Quest of a Closet Poker Player

I’ve been doing more of these deep-dives into my sessions, so here is a look at a huge turnaround from yesterday during a four-tabling hour or so on PokerStars.

I had a solid hour and a half to kill after my work yesterday before hauling kids around, so I opened up three $1/2 NLH 6-max tables, adding a fourth quickly.  The overall session resulted in a tidy +$674.05:

• Balios V:  +$377.65/87 hands/21.84/12.64
• Vilipuri:  +$69.05/130 hands/20.77/11.54
• Padua:  -$45.30/149 hands/15.44/10.07
• Patria:  +$272.65/135 hands/25.93/12.59

We’ll look at Patria, as it had the wildest ride for me.  It was the first table I popped onto, and here was how we started:

1. cristi canad $213.30
2. Cardiffbiker $247.50
3. NPGembler $109.15
4. csquard $194.75 (note the slightly under-buy, to zero out my account)
5. SmartFAB $267.45
6. sacha13 $200.00

I folded my blinds around to my UTG, when I mucked A-9o.  sacha13 raised to $8 in the CO, with cristi min-reraising to $14 from the button.  Cardiffbiker and sacha13 called, and Jc-6c-8c flopped, with sacha making it $22 after Cardiffbiker checked; both players called the bet.  8s brought a $62 bet from sacha to take down the pot.  There were definitely post at this table, as SmartFAB took an $84 pot from NPGembler a couple hands later with jacks vs nines on a 4-7-6-5-4 board.  I picked up the blinds raising to $7 with 9c-9s, had it folded to me in the bb, mucked my sb, and call/folded with As-2s for a min-raise on the button.

Not much for me as I folded my next bb, but sacha took a $322 pot from Cardiffbiker with AA vs Ah-10s on a board of 8d-4h-10c-Ac-Kh.  It was a pretty sick hand for Cardiff from the button, and left us with two short stacks (Cardiff/$61.15 & NPGembler/$74.40).  I folded around again until I picked up 10’s in the sb.  I limped along with two others, but SmartFAB made it $10 from the bb. cristi, NPGembler, and I called.  Do you call here, raise pre-flop when it gets to you, muck?  I think I’m basically just looking to slam a flop with this hand or get out.  Kc-6d-8s isn’t slamming a flop, and I checked it to SmartFAB’s bit $8 bet into the pot of $40 from the bb.  I’m the only one dumb enough to call, then Ac moves my mouse to the check/fold button.  He bet $10 to take down the $56 pot, with with a monster or a better underpair than mine I assume.  That was definitely a time to make a play at the pot, but I decided to wait for a better spot.

sacha sat out, and I folded around again on the five-handed table until I called from the bb with 8h-6h when SmartFAB made it $6 and cristi called.  I bet $9 at the 10c-9c-3h flop, and everyone called.  8c on the turn led me to check/fold when cristi bet a whopping $10 at the pot from the button to take down the pot.  I looked pretty weak/tight by this time (what’s new?), but I don’t know what exactly I’m ahead of in that spot out of position.  I wanted to take the pot down on the flop, probably didn’t bet enough to do that, then got out to two callers.   With a new player added a few hands later, we looked like this:

1. cristi canad $200
2.  Cardiffbiker $83.45
3. Kenpro111 $120.00
4. csquard $151.45
5. SmartFAB $315.55
6. sacha13 $406.50

Kenpro posted out of position then checked to me, so I made it $12 with 7d-5d (I never like posting, and someone checking is a big sign in my mind).  cristi called from the bb, and it was HU as Kenpro folded.  The flop was 4h-7c-6s, and cristi bet $2 into the $27 pot.  I made it $22 to take down the pot.  I folded around again through the bb, called a min-raise from the bb with 5d-5s then mucked on the K-Q-8 flop.  On the button, I picked up two black aces, and cristi limped UTG.  Kenpro made it $8 in the CO, and I raised to $19 after a nice, lengthy pause.  Kenpro shoved with 10-10, and I called to take down the pot as my aces held up.

We lost both cristi and Kenpro, so the table became four-handed.  The table stayed fairly tight, and I won a couple blinds, lost a small pot with Ad-Jd on a Jc-5d-Ks-Qc to a new shorty who joined up, mytells.  Over the next couple orbits, I started bleeding back my little win, $7 here with Ad-5d, $33 when my Ad-Kc got called down to the river and pushed out on a 6d-6h-5d-9h-9d board.  By the time I had another round of blinds and calls that didn’t hit, I was back under $200 and we were six-handed again.

1. jisoo $305.55
2. Atmega128 $71.80
3. mytells $38.45
4. csquard $196.75
5. SmartFAB $306.25
6. sacha13 $342.10

Shorties are now a big part of online NLHE, so you have to be prepared for them and can’t get frustrated.  sacha13 left, then Atmega busted mytells to get us four-handed.  He then took $100 off of SmartFAB, who left the game as another shorty jumped into the 6s with $40 (affrejojo).  He H8te Mee took over the 3s with $200, and Stormstrider did the same in the 5s.  These musical chairs are standard, and I’m not sure how other players handle them (fleeing with all that change or just plugging along).

