I've been too lazy to put up a Vegas trip report. Now I have forgotten some of the details, but I will try my best.
The last time I was in Vegas was with Mailman at Feb. 2008, which was also my first time ever in Vegas. This is my 2nd trip to Vegas.
June 14) I met 2 guys from Nautica that I play 2/5 with all the time in the airport, they re flying out to Vegas and stay at Rio's too. So after we landed in Vegas, we took a cab to his mom's house in Vegas, then we took his mom's car to drive 3 of us to Rio. Colin was nice enough to come outside and meet me up, we all know how bad I'm with directions. I could have gotten lost. After I met up with Colin, he gave me a a little walk thru with brief introduction to where's everything in Rio. After unpacking in the room, Colin asked me what I want to do? I was like " gambling man" this is freaking Vegas, you don't spend time during anything else. I aint no Data who managed to not wage a single penny during his week long stay in Vegas.
So right away, I went down to the Amazon/Pavllion rooms at the Rio's. My first impression when I walked into the room was "WOW". The Pavillion room is HUGE. It was quite a sight seeing thousands of poker players walking around. It's poker player's dream place. I immediately felt right at "home".
Colin took me to check out the Amazon room, which is right across from the pavllion room. The first pro I've ever seen in real life was Sam Farma. They were filming the ESPN final table. As I was walking toward the ESPN final table, I said to myself" so this is how they do it on TV".
Being a cash game player, I asked Colin to show me where the cash games are.
We walked back to pavilion room, and they had about 60+ tables of cash tables there spreading anything from 1/3 to nose bleed stakes. Colin said he's not playing tonight, he's tired. I talked him into playing some 2/5, it doesn't take much to talk a poker player into playing some poker.
So we both decide to play some 2/5, I went outside to use the restroom, and as I was walking back from the restroom, I saw a tall guy who looks familiar, in black leather jacket, and a black cap I've seen thousands of times on TV. As I looked closer," HOly shit, is that phil freaking hellmuth"? Man, I can't believe I'm looking at the poker brat. As I walked past him, I said to him" hello, mr. Hellmuth" paying my respect to the poker brat, he smiled back and said " hello, there". I swear that made my day!
POker wise that night, I don't remember many hands, but I did remember one hand. The board was 3567 with 2 diamonds, I had A4 of diamonds, and this euporean guy called my all in bet at the turn, I thought I was free rolling, but he rolled over 89 for the nut straight. And river came another diamond to complete my flush. I took down a 700 dollars pot with the suckout. First night total, +600 in 3hours. thanks to that hand.
June 15) Today, I didn't play much poker, after meeting up with Data at Wynn for lunch, we walked around for a bit. Went to check out Aria's and did a little shopping. Collin and I returned back to Rio's at about 2pm while Data continue his way of whatever he was doing. Seriously, how the hell do you wear a black suit in Vegas weather outside? I was feeling the heat with t-shirt and shorts, but Data was fine. Does that man ever sweat? is he possible of sweating? I told Colin "Data is cold-blooded, this is why he doesn't sweat with suits in 100 degrees weather".
Anyway, I played only 2 hours of poker At Rio's lost 300 dollars due to a stupid hand. I think I stacked off with J9 vs K9 on a 9 high board. I raised pre flop with J9 at the button, BB called and flop came 942. He checked, I bet out 40, he made it 100, he only had like 170 behind, Because Data just texted us that he's coming to meet us up to go check out downtown Vegas tonight, I was like "fuck it", I put that motherfucker all in. and he tanked forever because finally made the call and his hand held up.
The last time Mailman and I checked out the downtown Vegas, we played alot of poker there. Binion's has always been one of my favorite poker room because of the rich poker history there. But this time, we didn't get to play any poker, we just walked around sight seeing. Downtown Vegas is different than the strip, it's definitely worth a day to check it out. Colin and I took a picture with the "million dollars cash" on display, but we didn't want to wait 30mins and have to fill out applications to get a binion's card, so we never got the pictures. Colin and I discussed briefly of going to some strip bars, well it was quickly shot down by the Commander Data. There was no way in hell he was going to allow Colin to have some fun the night before the big tournament.
So I only played about 5-6hours of poker for the first 2 days, I made up my mind I was going to play ALOT of poker starting tomorrow...
Now that we got the non poker stuff out of the way, my trip report part2 will be REALLY POkEr HEAVY....
