Live pros (rant)

to be honest, most the people you see playing poker on tv are terrible. jamie gold, victor ramdin, david williams, they are all just publicity blimps. let me explain why, i woke up this morning and turned on "poker after dark". at the table was doyle brunson (who i do think is one of the exceptions) tj cloutier, and possibly the biggest joke phil hellmuth. phill hellmuth did nothing right, he is an absolutely terrible tournament player, and i cant say much better about his overbetting spewtatstic cashgame. heres the rule, and every really great player follows this, when you have less than 10 big blinds, its stack time, there is no more limping and playing postflop poker. this is called push-fold. 3 handed the blinds were 1500-3000. tj had about 25,000 and picked up AA on the button, he raised to 7k (although i said its push fold, this isnt an awful play with this strong of a hand, exspecially if your opponent is a weak player like phil hellmuth) doyle folded in the small blind, and phil had A6s. phil barely had tj covered, but effectively he only has 25000 in chips now that doyles out of the hand. right now, its push-fold. first off a6 plays terrible oop postflop, exspecially if your gonna check dark (like he did...) what phill hellmuth should have been doing, was determing a range for tj cloutier and decided if his hand played well against that range. to my eye, its obvious he has a huge hand, because ill give tj a little credit to realize that it is push-fold time and he should be commited after any raise. this is why this is an easy laydown, yes of course phil is getting good odds to call, but he has no implied odds and you just cant take a flop with less than 10 bb.

phil ends up playing the hand just awful after that and rivers tj


later,
heads up between doyle and phil. 2000-4000 blinds, phil with about 38000, he limps A6.... its stack time, this is push fold, theres 6000 in the middle you need to be picking up. then doyle raises, now look what hes done to himself


few hands later, J4 hes got 24000, HE LIMPS AGAIN. its push-fucking-fold. you cant limp here, all in or muck (all in is my preference) and of course doyle puts him in and he has to fold.


few hands later phil with 16000, he gets Q3, he limps.... this is ridiculous, the blinds are 2000-4000 and he has 12k after the limp, barely a pot sized bet. heres the worst part, doyle puts him in, then he calls. IF YOUR GOING TO LIMP CALL, WHY NOT JUST PUSH IN YOURSELF?

and of course phil bitches because he doesnt know how badly outplayed he was. its a real joke hes in the poker hall of fame, and its a real joke that 85% of these people we see on tv, are awful players.

Floating

floating is when you whiff the flop, but call anyway. at first glance it seems like a really amateur play. but when you break it down there is a lot of reading and math involved.

this is a good example of when a good time to float is.

this player has been very aggressive before the flop recently, but he did one thing very suspicious this hand


FullTiltPoker Game #4244731035: Table Hand (heads up) - $2/$4 - No Limit Hold'em - 23:25:48 ET - 2007/11/20
Seat 1: Kadabra ($1,222.90)
Seat 2: Playing2Learn ($669.50)
Playing2Learn posts the small blind of $2
Kadabra posts the big blind of $4
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Kadabra [9h 8h]
Playing2Learn raises to $12
Kadabra raises to $36
Playing2Learn has 15 seconds left to act
Playing2Learn raises to $108
Kadabra has 15 seconds left to act
Kadabra has requested TIME
Kadabra calls $72
*** FLOP *** [3s 3d 6h]
Kadabra checks
Playing2Learn has 15 seconds left to act
Playing2Learn bets $140
Kadabra has 15 seconds left to act
Kadabra has requested TIME
Kadabra calls $140
*** TURN *** [3s 3d 6h] [Jc]
Kadabra has 15 seconds left to act
Kadabra bets $135
Playing2Learn: boo
Playing2Learn has 15 seconds left to act
Playing2Learn: why did i make a play with A4o
Playing2Learn: =D
Playing2Learn folds
Uncalled bet of $135 returned to Kadabra
Kadabra mucks
Kadabra wins the pot ($495.50)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $496 | Rake $0.50
Board: [3s 3d 6h Jc]
Seat 1: Kadabra (big blind) collected ($495.50), mucked
Seat 2: Playing2Learn (small blind) folded on the Turn



pre flop, when he 4 bet me, he did something out of the norm for him, he 3xed, generally when he has been 3 and 4 betting me, he has been making it a little bit more than 3x. for example id make it 12, hed make it 42. and surely if he had a huge hand AA KK, he wouldnt go out of that rythym, that enticed me to call.


flop was not great 336. but it was perfect for a float, i have a backdoor heart draw, backdoor strait draw, and 2 overcards to the board.

