I haven't had a chance to get down to Foxwoods. I will definiteley go in either July or August.
Yesterday I played in a live tournament at a friends house. These guys are pretty bad. Only 7 people wound up showing and 4 of them were complete loose/passive weaklings. The other two were slightly less bad but still no threat. I rarely lost much when I got outdrawn because they don't bet or raise much and I was able to extract good value when I hit because they call too much. I wound up splitting with the hosts wife once it got heads up. It was a long day and I think she was sick of having everyone in her house. So I decided to win $20 less than I would have if I had won and chop it. I figure it's a good investment for future games.
One key hand happened at the 100/200 level (we started with 3,000 in chips) when the player to my left (second best player at the table) made it 600 to go. One of the LAP's called and it folded to me on the BB with
![[Ks]](https://livepokerforum.com/images/smilies/Ks.gif "The King of Spades")
![[Ts]](https://livepokerforum.com/images/smilies/Ts.gif "The Ten of Spades")
. We were 5 handed at the time and I was chip leader with about 5,800. Getting 3.75:1 on my money and knowing I will be paid off if I hit I call. Flop is ![[Kd]](https://livepokerforum.com/images/smilies/Kd.gif "The King of Diamonds")
[Qd][Td]. I decide to bet here which isn't much better than checking. I just didn't want to let them draw for free. So I bet 1200. The original raiser calls and the fish thinks and shoves. I was sure she had a big hand because that was the first time she had made a big move all day. I was pretty sure the UTG raiser had some kind of draw, I was thinking he had like Ax with a diamond for a gutshot + flush draw. I had been card dead for a while so this was tempting but I made the right play and folded. The raiser had ![[Qs]](https://livepokerforum.com/images/smilies/Qs.gif "The Queen of Spades")
[Jd] for mid pair plus open ended plus 2nd nut flush draw and straight flush draw. Better than I thought. Unfortunately for him the fish had ![[Ad]](https://livepokerforum.com/images/smilies/Ad.gif "The Ace of Diamonds")
[8d] and he missed his 1 out for the straight flush. I got shortstacked a little while later and shoved UTG for less than 4BB. I looked at my first card and it was a J which was good enough. I got called by A6 and my kicker was a 4 but I actually won a 60/40 for once! After that, every time I got my money in it was as a favorite. I almost busted when it was 3 handed as I had KK and raised preflop with 1 caller. The flop was 3,4,5 and I shove to complete the stop and go. She called with J4 and turned a J but the river was a 5 giving me a better 2-pair. I think I played pretty well overall and didnt get unlucky.
I need to update goal 4 as I've been playing a lot of 6-max.
1. Get to Foxwoods or another larger game at least 6 times: 1 down, 5 to go.
2. Re-read ToP and Largay's book: Finished Largay's book, halfway through ToP
3. Read the poker books I got for Christmas: 2 down, 1 to go
4. Play enough on Pokerstars to earn $100 bonus, then start staking deal with GLR: 76% of the way there
5. Play tighter preflop and more aggressive post-flop: For the past month or so I have been doing well with this. I'm running at like 20/16.
6. CB when I miss OOP more often: Working well.
7. Don't get impatient when card dead and no good stealing oppertunities arise: I have been sucessful so far. My peroids of bad cards have come but I have just foled through them and waited.
Current bankroll (Live play only): $2,146 ($646 profit).
Statistics: Posted by Bosox1 — Mon Jun 23, 2008 10:08 am
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On March 11th I went down to Foxwoods and did well. Ray picked me up around 9:45 and after a stop at the bank we made it down there around 11:30. We put our names on the $1/$2 list and within 10 minutes they had opened two tables and we were both on the same one. Within 15 minutes it was clear that this table was fantastic. And by fantastic I mean the players mostly sucked. There were 9 other people there and 7 of them were calling stations. Also, at least 4 of them mentioned how bad everyone else at the table was. I seriously had to put my hat in front of my face to prevent people from seeing my big ass grin. So my plan was to play loose/passive preflop and tight/aggressive postflop. It worked very well. I quickly lost about $150 when the player on my left raised to $8 and there were 4 callers so I called from the button with A2s. Flop ($48) was A2x and the raiser leads out for $30. I figure he probaby has an ace and I'm ahead and if that is the case he will certainly commit his chips. So I raise to $80 and he shoves for $60 more or so which I call. He doesn't show right away but when a king falls on the turn I say "ahh that probably helped you" and he says "not really" and flips over pocket aces. whoops.
