The Mad Raiser Story

Before I sign off for the week, a little insight into the Mad Raiser tag I had been given at my poker baptism. At work, I came across a couple of guys talking about poker and enquired what it was about. They played this season tourney every tuesday with a pool of around 40 players and I quickly got myself into that action. Prior to this I had only played poker twice with a few folks over some beers. With so much prior experience behind me, I entered this league where there were seasoned home game players. I still remember the first tuesday I played. It was 2 full tables with $20 buyin and a bounty on the TLB top gun. As we settled down to play my first tourney game and asking folks to help me out on what SB,BB were and what I could do with my chips; we hear a commotion on the first hand at the other table. I walk over and see that two guys were allin with black aces against red aces. And one guy took it down as there were 4 diamonds on the board. Lot of action for a newbie huh!

The monday after, I was out at blockbuster to pick a movie and Stu Ungar's movie was just out on video. I had no idea who Stu Ungar was, and as it was a movie about poker I picked it up and watched it with gusto like a kid who is given a new toy. There was this particular scene(probably wsop action) where Stu raised 4 consecutive hands and it was folded to him. That was my first lessons in poker about aggression. Armed with this, I went to the game the following day and without blinking I did the same the first four hands. I had no idea how I was to follow up on the hands. I was testing waters and imitating Stu and others unaware of my playing style or skill promptly folded to me. By my fourth raise, this big guy christened me 'MAD RAISER' and it stuck on me there-on as I entered the poker world of these guys. Since then, people call me with the same name. The guy I mentioned is a very nice guy and hosted these limit 3/6 games every friday, invited me to his game(why wouldnt you if you see a newbie/fish). That is where I had my initial poker lessons. Around a year later, I realized what a fish I was.(Maybe, I still am, now a Super-Fish) Yes, it was a very long time to realize that and expensive too. I still remind him the words he used to put in my ears - 'You can fold!!' as I had called another river bet one too many times after having flopped the bottom pair.

Crash and Burn

That is the gist of the story from my plays over the weekend. I got tired of the numerous beatdowns I took over a period of two days. That is nothing new to rant about. But still it takes the life out of your playing style or skill. I wouldnt even go into the finer details as it is the most recurring theme when you end up playing long hauls over and over. I guess playing huge MTTs(>3000) is never easy, as you would have to dodge quite a lot and to make it into the top ten you have to be super-lucky and I wasnt. Anyways, I am out for the whole week and have taken a poker sabbatical with the long weekend looming large. Hopefully next week I would start afresh with a different frame of mind. Until then, happy thanksgiving to everyone and good luck at the tables.

On a side note, I am planning to make a trip to New Hampshire. This is my first trip to the state ever and meet up a cousin's family up there. I do plan to squeeze in a trip to Foxwoods, never been there either.

Pool League

Ok, I have lost my Top Gun status though I had won all my games previously. I won yesterday's game too. Just so I dont have to show up the day before thanksgiving played the make-up game for next week and finally broke my winning sequence. I LOST!! Dang, this guy I was beating up at regular games(his skill level is higher), he is a good player, just that the ignominy of losing to lesser skilled player always got to him and he would lose. But last night, I was at the receiving end. It was 2-3 handicap and first game was even battle. Second he breaks, and I clean up 6 balls and only have one and the 8-ball. It goes back and forth and finally I miss the 8-ball to hand him the game. Similar fate on the last game, I scratched on an easy ball and he completed the rest.

Actually the reason I brought up this post is to rant about my top gun status. There are a bunch of Asians (guess Koreans) at the league. An entire team is made up of them and there is atleast one on each team(excluding mine). So the top gun now is this Asian girl who was 2 points behind prior to last week's game. The Asian team's best player is 7 skill level(SL highest) and I have seen him play he is like a rock. So somehow they end up getting paired and loses to her (SL4) and she rakes up 7 points to go past me. Well, I would never know if he threw the game for her so that she becomes Top Gun. Yes, the thought seems silly but after having seen them both play before this, I will say my doubts are legitimate.

As a team we won 3 games last night and lost 1. We were short one player and would have forfeited like before but luckily the team we played were kind enough to play up today or tomm before the scoresheets are turned in. If we win that, thats only the second time we beat a team 4-1.

Being the captain to protect my SL6, I threw my SL2 under the bus by pitching her against a SL7 player. She got slaughtered, I am glad she took one for the team and thats sportsmanship. Else we would have been at probably 2-2.