he bets the flop. i float here for 2 reasons, 1 i believe hes weak from my preflop read. and 2 because im trying to peel a winner if he decides to double barrel. basically, if i turn a 5 7 8 9 10 or any heart thats not a 3, and he double barrels, assuming he has fold equity, im going to put him all in.

the turn was a jack and to my delight, he did not fire another shell, id pretty much have to give up here if he did.

i bet $135, its a small bet, but enough to push out 2 weak cards, and most low pocket pairs, as it looks like im betting for value, the only way he can play back at me is if he peeled a jack or was check raising a huge hand, either way, my 135 bet was much safer than a 240 dollar bet, because when he is check raising i save a hundred bucks.

hand review

yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy





FullTiltPoker Game #4185559473: Table Ballad (heads up) - $10/$20 - No Limit Hold'em - 16:02:16 ET - 2007/11/15
Seat 1: Kadabra ($8,798.25)
Seat 2: Fluffdog ($1,940)
Fluffdog posts the small blind of $10
Kadabra posts the big blind of $20
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Kadabra [9c 8s]
Fluffdog raises to $60
Kadabra raises to $180
Fluffdog calls $120
*** FLOP *** [Ts 6d 4c]
Kadabra bets $200
Fluffdog calls $200
*** TURN *** [Ts 6d 4c] [Qh]
Kadabra checks
Fluffdog has 15 seconds left to act
Fluffdog bets $440
Kadabra raises to $8,418.25, and is all in
Fluffdog has 15 seconds left to act
Fluffdog has requested TIME
Fluffdog: u show?
Fluffdog adds $880
Fluffdog folds
Uncalled bet of $7,978.25 returned to Kadabra
Kadabra mucks
Kadabra wins the pot ($1,639.50)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $1,640 | Rake $0.50
Board: [Ts 6d 4c Qh]
Seat 1: Kadabra (big blind) collected ($1,639.50), mucked
Seat 2: Fluffdog (small blind) folded on the Turn






pre flop is pretty standard, his opening range is huge, so i keep him in check by raising a wider range. he callls

flop a gut shot, i make a light continuation bet, hoping he folds. he calls


i turn a great card, a Q. this now gives me a double gut shot, i have 8 outs

making me about 16% to win the hand.


i check he bets, he bet a little bit less than half the pot, this indicates to me he either, called with air, and is taking his steal attempt, or has a scared pair. he probably wouldnt do this with a medium strength hand like K10 or Q9 because he can be pushed off of it to easy. keeping in mind how big his calling range is preflop, i lean twords thinking he has a weaker hand, on top of this, most his good hands would of play more agressively on the flop, surely any 10 would of raised me.the Q probably didnt help him, so this is a good time to put him in, and even if he does call, we always have outs.

he can really only call here with a set, and a floated hand with a Q in it.

thats a very small % of his range.

lets see what the math looks like on this play

lets say 15% of his range can call here.

1200(.85) - 1310.4(.15) = 823.44



i get 1200, because thats what in the pot when i make the play, 1310.4 is what i lose 15% of the time (this factors out the 16% of the time i am called and hit my strait, otherwise it would be 1560, his whole stack+ his turn bet)

Bluff

probably the most intricate bluff ive ever pulled.


FullTiltPoker Game #4166803074: Table Ballad (heads up) - $10/$20 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:13:54 ET - 2007/11/13
Seat 1: ImTheFranchise ($4,597.50)
Seat 2: Kadabra ($2,855)
Kadabra posts the small blind of $10
ImTheFranchise posts the big blind of $20
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Kadabra [Ks 9c]
Kadabra raises to $60
ImTheFranchise calls $40
*** FLOP *** [Th 9d 5c]
ImTheFranchise checks
Kadabra bets $100
ImTheFranchise raises to $340
Kadabra calls $240
*** TURN *** [Th 9d 5c] [7s]
ImTheFranchise checks
Kadabra checks
*** RIVER *** [Th 9d 5c 7s] [Qc]
ImTheFranchise has 15 seconds left to act
ImTheFranchise bets $600
Kadabra has 15 seconds left to act
Kadabra has requested TIME
Kadabra raises to $1,950
ImTheFranchise has 15 seconds left to act
ImTheFranchise has requested TIME
ImTheFranchise folds
Uncalled bet of $1,350 returned to Kadabra
Kadabra shows [Ks 9c] a pair of Nines
Kadabra wins the pot ($1,999.50)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $2,000 | Rake $0.50
Board: [Th 9d 5c 7s Qc]
Seat 1: ImTheFranchise (big blind) folded on the River
Seat 2: Kadabra (small blind) collected ($1,999.50)



pre flop is standard


on the flop i bet 100 for value, he raises to 340 and i of course call

turn is a pretty good card

he checks. and i check behind. i check behind here because he can put me all in with JQ and over pair, 88. i get pushed off my hand too often if i bet here.
river is a terrible card, a queen. seems to fill up a lot.


he bet 600 into 900, a perfect value bet. im putting him on JQ, he paired the river and is betting for value, hes hoping i flat call with a lower pair. my 9 is no good, so im not turning my hand into a bluff, the river did that.


now lets look at his range of hands

my instict on the flop said JQ

what other hands can he bet 600 with on the river

Q10, yeah, but he wouldnt repop the flop then check the turn

J8, yeah, but hed continue firing on the turn for value.