A little while later I make my first preflop raise of the day (I had a couple pairs but just limped in knowing I'd get paid if I setted but I didnt') to $10 and got 2 callers. I had AQ and hit an Ace. I made a CB and got 1 caller. He folded to my turn bet. The very next hand I'm UTG with KK and raise to $15, one player calls in MP and folds to SB who makes it $45. He is new to our table and easily the oldest player there at around 55. I got the impression that he was one of those "these young aggressive kids aren't going to bully me" guys and he had been re-raising a bit. However, no one had 3-bet him yet and I wanted to see how he would react. Also, since the last 4 times it was my action I bet, I figured his calling range would loosen up. I figured TT+ AQ+ and maybe even worse. And since people had been slowplaying Aces all over the place, I had the feeling he would have just called with them and then check/raised me on the flop. So I shove for $140 more and he thinks for a second and calls. The board was J high and I flip my hand. He gets all mad and flips QQ. SHIP IT!
I saw a lot of flops with hands that had a chance to make something. Any suited A or K, any suited connector or 1 gapper. Any unsuited connector, stuff like that. I was folding AJ and worse unsuited and any unsuited king other than AK or KQ (and I would only limp with that in late position, never call a raise unless there was a ton in the pot aleady.) I hit a couple of these for medium sized pots that pretty much covered what I lost when I called $12 preflop and whiffed. Then I made a score:
I called a raise to $10 in LP with
![[As]](https://livepokerforum.com/images/smilies/As.gif "The Ace of Spades")
[Ks]. 6 of us to the flop ($61). the flop was ![[7s]](https://livepokerforum.com/images/smilies/7s.gif "The Seven of Spades")
[8s][Ts]It checks to the raiser who bets $30, I smooth call with 4 other players still to act. I figure I can give one free card here. Then the BB goes nuts and makes it $115 to go (and I try to contain my giddiness). It folds to me and I tank. There is like $235 in the pot and I have to put in $85 to call. Villian has about $200 left and I cover. I think about what he would call the $8 more preflop with from the BB. He was a guy who would play any two face cards and any pair. So I figured he might have J9, and I PRAY he has
[Js] but I think he most likely has a set. So I ponder the call. If I call and the board pairs I vomit and have a tough decision to make. But if a 6,9,J or spade falls, he may get scared and be done with it. If he has 88 the best chance I have to get him to commit his chips is a shove right here. So I shove. He thinks for 2 minutes, says "I guess I have to believe you" and mucks. He said he had 8T. Not sure I believe that but I'll take the pot, it's significant to my bankroll. I won a couple other decent pots and finished the day with $935 for a $635 profit. Not bad for 4 hours work. However, I only got to keep $435 of that because Ray lost some money and I had to re-emburse him according to the terms of our variance reducing deal. Such is life when you are under-rolled for the lowest limit they offer. Overall I think played ok. I was pretty sure I would get paid off on made hands and be unsucessful bluffing at that table. And so I didn't bluff more than once or twice and waited for hands. Those hands did get paid so since my strategy worked I guess you could say I played well. I was talking to the people near me and really encouraging their mistakes. We were discussing how to play certain situations and I played dumb and agreed with whatever crap they were spewing. Whenever I won I'd say thanks or "sometimes you get lucky". I don' t think anyone thought I was that good which was perfect. As a nice little bonus, once I got home I watched CW anally violate BK to the tune of a $40 profit for me from a prop bet. Cha freaking CHING!
On Monday night I failed my goal of avoiding online cash games and played in some NL10. It was fairly easy and I did ok. I still dislike online cash games but I think it will improve my play and I'll try not to lose my buy in again.
I also played my weekly homegame tonight. We upped it to $10 per buy in and I made $14. I played ok and won like half of it when someone tried to bluff me on a board of AK972 with 3 hearts and I had AK. I called the $4 all in on the river. I forget what he had but it was not better than 3rd pair, maybe Q7 with the Q of hearts.
I haven't been playing with anyone much better than me and I think my game is suffering because of it. I'm crushing loose/passive tables but if you can't do that you pretty much suck at poker and should quit playing. I'm not sure how I would fair at a more aggressive table. I'm hoping to learn some tricks for that in the coaching chain (of which I am the bottom link) that will hopfully start up soon.