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Fun night at Nautica
tonight was a sick night for me at Nautica.
hand 1)2nd hand I sat down, I had KJ, flop came KQJ, turn K, and I lost my first buyin to KQ right away.
hand 2) I had 99, flop came K79 with 2 diamonds, one guy bet out 18, I made it 40, and he called. turn was 4 of diamonds, and he instantly went all, i had about 250, he had me covered. I was like man, there's no way he would bet this big without a flush, but then why the hell would he go all in with flush though?" as I was sitting there thinking, he started talking " hey, I got 2 pair with king of diamonds". I didn't really believe him, so I said to him" I have KQ with queen of diamonds, i m thinking about calling you, I just dont belive you have 2 pair unless u show me a card". And he did, he showed me "7 of spades" lol, soon as I saw that card, I knew my 9's was the best hand, and I snap called. river another 7. He turned over K7 but with king of hearts. my better full house took it down.
hand 3)the same guy with K7 from previous hand limped for 2 dollars, I made it 12 on the button with JJ, one guy called and he called. flop came 984 with 2 spades, the sb checked, he bet out 35 into a 38 dollars pot, that's a
pretty big bet, i just didn't think he would play 2 pair like that or a set.so I shipped it all in for 400 and he tanked, tanked forever and finally made a tilt call with 109. and my hand held up, I'm up to about 900 right now.
hand 4) one guy raised to 7, i called in the sb with QJ. 4 other guys called. flop came Ak10 all hearts. so i flopped a straight but without a heart. I checked, another guy checked, and this guy who just moved from another table bet out 60 into like 35 dollars pot. folded back to me, he had
215 behind. Since he just sat down, i had no read on him. Yes he could have a flush but would he really bet almost 2x the pot with made flush? after thinking for a solid 2-3mins, I thought he probably had hand like A10 for 2 pair. Those donkies seomtimes overbet the pot with 2 pair to protect their hand. So i shipped it all in and he called. he turned over 75 of hearts and I was drawing dead. that hand knocked me back down to about 600.
I stacked off this new guy twice, but he only bought in for 150 each time, so that got me to about 900 again. then it came the biggest hand of the night.
hand 5) I limped with A2 of clubs, 4 limpers and this middle eastern guy at the BB made it 18 to go, he has been doing it all night. I called and everyone else called. Flop came J98 all clubs, I flopped the nut flush! Now the pre flop raiser bet out 75, he had about 180 behind, I just smooth called, and to my suprise, all 3 guys called behind me. I was like shit, maybe someone has a set or 2 pair. Turn came a 5 of diamonds, a perfect brick. Now the pre flop raiser shipped it all in for 180, i had about 750 in front me, the next 2 guys were really deep too, they both had over 500. Afte r thinking for a while, I thought the pot was big enough, I shipped it all in for 750, and the next 2 guys folded. but the 3rd guy called off his last 120. So the pot had about 800. river king of spades and my hand held up.
That got me to about 1600.
hand 6) UTG +1 who is kinda solid player, doesnt play many hands. he made it 12 to go, folded back to me, I called in the BB with A6 suited. flop came 1063 with 2 clubs, I checked, he bet 25, we were both so deep. I called, turn came A of spades, now I got 2 pair. I checked again, he thought about for a second and fired out 75, I called. and river Q didnt complete any flush. I checked again, he thought about for a sec and counted out 2 stacks of reads " 200" . I was like damn, I really think I cna't be good here. The only hand I could beat there was AK, he would never bet this much with AK at the river. he had to have a set, either 1010, AA or even QQ. all thsoe hands made sense with the lines he took. After thinking for a solid 3mins, I folded my A6. I told him I folded A6, and he was nice enough to tell me that he had 1010.
What a wild night tonight, I played so many big pots, was all in so many times, but after bruises and blood, I came out cashing 1445 for a profit of 1045.
On a side note, I really like this free minded 1/2 games. 2/5 is just too stressful sometimes, playing vs same old 20-30 players who grind the 2/5 for a living. I looked over my record for the past 2 weeks at 1/2. I definitely ran super hot, my average is like 88 dollars per hour at the 1/2 LOL. damn, why would I play 2/5 when I can achieve close to 90 dollars win rate at 1/2 with zero stress.
hand 1)2nd hand I sat down, I had KJ, flop came KQJ, turn K, and I lost my first buyin to KQ right away.
hand 2) I had 99, flop came K79 with 2 diamonds, one guy bet out 18, I made it 40, and he called. turn was 4 of diamonds, and he instantly went all, i had about 250, he had me covered. I was like man, there's no way he would bet this big without a flush, but then why the hell would he go all in with flush though?" as I was sitting there thinking, he started talking " hey, I got 2 pair with king of diamonds". I didn't really believe him, so I said to him" I have KQ with queen of diamonds, i m thinking about calling you, I just dont belive you have 2 pair unless u show me a card". And he did, he showed me "7 of spades" lol, soon as I saw that card, I knew my 9's was the best hand, and I snap called. river another 7. He turned over K7 but with king of hearts. my better full house took it down.
hand 3)the same guy with K7 from previous hand limped for 2 dollars, I made it 12 on the button with JJ, one guy called and he called. flop came 984 with 2 spades, the sb checked, he bet out 35 into a 38 dollars pot, that's a
pretty big bet, i just didn't think he would play 2 pair like that or a set.so I shipped it all in for 400 and he tanked, tanked forever and finally made a tilt call with 109. and my hand held up, I'm up to about 900 right now.
