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.