Vacation starts tomorrow, good thing...
So I played 3 $5+.50 SNGs on Poker Stars last night. All I can say is either I suck or am really unlucky. Nothing too memorable other than finishing 5th, 5th, and 9th! The 9th was ridiculous. I played like a donkey. Donked off about 800 of my chips on top pair and was outkicked. I even knew it and still called it down. Just disgusting.
Anyway, played 3 more tonight on Ultimate. I actually kept some better notes because I wanted to have a better memory of where I was going wrong. Looks like I am overplaying inferior hands but let me know what you think.
In the first one tonight, it was the 2nd hand and I have pocket 6's. The blinds were at 10/20 and there was a min raise to make it 40 just before me that I called as well as 4 others. The flop comes 4,5,6 rainbow. Good flop as I make top set but scary straight draws right? Someone ahead of me bets 60 into the 240 pot and 2 people call to me. I raise it to 160 and get 2 callers. The turn was an 8. I was first to act so I bet out 100, afraid of the straight. Next guy calls and the third goes all in and I fold, knowing I am beat, losing 320 on the hand.
Give me some feedback on my betting. Was I too weak on my reraise on the flop? Was my bet too small on the turn, so I showed weakness? Should I have just checked the turn because of the obvious straight possiblity?
Anyway, we are down to 8 people and a guy that has been betting like crazy raises to 250 or 5 times BB. I am in the BB with 1100 left and holding QQ. This guy had been betting like this a lot so I felt pretty good that I could have the better of him. I pushed my last 1100 and he called with pocket 4's! As my run lately would have it, he hit his 4 and I missed. Gone in 8th place.
The second game I played really came down to 2 hands also. The blinds are at 15/30 and a raise to 90 is in front of me. I have JJ so I reraise to 210 and the raiser calls and another dude, who was a total donkey but had chips from some serious luck also called.
The flop comes AAK. They check and I bet 150 and crazy folds but the original raiser calls. The turn is a 9, he checks and I bet another 150 and he calls after some thought. The river is A and he bets out 350. I think for a bit, even type that I am a donkey, and call anyway. He turns over KQo and I am down to 600.
On this one, I was pretty sure he didn't have the A because of the way he was betting so should I have put more money in to represent that I did have it on the turn? Once the river came, he knew I didn't have it, I assume, and that is why he bet out harder.
Anyway, a couple hands later I push with pocket 10's and called by A7. He, of course, hits his A and I am out in 7th.
The last one was a little better in that I finally finished ITM. I was in last with 5 left and when it got to 4, I was like 4 to 1 in chips to third place. For whatever reason, the big stacks kept going at each other so I just laid low and the second largest stack busted himself (with A2, one 2 on the board with a K and a Q) to put me in the money. Could never move up but one good hand when it was down to 3. I was the SB and looking at the hammer sooted. I pushed my puny stack and the big blind folded! He had me at least 9 to 1 in chips but didn't mess with the hammer. Bummer, would have liked to see how it turned out since I went out a couple hands later anyway with J10 in the BB when I caught a J on the flop and pushed. Called by QJ and all done in 3rd.
Anyway, I leave for Disney World at the ass crack of dawn tomorrow and will be going through poker and blog withdrawal for the entire week. Goodluck to all at the tables. Give me some feedback on what I am doing wrong and don't be a donkey like me.
posted by drewspop @ 11:03 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
"I even knew it and still called it down. Just disgusting."
I do this a LOT. Especially if I've had a drink or two. For some reason a voice in my head (possibly an angel) says "Don't do it Humanaut, you're obviously beat. This would be a terrible call".
Then another, more convincing voice (possibly the devil) says "ahhh just do it anyway. You're sick. You know you want to. Yeah, it's a bad call, but you're SICK. DO IT"
I feel ill as I make the call because I know that there's a 90% chance I'll lose but I do it anyway. It's a terrible habit.
Ok, here's my analysis of your play. I'm a total newbie so let me know if my take on it sounds reasonable:
In the first one tonight, it was the 2nd hand and I have pocket 6's. The blinds were at 10/20 and there was a min raise to make it 40 just before me that I called as well as 4 others.
Automatic call. If you were happy to limp, you're getting the same odds for a min raise.
The flop comes 4,5,6 rainbow. Good flop as I make top set but scary straight draws right? Someone ahead of me bets 60 into the 240 pot and 2 people call to me. I raise it to 160 and get 2 callers.