hand 4) one guy raised to 7, i called in the sb with QJ. 4 other guys called. flop came Ak10 all hearts. so i flopped a straight but without a heart. I checked, another guy checked, and this guy who just moved from another table bet out 60 into like 35 dollars pot. folded back to me, he had
215 behind. Since he just sat down, i had no read on him. Yes he could have a flush but would he really bet almost 2x the pot with made flush? after thinking for a solid 2-3mins, I thought he probably had hand like A10 for 2 pair. Those donkies seomtimes overbet the pot with 2 pair to protect their hand. So i shipped it all in and he called. he turned over 75 of hearts and I was drawing dead. that hand knocked me back down to about 600.
I stacked off this new guy twice, but he only bought in for 150 each time, so that got me to about 900 again. then it came the biggest hand of the night.
hand 5) I limped with A2 of clubs, 4 limpers and this middle eastern guy at the BB made it 18 to go, he has been doing it all night. I called and everyone else called. Flop came J98 all clubs, I flopped the nut flush! Now the pre flop raiser bet out 75, he had about 180 behind, I just smooth called, and to my suprise, all 3 guys called behind me. I was like shit, maybe someone has a set or 2 pair. Turn came a 5 of diamonds, a perfect brick. Now the pre flop raiser shipped it all in for 180, i had about 750 in front me, the next 2 guys were really deep too, they both had over 500. Afte r thinking for a while, I thought the pot was big enough, I shipped it all in for 750, and the next 2 guys folded. but the 3rd guy called off his last 120. So the pot had about 800. river king of spades and my hand held up.
That got me to about 1600.
hand 6) UTG +1 who is kinda solid player, doesnt play many hands. he made it 12 to go, folded back to me, I called in the BB with A6 suited. flop came 1063 with 2 clubs, I checked, he bet 25, we were both so deep. I called, turn came A of spades, now I got 2 pair. I checked again, he thought about for a second and fired out 75, I called. and river Q didnt complete any flush. I checked again, he thought about for a sec and counted out 2 stacks of reads " 200" . I was like damn, I really think I cna't be good here. The only hand I could beat there was AK, he would never bet this much with AK at the river. he had to have a set, either 1010, AA or even QQ. all thsoe hands made sense with the lines he took. After thinking for a solid 3mins, I folded my A6. I told him I folded A6, and he was nice enough to tell me that he had 1010.
What a wild night tonight, I played so many big pots, was all in so many times, but after bruises and blood, I came out cashing 1445 for a profit of 1045.
On a side note, I really like this free minded 1/2 games. 2/5 is just too stressful sometimes, playing vs same old 20-30 players who grind the 2/5 for a living. I looked over my record for the past 2 weeks at 1/2. I definitely ran super hot, my average is like 88 dollars per hour at the 1/2 LOL. damn, why would I play 2/5 when I can achieve close to 90 dollars win rate at 1/2 with zero stress.
Monday, June 14, 2010
hand of the week..
hand 1) 1/1 game at Colin's. Danny raised to 6, i called with 75o, Jeff Rigler also called. Flop came 654 with 2 clubs, danny bet out 20, I called and Riglier called too. turn came 10s, Danny checked, and I checked too, and Riglier pushed all in instantly for 97. Danny quickly folded, I was like" wtf does he have"? He's usually a standard straight forward ABC type of player. But the previous week when we played at Dave's. He raised with 23 of diamonds, flop came K72, he bet out, I called with 87, turn was brick, he pushed all in, I had to give him credit because he's a pretty standard solid player, I folded my 2nd pair and he showed me 23 of diamonds. I was like "man, I didn't know he was capable of that". I guess every poker player has that "bluffy animal instinct" inside of them. Some people just don't do it often enough, but evryone LOVES the feeling of bluffing someone out of a better hand. I've been trying for years to control that "animal instinct" inside of me.
Anyway back to the hand, I sat there, my instinct was telling me he didn't have much there. But what hand could he have? I looked at the flop, it was a really drawy board of 654 with 2 clubs, danny bet 20, I just smooth called. if Rigler had hand like flopped straight or 2 pair, with the way he plays, I think he would push all in on the flop to stop the flush/straight draw. He's never ever just smooth called too on the flop with 2 guys in before him with any straights, or even set/2 pair. so, I put him on a draw too. now, turn came 10s, danny check, it means he doesnt have anything. I checked too, showing some weakness. and he pushed all in for 97, over betting the pot. I really thought he had a some type of draw type of hand, i didnt' think he had a pair on the flop. But he could have a hand like 10cXc type of hand, hitting top pair on the turn with flush draw. But he was really nervous, I just didn't think he had any pair there. So, after thinking for a bit, I called. and indeed he didn't have anything, he actually had A3o. river brickd out, and I won a pretty decent size of pot.
