Sat Game Through Ash's Eyes

Sat Night Aces Cracked Game.

There were only 6 of us. These guys often play a different game than most. There aren’t many large pots unless 2 people have absolute monsters. And then sometimes no one pushes. The players aren’t real tight, that’s not it. It’s more of a min-raise game. If you bet hard often they will call you with a strong hand that they weren’t playing hard. I don’t think they under-value hands they are just passive bettors.

Level 1 – 10/20

I limp with 44. SB drops and Greb in the BB checks. Flop comes QxQs5x. Greb throws out the usual limp-bet. I just call. 3s drops on the turn. Limp-bet and a call. River limp-bet and I then raise it to140. He just calls and turns over Js8s for the flush.

See what I’m talking about here. The only hands that he has to be worried about here are the boat or a K or A high flush. Any day I come over the top here on the river. I’m making it at the very least 400 to call here.

OK, I am totally sickened by my play in this hand. I thought I was ahead the whole time. The biggest mistake was not raising the flop. He like drops if I make it 100 to go. If not I get away from my bottom pr. To call is definitely the wrong move here. I get no info at all. He either folds or I’m done with the hand.

I limp with QJo and cns1 and Greb call. K98 flop. Cns1 checks and Greb limp-bets. I raise it pot. All drop.

Level 2 – 15/30

I’m in the BB with T8o. I hit TP on a T-high flop. I min-raise and Greb calls. 9 turn. I min-raise again and get called. River brings the 7 and my straight. I bet higher than the minimum and Greb leaves me hanging. Smallish pot.

1090 in chips.

In the BB with T9o. Flop comes 942 rainbow. Greb does the usual and I make it 60 to go. He calls. K turn. I min-raise and he calls. River brings another K. I MR and he calls again. I turn over a pr of 9’s. He mucks.

1240 in chips.

I raise 3xBb with KK. Greb calls. Qxx-small on flop. He MR and I elect to smooth-call. Out comes a J. He MR, raise it up, and he drops.

1360 in chips.

Cns1 calls, Greb min-raises to 60 and Shaman calls. I’m sitting in the SB with TT. I make a strong raise to 390 and everyone flees the premises.

1480 in chips.

Key hand – Greb vs Shaman. I missed the betting sequence here, but they were betting the whole way. A86J was the board to through the turn, 2 of which were diamonds. River comes the Kd. Greb pushes. Shaman requests time. Finally he calls and turns over AK for top 2 pr. Greb shows 2 junk diamonds for the flush, which sends Shaman down the road as 1st out.

Level 3 - 25/50

I’m UTG+1 at the 5-handed table with A6o. I raise to 150. Cns1 calls from the SB. He folds to my CB.

1605 in chips.

I just complete from the BB with KQ in a multi-way limp-pot. Qxx flop. I raise it up and Cns1 calls me. Turn x-small and he folds to my aggression.

2155 in chips.

I have AJ s and limp into the pot with plj1, who been fairly tight throughout. Flop brings QT2 rainbow and he comes in for a smallish bet. I push hard and come over the top by going allin. He asks for time, waits right down to the end, and then calls. He turns over KK and I am praying for an A. None come and I leave feeling unfulfilled.

I go out in 5th. I’m pretty satisfied with the way I played up to the end. I will even advocate that I played the final hand right. As you can see he was tight enough that he was willing to fold an over pr to the board. There were a lot of small hands that I didn’t note because the short-handed table didn’t allow a lot of time for note taking. I make a few well-timed bluffs and a few that weren’t. I grabbed the blinds a few times, and played the SB a lot looser hoping to spike or bluff a scary board. I also played overall somewhat looser than my norm, due once again, to the short-handed nature of the game.

Due to the smaller games with the Aces Cracked Boys I really need to cash often. I do understand that in the larger field of the weekly blogger tournaments that I won’t cash often. Yet when I do, I’ll get a bigger return. Though I’m just trying to learn the tourney game, it would still be nice to be up or at least not have to invest a lot of money to but proficient. I also have just recently read Harrington on Hold’em Vol 1 and am currently halfway through Vol 2. I must say these are the best poker books I have read to date.