Run deep without much results

I was playing this huge MTT $5+R (3300p) on PS and was grinding it again after putting in a bunch of hours. It was break time, had a nice little break, back to the grind, in LP I get KQcc. In EP, this guy who has been raising 2.5-3 times PF and then plays the flop meekly, again makes the standard raise. He had around 90K to my 200K chip count, so figured it was a decent hand to play with. I call, flop is QJ4, he bets, I raise, he pushes, after thinking for a few seconds I made the call. First I had him covered, second I still might improve if I am running against a made hand. Yes, he did have QQ and I didnt improve on the turn or river. Prior to this hand I was at around 30th out of 100 something left. I still had around 100K left, the next hand I get 99 and an active player with even in chips makes the standard raise. I pushed part tilt and hoping to project the same. Somehow the guy made the call with AJo and spikes the J on flop and I was gone in two hands after the break. It was hurtful to lose again after putting in the hours and being in top 3 at various points. I know I am good to take down one of these MTTs on PS and I will do it. When? not too far, I am gonna post about an MTT win on PS very soon. So stay glued and watch me post my biggest MTT win ever :-)
"A man has to live on hope, without that all is lost" - My quote (someone might have said it already)

So today is my pool league night and hopefully I would make it 8 (or 9 lost track) in a row and keep my Top Gun status.

Off Tilt

It took me a couple of hours to get over the KK vs AK beatdown that I took deep into an MTT. I have been doing pretty good lately with the MTTs I have been playing. The pattern I have observed most is tilting seems to be part of my repertoire. That is one bad play I need to weed out of my arsenal.

As for Step 3 on PS, yes I made it to Step 4 and have a 215 ticket. Now I am not sure if I should play step 4 and seek glory or bide my time to use this ticket for a big MTT. Any suggestions are welcome! Playing a 215 buyin would be out of character with the low buyin tourneys I have been playing. But heck, why not give it a shot right, its like playing a tourney with 7.50 buyin.

UTG Raise - KTo

What is it with KTo raise UTG. I have seen this happen so many times over the weekend that I have lost count. Is it the new AA hand that I am unaware of? I have seen so many players raise with KTo, seriously, not even suited? And they have actually followed on to a reraise behind! Does anyone out there think that more players are categorizing KT as a favorite hand and are mostly playing it or what exactly could be the reason behind it. Anyways, I guess KTo won around 80% of the time against the different hands I had seen dealt. From my end, hell no, I would much rather stay away from that hand. I read somewhere couple of months back that KT is one of the worst hands to play with even in late position and had put it in my mind. But now I see evidence contrary to that advice.

F**** B*** S****

Played this tourney on PS for frikking 6 hours only to lose around 50th position out of 3400 players. The hand that got me out was just brutal, for many it could be a regular thing online, for me to go this deep and then get busted aiming for a big win just doesnt seem right. Well so it goes again in the dump another PS tourney. Raised UTG with KK and guy on button who has me barely covered pushes, I call he shows AK. Flop is T86 and then goes runner aces. One was good. First was around 6500 and I ended up making 60 for the 6 hour effort. I hateeeeeeeeeee PS MTTs. All the brain racking for that long not much to show for but a bad beat!

Thats how it has been the whole frikking weekend. All my kings ran into aces and my aces were brutally slaughtered by a variety of crappy hands A6c,KQ and what not.

I did win another tourney on Cake, took down another 1500 guaranteed at $6 buyin. Only PS hasnt been kind enough to me.

Not much action & life aside poker

I havent been playing much this week as I was busy with a lot of things. Wednesdays I cant really play as I am in a pool league and also the captain. It eats into most of my evening time after work and am almost exhausted with the booze and the active and passive smoking at the club. On Cake, I was 2-tabling 0.25/0.5NL and was mostly looking for trivial action boosted by alcohol in the system, as I cant play full throttle. I was up one buyin in two days of play. On PS, played a couple of Step 1s and made it to step 2 on one and busted 4th on the other. Played Step 2 right away and made it to Step 3. On a roll right, went in for Step 3 and hung in there with 5 people left and was pretty sure to make it next, when this happened. Short stack(650) pushes at 100/200 and another at 1600 with 99 reshoves and in BB(1900) I had to reshove with AA. I knew what was coming on flop and PS didnt disappoint, being a huge favorite 9 was out in a flash. Crippled I busted out at 4th. Happy that I could still play step 3 again. I got to plan my weekend well and try to get in some good tourneys so wish me luck!