With that said, I would have never made that call if he didn't show me the 23 of diamonds the week before. I was always thought he was a solid player. When he bets big, he almost always have it.
Anyway back to the hand, I sat there, my instinct was telling me he didn't have much there. But what hand could he have? I looked at the flop, it was a really drawy board of 654 with 2 clubs, danny bet 20, I just smooth called. if Rigler had hand like flopped straight or 2 pair, with the way he plays, I think he would push all in on the flop to stop the flush/straight draw. He's never ever just smooth called too on the flop with 2 guys in before him with any straights, or even set/2 pair. so, I put him on a draw too. now, turn came 10s, danny check, it means he doesnt have anything. I checked too, showing some weakness. and he pushed all in for 97, over betting the pot. I really thought he had a some type of draw type of hand, i didnt' think he had a pair on the flop. But he could have a hand like 10cXc type of hand, hitting top pair on the turn with flush draw. But he was really nervous, I just didn't think he had any pair there. So, after thinking for a bit, I called. and indeed he didn't have anything, he actually had A3o. river brickd out, and I won a pretty decent size of pot.
With that said, I would have never made that call if he didn't show me the 23 of diamonds the week before. I was always thought he was a solid player. When he bets big, he almost always have it.
Leaving for Vegas tomorrow..
Ok, I'm going to sneaking in a blog post before I leave for Vegas tomorrow. I will sure post a blog about the trip when I return from Vegas.
Since the 2 months cold spell from March-May, I'm still not doing much better. I've played a little less poker than before. Still the normal routine goes something like this " Win 1, lose 1" sessions. Mostly at the 2/5 at Nautica, I just can't not put together a good streak. Just this past week, I played 3 sessions of poker at Nautica.
Tuesday ) 1/2 NL, I lost a 650+ dollars pot with KK vs J3 on the board of 88J5, this guy called my all in bet at the turn with J3, and hit the case J at the river, someone folded a Jack pre flop. Luckily for me, i only lost about 150 dollars that session. But I felt deflated after playing great and still down.
Wesnday ) 2/5 NL, I actually ran "hot" that night. biggest hand of the night, one guy limped, I raised to 25 with QQ, BB called and the limper re-raised to 85, I called and the bb called. Flop came KQ7 rainbow. Now the BB lead out for 150 dollars, the limper instantly pushed all in for 350.I knew he had either KK, or AA. But I couldn't fold the set. I was actually more curious of what the BB had. I don't know what type of hand he has that he could called a raise first,then a re-raise out of position. Then he lead out 150 on the flop of KQ7? Maybe he has AK? Anyway, I went all in too,and the BB called too. pot was about 1450. turn 7, river 9. The BB turned over 10J for the straight, and the limper showed AA. and I took out a big pot with Queen's full. That was the only big hand I won. I slowly bleed off some chips later on and only cashed out up 700.
Friday ) 2/5 NL, I came in that night feeling confident. Maybe I can finally put a good streak together? We shall see..
lets see the hands I played on Friday night.
hand 1) I limped on the button with A2s after a couple of limpers. Flop came 935 rainbow, everyone checked to me, I bet out 20, the SB who's a really tight old guy, he called and everyone folded. Turn came 4 to put a backdoor flush draw on board too, bingo! he checked again, I bet out 55, he thought about for a second and raised me to 200. he only had about 150 behind. I was trying to put him on a hand. Let's see he's a tight old nit, what type of hand that he can check call me on the flop on this board? then check raises me on the turn? really only 6-7 makes sense here. 67 is a double gut-shot on the flop. I know he doesn't have A2 or 62. Another possiblity is a he flopped a set on the flop, but would he really just check call on the flop with like 3-4 other guys behind him left to act on this drawy board? Possibly, because he's an old nit who likes to slow play. There's also a small possibility of he having 94, called the flop with top pair and turned 2 pair. But since he's in the SB, i think he's that type of player who can fold for 3 dollars pre flop wiht 94o. Plus, I didn't think he had 94. and It didn't smell like a flopped set either. he didn't take some time to decide what to do on the flop. he called rather quickly. I really thought I was behind here. After tanking for a while, i ended up folding the hand. and I told him I folded a big hand to him. he was nice enough to show me the 67.
hand 2) 2 limpers, I made it 30 with QQ again. 3 guys called. flop came Aq2 all spades. the UTG limper who's a really good young Russian player, he lead out for 70, a guy to my right who has about 1.5k in front of him(part of it thanks to me, I will tell you why in hand 3), he's been hitting the deck. He raised to 170. back to me, I had about 600 left. I didn't think my set is good here. one of those 2 guys has to have a made flush already. If the other guy has a set or 2 pair type of hand, then alot of my outs are already gone. After letting out a big sight, I tossed in my set of queens. Both of those guys got all their money in the middle on the flop. The 1.5 k guy had 107 of spades, turn camed K of spades, river didn't pair the board. the UTG didn't show his hand and the 107s guy took down another big pot.
