Putting My New Tournament Poker Approach to the Test: #1

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Putting My New Tournament Poker Approach to the Test: #1

Sunday I went to Lucky Chances for $225 buy-in $10,000 first place guarantee event. I wanted to try out my new approach to tournaments. Unlike most events, the Lucky Chances tourney is a Re-entry one" that is, if you get knocked out in the first 4 rounds, you can buy back in. It is not your traditional rebuy format.

There were over 120 players that entered. I was lucky to start out at the "final table" since it is less likely I will be moved. I was in table 1, seat 1.

Early Stages

My starting style was to be totally passive pre-flop with all my hands, even the premium starting hands. My objective was to take on more risk, to get more chips.

The first hand: I am in the small blind for $25. They give you $5,000 to start.
Everyone folds to me. I peek at my cards and almost fall off my chair. I have QQ. I call the $50 big blind.

The big blind raises me to $125. I call.

The flop is 2-4-5 with 2 spades. I check and call a $125 bet.

The turn is another 4. I check. My opponent bets.

I figure this is the time to raise. I raise his $200 bet to $600.

He re-raises me to $1,500!! Oh no! Disaster on hand one. I make a reluctant call.

The river is a J. We both check. He shows Q-4. I lose almost half my stack on the first hand.

I continue to limp, even with A-K. I keep missing. My stack is getting lower and lower.

However, right before the break, I get back to even thanks to two key hands:

I win some chips when my Q-J gets raised by the weakest player at the table and I call. The flop comes J high. I check, call. On the turn it's check, check. And on the river since my pair is still high, I bet. My opponent folds and shows A-K.

A few hands later I'm dealt the Ac-10c in back position. I limp and the weak player on the big blind calls, as does one other player. The flop is 8 high with 2 clubs. They check, I bet and only the weak player calls. The turn is another club, giving me the nut flush. I check after my opponent. The river is a rag.

I am going to bet small hoping my opponent will call, when I notice he seems eager to call any bet. I bet the pot or $1,500 and he insta-calls. He has A-K.

Middle Rounds

In the middle rounds, my approach is not to call. Raise or fold. It works quite well and I build a nice stack.

I get lucky when I raise pre-flop with A-A and an opponent makes a move all-in with K-Q suited. I double up.

I am able to move my stack up to $15,000 in chips and we are at the $300-$600 level.

Late Rounds

After the break, we are down to 4 tables. I need to build my stack since the blinds are now at $600-$1,200 with $100 ante. I still have about $15,000.

Under the gun, I am dealt K-K. I raise to $3,700. A player on the button with $20,000 pushes all-in. What do you think he has to make this move?

I call.

He shows Ad-Td. Oh my! What hand did he think he could beat with that play?

I am feeling good when the flop is 7-7-J with no diamonds.

I am feeling even better when the turn is a 2 of spades.

When the river is an Ace....well, I'm sick.

Conclusion

I'm not sure I can take away too much from this experience. Except for the fact that the construction near the Golden Gate Bridge is so bad, it took my almost 2 hours to make a 30 minute trip back home. I may avoid Lucky Chances, and head back to the Oaks.

One final note. If I had a hand like pocket Jacks I would simply move in that last hand. The reason is that I don't mind someone going over the top when I have Kings. When I have Jacks, if I'm going to call a move all-in, it's better to move-in first.

How I cashed for $3,000 in Sunday's Poker Tournament

How I cashed for $3,000 in Sunday's Poker Tournament

I've recently started playing the Sunday poker tournaments at the local card room in Colma, CA, called Lucky Chances. I pretty much stopped playing there since the structure was really bad. With buy-ins of $225 and more, I'd like a little play for my money.

However, when I visited last month, I found that the club was now using automatic shufflers which sped up the game and the luck-fest wouldn't start until the final 4 tables of the 10 plus tables they usually get for these events.

Sunday's Event

The tournament on Sunday was a $330 Re-enter buy-in event with a $20,000 1st place guarantee. Everyone received $5,000 in chips and the rounds were 20 minutes. The starting level was $25-$50.

What is a re-enter event? In the first 4 rounds (one hour of play), if you get knocked out you can re-enter by buying back in. Bizarre. Who would do that?

Well, there were almost 150 players who entered the event and 47 of them re-entered--oh my, over $600 invested to play in this one local event.

The Early Rounds

In the first hour, I was not getting any cards. I made three loose calls in the big blind since I was getting over 2-1 odds and my hands were playable, sort of. In all three cases, I folded on the flop.

I did pick up a tell on the player to my right--which was not worth anything. And I did pick up the betting pattern of the most aggressive player at the table which would come into play later on.

I was down to $3,200 in chips and in the $200 big blind. The player under the gun limped and there were three callers. I found A-8 and checked it.

The flop was A-8-6. I checked expecting someone to bet, so I could check raise. Everyone checked.