I kept folding along, with Stormstrider taking a $128 pot from Atmega.  I then raised UTG with 55, called Storm’s min-reraise to $12 to my left, and saw the flop with He H8te Mee in the bb.  7h-8c-3c, I checked along with He, and Storm bet $32 into the $37 pot.  I got out, wondering if I should have bet that flop.  More folding for me as Atmega took down a $270 pot, busting affrejojo and pushing out jisoo.

luckybacon, a frequent multi-tabler, replaced jisoo in the 6s, and my first tough hand hit an orbit later.  I was down to $156 and made it $7 to go UTG with 9d-9s.  jisoo calls on the button, down to $178 himself.  Kc-10d-9c comes on the flop, and I initially hope he hasn’t played QJs.  I bet $9, and jisoo makes it $32.  What to do, what to do?  I make it $70, he shoves, and I feel I have to call, just on the hope that he has AK or a flush draw.  It was worst than QJ as he had pocket 10’s, and I was reloading.

1. jisoo $342.50
2. Atmega128 $434.90
3. He H8te Mee $178.45
4. csquard $200.00
5. Stormstrider $292.05
6. luckybacon $198.00

And I like the table now that I’ve reloaded as we have everyone full with some nice chippies all around.  Atmega decided he wanted his winnings, and backbuck took his place an orbit later.  Here is a hand that may be questionable, so I’d like to see what folks think.

POKERSTARS GAME #11760353256:  HOLD’EM NO LIMIT ($1/$2) - 2007/08/29 - 16:51:49 (ET)
Table ‘Patria’ 6-max Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: jisoo ($313.15 in chips)
Seat 2: backbuck ($197 in chips)
Seat 3: He H8te Mee ($205.60 in chips)
Seat 4: csquard ($189.65 in chips)
Seat 5: Stormstrider ($299.10 in chips)
Seat 6: luckybacon ($230 in chips)
He H8te Mee: posts small blind $1
csquard: posts big blind $2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to csquard [Jc Jd]
Stormstrider: folds
luckybacon: folds
jisoo: raises $4 to $6
backbuck: folds
He H8te Mee: raises $12 to $18
csquard: calls $16
jisoo: calls $12
*** FLOP *** [7s 7d Js]
He H8te Mee: bets $40
csquard: raises $40 to $80
jisoo: folds
He H8te Mee: raises $107.60 to $187.60 and is all-in
csquard: calls $91.65 and is all-in
*** TURN *** [7s 7d Js] [2c]
*** RIVER *** [7s 7d Js 2c] [9d]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
He H8te Mee: shows [As Ad] (two pair, Aces and Sevens)
csquard: shows [Jc Jd] (a full house, Jacks full of Sevens)
csquard collected $394.30 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $397.30 | Rake $3
Board [7s 7d Js 2c 9d]
Seat 1: jisoo folded on the Flop
Seat 2: backbuck (button) folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 3: He H8te Mee (small blind) showed [As Ad] and lost with two pair, Aces and Sevens
Seat 4: csquard (big blind) showed [Jc Jd] and won ($394.30) with a full house, Jacks full of Sevens
Seat 5: Stormstrider folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 6: luckybacon folded before Flop (didn’t bet)

The questionable play is do I just call here with a re-raise in front of me and jisoo still to act?  If you’re He H8te Mee, can you get away from this hand?  I don’t think I can, especially given the stacks and the pot size, but maybe you have.  Obviously a huge hand for me, and the table looked even better as He H8te Mee reloaded.  Then a real masterpiece of a hand came  shortly after.  I’d called a re-raise from jisoo in the sb (mucking my As-5s on the flop), and folded around until I picked up Ah-As in the sb.  He H8te Mee made it $8 to go, then I purposely bet $223 from the sb, hoping to give the appearance of a misclick to him as I thought he might be steaming a bit.  To my delight, Stormstrider sat thinking after activating the clock, then shoved his $296.10 into the pot.  He H8te didn’t come along for the ride, and I called.  Ad-Ks-2s was just that much more beautiful, and 9c-2c sealed the deal for me as Storm mucked his pocket queens.

I’d only fake-misclicked once before, and I’d only really read about it before.  jisoo took a $448 pot from backbuck with 7c-7s vs 10h-8h.  It got all-in on the turn with a final board of 5d-7h-10d-Qh-6c.  I left the table an orbit later.

The Balios table was a massively successful one for me, with -$15 being the most I lost in a hand.   I took a $438.60 pot all-in before the flop with aces vs. Ad-Kc.  I’ve dramatically changed the way I play big slick in these games, and I think the villain in the CO way overplayed the hand (obviously).  I bet $7  UTG, he made it $26, I made it $72, and he shoved $193.30 (I had him covered).  I doubt I call the $72 in his shoes, much less shove there.  I’d be very interested in how you guys are approaching AKs and AKo in these NLHE games.  I may have gotten wimpy with it, I don’t know.

I’m a session away from 75k in FPP points, which would get me the Samsung 32″ LCD TV, but 110k gets me a 40″ Sony.  Let it ride?  Jumping to PlatinumStar VIP gives a 150% FPP bonus, so the points should start cranking from there.  I’m thinking I might let it ride, I don’t know.

Anyways, as always I’d be interested in your thoughts on the session and the key hands, as well as any conclusions you might have.  Thanks for dropping by.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 30th, 2007 at 10:36 am and is filed under Uncategorized.