Tonight I cant play either, its my anniversary and the wife would put a bullet through the head (metaphorically,not that she has one). I plan to treat her to the movie 'Men who stare at goats'(heard the reviews were good and I liked the trailer on telly) and dinner and probably go bowling with a close circle of friends.

Back to more on my APA league. I have been on a hot streak and have won the last 7 games on the trot. Right now I am Top Gun at my skill level (its a paltry 3). Team wise, we havent been doing good and right now are placed at the bottom of the rung. Three more weeks to go, and hopefully I will retain my top gun status and make it to the MVP game from each division.

So Good luck to everyone(if any) reading this and have a great weekend!!

First PS MTT Win

Cake Win detail

So I first made it to the FT and then took it all. Such a nice feeling to win a tourney and it adds to the confidence factor too. Came in 1/355 at $4+2+.60 buyin 1500 guaranteed tourney. I jumped into a monster lead with around 80 left and never let that lead dwindle. The two hands(lucky) that kept my lead were. Reraised a short stack with KK and in MP a big stack calls and all the money went in 843 flop with villian holding 88. I didnt understand why he would risk with 88 pf against a reraise. Anyways I went runner runner to make K-high flush.

On the FT, short stack raised and with 120BB on AK I re-raised and guy in LP with almost 120BB calls(a bell did ring in my ear). Flop is K-high I pot bet he pushes I call and he shows down AA, other had JJ, turn is K and both were gone. Thats what I thought do not ever slow play on the final table, after he was taking time to call, I was thinking of folding on a reraise because I dont want to go up against an even stack with A-high.

Headsup, I was almost a 2-1 favorite and had him crippled but then doubled him up one hand. He raised PF, I called with Qh8h and flop was 7h4h2c he bet and I pushed he called with AJ and A-high held up. Last hand was, in SB he(250K) raised to 25K and I (650K) with 5s7s reraised him to 82K he calls. Flop was Q68 and I pushed him. He calls with JQ, turn was a 9 and he couldnt improve on the river for me to take down my first Cake MTT. More of these to follow!

First Cake Win

Final Table - Hooray

Ok, I made it to the final table, not one but two. Though the second was a miniscule buy-in ($3) with no guaranteed prize money.

First I will go on with $3 buyin game(~120 players). I was playing 3 other tourneys and was waltzing through the fields on this one. With 11 left I had 45K compared to second place 25K chips. Headed to the final table almost confident(over, if you may say) with two others even in stacks with me and others just hanging in there. First hand I had my black out and went from 1st to 9th at the table. This guy who had 40K in chips limps in MP(800/1600 BB) and the SB shoves for 9K. In BB - 48K (the most common position for my bustouts) I get AQo and I push to eliminate the limper, but MP guy insta-calls and shows down AK. Wow. I have no idea why he did that or why I did that. Anyways SB has AA and I am crippled and was out later in 8th place. Unreal but hard truth!

Other tourney is one that I fought the hard battle. Around 700 players in $5K Guar and is a $10 buyin game. Was the chip lead with around 100 left and then hit the coldest of decks for the next hour and half. I kept saying to myself I will make the FT. This one was before I played the $3 game. Around 15 left, I was standing at 15th position and now kicking and screaming aloud that no matter what I am gonna make the FT. As I hung in and after playing only 3-4 hands in a 2 hour window I made my first FT appearance at Cake. Got the double up I needed with 88 against QJ and then hung in to watch people knock themselves out of the game. I even laid down 99 when folded to me in MP, as I wanted to crack this one open. I nearly got my wish. Ended up with 4 players with top being a monster stack 1.4m, others around 250K and me at around 180K. The hand that got me out was kind of played badly but I guess thats how it goes at FT online. On my blinds, I was folding to raises and wasnt getting into needless action but this hand the chip stack limps on button (10K/20K) and in BB I took a stand with 66. He makes the allin call with QT and the flop is T53. Gone at 4th. I dont understand why he limp calls, if he had raised I was surely going to fold as I would have waited for a better spot. Well, it was not to be.
On a side note, QT is my old nemesis hand and it is very conveniently haunting me around Cake. You wouldnt believe how many times QT hit me square in the nuts , I probably took 15 bad beats(mostly runner-runner against my sets or top pairs on flops) against that hand over the weekend. I started calling it out loud "Show me frikking QT" once the opponent called my big bet or allin on river.