Poker News & Reviews » General Poker Strategy

Held My Ground and Took It Down!

Reed — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 00:26:49 +0000

Played in the morning shoot out at my local casino. It was the normal Monday/Wed./Fri. crowd with only two people out of the eleven didn’t recognize. Didn’t take me to long to size up the two variables and label them both tight/conservative.

I wasn’t getting any really good starting hands but found a couple good situations to raise and take down some dead money just waiting for me in the middle of the table. Then I got a saving grace when I raised with Ace Queen off and pushed on a all low board. Got called by Ace King suited ( two of his suit flopped) and happy to say I hit a miracle Queen on the river to double up. Now I have some chips and gives me some breathing room to play some poker. I run my stack up and down till I get to heads up against one of the local pro’s.

He offered me a deal but ended up turning it down after he wouldn’t budge over leaving a tip. So we played it out. He was ready to gamble but didn’t let him suck me into that kind of no skill coin flip type of pissing contest. We ended up getting it all in four times and every time I had the best hand and amazingly they held up every time.

It was a good win and very satisfying to get the whole thing after the guy wouldn’t make a reasonable deal.

(he lost it all over a dealer tip)

Took 1st Place at UB PLO8 Tournament

Reed — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 07:45:34 +0000

This was a fun little tourney I played on Ultimate Bet. It was a low buy-in with rebuys and add-ons. I was doing good before the brake so I didn’t do any re-buys but did the add-on just to pad my chips a little.

Stage #384248635 Tourney ID 5770529 Omaha Hi/Lo Multi Normal Tournament Pot Limit 2,500 – 2010-10-05 19:31:14 (ET)
Table: 1 (Real Money) Seat #6 is the dealer
Seat 6 – DEMONBIRD71 (130,459 in chips)
Seat 7 – MEME917 (16,041 in chips)
DEMONBIRD71 – Posts small blind 1,250
MEME917 – Posts big blind 2,500
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to DEMONBIRD71 [4h Kd 3c 10h]
DEMONBIRD71 – Calls 1,250
MEME917 – Raises 5,000 to 7,500
DEMONBIRD71 – Calls 5,000
*** FLOP *** [10c Kh Js]
MEME917 – All-In 8,541
DEMONBIRD71 – Calls 8,541
*** TURN *** [10c Kh Js] [2s]
*** RIVER *** [10c Kh Js 2s] [Ac]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
DEMONBIRD71 – Shows [4h Kd 3c 10h] (Two Pair, kings and tens)
MEME917 – Shows [Jd 9h 8c 10s] (Two Pair, jacks and tens)
DEMONBIRD71 Collects 32,082 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total Pot(32,082)
Board [10c Kh Js 2s Ac]
Seat 6: DEMONBIRD71 (dealer) (small blind) won Total (32,082) HI:(32,082) with Two Pair, kings and tens [4h Kd 3c 10h - B:Kh,P:Kd,P:10h,B:10c,B:Ac]
Seat 7: MEME917 (big blind) HI:lost with Two Pair, jacks and tens [Jd 9h 8c 10s - B:Js,P:Jd,P:10s,B:10c,B:Ac]

Omaha Crash and Burn Day

Reed — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 05:21:37 +0000

Played the live cash Omaha H/L game at the casino today. It started out a little slow then my cards started hitting and I blew up about three and a half buy-in’s. This was great because i dropped a couple the other night during the Jeep drawings.
Most of the table was the same old regulars with a couple new people to figure out peppered in. Didn’t take long to see the new people had no idea what they were doing, which was good for a while………until……all of their runner runner and two outers on the river started to hit. And hit, and hit.
I started to feel sick as much nut hands on the flop and turn were being run over with hands sane people wouldn’t even have called pre-flop! They stopped being the pay off fish and were oblivious sharks falling into one wining hand after another. My sickness was getting worse as my chips kept disappearing.
I ended up busting out of the table and not re-buying. All I can hope is that this session re-inforced thier bad play into their minds and they will keep coming back hoping to get amazingly lucky.

Showed No Mercy at No Limit Hold’em Shootout

Reed — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:26:39 +0000

Played the Morning NL Hold’em shootout this morning at the casino after much debate with the wife. We hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before and had to drag each other out of bed to take the kid to school which just so happens to be just passed the casino. A coincidence I assure you. A convenient one true but sometimes a slight hindrance when other things are getting put off because hell the breakfast there is decent and pretty cheap and might as well go play some poker and make some money while were at it.

As you may have already guessed I decide to play the tournament, while not so much me as the blackjack machine my wife was playing. We do as the machines tell us. She had a set amount to spend and if she was doing well when it was time for the shootout to start then I would play, if not, it’s back home to get something done ( or nap , which ever).

