonds.
It was upsetting to lose the hand, but in hindsight he was going for the straight or flush to beat me. It just worked out in his favor that a nine also benefitted him. I had to avoid any diamond, nine, or four.
That hand lost me about $100 and my ill-timed bluff occurred late in the evening also to bring me down to the $50 profit. I played for five-and-a-half hours, resulting in a $9.09 hourly rate.
There is one final thing to be discussed, but it doesn’t have to do with any hands I was involved in. Actually, it didn’t even take place at my table. While stretching my legs during play I was watching the table next to us when two players occupied in an all-in hand decided to run the river twice. What that means is they deal out the last card two times and split the pot up to the winners for each card. The community cards were 6-J-4-A and a seven came on the first river. The player holding K-J beat his opponent, who held Q-J. The second river card was a six, creating a board of 6-J-4-A-6 and resulting in a split pot. The pot should have been split in two and the second half split again. However, the player holding K-J was taking the entire pot for himself (instead of the 3/4th he should have been given) and his opponent, or nobody else at the table for that matter, was speaking up about the gaffe. As a natural reaction to make sure the fair thing was done I spoke up and asked shouldn’t the second river have created a split pot. The community cards had already been reshuffled into the deck so my observation couldn’t be verified. Finally, two players at the table said it was a six on the river and because of what else was out there it was a split pot. In the end, all the money went to the correct players.
So my questions are these: should I have not said anything as I was not sitting at their table and is it more fair that anyone who sees a mistake happen speak up or should it only be amongst those involved in the hand? My intervention had no outcome on a call, fold, or other type of play prior to the end of the hand. It only regarded the division of money righfully won.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
2011 in review
Coming nowhere close to my goal of reaching $5,000 in profits for the year, I was able to win more than a lost. In total, I logged 49.25 hours of play and won $770, equating to a $15.63 hourly rate. Sadly, this is more than I make at my 40-hour-a-week occupation (but just barely).
With a new son in the house there has not been ample time to play poker. Therefore, the goals to be set for this year will need to be a bit lowered. For 2012 I hope to win $3,000 from poker games and hopefully keep as much of that for my bankroll as possible in order to move up in games in the future. We will see. As long as bills continue to stack up, poker winnings will have to go toward putting food on the table and power in the television.
The monthly Weatherford game is coming up this weekend. Hopefully I can start the new year off right with a big win.
With a new son in the house there has not been ample time to play poker. Therefore, the goals to be set for this year will need to be a bit lowered. For 2012 I hope to win $3,000 from poker games and hopefully keep as much of that for my bankroll as possible in order to move up in games in the future. We will see. As long as bills continue to stack up, poker winnings will have to go toward putting food on the table and power in the television.
The monthly Weatherford game is coming up this weekend. Hopefully I can start the new year off right with a big win.
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