hand 3) This is the hand I played vs. the guy with 107s on previous hand. On this hand, he was UTG, he tossed in 1 green chip, I told him it's a call since he didn't announce "raise". He said he meant to raise. But too late, as everyone told him it's a call. Anyway, I called too behind him with 44, a crazy doctor behind me raised to 30, he called and I called. Flop came 1074 all clubs( isn't that great flopping set with all same suited board). Now the UTG guy bet 55, I got bottom set here. I was trying to put the UTG on a hand. he wanted to raise pre flop, but then just smooth called a single raise. He doesn't have hands like KK, AA, or even QQ I don't think. He probably has a good-decent hand like AQ, AK, JJ, 10 10. So, what type of hands can he lead out with on this 1074 all club board? does he have JJ just to see where he is at? or maybe flopped a set of 10's? I don't really have a lot of reads on him, I don't know if he likes to lead on that flop with hands like AcQs, basically just nut flush draw. I still have the pre raiser behind me, I wanted to see what he does first and how the UTG reacts if the pre flop raiser raises this flop. So, I just called the 55 and the crazy doctor pre flop raiser folded. turn came 2of club, putting 4 clubs on the board. Now the UTg checked, I thought maybe he had a hand like JJ with J of clubs or maybe a set of 10's. My hand looks alot of like a flush draw on the flop with the smooth call. I bet out 80 to see what he does, you know you are not running good when you have to turn your set into a bluff. (Later I thought about thsi hand, I think i made a mistake, I should have checked here). But as I was in the hand, I put him on hands like JJ with club or not, or flopped higher set. He hestiated for a moment and finally made a crying call. Now I really believed he had what I thought he had. river came K of spades, he checked again. With about 350 in the pot, I really dont think I can win here if I check, once again, I had to turn my made hand of set into a bluff( great feeling, isnt it?) I bet out 3 stacks of reds and he instantly called. I was like" shit, he probably has QQ with Q of club). He actually turned over AJ with Ace of club. So he had the nuts. He didn't even raise me? WTF? I asked him when he didn't raise me? he said he thought I was all in already? I actually still had like 150+. The whole time he didn't even look at me.
I think I made some big mistakes this hand. first of all, my read was that he had hands like JJ, or flopped set. He played it well at the turn with the hollywood, and check the river to me with the nuts. The check-call on the turn lead me to stuck with my read that he didn't have the nut flush. then the river check let me believe I could push him out of that hand. it's funny how you can see the hand so much more clearer afterward when you are not in the heat of the moment. I should have check the turn, and fold the river if he bets into me. Moral of the story " Never be stuck with your initial read, always think clearly about everything before your decision".
Ok, off to packing now, and I hope I do well in vegas. I'm planning to start off small at the 1/2 NL first, Because I'm there for the whole week. i don't wanna jump into the big games and lose all the money. After 2days, If i'm still in good shape, I will play some 2/5 and 5/10. Hopefully I will have some good stories to tell.
Going to brothel with Data sounds like a good idea to me! I want to make that happen!!!
Since the 2 months cold spell from March-May, I'm still not doing much better. I've played a little less poker than before. Still the normal routine goes something like this " Win 1, lose 1" sessions. Mostly at the 2/5 at Nautica, I just can't not put together a good streak. Just this past week, I played 3 sessions of poker at Nautica.
Tuesday ) 1/2 NL, I lost a 650+ dollars pot with KK vs J3 on the board of 88J5, this guy called my all in bet at the turn with J3, and hit the case J at the river, someone folded a Jack pre flop. Luckily for me, i only lost about 150 dollars that session. But I felt deflated after playing great and still down.
Wesnday ) 2/5 NL, I actually ran "hot" that night. biggest hand of the night, one guy limped, I raised to 25 with QQ, BB called and the limper re-raised to 85, I called and the bb called. Flop came KQ7 rainbow. Now the BB lead out for 150 dollars, the limper instantly pushed all in for 350.I knew he had either KK, or AA. But I couldn't fold the set. I was actually more curious of what the BB had. I don't know what type of hand he has that he could called a raise first,then a re-raise out of position. Then he lead out 150 on the flop of KQ7? Maybe he has AK? Anyway, I went all in too,and the BB called too. pot was about 1450. turn 7, river 9. The BB turned over 10J for the straight, and the limper showed AA. and I took out a big pot with Queen's full. That was the only big hand I won. I slowly bleed off some chips later on and only cashed out up 700.
