I'M SO EMBARRASSED

I completely morphed into a newbie-donk last night. All of my poker wisdom went down the drain when I committed my chips with my no-pair-no-draw-hand. To make it worse, 338 of us had started the $33 MTT Freezeout and when I committed the aforementioned sin, we were down to 19. Idiotic.

Everything up until that point had been going my way. I started the tournament in a splashing mood, probably just a little too excited to be playing, but settled down quickly after losing a couple of mini-pots and then found my groove. Well, sort of. I put myself in a horrible spot in the beginning, when I didn’t raise AhJs from the blinds. Went like this:

I’m the BB with AhJs (stack: 2300). Villain is UTG+1 (stack 2820). Blinds 10/20.

Villain, UTG+2, dealer and SB all limp. I check my option.

(Pot 100) FLOP: 2h Ad 5d
Check to me, I bet 65. Villain and SB smooth call.

(Pot 295) TURN: Ac
Check to me, I bet 190. Villain and SB smooth call again. (DING-DING-DING! Alarm bells should be going off right about now – like BIGTIME!!)

(Pot 865) RIVER: Qc
Check to me and I put out a defensive bet of 390. Almost immediately villain raises to 1140 and the SB gets out of the way. Any hands do that, which I have beat? A10 raise on the river in that spot? OF COURSE NOT! Like the donk I am, I pay him off and he shows 2,2. I even muttered “fives?” to myself, when I called so why I actually did is beyond me. A lot of players nowadays can fold aces when the board comes down 7,8,9 with a flushdraw, but trusting your read and folding STRONG trips in the above spot is still a move reserved for the really good players out there. I want to count myself amongst them, but obviously can’t yet.

This hand left me with a stack of 885 and put me on the defensive right from the beginning of the tournament. Everyone was toying around with 150BBs, whereas I had to be careful about what I did with my pitiful 40BB stack. For the next 20 or so hands I stayed quiet. Picked up 88 and won a decent raised pot, where the flop came down 6,2,9 and no one seemed to be interested. Even raised a few limpers out of LP with 9,10 offsuit and took down the pot with a c-bet on a 2,J,6 board. Then I caught lightning in a bottle.

I’m UTG+1 with 3h3s (stack 1455). Everyone covers me at the table. Blinds 30/60.

UTG limps, I limp, as does UTG+2. Folds to the CO who minraises (?). EVERYONE calls (obviously). 7 players:

(Pot 420) FLOP: 3c 2d Jc
SB checks, BB bets 150 and it folds to me. Because I’ve got so many players after me (including the original raiser) I elect to just call here and hope to get it in, when somebody raises. To my dismay, 3 of them just call and the original raiser folds!

(Pot 1170) TURN: 4h

SB bets 345, BB calls and I’m getting a little worried what might be out there. Clearly, I’m not folding here and I raise all-in, total of 1245. It folds to the dealer who re-raises all-in for a total of 2145. At this point I’m thinking… “No way… it can’t be”. Everyone folds and what am I looking at? A straight. Of course. He called the flop with 56 and hit. I start to mouth the word MO-THER-FU… but never managed to complete my thought, before a 2nd 4 lands on the river.

Still in it. Got real lucky there, but who cares – STILL IN IT! I now have a stack of 4005 and am above average. My next big spot comes up a couple of orbits later, now with blinds at 25/50. I’ve been chipping up a little bit, but haven’t been very active.

I’m the button with JhJc (stack 4435).

UTG, MP1 and the CO all limp and I raise it up to 290 total, which is my standard here (140 normal raise + 3 limpers at 50 á piece). The SB (stack 2505) immediately pushes all-in and the limpers get out of the way. In my experience, this is AK almost all of the time. Not many people play AA and KK that fast and although there’s a slight possibility that villain has QQ in his range here, I think I’m most likely to be up against AK or a baby-pair. I elect to go for the small-equity play (in case he has AK) and call. He shows big-slick and I move up to 7140 chips, when the board runs out 8-high. Now normally, I try not to take these flips too early in a tournament, as I feel confident I’ll be able to chip up with less risk, but I was so confident in my read that I just had to go with it.

