Near Perfect and Improving

I wish.

The post title is something I've been saying for a while now, after someone asks me how I'm doing.
Sometimes it's true, sometimes its far from the truth.

In relation to this, I've been watching a lot of poker lately, and really, really wanting to be good at it.  Over the last few years, I've seen and read about many poker players, have seen some of their lifestyles, and have dared to dream...maybe I could snatch a little of that.
Of course, I've also read about guys who lived in cars for a while, had apartments with 5 or 6 other wanna-be's and have lost a boat load of money.  I don't want to be any of those.

So I sit here and I think of playing poker.  I even told someone the other day that I kind of regret not discovering my love of poker until my late 30's...that had I found it in my teens or early 20's, I may have given going pro a shot.  I think that I may have been pretty good.  I think that I still may be pretty good.
But there's a problem.  A mental problem.  You see, when I watch poker (or read about it or listen to pros talk about it) I think that I'm not ever going to be smart enough to play!  At least not smart enough to play on that level.  I listen to guys (and some gals...I'm looking at you Selbst!)  talk about the finer arts of EV on the river, merging your bluffing range with your value range, ICM and the like and, while I understand it, I don't play it like that.

When I finish playing a session, I look back on my play and I often see some pretty sophisticated plays that they give fancy names to, but I don't think like that at the tables.  Oh sure, I think about the range of the other players, and betting for value and such, and sometimes I calculate my odds of hitting versus pot odds in particular situations, but I don't do the fancy analysis all the time.
And because I don't think fancy schmancy all the time, I think that I can't beat the more "advanced" player.
Recently, I realized how wrong I am.

Let me digress (even further).  There's some psychology at work here that I need to work out.
Some people think that, societally speaking, things are worse than ever. People see what they see and think the worst.  Like, if I told you that violent crime is down, including crimes involving guns, you'd think I'm wrong.   I'm not wrong.  Violent crime is VERY low historically speaking, but because of TV and the news, people think it's worse than ever.  Even the most optimistic among us fall into the trap.  People think that everything was better when they were young...to poorly quote a song "prices were low and politicians didn't philander" The problem is, problems were pretty much the same, relatively speaking and politicians always sucked.  In short, we tend to have a skewed view of things.

I realized it was the same with poker.

I watch guys who sound so smart when they are analyzing hands (in retrospect or when they aren't involved at all) make terribly stupid plays, chase when they have no business chasing, and do things that they say you should NEVER do.
I see this with pros on YouTube/Pokerstars.TV/WSOP.com etc and with smart money at my local card house and realize they may talk big, sound smart and have all the strategery in the world, but they still make mistakes.  They don't always make the right play.  I can still out think and out play them.  Maybe not all the time, but enough.
If I keep working at it, study and practice, I can be as good as a lot of these guys and better than most. I may not be near perfect, but I can keep improving.  That should be good enough.

First Attempt

So, at the tables last night, some of the locals were talking about a big monthly tournament that happens at the Soaring Eagle casino on the last Saturday of the month.
It's $185.00 which would suck up most of my bankroll, which is currently set at $300, so I've got to try and earn some extra cash over the next month.  Or win some more at the tables. Or both.  How about both?
Yeah. Both.

Quads Will

Two weeks in a row I flopped quads.  Last week, I flopped 4 Queens.  Today, I flopped 4 aces.  That was nice, but the hand before it was the real interesting hand of the night.

With Blinds in the 100-200, I was in LP with pocket sixes.  UTG limps, I raise to 600, the SB calls, BB folds and limper calls.
The flop comes 6c-7x-10c for a flopped bottom set.
SB be1200.  Limper folds.  I repop to 4000.  SB Calls
Ace of spades comes on the turn.  I initially think this is a good card for me, cause that would give the SB top two, but I've got a concern that I'm already beat, so I've got to be smart.
He bets 4000 I raise to 8000.  He calls and immediately pushes the rest of his stack in blind, announcing that  he's all in to and says I'm hoping for a third club.  The river blanks with a 3 of hearts.
He's all in for all my chips.
So the board is:
6c-7x-10c-As-3h and I'm looking at a set of sixes.
His range at this point is:
Pocket 7's, 8's, 9's, 10's,  Most medium to big aces (A-8 and up) suited connectors starting with 7,8.  KQ of clubs, maybe J9 of clubs, but that would be at the bottom of his range.
I tanked for 30 seconds or so and fold my cards face up.
He doesn't show but later tells me he had pocket 10's for top set.  Most people at my table though it was a bad fold, the villain was surprised I folder.  10's made sense for his line, so I'l believe him for them.
The very next hand I flopped quads and got a little of my money back.

