Are you going to post?

"Are you going to post? Are you going to post?"

This is the constant question from Felicia. But I try to wait for something interesting to say. I don't want to bore people with:

"Well, I lost today. Here are the hands. What suck outs. Oh, woe is me."

Just as bad is:

"Won today. Boy I'm a great player. See my rising bankroll $$$." -grin-

I like to tell stories. Perhaps like during the Orleans Open, the guy that took out the first THREE players at our table within the first hour or two (called all raises, pretty much), then lost all his chips before the dinner break (fortunately, some to me when I doubled up through him when I flopped top set vs his bottom two on a flop of T96 -- yes, he played 96o). Unfortunately, the rest of the tournament was boring as I about folded myself out of the money. Got card dead. Then caught QQ vs two limpers and the short stack who limped decided he'd had enough and called all-in with 33 and spiked a 3 on the river to cripple me. I made a last stand with A2s UTG and got called by A8s, which held. Pretty unexciting, so I didn't bother writing it. (Readers, all 2 of you -grin-, you'll have to let me know if you want me to write stuff like that up. If there is interest, I will.)

Once you've played enough poker, you've pretty much have seen it all. I mean, come on, what can be as exciting as when I tripled up at Binion's with top set vs middle set vs TPTK (top-pair-top-kicker)? What can be more depressing then having it AI pre-flop, flopping quads, then losing to runner-runner perfect straight-flush??

I can't say that I'm really that jaded (yet). I still get excited. Felicia always marvels at the fact that once I enter a card room, that I just gotta play. "Don't you look around? See if they have promotions, etc?" Um, I look around.. at the tables :-} What games are being spread, are there chips flying, or are people folding.

I have good days and bad, just like everyone else. Yesterday and the day before were bad days for cash games. I played some NLO8 on Stars. Got it AI on the flop with top set and got called by someone with top two with back-door flush that got there.

Since Felicia felt that my wanting to play some local tourneys was a good idea for practice for the WSOP ME (should I ever get any confirmation and my seat assignment from Harrah's), we ended up at Riverside last night and ended up playing the tourney there.

We went there for the cash games primarily. Felicia wanted to play their donk-fest O8, but there was no game going. She ended up playing 4/8 with me instead. As my cash game losing streak continued, she was running over the game. While I'm getting trapped with top two vs bottom set, she's catching premuim pairs and stealing with relative impunity. My card-dead self just couldn't compete. I even lost to her when I flopped TP from the BB vs her bottom two from the SB, ugh. Don't worry, when it was just HU on the river, I mucked to her bet, I figured TP no kicker was no good. She showed me her 63o two-pair, lol.

I continued being card dead in the tournament... As I said, we really didn't go there for the tournament this time around; however, there ceases to BE a cash game (4/8 anyway, there's always a 2-6 game) when the tourney starts. Though we don't like the structure and time limits as much at Riverside: 20 min levels on first hour, starting at 50-100, when everywhere else starts at 25-50; then 15 minute levels until the final table--huh??; then 30 minute levels at the final table--again, huh? Wacko. Still we ended up playing. It was either that or 2-6 spread limit. As Felicia said, "I'd rather cut off my right hand"; especially given my run of cards. I was hoping that I'd at least be able to manipulate at the tournament, as people fear getting knocked out.

Once again, being card dead for the first hour, I couldn't bring myself to try to do anything fancy. I like to actually have something to work with. I can say that I stole a pot when it was just HU, me in the BB and the SB limped. He checked, I bet complete air and he folded. But I knew he really had nothing, he was just too new, and I took the shot and it worked.

After that, I finally got a hand: TT. Since I've been reading Harrington, and I was UTG, I was looking at the blinds and my current "M", and decided that I really didn't want callers and shoved in (pretty much if I raise, I'm committed). I was immediately called by "Papa", one of the older guys from the Riverside that cashiers there. Since he knows I'm tight, I was sure I was sunk: AA or KK. Once it got folded around, I asked him if he has Aces, "uh huh", and he turns them up. I pat him on the back and say "nice hand, Papa". Then the flop comes down 789 with two spades and I have two black Ten's. Jack of hearts on the turn, and that sealed the deal. I told him that I was sorry, and he just grumbled. Although I hate sucking out on other's Aces, after 22 sucking out on my AA at the Palms (see my comment on the last post) and the QQ's out run by the 33's above, I got over it rather quickly -grin- .. what can I say, but, "that's poker".

After that, there was no stopping me. Felicia, in the SB when I was the BB (had gotten moved to her table), passed up trying to steal my blind, and I looked anyway found JJ and made motions to shove in my chips ;) . Finally was getting hands.

I got short again and when it was passed to me on the CO, I found K4o. With an M of something like 3 or 4, I just shoved it. Most the players to my left and in the blind were tight anyway, so I was just looking to pick up the blinds. I actually did get called AI by the BB (since she had no chips either) but I had her high carded: she showed QJo. I turned a King, which would have been enough, but I ended up making a straight with the 4 on the river, LOL.

Knocking out the BB brought us to the final table.

The first guy out at the final, I don't recall. He was short, made a stand and was busted. I think someone had an Ace that held against his K-high hand (don't recall).

Then I single handedly, seriously, got us to the money (top six). Short stack [SS] UTG limps, UTG+1, folds, I find QQ and shove. Then the call fest happened. Exactly what you don't want to see with QQ, right? Last position SS says, "well, I'm getting odds" and calls AI with KQs. BB SS calls AI with 86o. UTG SS calls with KJs. Wow. Flop is 8TJ with a heart (the KQs was hearts) and I'm seeing two people with a pair and one with an OESD. Turn is a low heart, giving more outs to KhQh. River is a Queen. I knocked out 3 people and propelled the rest of the table to the money (Felicia included).

Felicia was shocked that I seemed so blase.. well, I was a little nervous about getting out run. Later tho, she kept saying something about the case Queen. Finally I figured out that, since she was at the other end of the table, she thought the UTG SS had KK, not KJs, and that I had sucked out on his KK's with the last Queen in the deck. I was ahead the whole way, that's why I seemed blase to her, LOL.

After that, I think I played my big stack well. I did complete the SB against Felicia's BB rather than appearing to "dump" to her and fold my T2o. Once again, I was big stack and could afford to see a flop. I flopped bottom pair of deuces and bet out. She went AI with TP which held up after I called. Yes, we play hard against each other. Last thing we want is for someone to accuse us of soft play.

Anyway, someone took out of the others I think. Then the forth basically folded her way out. She went AI for my blind and I paired up where she didn't and we were down to three. "Dee", who is a local that I've talked about before, and Felicia and I. We ended up chopping it. I had about T190K , Felicia had T75K and Dee T80K. With blinds of 10K/20K, and soon to go up, it would just take one suckout for one of them to become chip lead. If Felicia wasn't one of the 3, I would have asked for extra via my chip position, but since she was, just did the even chop.

This was great for me after the suck outs at the Palms and the recent cash games downswings.

Yes, I do know how to play.

Ah, OK, good.

Glenn

Posted by Glenn