Goals:
1. Get to Foxwoods or another larger game at least 6 times: 1 down, 5 to go.
2. Re-read ToP and Largay's book: Nearly done with Largay's book
3. Read the poker books I got for Christmas: Have not started
4. Continue to avoid anything but low buy in SnG online: Failed
5. Play tighter preflop and more aggressive post-flop: Absolutely failed as the games I have been in have not called for this strategy. I guess this is incomplete for now
6. CB when I miss OOP more often: See above
7. Don't get impatient when card dead and no good stealing oppertunities arise: I have been ok at this. I haven't found myself REALLY card dead for more than an hour or so but I've been patient during the dry runs that I've had.
Current Bankroll: $1,601 ($601 profit)
Statistics: Posted by Bosox1 — Thu Mar 13, 2008 10:08 pm
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Get to Foxwoods or another larger game at least 6 times
Re-read ToP and Largay's book
Read the poker books I got for Christmas
Continue to avoid anything but low buy in SnG online
Play tighter preflop and more aggressive post-flop
CB when I miss OOP more often
Don't get impatient when card dead and no good stealing oppertunities arise.
Last night I played my 5th overall session of the year. Usual $5 buy in (1500 chips 5/10 blinds) home game. I finshed with $19 profit. I played tight preflop and was able to control most of the hands I was in to maximize profit and minimize loss. I did get lucky with one hand. I was on the BB, UTG limps MP (Ray) raises 3x BB and I call with
![[4s]](https://livepokerforum.com/images/smilies/4s.gif "The Four of Spades")
![[5s]](https://livepokerforum.com/images/smilies/5s.gif "The Five of Spades")
, UTG calls. Flop was ![[3h]](https://livepokerforum.com/images/smilies/3h.gif "The Three of Hearts")
![[6c]](https://livepokerforum.com/images/smilies/6c.gif "The Six of Clubs")
![[7h]](https://livepokerforum.com/images/smilies/7h.gif "The Seven of Hearts")
. I lead out 80 (about 2/3 of the pot which had been my standard opener). UTG folds and EP raises to 210. I think for a long time and decide he either had ![[Ah]](https://livepokerforum.com/images/smilies/Ah.gif "The Ace of Hearts")
![[Kh]](https://livepokerforum.com/images/smilies/Kh.gif "The King of Hearts")
or pocket 6's or higher. I thought about flat calling and leading a non-heart turn but if he has a middle pair and a high card comes I might lose him. He had about 900 beind and I cover. I decide to re-raise 350 more and he thinks and pushes, obv. I insta-call with the nuts. He was playing a connector like me and had ![[7d]](https://livepokerforum.com/images/smilies/7d.gif "The Seven of Diamonds")
![[6d]](https://livepokerforum.com/images/smilies/6d.gif "The Six of Diamonds")
and I happened to hit the perfect flop. He missed his 4 outer and I bust him. I busted him again later for more than a buy in. It was the 5th to last hand of the night or so and I had AA (first big pair of the night). I raise to 40 and get 3 callers. Flop was Q95rb and I bet 80. He (otb) raises to 230. I decide to call and check the turn to see what he does. Turn is a 3 and I check, he bets 300. I didn't think he was on a draw here cause there isn't much to draw to. I put hm on 2 pair at this point, he has F'ed me before with calling crap hands on the button like 53 or Q9. Also, it's the end of the night so I'm not thrilled with the idea of forcing myself to put over a buy in in the middle. He has 1200 behind and I call the 300. The river is another 3 which I loved. Either he had a set and I was done anyway or I just won a big one. I check because I'm pretty sure he's going to bet. Usually when I take this line I have a weak hand and I expected him to take advantage. He shoves. I think for a minute, decide that I have the best hand and call. He had 65 or some other weak 5 and was bluffing. So those two hands were a lot of my profit. But I went through long stretches of folding preflop and I didnt' get bored or frustrated. I feel myself coming out of my rut and regaining some confidence. Hopefully I'll get to a bigger game soon.
Statistics: Posted by Bosox1 — Fri Jan 18, 2008 1:22 pm
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I'm glad I could show some patience and not just start throwing money in on QJ because it's the first paint I've seen in 30 minutes. Since I had been playing so tight people were respecting my preflop raises. I used that image for a standard semi bluff with open ender. Tournament starts in about 24 hours and it should be a lot of fun. 12 confirmed with Jamel and Josh S. as maybes.
Statistics: Posted by Bosox1 — Fri Aug 10, 2007 10:23 am
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