I grinded for the next  hour or so, not really getting to many hands to play.  I was never really able to get any momentum going as the cards or the action was never a good combo for me.
I focused a lot on making sure I played my position well.  I mostly stayed away from out of position plays, except for the blinds.  I think the only UTG play I made the whole night was pocket aces. (I had them twice!)
The second time I got them, UTG, I raised to 3x BB, and got two callers.  Dude to my immediate left and who I didn't think was very good, and a slightly loose, but good player on the other side of the table.
The flop cam QJ5 rainbow. I bet 8 large and the dude insta-calls me.  The guy on the other side hates that!  He tanks and finally calls.  Turn blanks and I rebet 8 grand.  Insta-call again and the other side folds.  River is a complete blank and the only hand I can put my neighbor on is QJ for a flopped two pair.  As soon as I check he announces he missed and tables 9 10.  The other side says he folded AQ so I probably could have won a bit more if Mr. Instacall hadn't been in there, but this hand put me back over my original starting stack, so I was pretty happy.


Things to work on:  Sqeezing and three betting from position with a wider range.
I had a few leaks with some calls that were a little light on my part, that I may have wanted to bet/raise, and I have to work harder on trying to bet the villain off a week river hand.  All in all, happy with my progress.
In the last 14 weeks, I've final tabled 9 times and cashed 5.  I've started tracking them officially the last 5 weeks and you can view my statistics on my google docs Poker Info link.

Another Day, Another Final table

The cards weren't much better overall than they were last week.  However, there were a few interesting hands and a few interesting spots that I want to record.
To start off, I was folding a bunch of junk cards...my VPMIP was low...maybe 1 in 15 to start the session.  I got in a little trouble when I had QdJh in the BB and flopped top pair but ended up losing when my Q was good for the second nuts and my neighbor had the nutted K.  I think I lost the minimum there.
A little later, blinds were 100-200, and I was in MP when a guy two to my right (UTG +1 I think) bumped it to 600.  Standard raise.  I got the impression he was a bit more of a cash player than a tourney player.  I look down at 77 so I flat call and the button and SB call as well.  The flop comes GIN: A77.  Never flopped four of a kind before, it felt kind of nice.  Original Raiser checks, I check. Button bets 2000, SB calls OR folds (in disgust...nothing says KK like folding in that spot).
Turn was a blank and checked around.  The river completed a possible flush.  SB checks I bet 7000.  Too much I thought at first.  There was 8600 or so in the pot.  Button folds and SB tanks and calls with a small flush.  I table my two pair for the win and get over my starting stack.

A few hands later, I'm the SB with AsJx.  I think it was a 4 or 5 handed pot and I limp. Probably should have bumped it to 500 or 600, but no smart bet gets anyone else out and it was to early for a good squeeze.  People were still too deep.
Flop comes 10 9 Q...all spades.  I check with the nut flush and straight draws...maybe should bet there, but it doesn't change anything.  Checks to the button who bets 5 large.  I call, everyone else folds.  Turn is a blank.  5k, call.  River is 8 of spades.  Everything just got there.  Flush and straight draws.  I bet 5 k and he repops to 10k.  I'm convincing myself he's got the Ks and not the Js so I call and he shows the Straight Flush.  Of course.
So, two the three hands I've played have involved a SF and Quads.  Nice.
A few hands later at my table, and fella tables quads and then a few after that, we had quads run up against a Straight Flush.  Five monsters in an hour.  Never seen that.

After that hand, I was down to 15k.  Started with 30.  I'm trying not to be the guy who just folds it in and tilts off his stack.  Blinds were 200-400 at the end of the level, so I had room if the cards would cooperate.
Near the end of the session, I was again in MP and looked down at 10's.  Dude to my right (folded Kings earlier) min raised to 800.  I raised to 2100 I think.  He called  I figured him for any ace and anything other than an ace shows on the flop and I'm all in.  Flop comes queen high.  Bets defensively (2xbb) and I'm all in.  He tanks and calls showing a weak ace.  My tens hold up and I'm near my starting stack again.  I really liked the way I played that hand, particularly against the guy I played it with.
A lot of the players in that house would have pushed with the 10's hoping no one calls and just getting the blinds.  I thought I had a good read and would gamble on it being correct and the gamble paid off.
The way I see it, if I push, most of my callers will be a head of me or racing.  While I wouldn't HATE a race in that situation, I'd way rather be more confident in my read and have the ability to fold if I think I'm beat.

