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peterbirksI'm putting this hand in because I think that Andy (Ward) would be pleased with the way that I played it. It's a 400FPP freeroll for the WSOP. I'm playing these super satellites for practice and nothing else. Throw in some off-the-wall plays and see what happens. This one will bring a chuckle to most of you, I'm sure. As you will see, I've gone nowhere in just over half an hour. I raised once with AJ and won about 200 chips when my AJ turned into a house on the turn (no call for my small tempter bet) and stole a pot with AT off in late. These chips were dripped away seeing cheap flops and the like. So, back to my starting chips.
POKERSTARS GAME #1589666557: TOURNAMENT #7265087, HOLD'EM NO LIMIT - LEVEL III (25/50)
Table '7265087 7' Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: dean2655 (1430 in chips)
Seat 2: manny805 (5950 in chips)
Seat 3: Dag31 (2140 in chips)
Seat 4: Birks (1500 in chips)
Seat 5: mazenblue (560 in chips)
Seat 6: elipse (4695 in chips)
Seat 8: x-Jimmy-x (1110 in chips)
Seat 9: Teddee KGB (1215 in chips)
Dag31: posts small blind 25
Birks: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Birks Qh Qs
mazenblue: folds
elipse: folds
x-Jimmy-x: folds
Teddee KGB: raises 100 to 150
dean2655: calls 150
manny805: folds
Dag31: folds
Birks raises 400 to 550
Teddee KGB: folds
dean2655: calls 400
The level to raise here is one of the fine arts of judgement in tournament play. Contrary to most advice that you see (Parkinson/Gray/Gardiner would have me going all-in here) in the books, I WANT a caller.
*** FLOP *** 8s 5d 5s
Birks bets 400
dean2655: calls 400
I think that I'm winning, but this bet (about half my opponent's stack) is a classic "tempter" for the drawing hand. I want him to raise me all-in with a spade draw (preferably one without the Ace or King, to give me the runner-runner back-door if he hapens to hit on the turn). No way does he have KK or AA, so what can I be losing to? 88 or 55. Nothing else.
Anyway, he calls me. I'm beginning to suspect a low to medium pair here.
*** TURN *** 8s 5d 5s Jd
This card is a slight worrier in that he MIGHT have flat-called the 150 pre-flop raise with JJ, and he MIGHT have flat-called my bet on the flop with JJ, but I think it unlikely. I reckon he would have raised me all-in on the flop with JJ. I think that I am still in front.
Birks bets 550 and is all-in.
dean2655: calls 480 and is all-in
*** RIVER *** 8s 5d 5s Jd Ks
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Birks shows Qh Qs (two pair, Queens and Fives)
dean2655: shows Td Kc (two pair, Kings and Fives)
dean2655 collected 3035 from pot
Birks said, "n1"
Go figure. If you can't beat tournament players of this quality in the long run, you need medical help and you should not be left alone in a room with matches or scissors.
But I haven't published this hand as a bad beat. I've published it as an illustration of how I think that QQ should be played properly at this stage of a tournament. OK, so I'm walking, But I gave myself a better chance of many more chips than if I had simply raised all-in pre-flop. Sod the "staying out of trouble". I was 90% likely to double my equity when all the chips were finally in. Gimme some more of that!
POKERSTARS GAME #1589666557: TOURNAMENT #7265087, HOLD'EM NO LIMIT - LEVEL III (25/50)
Table '7265087 7' Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: dean2655 (1430 in chips)
Seat 2: manny805 (5950 in chips)
Seat 3: Dag31 (2140 in chips)
Seat 4: Birks (1500 in chips)
Seat 5: mazenblue (560 in chips)
Seat 6: elipse (4695 in chips)
Seat 8: x-Jimmy-x (1110 in chips)
Seat 9: Teddee KGB (1215 in chips)
Dag31: posts small blind 25
Birks: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Birks Qh Qs
mazenblue: folds
elipse: folds
x-Jimmy-x: folds
Teddee KGB: raises 100 to 150
dean2655: calls 150
manny805: folds
Dag31: folds
Birks raises 400 to 550
Teddee KGB: folds
dean2655: calls 400
The level to raise here is one of the fine arts of judgement in tournament play. Contrary to most advice that you see (Parkinson/Gray/Gardiner would have me going all-in here) in the books, I WANT a caller.
*** FLOP *** 8s 5d 5s
Birks bets 400
dean2655: calls 400
I think that I'm winning, but this bet (about half my opponent's stack) is a classic "tempter" for the drawing hand. I want him to raise me all-in with a spade draw (preferably one without the Ace or King, to give me the runner-runner back-door if he hapens to hit on the turn). No way does he have KK or AA, so what can I be losing to? 88 or 55. Nothing else.
Anyway, he calls me. I'm beginning to suspect a low to medium pair here.
*** TURN *** 8s 5d 5s Jd
This card is a slight worrier in that he MIGHT have flat-called the 150 pre-flop raise with JJ, and he MIGHT have flat-called my bet on the flop with JJ, but I think it unlikely. I reckon he would have raised me all-in on the flop with JJ. I think that I am still in front.
Birks bets 550 and is all-in.
dean2655: calls 480 and is all-in
*** RIVER *** 8s 5d 5s Jd Ks
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Birks shows Qh Qs (two pair, Queens and Fives)
dean2655: shows Td Kc (two pair, Kings and Fives)
dean2655 collected 3035 from pot
Birks said, "n1"
Go figure. If you can't beat tournament players of this quality in the long run, you need medical help and you should not be left alone in a room with matches or scissors.
But I haven't published this hand as a bad beat. I've published it as an illustration of how I think that QQ should be played properly at this stage of a tournament. OK, so I'm walking, But I gave myself a better chance of many more chips than if I had simply raised all-in pre-flop. Sod the "staying out of trouble". I was 90% likely to double my equity when all the chips were finally in. Gimme some more of that!
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no subject
Date: 2005-04-26 08:02 pm (UTC)The dickhead should have folded to the raise preflop, but that's OK, we don't win without dickheads (or lots of good cards). The rivered K is just one of those things.
I can live with the bad beats because every so often (too often at the moment) I'm the dickhead. And when I am it's good to know that better players need me...
no subject
Date: 2005-04-26 08:33 pm (UTC)Andy.
Writing job?
Date: 2005-04-26 09:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-04-27 07:00 pm (UTC)Unfortunately, PLO is as swingy as its reputation, especially with bad players thrown into the mix. The other day a guy put his whole $1k in on the flop, and the turn with third pair and a seven high flush draw. Needless to say his pair stood up :)
However one of the satisfactions, at least to my mind, is that decisions are more "right" in PLO, and there is a lot less of that "we were both right" stuff.