Did everything right in an MTT(~280p) to make it to FT and also had a good chance to take it down. But busted at 6th when there was a small stack at the table. I had various factors riding, on putting all my chips in against the chip stack with AQo. Villain (220K) raised to 20K (3K/6K) from LP. BB had 9K left, I(65K) pushed in SB and chip lead made the call with A9 and obviously made the 9 on turn. Ideally,I should have let this hand go too, as there was a small stack and it would have been easy 5th. In fact, I had more odds at a higher finish with the maniacal play going on with big stacks. I had let go his various raises with 99, AJs knowing I could push and have him easily dominated but waited for a better spot because he was calling with anything on pushes. This hand, I knew I should be ahead with a weak ace for him but lady luck smiled on him again, as it was in the last hour or so. I was hoping his run ends at some point, but it was not to be. Anyways, nice to be back at a FT, and with weekend on the horizon I should grow in confidence and put in some good hours!
As I had said before, I am making good runs with small MTTs at Cake than the large fields at PS. I have more wriggle room to come back from bad beats or to make some tough laydowns. In large MTTs, I dont take long to think with tough hands and usually get my chips in and they are not always profitable. But at Cake it is paying off to wait and make a stand when you know you are ahead.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Pool - Playoff brain-freeze
Not much poker action lately as I didnt get enough spare time. I played very little in the last one week. Hopefully I would get in some hours during the weekend.
Wednesday pool season finally ended. Last week was division's final game and yesterday were the playoffs. It was such a stressful night playing the playoffs. We had to play 5 matches and the team racing to 3 wins makes it to next round. First game our SL5(skill-level) lost to SL4. Second, SL2 beat SL4. Third game was the big one SL6 beat SL7 but we lost the 4th, SL3 vs SL3. So it boiled down to the last game and I was up for the task. I was playing SL3 and now I am an SL4. It was a 3-2 handicap. The last time we played the skill levels were reversed and so was the handicap and I beat him 2-0. I rolled the first game and got him edgy with the way I was playing and the second game too I was in total control. I was up 2-0 and then I lost my marbles. I wasnt over confident but I was missing shots and was trying to make crazy plays though I was talking to myself to keep it straight and clean. As fate would want it, I lost the 3rd frame after I was close to wrapping it. And then on the fourth frame, things were going smooth until he made a luck shot and wrapped up the rest of the table with only one of mine hanging in the middle. That was a painful loss after being on the hill and losing the next two to hand him the match and the playoff. That should be disgraceful to any captain who should lead by example and I botched it on the last game! Well you have to learn from your mistakes and make sure you never repeat that. I will try to hang on to my own words.
As always good luck at the tables and keep it simple and dont over-do it!!
Wednesday pool season finally ended. Last week was division's final game and yesterday were the playoffs. It was such a stressful night playing the playoffs. We had to play 5 matches and the team racing to 3 wins makes it to next round. First game our SL5(skill-level) lost to SL4. Second, SL2 beat SL4. Third game was the big one SL6 beat SL7 but we lost the 4th, SL3 vs SL3. So it boiled down to the last game and I was up for the task. I was playing SL3 and now I am an SL4. It was a 3-2 handicap. The last time we played the skill levels were reversed and so was the handicap and I beat him 2-0. I rolled the first game and got him edgy with the way I was playing and the second game too I was in total control. I was up 2-0 and then I lost my marbles. I wasnt over confident but I was missing shots and was trying to make crazy plays though I was talking to myself to keep it straight and clean. As fate would want it, I lost the 3rd frame after I was close to wrapping it. And then on the fourth frame, things were going smooth until he made a luck shot and wrapped up the rest of the table with only one of mine hanging in the middle. That was a painful loss after being on the hill and losing the next two to hand him the match and the playoff. That should be disgraceful to any captain who should lead by example and I botched it on the last game! Well you have to learn from your mistakes and make sure you never repeat that. I will try to hang on to my own words.
As always good luck at the tables and keep it simple and dont over-do it!!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
A Close-Shave with Destiny
Tuesday evening, I was driving back home on I270 cruising in the left lane when I heard a thump from the car. Even before I could realize what was happening, car started to dance on the road. As I tried to veer it away from the concrete barricade on the shoulder, car made a quick swirl. There I was spinning with the car in the fast lane, I had a glimpse of the oncoming traffic onto me and finally the car made the 360 degree turn and came to a screeching halt across two lanes. Horrified by the 5 second kamikaze move my car made on me, it sunk on me that not even one car from either lanes rammed into me and knew it was my lucky day. One car came close and stopped and the guy asked if I was ok and went on. It took me a while to jump out of the car and stand on the shoulder away from the traffic, which was closing in on the disabled car with hazard lights on, and at the last moment steer away from hitting it. I was shaken but as I stood there the feeling of being lucky was churning in the gut. I called 911 and the dispatcher connected me to the state police who arrived around 25 mins after. I hoped the police officer arrived quicker because I didnt want some poor soul or a maniac driver ramming into the disabled vehicle on speed lane. After the cop arrived, with his truck providing cover, we moved the car safely onto the shoulder. Towing truck arrived 45 mins after and finally got it to the shed. That was one hell of an experience. The car's rear-right tire went bust and I guess it tail-spun on impact. Yesterday I had the tire replaced and driving back from the dealership I was still scared, as it reminded me of the near-death experience it put me through. 'Not Yet' uttered by Russell Crowe in the movie 'Gladiator' was ringing in my ears for some time.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Nucking Futs
Yes thats what I was going last night after I busted yet another MTT around 20th place out of ~1350 players. There were couple of calls/raises that I could have avoided but both involved around 25% of my stack. At that stage in a tourney, I guess its okay to go for coin flips. I know a lot of people do but I usually sit back and watch the action as at some point some one would walk into my trap. I had doubled up to 135K(2k/4K) when I raised 3x in late position with 33, BB with around 33K shoved(AQ) and after the raise, I knew I had to call. He made broadway on the river(just flop ace as usual, why inflict so much pain on me). Then again, I was super lucky last night to survive KK vs AQ twice. The second time a flush draw on flop and dodged it. The other hand, I could have avoided, I was in BB with 80K and short stacked UTG+2 - 23K shoved. It was folded to me (3K/6K) and holding 89 I finally called. UTG+2 doubled up with JTs. Later on he would be the same guy who would be chip lead at the table and knock me out. Such trivial hands go a long way for some people.
As for Nucking Futs that is the name of my pool team. I love the name, any team I get into its pretty much guaranteed this as team name! Tomorrow is my league game and hopefully I will be back to my winning ways and also the last day of the season. Wish me luck so that I would end up top gun at my league. Until then, good luck to you all at the tables and I will come back with a post about an MTT win at PS as I had envisioned.
As for Nucking Futs that is the name of my pool team. I love the name, any team I get into its pretty much guaranteed this as team name! Tomorrow is my league game and hopefully I will be back to my winning ways and also the last day of the season. Wish me luck so that I would end up top gun at my league. Until then, good luck to you all at the tables and I will come back with a post about an MTT win at PS as I had envisioned.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
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.
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.
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