2022 Year-End Weatherford Tournament

I started the year-end tournament with high expectations since I was second in chips and had cashed a whopping 63.3% of tournaments throughout the year. Unfortunately I was second out of the tournament and came in ninth place. I had increased my starting stack in the first hour and after dropping one player and going to the final table I was feeling good about my chances. There were a few players, including John F. Sr. and Randall W., on a short stack. John is notoriously tight and Randall is a tough opponent as he has no fear when making bets, so if they were to go broke I would have been very optimistic about getting back on the championship plaque.

Unfortunately I made two bad plays that cost me nearly everything. The first was when I had pocket 8s in early position and raised it up to $800 when blinds were $100-200. I was hoping to just take the pot right then and there, but at worst I would see what the flop brought if I got called by one or two players and be aggressive. However, Danny S. in the big blind re-raised to $2,400 after everybody folded and I elected to defend and see if I could hit a set on the flop.

The flop came 10-9-3 rainbow. Danny made a continuation bet of $2,400. Narrowing down his range he could have two high cards or any pocket pair. I thought there was a solid chance I still had the best hand or could draw to a backdoor straight if I got the right turn card and elected to call. The turn was an inconsequential card that was lower than my eights, but not close enough to help my potential straight. Danny made a down bet of $2,000, with $10,000 in the pot, and I decided it was still too good to not call.

The river was a king and the betting went check-check. Danny showed queens and I lost about half my stack with the lower pocket pair.

The real blow came a few hands later when I got pocket aces and raised it to $600. I got called by three players and the flop came 9-8-2 rainbow. I was second to act and made a continuation bet of $1,000 after it was checked to me feeling like that was a very safe board to bet small on as I wanted some action to get my chip stack back to an above-average amount. I was called by only one player (Wes M.).

The turn was the king of spades, putting two spades on the board. There was some kind of spider sense going off at this point and I didn't like the spot I was in any longer. I honestly don't know what changed between the flop and the turn that got me on high alert, but I no longer felt comfortable with where I was in the hand. We went check-check on the turn and saw a low third spade on the river.

I checked to Wes and he bet $2,400. I nearly made a begrudging insta-call but stopped short of saying call. The noise that came out was more of a, "I gughhhh." Wes thought I had called and nearly flipped his cards over instantly. I stopped him from showing and said I hadn't called yet. His immediacy made me feel even worse about my hand and I wanted to let it go. I even said what I had and told everyone I didn't like how things had turned out for my hand. I didn't hold the ace of spades, so having the blocker to the nut flush made it even worse to call.

I finally decided to call, but immediately regretted my decision. If I had waited a few more minutes and thought things through I might have talked myself into folding, but in the back of my mind I kept thinking Wes was trying to bluff a pot his way since I had shown such weakness on the turn and river bets. He showed pocket 2s for a flopped set.

That left me with only $1,800 in chips and I went all in a few hands later with A-6 offsuit hoping to just pick up a few limps, double up and get back in the fight, or move over to the cash game. Unfortunately I didn't hit and lost to two pair.

The cash game was much more forgiving and I ended up winning $870 from that. I cashed $100 in the tournament, so I nearly made four digits for the night.

It was extremely disappointing to not win the year-end tournament as I thought I had a really great chance of getting on the plaque for the second time. Let's hope this year is as successful as last and the year-end tournament has better results.

Started 2023 Off With A Self-Inflicted Bang

It had been more than a decade since going to a casino on New Year's Day with James and I was going to be alone if I did so this year, but I had such a fiscally good year in poker last year I wanted to keep the good times going. So I elected to head north on the first evening of 2023, but the results were not what I was hoping for. I ended up losing three buy-ins that totaled $800.

The first hand of significance was a loss. I had J-6 offsuit with no diamonds. The flop was J-10-6 with two diamonds. I was first to act and bet $10 into a $15 pot. I got called by three players. The pot was now at $50. The turn was the ace of diamonds. It checked around to the button who bet $25. I was the only caller and we went to a river with a pot of $100. The river is the king of diamonds putting four diamonds a four to a straight on the board. My opponent didn't look happy about another diamond coming and he had about $80 remaining. I bet $25 expecting to fold to a raise and if he didn't have a straight or flush he wouldn't call. He did end up calling and had turned a higher two pair.

The next hand was a winner for me. I had A-K offsuit and raised $12 pre-flop. I got two callers for a pot of $35. The flop came out ace high and I made a continuation bet of $15 after the first player checked. The button was the only caller and the pot now had $65 in it. The turn was a king and I continued betting with top two pair. I bet $25 and the button called. The river was an eight, which paired an eight from the flop. I still felt confident I had the best hand, but wasn't sure if he would call any kind of bet. So I elected to check-call any bet he made. My opponent ended up betting $75 on the river and I called. He had jacks for a worse two pair.

I made a questionable raise from middle position with Q-6 offsuit. I made it $15 and was called by only the button. The flop was J-J-K and I continued with a $15 bet. The button called and we both checked the turn, which was a nine. The river was another nine and he checked. The pot was $60 and I bet $30 hoping to get a bluff through. He called with K-6.

My favorite hand of the night was bluffing a Q-9 off a nine-high flop when I held pocket eights. It was the same player who had earlier called with the two pair when there were four to a flush and four to a straight on the board. He made a continuation bet after raising pre-flop and I took his bet of $25 to $75. He folded and showed. I told him I had flopped bottom set.

I played K-J offsuit on the button timidly after flopping top pair and simply calling a minimum check-raise from a new female player who didn't know much about casino poker. She check-raised the flop, checked the turn, and then bet the river after hitting the last card to give her two pair while holding K-4. A normal player I would have gotten to fold earlier in the hand, but she wouldn't fold much after hitting something on the flop.

I put $185 in pre-flop with tens after limping under the gun. A middle aggressive player raised to $30 with sevens. The new girl went all in for $52 with jacks. A late position player called with A-Q offsuit. It folded back to me and I shoved all in to isolate with the original all-in player. Both players ended up calling. The flop was A-K-3 all diamonds. I was the only person who had a diamond in their hand. The turn was a seven. The river was a blank. A diamond or a 10 would have won me a $600 pot.

In for $800 and with $280 in front of me, I was dealt red aces. I raised on the button to $15 and got five callers. The flop came ace high with two clubs. The small blind bet $12 into a $90 pot. Four players called and I raised to $80 straight. The niece of the new girl was now playing and she called, leaving herself $12. A second player went all in for less than the $80. The turn was a six, giving me a full house. I bet the last $12 she had and won the pot.

I bluffed a river bet of $75 with two jacks and a king on the board. I got called by pocket nines after calling his flop bet and checking through the turn.

The last hand of the night was losing with jacks on a ten-high board to 10-6 after raising to $15 pre-flop. The worst part of it was losing the side pot to 8-5 after an eight came on the turn and she had called with the five as the bottom pair. I knew I was losing after the flop, but was hoping to get lucky when I pushed on the turn to win a $1,000 pot.

The lesson to be learned in this is I need to not make bluffs at WinStar like I can in Weatherford. If I hit the big hands then try to get paid, but if I don't have the nuts then I need to keep the pot small.

I did end up winning $800 a few nights later in Weatherford, so for the year I am basically back to even and can start over.