The turn was a 5. I checked again. The limper bet half the pot, and the next player moved all-in for $2,500. It was folded to me. What did this player have? I figured he had A-5. I moved all-in. The under the gun player folded. My opponent had 6-5 and my top 2 pair held up.

In the second hour, the blinds start at $200-$400. I loosen up since the blinds are bigger and most players tend to be uncomfortable with a stack at 10-15 times the big blinds.

Everyone folded to me on the cut-off and I raised to $1,200. The player in the big blind called. He was a tight player. I had raised with A-5 suited. The flop came Q-J-7. He checked and I checked. No, I don't automatically follow up with a c-bet all of the time. I want to see if the coast is clear.

The turn is a 2. He checked and I bet 75% of the pot. Two checks is a sign of weakness. He folded.

I raised in late position a lot and one time the small blind went over the top. I folded since I was trying to steal the blinds.

Middle Stages of Play

The blinds were getting up there and I had been blinded and anted off to where I was back down to $5,000. I was on the cut-off at a new table and found Q-10. With the blinds at $500-$1000 I moved all in. The small blind insta-called. He turned over A-4. Huh? He only had one more chip than me. I hit the 10 on the flop and doubled up.

The Q-10 was actually the best hand I had been dealt after about 4 hours of play. It was sickening.

I got moved to a new table.

I suddenly had this "feeling" that I was going to finish 3rd. And if you read my blog, you know I believe in these feelings.

Unfortunately, I continued to be card dead. It was down to 5 tables and I needed to make a move soon. I was in the small blind. I had about 7 times the big blind. Everyone folded to me. I found K-9. Hey, that's a monster! I moved all-in.

This new player in the big blind is a very tight player, and he started to hem and haw. I wanted a fold. He finally called. He turned over A-10. I hit my 9 on the turn and more than doubled up--when including the antes.

Late stages of the Event

We were down to 3 tables. I believe we were in the 6th hour of play. I had about 9x's the big blind in chips. Everyone folded to me on the button. I found my first premium hand of the day--pocket Kings. I moved all-in. The small blind insta-called with pocket Queens. He was out and now we were soon down to the final 2 tables.

I was in the button again and found pocket 8's--a monster. I raised and won another pot. I added some more chips when I was in the big blind and the small blind limped. I moved all-in since I knew he was weak.

However, when we got to the final table I was low in chips and I knew I had to make a move soon.

Final Table

When the final table started, that aggressive player at my first table had the chip lead. I was surprised to see him since he got knocked out in the 4th round. But, he must have re-entered. He had the chip lead and was seated next to me, on my right.

The first hand I was under the gun and folded. The next hand I was in the big blind. Everyone folded to the aggressive player in the small bling and he raised me. I had K-5 and folded. I was at about 6 times the big blind in chips. The next hand I was in the small blind. Everyone folded to me. I had J-10 and moved all-in. The big blind insta-called. He had K-J...uh oh....

The flop was J-9-9, but the turn was a 10 and I doubled up. Now I had some chips and could wait for a big hand.

I didn't have to wait too long. A few hands later, I got dealt pocket 10's and raised 3x's the big blind. Everyone folded.

We were down to 8 players. I limped with pocket 3's on the button because the small blind was going to be all-in. I won the hand and now my stack was almost to $200,000...yes, the blinds were now at the $8,000-$16,000 level. Even though I did not have more than 12 times the big blind in chips, I was the chip leader.

I was under the gun with Kd-Qd. It was now 8 handed and as soon as I said raise, I had a bad feeling about this hand. I raised to $48,000. The tightest player at the table took forever to make a decision. He moved all in for $120,000. I folded.

I turned to the aggressive guy to my right and told him I folded since this guy either had pocket Aces or pocket Kings. He replied by telling me that my opponent flashed pocket Kinds before sending them back to the dealer.

I was now down to $150,000.

It got down to 5 handed. I was in the big blind for $16,000. Everyone folded and the aggressive player called. I had Q-3 and checked. The flop came 8-2-2. We both checked. The turn was an Ace. My opponent bet $24,000. I had seen him make this play before, so I called. The river was a King. He thought for a long time and checked. I had Q high so I checked. He had 5 high.

I was now back up to $200,000. I got blinded and anted off for a while. I was back down to $150,000.

We were down to 4 players. It was interesting since the 2 players in the chip lead were clearly the worse players. The player to my right was much better, but he had the lowest stack. I was in 3rd place, but frankly, everyone had 10 or less times the big blind of $30,000.

I was now in the big blind. The player under the gun folded. The player on the button called. Huh? You don't call in this situation unless you have pocket Aces. The small blind folded and yeah, I checked my Q-5.

The flop came Q-8-4. I checked and my opponent moved all-in. Yeah, he had the Aces. I was going to fold when I had this feeling I was going to hit my 5. I called.

My opponent showed pocket Kings. The dealer showed the turn card, a 5! Yes!!!

My opponent groaned softly. But his friends behind him started shouting, "4! 4! 4!"