My first big pocketpair came along during the 50/100 level, when I picked up kings. There’s always that excitement for a player, when he/she picks up aces or kings during a tournament. Is someone going to raise? – can I get it in before the flop? – can I fold my big pair if the flop is ugly and there’s too much action? – and if you’re holding kings, at least for me – there’s the old classic: God, I hope someone doesn’t have aces. The hand played out like this:

I’m MP1 (stack 8000) with KhKs. Villain is UTG+1 (stack 6165). Blinds 50/100.

UTG folds and villain minraises to 200. As I’ve stated before, I usually hate playing against a minraise, but obviously a lot changes when I’m holding kings. I re-pop him and make it 650 total (which, when I look at it now, should’ve been 750… hmmm, not sure what went wrong there). Everyone else folds and villain calls.

(Pot 1450) FLOP: 8h 2h 6h
I can’t hate that flop, since I am holding the king of hearts, but since I put his min-raising-range on small pairs a lot of the time, this might have hit him. He checks to me and I bet 950. He just calls. At this point, I know he doesn’t have a set, but his range includes medium pairs Ah-X type hands and obviously a flopped flush, if someone really has it in for me.

(Pot 3350) TURN: 7s
He checks to me again. I don’t mind the 7 at all, especially since it was black. A strange 87 type hand is not part of his range, I think, so I confidently bet again. This time 1900. He calls again.

(Pot 7150) RIVER: 4c
He checks a third time and now I know I’m good. I’ve got 4500 left in my stack, constituting roughly 60% of the stack and as a value-play I stick it all in. He ponders briefly and then folds. My new stack stands at a hearty 11650 and I’m quite happy with the way I played the hand. He only had approx 2600 left by the time we got to the river, so I’m not sure I could have extracted more out of him than I did. I have to wait a bit again for my next spot, but in general my patience is very good and I’m staying away from marginal hands.

I’m the BB with QhJh (stack 11500). Villain is in the SB and is the same guy from the last hand (the KK hand), but he has managed to double up in the meantime, so now sits on 4590 chips. Blinds 100/200.

It folds to the SB who completes and I decide to disguise my hand a bit and just check.

(Pot 400) FLOP: 9s 7h Tc
He leads with 200 (minimum bet) and I figure I’ll just end the hand here with a raise, so I make it 700. To my surprise he calls the extra 500. Guess he has something.

(Pot 1800) TURN: 4h
Well that just got me a flushdraw to go along with my straightdraw. There’s no way I’m folding now. Again he bets the minimum of 200 into me and I instantly move my stack in. I figure I’ve shown strength on the flop already and he’s been pretty weak up until now, so I should have a decent amount of fold equity. He surprises me once again and calls almost immediately. He shows 5c8s (must have been steaming since the KK hand?) which actually gives me the best hand at that point. The Ah on the river is therefore irrelevant. My new stack is a respectable 16090 and I’m amongst the leaders of the tournament.

I pull off my first 3-bet-steal of the tournament during the next blind level. The guy one to my right has been really active, coming into pots with a variety of limps, minraises and standard raises. When I pick up Ac8c on the button, I decide this might be a good time to slow him down a bit. Surely enough, it folds to him (blinds 100/200/a25) and he makes it 650 to go. I decide to make it a little less than 3 times his raise, as I know that a lot of players perceive it as a sign of strength. I make it 1850. He thinks for a while, using up some of his timebank and finally lays down his hand. Even acknowledged me with a ‘nh’ in the chat afterwards! Safe to say I was probably behind in that hand.