I played pretty ABC poker after that.  The blinds went up quickly, so I started to have to push.  I picked my spots pretty well and never got calls. Stealing the blinds built my stack pretty quickly.
Two other significant hands. The first played itself.
In the previous hand I was in MP and the guy to my left limps.  The blinds call.  Boring flop with checks all around. The board pairs threes on the turn and the limper bets larged.  SB folds.  BB tanks forever and finally calls showing a 10-3 for trips.  Limper tables Kings.  The turn put the third club out there, so the BB thought the limper could have a flush.  I played with him enough to know he'll never have a flush there and bet it.  Ever.  A ten hit the river so the BB boated and doubled up.  The limper had 123,000 left.
I'm now UTG +1 and wake up with Aces.  There is no way the limper is not tilting now, so with blinds 5000-10000 I make it 25k.  He snap pushes and I insta-call with 124,000.  He tables A5 off and I double up.
That pretty much set me up till the cards got mean later and I went bust-o in 5th.  However the last hand I want to mention was at a previous table to the AA's.
Again, in MP the dude UTG pushes.  I've played with him for a few hours and have a feel for his range.  At this point any decent ace and any pair of 6's and he's pushing with ~80,000.  I'm sitting on a buck 30 or so, so I have plenty to call and still play if I lose.  There were some big stacks behind me.  I look down and see AK off.  I look up and know I'm ahead.  But I feel REAL bad about my spot.  Thinking if I call or push, some of the big stacks may feel priced in with J10 or some other suited connector.  I didn't feel the need to take the risk as I was in good chip position and feeling good about my play, so I fold there.  He tabled A10 so I had him dominated but still feel good about my play.  It was terrible I know, but I just had a bad feeling about it.
Trying to use my head and my gut and it's doing ok for now.

Quick overview of the month of poker. Usually only play the Sunday Night $35 buy-in at Vision Lanes. I've been playing there for about 9 weeks. The other place I've played burnt down a month or two before that. That was The Electric Stick. They had great action and huge tourneys going on there. All the people haven't made their way over to Trip Kings at Vision lanes, but the games are growing. Generally there are between 40 and 60 people at the 7pm Sunday game. Since I've been going there, I've cashed 4 times for around $1000, and I've final tabled all by 3 times. On the 4th I split first place for $360. This was my second $300+ cash of the summer so I'm up. The cards were nice to me that night, and I played well to go with the cards. That's the opposite of the 12th. I had nice cards, but played terrible. Two hands defined my (short) evening.

1. I started the hand in MP with KcQc.  I opened for 3 times the Button (villian) and was raised another three by the button.  SB and BB fold.  I call
1. I know the Villain.  He's pretty tight and if he re-raises me, he's strong.  I can't put him on a big pair because he would have raised more.  A small pair and he's set mining, so I figure he's got a big ace.  Maybe AK or AQ.
2. The flop comes KQ 3.  Yatzee!  Two pair and he's either TPTK or darn close with the hands I put him on.  I bet about half the pot.  He raises gain.
1. Guarantee he's got AK now.  Big pairs just hit sets and he's check-calling to trap.  But since he re-raises he's thinking TPTK is good.
3. I call (maybe should re-pop here). Turn is a total blank.  I make the same bet and he calls.  He's getting a bit worried that he's behind two pair or a set.
4. Bink: Ace hit the river.  If my read is right, I'm beat.  If my read is wrong, I could have been beat all the time!  I check.  He bets 3k.  Just enough to sucker me in.  I know he's got AK but I call anyway only to see the AK and muck my worst two pair.

A few hands later I got knocked out by this hand

1. I started on in the BB, with lots of chips left, and look down at 33.
2. It folds to the button who limps in.  I've got plenty of history with this guy.  Early in tournament he's prone to crazy bets on air.  I should find it a little weird he didn't raise.
3. SB completes and I check my 3's.  Maybe should raise, but I don't think this changes the texture of the hand.
4. The flop comes 534 rainbow...flopped a set. Nice.
1. SB checks.  I raise.  Villain calls. SB calls.
5. Turn comes an 8
1. SB Checks I raise. Villain calls. SB raises. I call. Button pushes.  SB folds I call.
2. He turns 67 for the turned straight.  I miss the board pairing and I'm out.

I totally didn't see the high end of the straight and I couldn't put him on flopping the straight at the low end.  It never occurred to me that he turned the straight.  I figured him for two pair and was trying to get flush draws out of there.  It worked on the SB, but not on me.

This past Sunday was a fold fest.  I think I voluntarily put money in the pot (VPMP) 1 out of 15 hands.  And those were often stretches to my usual range!
I went busto in 7th on AJ suited against QQ.  The AJ was my second AJ of the night, and tied for the 5th best hand of the evening:  KK, AQ, 44, AJ, AJ.  I figure I played in the neighborhood of 130 hands and that was my top 5.  Tough to be TAG in those spots.

Overall, I'm happy with my thinking process, reads against other players and play.  For the most part.  Still have a long way to go before I'm where I want to be, but I'll get there.

Three Pair on the River

Hello world!  This is the initial post for a blog about my thoughts around poker.
The point of this blog will be mostly as a place for holding my thoughts regarding poker:  how I've played; how others played against me; and overall strategy.
I will attempt to post my buy-ins and winnings to track the starting with August 2013 results.

Poker Stats