Rollin' Along

Took first place in a 6-person 10K sit and go.

Took seventh place in a 90-person 10K sit and go. I'm not happy with my play at the final table, I could've done a lot better. I took the chip lead after the first two hands, but the blinds were so big compared to everybody's stacks that the chip lead quickly started moving around. Two hands did me in.

Hand #1:

Blinds 2000/4000, I'm in the BB with 5h9h. The button doubles the blind to 4000. The SB calls, and I call.

Flop: A A J

Checks all around.

Turn: 5

The short stack in the SB moves all in. I think about it and decide that it's worth the it. I call. The button folds.

My opponent has pocket 10s and they hold up on the river.


Hand #2:

I have pocket eights in the SB. I plan on raising it, but UTG+1 doubles the blind to 4000. I decide to just call, so does the BB.

Flop 4 10 7 rainbow.

I move all in. BB folds. UTG+1 calls and shows pocket aces. I don't improve and I'm out.

I originally thought that he had a big a hand like that, but there was 12K in the pot and I only had 7K left. If he has AK he has to fold. No such luck though.

There were a few hands at the final table that I should have raised preflop to try to steal the blinds and I didn't take the chance. I had A6 UTG at one point and the whole table was playing fairly tight and a raise there probably would have taken the blinds for me. Oh well, live and learn. At least I still cashed which means in the last 7 sit and go's I've played in, I've cashed 7 times with 4 first place finishes.

No Worries

After all the stuff that happened in the last post I went on to play 3 more sit and go's, here's how I placed in each: 1st place (9-person), 2nd place (6-person), 1st place (6-person).

I'm playing amazing poker, I seem to understand every opponent I play. My reads are great, my selective aggression is perfect. I wish poker was always like this!! Unfortunately, if you think of poker as a game of ups and downs, I'm definitely at the peak of my "up" which means the only way to go is down... :(

I'll enjoy it while it last though!!

Tough Break

I won a 9-person 10K sit and go pretty easily. I didn't play spectacular, but it was good enough to win it all.

Then I got involved in a 6-person 10K sit and go and played AMAZING! Everything I did was perfect and it was only a matter of time until I won. Then all my opponents started sucking out on me left and right.

I had Ah8h and this guy who is absolutely the worst player in the world was in the pot with me. He was so easy to read and predict... this guy was basically my bitch. We were even stacked, but that's because he managed to knock out two players in 3 hands (they were all playing badly). Flop comes down ace high and with two hearts. That's a great flop for me. I bet, he moves all in like an idiot, and I call him. He has A2. The turn pairs the board and the river is a Q. He gets really lucky and we split the pot. He should have been out there... but whatever.

Then the other guy who was left in the game was playing really tight and would only play back at you if he caught some part of the flop. I raise his BB with J4 in the small blind, he calls. Flop is 4 4 7. I check (to set up a play that would look similar to a bluff he had caught me in earlier). He checks. Turn is a 5, and I bet half the pot. He moves all in... he was fairly short stacked, so it's not such a horrible move. He has 7 5. I can't even believe he called my preflop raise with that crap but I guess that he got tired of me raising him. Who cares though? I'm about to knock him out---- no wait, the river was a 5 and he doubles through me. Sick, huh?

Then I'm against the loose idiot again and I'm short stacked now. I have 22. The flop comes 6 10 10. He minimum bets, I raise, he moves all in. I think about it, but call. He actually has a hand this time with 88 and I don't suck out.

I was running over that table and they just kept getting lucky against me when they were dominated. I find it hard to be upset though because I played so well and that makes everything all right.

No Title

Quick update...

Took THIRD place in two different HORSE games. I play well to start and then I just can't keep my concentration and focus. Once we hit the money my mind seems to loosen up and my play slacks a little. I also think I might be playing too tight in general.

I went out 6th in a 6-Person NLHE sit and go. It was brutal. This one guy was a total luck box and hit everything, it was ridiculous. I had pocket queens and I don't know what he had, but I had to give it up at the end with the board showing 4 6 6 2 5. He played the hand like he was slow playing trips or chasing a draw, either way, I was beat by the end. He moved all in on the river, a typical amateur play from somebody who knows their stack isn't at risk and is just hoping to be called. I folded of course. I have no doubt I was beat.

I saw just a couple flops with "marginal" hands and didn't manage to hit anything substantial. I won one pot when I flopped top pair but it was small because I had no action.

Then I got pocket aces and it was the perfect time. The guy from the queens had just took a brutal beat (trips losing to trips with better kicker) and lost over half his stack. Considering how he had played so far, I knew he'd be steaming. He called in early position, everybody folded to me in the BB, and I knew the best way to play him would be to play it hard. I raised, he called. Flop was 9 4 9. I bet, he raised, I didn't have too much left and just went all in. He called... he had 9 8. It was so sick. I make the perfect read on somebody, I knew he was steaming and I knew he would call with any two cards... and he flops trips... in the previous hand he had trips... in the hand when I had pocket queens he might have flopped trips. Apparently this guy just had the grace of God on his side.

I want NLHE to be less frustrating!!