I tangle with the same guy once more, not too long after the above hand. Blinds are now 125/250a25 and I’m in the HJ (stack 16790) with Ah5h. Villain is still next to me (stack 17475). We are the two biggest stacks at the table. It folds to villain who raises to 600. Given our history and his general activeness, I elect to smooth call.

(Pot 1800) FLOP: Qd 6c Qh
He checks and I see no need to get pushed off my hand right now, so I check back.

(Pot 1800) TURN: 3c
This time he puts out a small bet of 750 and something doesn’t feel right. It’s the sort of bet most guys would make after seeing the flop go check-check. I elect to call and see a river, before I make up my mind – also, I’ve got position.

(Pot 3300) RIVER: Ac
The ace on the river is fine, I guess – as it does give me a better hand against some smaller pairs, but at this point I’m really just concerned with whether he’s sandbagging a queen or whether he’s got air. He bets out again, but it’s only 1250. A blocking bet, as I see it now (didn’t think that far ahead while I was playing). Obviously, a spot for me to raise here as I most likely have the best hand. I didn’t do that though – instead I just called. He shows J,10 and was basically full of it.

Analysis afterwards: I should’ve raised the river. I don’t see him playing a queen that way (turn, maybe – but not the river) so when the ace hits, I should be confident about having the best hand. Pair of 4’s, 5’s or maybe even something like 9’s might call me off on the river.

Then I folded. A LOT. For the longest time that I can remember ever having to continually fold. Absolutely no playable hands and when there were, someone had raised in front of me. By the time the next hand came up, my stack had dwindled a bit, but I was still in good shape. Once again, I chose not to believe:

I’m the SB with As6s (stack 12715). Villain is on the button (stack 12530) with blinds at 200/400/a50. It folds to villain who raises to 1100. I elect to call and the BB folds.

(Pot 3050) FLOP: Ad Jd Js
I check to him, expecting the mandatory c-bet. He obliges, but only puts out 900. I just call. At this point, I’m not putting him on a jack as I don’t think anyone would play it that way. A smallish bet, when you flopped trips gives your hand away, so either you check it or you bet properly (half or 2/3 of the pot).

(Pot 4850) TURN: 3c
I lead out this time with 1200 once the “safe” card hits. If he has an ace and has me outkicked, perhaps he’ll buy that I have the jack. He raises after a bit of thought to 3200. I’m still not buying that he has a jack, but I am a little concerned about my kicker. What I don’t understand though is why he doesn’t buy me having a jack? If he has a hand like A10, wouldn’t he – in position – just call my turn bet to keep the pot small and then evaluate on the river? I call.

(Pot 11250) RIVER: 9d
So the flushdraw got there and I’m a little thrown off. Had almost forgotten about that. I check. He thinks for a while and I get the feeling he wants to move in on me (I’d have to call, the way I played it) but eventually checks. When I shove my hand, he mucks and the pot slides my way. I check the history and he raised me on the turn with 2,2. Gutsy. New stack: 18665

Again I go back to folding. I’ve checked my hand history and as I noted in one of my previous blogs, a lack of aggression late in tournaments is something I need to work on. There were however no +EV spots that I missed out on since my last hand – either there was a raise in front of me, or someone was coming over the top. In particular one guy, I noticed, was being very active. He was calling a lot preflop and taking stabs postflop, which was working well for him. I waited until I had position on him and a decent hand to do battle.

We’re 7-handed and I’m the HJ with 9c10c (stack 17440). Villain is the BB (stack 33945) with blinds at 400/800/a75. It folds to me and I raise to 2100. Both the SB and the BB call.

(Pot 6825) FLOP: 9s 5c 6d
The SB checks and the villain bets out 3200. I had seen him do that on one other occasion where he was subsequently raised and then called all-in with a strong hand. However, if I’m raising a suited 9-10 at that point in a tournament, I have to go with it, when I flop top-pair. So I shoved for 15265 total. The SB folded quickly and the BB let me sweat a bit before he too let it go.