Friday ) 2/5 NL, I came in that night feeling confident. Maybe I can finally put a good streak together? We shall see..
lets see the hands I played on Friday night.
hand 1) I limped on the button with A2s after a couple of limpers. Flop came 935 rainbow, everyone checked to me, I bet out 20, the SB who's a really tight old guy, he called and everyone folded. Turn came 4 to put a backdoor flush draw on board too, bingo! he checked again, I bet out 55, he thought about for a second and raised me to 200. he only had about 150 behind. I was trying to put him on a hand. Let's see he's a tight old nit, what type of hand that he can check call me on the flop on this board? then check raises me on the turn? really only 6-7 makes sense here. 67 is a double gut-shot on the flop. I know he doesn't have A2 or 62. Another possiblity is a he flopped a set on the flop, but would he really just check call on the flop with like 3-4 other guys behind him left to act on this drawy board? Possibly, because he's an old nit who likes to slow play. There's also a small possibility of he having 94, called the flop with top pair and turned 2 pair. But since he's in the SB, i think he's that type of player who can fold for 3 dollars pre flop wiht 94o. Plus, I didn't think he had 94. and It didn't smell like a flopped set either. he didn't take some time to decide what to do on the flop. he called rather quickly. I really thought I was behind here. After tanking for a while, i ended up folding the hand. and I told him I folded a big hand to him. he was nice enough to show me the 67.
hand 2) 2 limpers, I made it 30 with QQ again. 3 guys called. flop came Aq2 all spades. the UTG limper who's a really good young Russian player, he lead out for 70, a guy to my right who has about 1.5k in front of him(part of it thanks to me, I will tell you why in hand 3), he's been hitting the deck. He raised to 170. back to me, I had about 600 left. I didn't think my set is good here. one of those 2 guys has to have a made flush already. If the other guy has a set or 2 pair type of hand, then alot of my outs are already gone. After letting out a big sight, I tossed in my set of queens. Both of those guys got all their money in the middle on the flop. The 1.5 k guy had 107 of spades, turn camed K of spades, river didn't pair the board. the UTG didn't show his hand and the 107s guy took down another big pot.
hand 3) This is the hand I played vs. the guy with 107s on previous hand. On this hand, he was UTG, he tossed in 1 green chip, I told him it's a call since he didn't announce "raise". He said he meant to raise. But too late, as everyone told him it's a call. Anyway, I called too behind him with 44, a crazy doctor behind me raised to 30, he called and I called. Flop came 1074 all clubs( isn't that great flopping set with all same suited board). Now the UTG guy bet 55, I got bottom set here. I was trying to put the UTG on a hand. he wanted to raise pre flop, but then just smooth called a single raise. He doesn't have hands like KK, AA, or even QQ I don't think. He probably has a good-decent hand like AQ, AK, JJ, 10 10. So, what type of hands can he lead out with on this 1074 all club board? does he have JJ just to see where he is at? or maybe flopped a set of 10's? I don't really have a lot of reads on him, I don't know if he likes to lead on that flop with hands like AcQs, basically just nut flush draw. I still have the pre raiser behind me, I wanted to see what he does first and how the UTG reacts if the pre flop raiser raises this flop. So, I just called the 55 and the crazy doctor pre flop raiser folded. turn came 2of club, putting 4 clubs on the board. Now the UTg checked, I thought maybe he had a hand like JJ with J of clubs or maybe a set of 10's. My hand looks alot of like a flush draw on the flop with the smooth call. I bet out 80 to see what he does, you know you are not running good when you have to turn your set into a bluff. (Later I thought about thsi hand, I think i made a mistake, I should have checked here). But as I was in the hand, I put him on hands like JJ with club or not, or flopped higher set. He hestiated for a moment and finally made a crying call. Now I really believed he had what I thought he had. river came K of spades, he checked again. With about 350 in the pot, I really dont think I can win here if I check, once again, I had to turn my made hand of set into a bluff( great feeling, isnt it?) I bet out 3 stacks of reds and he instantly called. I was like" shit, he probably has QQ with Q of club). He actually turned over AJ with Ace of club. So he had the nuts. He didn't even raise me? WTF? I asked him when he didn't raise me? he said he thought I was all in already? I actually still had like 150+. The whole time he didn't even look at me.
I think I made some big mistakes this hand. first of all, my read was that he had hands like JJ, or flopped set. He played it well at the turn with the hollywood, and check the river to me with the nuts. The check-call on the turn lead me to stuck with my read that he didn't have the nut flush. then the river check let me believe I could push him out of that hand. it's funny how you can see the hand so much more clearer afterward when you are not in the heat of the moment. I should have check the turn, and fold the river if he bets into me. Moral of the story " Never be stuck with your initial read, always think clearly about everything before your decision".
Ok, off to packing now, and I hope I do well in vegas. I'm planning to start off small at the 1/2 NL first, Because I'm there for the whole week. i don't wanna jump into the big games and lose all the money. After 2days, If i'm still in good shape, I will play some 2/5 and 5/10. Hopefully I will have some good stories to tell.
