Month: August 2016

Last week’s cooler.  $22 tournament I ran a pair of tens from the small blind into the big blind’s Aces on the bubble. I came 6th and  remaining five players each won a $109 ticket.  Rule 4 – Sometimes they have aces. You must remember that in no limit Texas holdem when you play a hand it may be your last. Enter pots with the appropriate level of caution that is required and from an ICM perspective be aware that sometimes it is mathematically correct play to even fold Aces.

ICM, also known as the Independent Chip Model, is a mathematical formula used by poker players to calculate the equity of their chip stack in a tournament. Players often use these calculations to make better decisions in subsequent hands or even to determine a fair and equitable deal when chopping up remaining prize money. Tournament chips hold a non-linear value, meaning one big blind is worth more to a short stack than one big blind for the chip leader.

Raise from late position of 1,200 and I flat on the button with AQo Big Blind shoves all-in for 27,000 this is the 3rd time he has over shoved all-in. I call to see what he has…and he turns over a pair of nines. He hits a nine on the flop for his set and I hit my ace. So suddenly I look at my stack and it’s been halved and all my good early tournament work is undone in one hand. Rule 3 – Don’t call big bets out of curiosity as most people’s bets mean what they say. His bet said “I have a medium pair  and it figures to be best pre-flop. I don’t want to just call as I’ll be playing out of position with a flop that has over cards. My preferred play is to get my chips in good now.”

There is nothing better than Aces in the big blind, re-raising an early position raise of 5 K to 14 K Villan shoves with  his AK and I double up to 72 K. Now at level 10  with 23 out of 40 left, I’m 8th  and the top five players win $2,000 packages to WPT Ireland…almost forgot about my ill advised call with AQ0

Initial raiser in early position to 2,400 I bump it to 9 K with Queens and get a shove behind of 31 K  from KJ0 the ladies hold up and I move into 2nd place with 110 K.

12:22 a.m. made it to the last five and a $2,000 dollar package to the WPT Ireland…what a feeling, played well and controlled the ICM implications when there was a flat prize for the first five. It made hand selection and shove tables something to master and is an area I need to review…

Packages Includes:
€1,100 WPT National Ireland Entry 15th – 18th September 2016
4 Nights Accommodation
$200 Spending Money

Bankroll £1,530 – £161 = +£1,369

I used a $109 ticket to buy in late for a 30 K stack at level 7 with blinds at 300/600 50 BB at 1.11 a.am after a night out. $2,250 for the winner 16/25 players left with late registration still open. Raise from the cutoff and I shove 44 into 10 10 with 10 BB and its all over, I finished 50th out of 100. Immediately bought in for a $22 tournament and ended up getting it in with top pair losing to a set of nines on a 9 high flop. I finished 31st out of 50…no mistakes but $131 dollars down for the night. It would have been a better choice to play the Super Stack at the Victoria casino for £150 + £20 and the chance to win £16 K…Rule 2 Alcohol and poker don’t mix 

For context I did win  £6,250 two weeks ago and bought this new poker ring to bring some bling to my live game.

Bank roll – £161.39

You feel lousy as you wake up the next morning, the first thing that goes through your head is the the hand. After everything you’ve learned, after all the study, you’re still capable of playing like a total donk. Remembering Vanessa Selbst stick in $169,500 all in pre-flop in a cash game with Jd7d against Prahlad Friedman’s AhAd is little consolation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcDx27e2Rzo

I hate losing, even in a £60 competition, especially if I play badly. Blinds 300/600 50 ante raise from seat 5 an old steady guy in sunglasses to 1,200 call from cutoff. I bump it to 4,500 with AcKs from a stack of 32.5 K the initial raiser calls the other folds, giving me heads up in position.  The flop is monotone, all spades and low, the villain checks his cards for spades, and donk raises 5,000. I have position and a draw to second nuts but I feel my draw may be no good. The donk lead is nearly always a draw, with an over pair I’d shove, I decide to re-evaluate on the turn as I have position. Turn is a blank and he bets 10,000, I have 23,000 behind and should fold, I have ace high and my draw may not be good. I call, it is just an awful decision, it should be an all in or fold. The spade comes on the river and he checks to me, I have the second nuts and 13 K behind and put it all in…he calls with the nut flush. When you don’t know where you are in the hand don’t bet!! It’s 10:30 p.m.  I stare at the table and  then slowly leave my seat. I’ve just lost 50 BB, my tournament life and ruined my Friday night for no good reason. ” You were committed the old guy says, I would have called a shove on the flop…” I wasn’t, it was just bad play…simple fold on the turn…

Bankroll -£60

This is my poker diary charting my journey through the levels and around the globe.