Nothing too special about that hand, other than I was happy with my aggression at that point. In previous times I might have folded preflop and I might even have folded post-flop (or just called) – both of which are horrible, IMO. I saw a total of 190 hands in this tournament before busting and I’ve now fast-forwarded to # 180. From here on I play 3 more hands. 1 well and the last two are the basis of today’s blog-title.

Hand #180. I’m the BB with 9cTh (stack 22165) and villain is SB (stack 32774) with blinds at 500/1000/a100. It folds to the CO who limps in with only 861 chips behind. He had just lost his entire stack in the previous hand, but why he doesn’t shove it all in, I don’t know. It folds to the SB who raises to 3000. That’s an isolation-raise, clear and simple and I bloody hate them. Plus I don’t like people messing with my BB. I therefore elect to call, expecting the limper to put his last few chips in and then I’ll have a chance of outplaying the SB. Unexpectedly (VERY FUCKING unexpectedly), the limper folds. Hmmm… ok champ.

(Pot 7800) FLOP: 8c 3c Jh
The SB bets 4000 and I am giving him credit for absolutely nothing. The bet is weak (considering the drawy type of board) and I’ve got my own draw, so I confidently move all-in for a total of 19065. He folds. Stack 30865 and on to a poorly played hand.

Hand #182. 7-handed with blinds at 600/1200/a125. I’m the button with 5h5s (stack 30140). The villain is the same guy from the last hand, this time in the CO (stack 25549). Folds to the CO who raises to 3300. I call and the blinds fold.

(Pot 9275) FLOP: 4h 3d Qd
The CO checks and I check behind for pot control. Not willing to commit myself just yet.

(Pot 9275) TURN: 9s
Now he bets, but only the minimum of 1200. Every single bone in my body is telling me to raise. Make it 4200 and win the hand right there. He clearly has nothing. I can’t make myself do it though. My mind starts playing tricks on me, convincing me that he’s trapping with some HUGE hand and instead I just call (again – why call if he has a “HUGE HAND”? To hit a set? Yeah, that’s real clever).

(Pot 11675) RIVER: Ts
Oh God how I hate that card. Does it get any uglier? Villain bets 1200 again and I feel forced to call. He shows Kh10h and takes the pot. I curse myself (literally and out loud) for being such a dweeb and look for something to throw from my desk. I find nothing.

Hand #190. We’re now 6-handed with 19 people left in the tourney. I’m sitting on a stack of 21640 which is good for about 14th at the time, but more significantly blinds are still 600/1200/a125, so I’m not in any real predicament yet. I pick up KsQs in the HJ (or UTG+1 – whatever you prefer) and raise to 3200. At this point I’m just looking to pick up the blinds, but I won’t mind if someone calls. The SB obliges (stack 67626).

(Pot 8350) FLOP: As 5d 9h
Talk about completely whiffing that flop. The SB checks and I go to represent an ace with a bet of 4500. Now he minraises me. Already I hate this guy. I haven’t seen him do it yet, but I have seen how minimum raises become part of the arsenal of many players, late in tournaments. And I’ve always wondered…? Is it just a cheap way of testing whether I’m for real? I know I don’t have enough chips to seriously put him to a decision if I were to move all-in and he knows this as well. That way, if I do move in, he’ll know that I have to have an ace in that spot and then he’ll fold even though almost anything he holds would dictate a call? FOR CRYING OUT LOUD WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF?!!?

I reraise all-in for a total of 18315 and he snapcalls with Ah10c. Of course. What was I thinking. Idiot.

Lessons learned:
- Don’t be an idiot.
- Don’t be an idiot, when you don’t have fold equity
- Just don’t be a fucking idiot

Played a few STTs alongside the above tournament, which resulted in an overall session result of: USD 52.14


Starting bankroll: USD 5,347.08
Session result: USD +52.14
New bankroll: USD 5,399.22
Days left until Aussie Millions 2010: 281

Thanks for reading.