I was playing well, got a hold of some chips and started to push the local heavy table. most of them are push overs and even when they do get a big hand they priced me in or slow played it till I caught up and busted them out. When it got down to three handed I had the chip lead and the lone woman at the table took her stand with no pair when I put her all in with trips on the flop. Yes I raised with Jack three off suit and hit trip threes on the flop, I was running good and I figured they were just going to fold.

Heads up! Most of the time the locals like to chop the pot at this time and either get into a Hold’em game or go about their day. Not today my friend i was here to play and wasn’t about to show any mercy (Slayer is now playing in the back ground). I have played alot with Mr. D. and know his game well. He thinks of himself as tricky but most of the time I see right through him. I pulled off several bluffs and got away clean when he had big hands and in the end I was victorious. I got all the cash and a entry into the end of the month freeroll.

Feeling good.

Let there be Omaha

Reed — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:13:25 +0000

Went to the casino tonight for a drawing they were having and thankfully they had a Omaha H/L game in the poker room. I lost a little bit before the game broke up because of a tournament that was starting. I hung around (was going to be there for the casino drawing anyway) and another game broke out about two hours later.

The game went alot better for me. Had a couple other aggressive players and a few rocks mixed with some calling stations. This made for an enjoyable game and wining made it that much better.

Football season will be starting which will bring more people to the casino and most likely lots of action and Omaha seven days a week.

Got High at the Omaha H/L Game

Reed — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 03:09:56 +0000

I waited a long time to get into the Omaha H/L game this morning ( well didn’t actually get in till this afternoon) and was a little anxious to play. I had played a single table Hold’em shootout tournament that morning and got knocked out fourth place ( no money) and because of my bad timing I was far enough down on the Omaha list to make for a long wait. So i left the casino for about two hours or so and got back on the list.

I sit down and right off the bat I get some premium hands that hit the board square on and get paid off. The start of a good session. I know most of the table really well, a couple new faces but all in all I know exactly how to play to squeeze out the maximum from the poor and frankly weak play.

I get this hand on the button (Qd,Qs,3h,9h) which by all standards should have not only been folded but burned might be more appropriate. Anyway there was the usual table full of limper’s and frankly I was thinking I was going to at least hit a Queen so I limped in also. Flop came Kc,Qh,3c. Bingo! Well my feeling was right now My set of Queens just has to hold up ( if I’m not beat already with someone holding pocket Kings) so after two people check a moderately aggressive younger guy bets out, couple callers and here I come over the top with a raise to try and protect my hand while at the same time get more money in the pot. I get two callers ( at this point I have a filthy three percent chance of wining after finding out what my opponents had I ran it through a calculator). The turn reveals a Ah. Not a horrible card but it certainly made at least one of them a straight so it’s time to slow down. Sure enough the caller was now betting with what I figured to be a made nut straight ( but I still have a forty one percent chance of wining with my flush and full house draws). A beautiful 8h hits the river giving me a flush. The original better fires out a bet leaving me only able to call with my weak flush. The other person called also with their straight.

My flush holds up for high and I get a very decent pot. Unfortunately the original better also had a 2,4 to split half the pot (he also had the nut straight with the club re draw)

Bad beat?

Reed — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 22:45:46 +0000

I think we all put way too much energy into what has gone wrong and how unfair it all is. ( I know I have ). I’m really trying to look past the surface of the “bad beats” and learn from each decision.

Whatever the out come, did you really make the best decisions through out the whole hand? or for that matter were you even supposed to be at that table or even that level? Should one hand in the scheme really make any difference? Maybe if we think a little deeper into the whole situation we will find there was alot of other factors in play then just not raising enough pre flop with your pocket Kings or whatever.

    When things seemingly go wrong they have an immediate hurt effect and we are ready to blame everything and everyone else. Maybe a better approach would be to take a couple steps back and look over the whole situation. Maybe it wasn’t best to jump in a game when you have 10min. before you have to go to work or while dinner is cooking. Sometimes the out come of things is just a way of telling you to think it all the way through next time before you put your foot through the monitor screaming how fixed internet poker is.

                       Just a bit of Zen poker logic, hope it is helpful.

Big Slick Bad Beat

Vegas Details on the way

Reed — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 07:51:50 +0000

Will be posting some updates of my recent exploits in Vegas at The World Series of Poker, so wait by your computer in anticipation and I’ll get to it when I can.

No related posts.

Casino Arizona Poker Room Continued Post

Reed — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 20:25:44 +0000

Back home and it’s later, around 10:30pm, and I get the feeling it’s going to be a good night to hit the $5-$150 hold’em spread game at the local casino. So it’s kisses all around and off I go. I’m not letting the days bad run effect me, I have full confidence I’m going to come out a winner. I even tell my wife on the way out that I think I’m going to win $500 tonight.

I get to the casino and get on the list, 2nd name from the top, but I don’t have to wait long. the table has the usual maniacs and a couple unknowns. There is a lot of money on the table and one of my favorites has most it (we shall call him Mr. T and he has what looks to be $2,600+) Mr. T is very aggressive and is raising every pot. It is throwing off some of the non regulars but I’m used to it and better yet I can tell when he’s got it or bluffing.