Going to brothel with Data sounds like a good idea to me! I want to make that happen!!!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Cash Game Corner with Chan.
I've decided to turn my blog into a "cash game corner with Chan". From now on, I will be posting and discussing some interesting hands I've played recently. Most of my blogs will be about my thought process through out the hands, any mistakes I made or good plays I made,etc.. hopefully this can help the "few" readers that like to read my blog their cash game, also gives me a chance to analyze the hands differently when I'm not in the moment of the heat. It can also help me see my mistakes and see the hands in different perspective.
Friday, April 30, 2010
It's been a while...
Well, It's been a while since I last blogged. Like Pete said, I only blog when I win. Well this is the same case here, I told myself I'm not going to blog unless I hit a 3 winning sessions in a row, and tonight I achived the ever so elusive winning streak sessions for me in the past 2 monthes. I have won 3 sessions in a row! Wow, it definitely feels so good to have all your hands hold up and win some coin flips along the way. And hit some cooler hands vs. someone. Too many interesting hands to list, but I'm not going to talk about any hands here. This is to say that I should be returning to blog frequently now. My icy cold spell might just finally be over.
The cold streak lasted about a month and a half. From the beginning of March to Mid April, I just could not have 2 winning sessions in a row no matter what. Best I could manage was win 1, and lose 1, repeat and rinse. An example, I won like 1400 one session, next session, I got up to about 1300 again within the first half hour, then lost almost all the money in 1 hand where I flopped top set with 99 vs. someone's 75 of clubs on the board of 943 with 2 clubs. Hands like big darws vs big hands, or vice versa, I was always on the wrong end of the side. On top of bad luck, I know I played bad too. One of the things I notice is during the cold streak when my confidence was so low,I played most of the sessions at auto pilot mode. My brain wasn't functioning at full capacity.
Why is so hard to make money in poker? Yes good players will win more than they lose, but it's extremely hard to win some substantial amount of money. because this is the only job where you can go to work all day and not only you don't make a penny, you can lose 1k too. Just like in basketball, a team with record of 50-32 is considered a pretty good team. But when you look closely, comparing it with poker, you win 50 sessions and lose 32 sessions, assuming all the sessions average out about the same, you only have 18 more win sessions. SO basically it means for the 82 times you play poker, only 18 times you are walking away as a winner(get paid), all other times you don't make anything(worked for free). In addtion, you have to be mentally strong, and all other distractions that can occur. This is why you have to be SO MUCH better than your opponents in poker to make any substantial amount of money.
Well, I'm just glad that I got that monkey off my back now. I hope 3 wins in a row and 5 of past 6 is a sign of cold deck is over. I' m not asking much poker god, I just want my fair shares of EV.
The cold streak lasted about a month and a half. From the beginning of March to Mid April, I just could not have 2 winning sessions in a row no matter what. Best I could manage was win 1, and lose 1, repeat and rinse. An example, I won like 1400 one session, next session, I got up to about 1300 again within the first half hour, then lost almost all the money in 1 hand where I flopped top set with 99 vs. someone's 75 of clubs on the board of 943 with 2 clubs. Hands like big darws vs big hands, or vice versa, I was always on the wrong end of the side. On top of bad luck, I know I played bad too. One of the things I notice is during the cold streak when my confidence was so low,I played most of the sessions at auto pilot mode. My brain wasn't functioning at full capacity.
Why is so hard to make money in poker? Yes good players will win more than they lose, but it's extremely hard to win some substantial amount of money. because this is the only job where you can go to work all day and not only you don't make a penny, you can lose 1k too. Just like in basketball, a team with record of 50-32 is considered a pretty good team. But when you look closely, comparing it with poker, you win 50 sessions and lose 32 sessions, assuming all the sessions average out about the same, you only have 18 more win sessions. SO basically it means for the 82 times you play poker, only 18 times you are walking away as a winner(get paid), all other times you don't make anything(worked for free). In addtion, you have to be mentally strong, and all other distractions that can occur. This is why you have to be SO MUCH better than your opponents in poker to make any substantial amount of money.
Well, I'm just glad that I got that monkey off my back now. I hope 3 wins in a row and 5 of past 6 is a sign of cold deck is over. I' m not asking much poker god, I just want my fair shares of EV.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Good ole nautica....
I love me some nautica......... I take back all the harsh words I had before for Nautica. I just can't lose in that place. After I came back from Indiana, I took a little break from poker and my confidence was a little shaky.