Definitely scary draws. The person betting 60 into 240 was either making a feeler bet, or just has no idea what he's doing (more likely). With 2 people calling the pot is now 360. I would have raised it 360 and tried to take it down right here, since it's a big enough pot to make it worthwhile. I guess the only person who would call my raise would be someone with a made hand.
The turn was an 8. I was first to act so I bet out 100, afraid of the straight. Next guy calls and the third goes all in and I fold, knowing I am beat, losing 320 on the hand.
Very scary situation. I think the bet out of 100 was a little weak but I can understand your situation with that 8 appearing. Any 7 has you beat. I think your play was reasonable here - maybe a check would have been in order, although this gives aggressive players a chance to bluff. Of course you could have bet larger into the pot if you had enough chips to play with, taking the initiative. A call or reraise means you're beaten.
IMO you shouldn't have let it get this far, having taken it down on the flop :)
Anyway, we are down to 8 people and a guy that has been betting like crazy raises to 250 or 5 times BB. I am in the BB with 1100 left and holding QQ. This guy had been betting like this a lot so I felt pretty good that I could have the better of him. I pushed my last 1100 and he called with pocket 4's! As my run lately would have it, he hit his 4 and I missed. Gone in 8th place.
Just bad luck I guess. But was it really worth betting 1100 to win 250 at 25/50? Or were you hoping for a call? I might have re-raised 300 or so here, leaving me more than 50% of my stack to play on the flop. Not sure. I often push like this when I'm feeling aggressive or playing a maniac, and it often screws me over.
I have JJ so I reraise to 210 and the raiser calls and another dude, who was a total donkey but had chips from some serious luck also called.
The flop comes AAK. They check and I bet 150 and crazy folds but the original raiser calls.
I would have made a pot sized bet here - umm, 720 or so? Betting 150 into a 720 pot gives your opponent about 5:1 on his money right? Any K will definitely call this, so would JT or QJ.
The turn is a 9, he checks and I bet another 150 and he calls after some thought.
Again, I would have tried to take it down here. But even so, you were beaten and he might have called. By this point I would have put him on a Kx.
The river is A and he bets out 350. I think for a bit, even type that I am a donkey, and call anyway. He turns over KQo and I am down to 600.
Tough to fold a boat, but hopefully I would have guessed he had the AAAKK and folded here. But that's in theory only - in practice I know I wouldn't be able to lay it down because I'm silly.
That's enough for now :) Enjoy your holiday.
Ooops - my previous comment is broken in my browser, but it looks ok in internet explorer. Weird.
Give me some feedback on my betting. Was I too weak on my reraise on the flop? Was my bet too small on the turn, so I showed weakness? Should I have just checked the turn because of the obvious straight possiblity?
I think your flop raise to 160 wasn't strong enough to chase out anyone who was still looking for the straight. Someone already holding it isn't going away regardless, but another 100 into a pot of 440ish isn't going to push a chaser off in a $5.50
On the next hand they also knew you didn't have the ace because you made a medium "call me" bet, where if you actually had just hit trip As you likely woulda checked. And you backed up in your betting, from 210 preflop to 150 post-flop. Screams middle pocket pair. JJ isn't really much better than 66, except that it's harder to get away from. No set, must forget.
Got no problem with the play on the last hand, gotta go for it sometime, and you were ITM, so your first job was already accomplished.
These opinions are of a confirmed lemur and should only be taken as the strategy of an overall losing online poker player :).
Have fun with the mouse!
In some ways, it's nice to see others share my pain at the SNG tables.
In other ways, I think it's a crock that us newer players get constantly hammered down by crappy players playing crappy cards.
You're QQ all-in re-raise was good - can't do much about losing to a two outer.
With the JJ hand, I tend to let it go if two overs come down on the flop and an opponent calls a bet. Level 2 is too early to get fancy with pocket jacks (IMHO).
Anyway, hope you're enjoying your vacation. I'm hoping to be off my newly-induced tilting by the time you're back...I'm hoping...
I'm agreeing with the other posts here...your play seems pretty solid. I'm learning myself the problems you did experience. Your betting wasn't strong enough to push off the draws. It's hard to bet that much when you're not sure you've to the top hand, and that may be the indication that you need to play it differently. On the JJ, once your flop bet was called, I would have checked, to see what kind of bet came out. If it was small, come over the top. If it was big, go ahead and fold. That may be a better play for the flop. Check-raise, to see how much the flop helped the villain. Enjoy your vacation.
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