The dealer turned over the river card...4!

Ugh...I should have said "one time."

I got lucky and unlucky, but that's poker. Finished 4th and won $3,000.

Since I started playing this Sunday event, I got knocked out with a bad beat early and finished 21st and 24th...a few players out of the money.

Postscript:

The aggressive player seated to my right, actually did win the event and took home $20,000.

Has Joe Cada influenced poker play?

Has Joe Cada influenced poker play?

I entered the $20,000 1st place guarantee MTT event at Lucky Chances today. It was a no limit event with a $330 buy-in and unlimited rebuys for the first 2 hours--you get to rebuy only when you lose all your chips. This event uses automatic shufflers with 30 minute rounds so there is time for some play. The starting chips were $6000.

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I didn't have any hands for the first hour so my stack had dropped down a little. An interesting hand occurred when I found pocket Queens upfront. The first player raised the big blind of $200 to $700. I was next and I re-raised to $2,100. Another player in a back position re-raised to $4,200. The under the gun player folded. I had about $5,500 so I had to decide if this was going to be a defining moment for me.

A raise, re-raise and then a min re-raise usually indicates a big hand--like pocket Aces or pocket Kings. The player who raised my re-raise had not made this move before. He also had an interesting tell. The more pained he looked, the better his hand. And he looked like he was in a great deal of pain to me :)

I folded. He then volunteers that he had pocket Queens. Do I think he had pocket Queens? No. I think he had Kings or Aces. Poker players are liars.

A few hands later I find A-J both clubs in the cutoff; again at the $100-$200 level. Everyone folds to me and I raise to $600. The big blind, who had just doubled up in the prior hand, re-raises me to $1,200. I call.

The flop is A-A-3 with two diamonds. I check and my opponent bets $1,200. The poor guy must have pocket Kings. I call. The turn is a Jack. I check. He checks.

The river is a 5 of diamond. The question I asked myself is how can I extract the most amount of money on my full house. There is $4,900 in the pot. I had $4,100 left.
If I bet half the pot, I may or may not get paid off. If I move all-in, I may double up if I try my reverse tell.

What's my reverse tell? I hold my breath. It makes me look like I'm bluffing. This tends to work with players who have big hands and are not sure about letting them go.

I move-in and my opponent stares at me. I make sure he sees that I'm holding my breath. I'm sure my face slowly turns pink. He stares longer than I can hold my breath--so I do have to take another breath of air. He finally calls and I double up.

I get dealt K-Q five times before the break and lose every time! I am back down to $6,000 as we break.

There are 162 players, 48 rebuys and the top 20 will get paid.

The next few hours of the event

I have to move up my aggression in he next hours to accumulate chips. I know my table image is tight and the players to my left are tight players. It allows me to raise pre-flop in position as steals. The other thing is that players check their hands way too often. I take a check as a sign of weakness and bet to win pots on the flop and/or turn with nothing.

An example: A player to my right opens the $1,000-$2000 blinds and $400 ante with a call on the button. I have the small blind with Q-7 offsuit. I call as does the big blind. The flop is A-7-4 with 2 diamonds. I check, the big blind checks and the limper bets $2,000. I don't have a diamond. It is clear that he limped with a big hand to be tricky. But does he have the Ace?

It is worth calling to see what he does on the turn. The big blind folds. The turn is a J of hearts. I check and the button checks behind. When he checks, I'm sure he doesn't have the Ace.

The river is a 3 of diamonds. I bet $4,000 to make it look like either I have the Ace or hit a flush. My opponent folds and tells me he knows I hit the flush. He shows pocket 10's.

Joe Cada time

I am up to $31,000 and the co-chip leader at my table. We are down to 25 players. I am feeling good about my play and I just have to be careful of players who overplay their hands a la Joe Cada.

I am on the cutoff with A-J and come in pre-flop with a $6,000 raise at the $1,000-$2,000 blinds. A new player in the small blind moves all in for $15,000.

There is about $24,000 in the pot and it is another $9,000 to me. I look at my opponent and he is nervous. It feels like a middle pocket pair. I can fold, but given the odds and my sense it is a race, I decide to call.

He turns over pocket 2's.

Good grief...does he think he is Joe Cada?

Yeah, his deuces hold up. I guess he does think he is Cada.

I am pissed about this loss and walk away from the table angry.

A few hands later a player in middle position moves all-in for $9,000. I have him covered with $12,000 with A-Q suited. Does he have A-K?

He gets up to talk to his friends nearby. I look at him and he is not comfortable with my hesitation on what to do. I go with my tell and I call.

He turns over A-5.

Good grief...

Yeah, he hits his 5 on the flop.

A few hands later I go out in 24th place.

6 hours of poker and time to drive home.

Do you think I made a mistake in this event? Would you have risked your entire tournament with those pocket deuces?

I do tend to look for reads on players. Overall, I feel that players do give away the strength of their hands by how they look, act, and what they say.