So tonight, I went down to Nautica, sat down at the 2/5, bought in for 400. My image is pretty loose on the table. Here are interesting hands..
hand 1) everyone folds to the cutoff, this Russian donk makes it 20 to go, he's definitely a very aggresive player. I call on the SB with JJ. Flop comes J92 rainbow, I check, he bets out 35, I hollywood a bit and raises him to 85. He looks me and tanks forever before he makes the call. Because of my loose image and his aggresive nature, I don't think he had an overpair there. He might have hands like 10,10. Turn comes Q, I check, and he instantly shoves all in. I know there's no way he would shove all in instantly with 10 8 or set of queens, so I call. and river 8. he turns over 10 J for the straight and I lose a 850 dollars pot with top set vs. top pair. Well, after that hand, I was telling myself " maybe I should go home and take something like 2 weeks off from poker, becasue I just cna't win no matter what.
But I decided to stay and rebought for 400.
hand 2) 3-4 limpers, I complete the SB with 57o. flop comes down 776, everyone checks to the button, who fires out 35. It's bigger than the pot size bet. Since there are no flush draw on the flop, I pretty much rule out the button has "7". he probalby has a mid pocket pair or the 6. I call the 35 and everyone folds. turn comes another "7". Now i got quads. I don't want to check here, i know he's checking behind. So I bet out 50 with quads, I don't think he's folding hands like 88 here. maybe not even "6". he calls. and river 3. I bet out 150 and he tanks forever and calls with A6 suited.
hand 3)This is the big hand of the night. I have been playing aggresive and I know my image is loose and bluffy. UTG+1 makes it 25, 2 callers, I look down AA on the cutoff and makes it 90. The UTG is a middle eastern donk who has like 700 in front of him. After thinking for a bit, he calls the 90. evryone else folds. Flop comes 996, he checks, I bet out 2 stacks of reds, he tanks and calls. Theres only one hand that I'm worried about" 66". Most likely he has an overpair. From the way he calls, I could feel he doesn't have a boat or better. turn comes Q, that's actually a bad card for me, if he has QQ he just makes queens full. if he has hands like 10,10 j,J, it's another overcard to scare him. he checks, I look at his stack, he has about 400 behind. I decide to check too. river 7 for the final board of 996q7. he quickly checks again, now I know i have the best hand 100%. I pretend to think a bit and say "all-in". he tanks, tanks and finally call with JJ putting me on AK I guess.
So that got me to about 1600. I won another 200 with J5 of spades when I hit the flush, and cashed out 1950 for profit of 1150.
I don't know if my cold spell is over or not, I sure hope so. Poker is not fun when you just can't win no matter what.
So tonight, I went down to Nautica, sat down at the 2/5, bought in for 400. My image is pretty loose on the table. Here are interesting hands..
hand 1) everyone folds to the cutoff, this Russian donk makes it 20 to go, he's definitely a very aggresive player. I call on the SB with JJ. Flop comes J92 rainbow, I check, he bets out 35, I hollywood a bit and raises him to 85. He looks me and tanks forever before he makes the call. Because of my loose image and his aggresive nature, I don't think he had an overpair there. He might have hands like 10,10. Turn comes Q, I check, and he instantly shoves all in. I know there's no way he would shove all in instantly with 10 8 or set of queens, so I call. and river 8. he turns over 10 J for the straight and I lose a 850 dollars pot with top set vs. top pair. Well, after that hand, I was telling myself " maybe I should go home and take something like 2 weeks off from poker, becasue I just cna't win no matter what.
But I decided to stay and rebought for 400.
hand 2) 3-4 limpers, I complete the SB with 57o. flop comes down 776, everyone checks to the button, who fires out 35. It's bigger than the pot size bet. Since there are no flush draw on the flop, I pretty much rule out the button has "7". he probalby has a mid pocket pair or the 6. I call the 35 and everyone folds. turn comes another "7". Now i got quads. I don't want to check here, i know he's checking behind. So I bet out 50 with quads, I don't think he's folding hands like 88 here. maybe not even "6". he calls. and river 3. I bet out 150 and he tanks forever and calls with A6 suited.
hand 3)This is the big hand of the night. I have been playing aggresive and I know my image is loose and bluffy. UTG+1 makes it 25, 2 callers, I look down AA on the cutoff and makes it 90. The UTG is a middle eastern donk who has like 700 in front of him. After thinking for a bit, he calls the 90. evryone else folds. Flop comes 996, he checks, I bet out 2 stacks of reds, he tanks and calls. Theres only one hand that I'm worried about" 66". Most likely he has an overpair. From the way he calls, I could feel he doesn't have a boat or better. turn comes Q, that's actually a bad card for me, if he has QQ he just makes queens full. if he has hands like 10,10 j,J, it's another overcard to scare him. he checks, I look at his stack, he has about 400 behind. I decide to check too. river 7 for the final board of 996q7. he quickly checks again, now I know i have the best hand 100%. I pretend to think a bit and say "all-in". he tanks, tanks and finally call with JJ putting me on AK I guess.
So that got me to about 1600. I won another 200 with J5 of spades when I hit the flush, and cashed out 1950 for profit of 1150.
I don't know if my cold spell is over or not, I sure hope so. Poker is not fun when you just can't win no matter what.
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