Month: January 2017 Page 1 of 2

Played cash and drop some $ key pot where was I called a re-raise OOP with AJs and hit the Ace high flop, Villain bet flop and shoved the turn which gave me a flush draw. I called to find he had A3o for 2 pair on the flop. Down to £354.32

Perhaps I should have 4-bet as he had re-raised me several times, not sure about calling raises OOP with AJs.

Played some cash until 2 am whilst watching the FA Cup Highlights, started well  closing out about $50 up. Then I rejoined after some chores and donked of $50 or $75 dollars for no good reason just awful play on terrible bluffs. This is a major leak in my game, in the final hand I had re-raised the flop c-bet with a pair of 10s when in position a board 0f 234 to get called. When a 5 came on the turn I checked to my opponent who bet half pot for $3.5 and I put my last $8 dollars in for no good reason, to be shown an obvious A to 5 straight an “entitlement” call.

Cash total £367.91

Played $25 NL cash whilst I read Molly’s Game and ended up with a balance of £372.99, up about £100. I then played one of my $55 tickets and bubbled the £220 prize when I came 4th with 3 getting payed. I played really well but lost the crucial flip with AJ v 77 of Lolawalleye all-in preflop, terrible to lose £220 on a flip but that is poker.

Finished Molly’s Game, it is an interesting read, hopefully one day I’ll find myself in one of these high stakes cash games at a table full of rich fish. Molly got off with probation in the end and 200 hrs of community service, she came across as a tough cookie. Toby McGuire was described in less than flattering terms. Articles here  and here. They have also just finished filming the screenplay “Molly’s Game” this January. Film to be released this year I guess.

I was playing well then the wheels fell off I hit top pair on a monoboard where the villain had flopped the nut flush. I then got it in with a pair and straight flush draw on the turn to be called by a queen high flush that hit the queen for $25 at the same time I got it all in from the big blind over a small blind open with ten to go in the $55 satellite holding AK v the villains AQ with a Queen on the river. After that I called it a night. Played really well but dumped $40 in the last 30 minutes.

In Zen and the Art of Poker he mentions this point and even though I am a math guy I know what he means sometimes the deck turns take that as the time to leave and go to bed or have dinner.

I’ve put £1,000 in my Barclays account from now on that is my bankroll for poker. I have currently in my PartyPoker Account £253.14 and $165 of tournament tickets and £59 on 888 Poker….all poker activity will need to grow from this seed fund.

Bankroll = £920 (£1,000 – £80 Aspers afternoon debacle)

Party Poker = £253.14 Tickets $165

888 Poker = £59

Reading Molly’s Game the story of Molly Bloom who ran an LA high-stakes poker game, Toby McGuire doesn’t fare too well in the book but his poker skills seem to be good as he was a winner at the tables.

I’ll finish the review tomorrow

Played 2 x $11 satellites for $55 tickets to the DTD £220 tournament £200K Gtd. In the first I folded AK on an AJ8 rainbow flop on the turn having checked the flop. Second hand I had AQ in the BB and got it all in versus a King high flush that got there on the river.  In the second tournament I finished 1st for a $55 ticket.

I also picked up $30 in cash by 9 pm and may do a session later after dinner to see if I can recoup my disastrous -£80 afternoon casino visit.

Travelled to Apsers for the Thursday afternoon £40 entry £1,000 Gtd with £5 bounty. First hand with blinds at 50/25 we get a raise UTG of 100 and UTG+1 re-raises to 200 and a caller from the SB. I put in an extra 150 with 87o from the BB and UTG completes and we go 4 way to the flop 9 10 J 2 hearts, SB checks and I bet 500 into the 800 pot, UTG folds and UTG makes it 1,200, I re-raise to 2,900 and UTG folds, UTG+1 tanks and finally calls. I thought he may be Hollywooding but was still surprised that he called. The turn was a blank as as we started with 8K stacks I put him all in hoping he’d flopped a set or had an overpair or the flush draw with AK. He called “Do you have King Queen?” I asked “Yeah…” 160 BB in one hand not good poker.

I re-entered and called what I took to be a button squeeze only to run into pocket aces I then raised to 425 with A9o from mid-position and go called from button and the big blind. I checked a flop of A Q 10 only for the button to raise to 1,000 I had 2,000 left and stuck it in to be shown AJ, it was a simple fold I would have had 10BB to play on with. £80 down in 50 minutes I got a pizza in Franco Manca and went home to play cash on-line which was the right decision as I was definitely on tilt.

So I was playing the 25NL game and flatted a 50 cent raise only to get a raise behind to $2.5 and a caller initial raiser folded and I shipped $25 with my disguised Queens. Initial re-raiser called and showed down pocket aces to take the pot. So how bad was my play and how many BB should you get all in with Queens pre-flop.

So if you re-raiser is tight by card distribution if he is playing KK+ and AK then he has AK 57% of the time and Aces or Kings 43% .

Here I should have flatted and taken a flop, for Jacks I put a maximum of 20-30 BB in pre-flop, with Queens 100BB deep you need to take a flop.

Came 81st out of 224 runners in the Friday £60 buy-in at Aspers played well and finished at midnight so not a bad night out. I cashed the previous Sunday winning  £110 net in the £40 bounty where one regular called me an “annoying c**t” for banging my chip stacks down, cutting them and re-stacking, repeatedly. I think he was on tilt as I’d slow played a monster and he’d bluffed the river big with a busted draw. I busted him shortly afterwards when he open shoved his pocket 4s into my big blind holding pocket 7s  for 15BB.  I spoke to the card room manager and made it clear that his behaviour was unacceptable although he didn’t get a penalty. He did get spoken to about it, but it is not what you want to hear on a Sunday afternoon. Cash has been up and down playing $25NL, I was up to £130 then down to £20 now back to £235. It seems key to not bluff all-in at these levels and I had one disastrous hand where I lost $70 on a complete airball shove into turned trip aces. I also played 2 x $11 satellites for 5 x $55 gtd tickets to the $220 DTD monthly tournaments and was successful both times. I played one $55 entry and came 7th when 5 x $220 tickets were guaranteed, I was counterfeited on the river by AK when the board double paired. Not sure if it was the right move shoving pockets 5s into 5 with 17BB with ICM on a flat structure with 7 left paying 5. I’ve bought some books to read on mixed games and three books of poker essays, I’ll update once I have made more progress with them. Booked Las Vegas 15th June for 6 nights at the Bellagio, flying Virgin Premium Economy direct for a great rate of £1, 574 per person for Resort Queen with two beds with Expedia. I’m looking to play the WSOP 3 day Senior’s event for $1,000 with my brother.    

I played 0.10/0.25 $25NL and quit with a $30 profit, also played a $5.50 satellite but got locked out and it cost me as the internet is flaky here. Played a $109 satellite ticket I had that was due to expire for the Millions on PartyPoker. I shoved a 40BB stack over a loose opener’s min raise and got called by pocket fives, unfortunately he hit trips on the flop and sent me to the rail. Not so bad, I want to transition to live cash before Vegas in the Summer so I can comfortably play the $1/$2 uncapped at the Golden Nugget, it seems a wild game.