Right off the bat I get involved in several hands but must lay them down. In one hand I had Jack, seven of diamonds on the button and call a small raise along with six others in the hand. The flop comes seemingly perfect with seven, four, two and two diamonds, so I got top pair and a decent flush draw with position on everyone. Well everyone else must like it too because they go crazy with betting and raising. I may have the best hand now, I don’t know, and a nice draw but I’ve got a bad feeling and lay it down without putting anymore in the pot. Mr. T makes a straight, nobody believes he has anything and he gets paid off with a huge pot and best of all I didn’t let myself get trapped in the hand and lose a lot of money.

Now I’m down a bit but I’m still feeling good. I win a couple pots, with pocket Jacks no less (made a set) and squeezed as much as I could out of the players. I got nervous in one hand when one of the tighter players kept calling my big bets (I was on a Queen high flush draw and trying to win the pot without a show down) and I really couldn’t figure out what he had but he seemed determined to stick with it. My flush didn’t appear but I hit my six kicker for a pair, bottom pair but a pair no less. I can feel he wants to bet after I check on the river but thankfully he can’t pull the trigger and I take down a healthy pot. The guy told me he had an Ace high flush draw, no pair. (Glad that spade didn’t come). Another hand I have pocket two’s in my hand and call a raise in late position (come on deuce I pray). Bam! right on the flop, Ace , eight, two… beautiful. There is two to a flush so I raise Mr. O to try and narrow it down to heads up. We end up getting all his money in when he makes two pair on the river (Aces and Kings) and I take down a six hundred plus dollar pot. Mr. O is a restaurant owner and doesn’t seem to care much about money, he bought everyone breakfast soon after that hand.

I call some big bluffs from Mr. T and make some really good value bets and now I am the big chip holder at the table. I play till about 5:30am miss a flush draw and decide it was a good time to cash out my $1,200 and book a bad ass win.

Went Back to the Casino Arizona Poker Room

Reed — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 21:09:17 +0000

Well, took another Wednesday trip to C.A.P.R. (Casino Arizona Poker Room) and then swung over to the Vemma store in Scottsdale on the way back to pick up some people’s orders ( and raid the samples in the refrigerater).

I got into the $1-2-250 fairly quickly lost about fithty dollars and then was called for a seat in the Omaha 08 game, so I switched over ( and did I mention it was my wife who busted my pocket ten’s and took my money….oh I didn’t…ok then …moving on….). I make the nut straight the second hand I sit down, get paid off and things are starting to look like their going to be pretty good. There is several people from the other week at the table and I recognize another from playing here a long time ago. Lots of calling stations, not real aggressive, and just waiting to give me all their money. At least that was the plan….until……… (you are now entering Omaha HELL!!!!!)……..I flop the nuts, turn even better hand and slammed on the river and i get nothing. One premium hand after another. Hitting like crazy and they just can’t hold up, straights are ripped, flushes down the drain and all my boats are sunk (and did I mention how my wife saw I was giving so much away that she came over from the other table to join the party and take all my money…….no, …..ok….)

So I guess I trying to say that it didn’t really go well and as horrible as it sounds I still had a pretty good time. I do love the game and like I tell other people when they are getting run over…”..you can’t just love it when your winning …if you can’t find anything good even when your losing you really shouldn’t be playing this game…” ( people give me the finger alot, and tell me to shut the f@%ck up).

Now, after busting out a couple times, here comes the moment of grim truth that all poker players must face, do I or don’t I re-buy again. I had already started considering this as my chips were dwindling and the table was using me as their personal ATM machine and here it is I’m in a hand that was capped pre-flop with the raiser to my left and I just flopped the nuts. Well I think I’m about to get my answer. Win, and keep playing and turn it around, or lose and cut the noose before the losses become any worse. So sure enough the river pairs the board giving usual donator a full house. Got my answer, I listened and got up. They will bring my money back another day and I’ll get it back, this I am sure of.

I then proceed to play some of the ancient video poker machines the newly renovated casino have provided while I wait for my wife (and hope she cleans them all out). I recommend not doing this. They have these machines cranked down so tight it was a miracle just getting a qualifying pair, which then only gives you your bet back. Now this was torture.

We finished up with getting rid of all the pesky extra money we had, and now it’s off to the Vemma store. The candy land of liquid nutrition. It’s really funny how goofy and kid like this place makes my wife and I. Laughter is contagious and healing. We pick up some Verve, Vemma, and Verve shots for some people my wife knows who work at The Center for the New Age in Sedona.

And now it’s back up the mountain for the return trip……..pick up our daughter…….family time…….and wait a second ….the night is still young and there is a casino right down the next exit with people just waiting to give me money.

To be continued……………………