KJ, possible, but i think hed make his raise on the flop smaller and his value bet on the river bigger.

Q9 doesnt checkraise the flop

AA KK QQ, highly unlikely (not to mention i think this bluff pushes off AA and KK)


were stuck with JQ, so i raise, he tanks, and folds. i rarely show a bluff but i know im not gonna run another play like this so ill let him think i steal on the river. he commented later on having exactly JQ.

School

Im done. Out. Can not stand it here anymore. I will finish up this semester and at minumum take a semester off. Jovial Gent and i talked about possibly moving down to southern california and renting a baller house and seeing how things work out. and after sitting through class today, im almost sure im out of here in the next 2 months.

Back from Niagra Falls

I am back in town. Niagra Falls was amazing, it was a lot of fun and for me, very educational. i lost about 15 or 16 thousand dollars, but i learned soo much from talking to other players and playing on the world poker tour. ive also learned, that i can beat the cash games, fairly easily, i know i ran pretty well, but its still pretty soft.

in 9 handed games, ive learned i need to give up on some pots sometimes. for some reason i always feel like i have to protect my investment with a bluff, or i have to protect my hand with a large portion of my stack. Ive learned its ok to get moved off my hand once in a while, and i don't need to outplay everyone everyhand. Phil Hellmuth always talks about how he has the heart to fire another barrell, its good to have heart, but you can't just bluff wrecklessly because you want to protect your investment.

Heres how i lost my stack (a little embarassed in hindsight)


someone playing a lotofhands on my right raised to 4000 with a stack of 60,000

blinds were 500/1000 with a 200 ante. i have 60,000 in chips also.


i had pocket 10's and i called


everyone folded

flop

2s9sJs


i had the 10s


he bet 8000

heres my thinking

the only way im in bad shape, is if he has a higher spade and a higher pair.

heres what i didnt think about, if i raise, hes only playing back atme if he has that higher spade and higher pair. so im turning my hand into a bluff, and thats a huge mistake in poker.




i raised enough to commit myself and we eventually got all in and he had AdAs

i was super short stacked and allen cunningham finished me off a few hands later with aces as well.



looking back there are 2 better plays

i could of peeled one, and see how he reacted on the turn

or i can just fold.




folding seems terrible to me at first, but really i am only beating 33-88 and bluffs


AsKd is a good drawing hand against me, and thats close to the bottom ofhis range.





One last thing i learned about live play.

the guy on my right smelled terrible, he snorted a lot and was really obnoxious to play with. I can't let this affect my game. I need to devise up a plan for when im sitting with someone who bothers me.

Kadabra's first video

Hi everyone, sorry for the lack of posts lately. I will be going to niagra falls next week for the world poker tour! Also, i put up my first cash game video, 3-6 NL HU. it will be up at www.pokerzion.com. please check out the website and sign up with the promo code BC07 for a free month

A good play to have in your arsenal

Full Tilt Poker Game #3742208245: Table Overo (heads up) - $3/$6 - No Limit Hold'em - 3:14:25 ET - 2007/10/03
Seat 1: Kadabra ($547.50)
Seat 2: TiltaMents ($714.50)
TiltaMents has 5 seconds left to act
TiltaMents posts the small blind of $3
Kadabra posts the big blind of $6
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Kadabra [Kd Td]
TiltaMents raises to $18
Kadabra raises to $54
TiltaMents calls $36
*** FLOP *** [Ad Jh 9d]
Kadabra bets $85
TiltaMents calls $85
*** TURN *** [Ad Jh 9d] [5c]
Kadabra checks
TiltaMents checks
*** RIVER *** [Ad Jh 9d 5c] [4d]
Kadabra has 15 seconds left to act
Kadabra bets $45
TiltaMents raises to $575.50, and is all in
Kadabra calls $363.50, and is all in
Uncalled bet of $167 returned to TiltaMents
*** SHOW DOWN ***
TiltaMents shows [Kc Jc] a pair of Jacks
Kadabra shows [Kd Td] a flush, Ace high
Kadabra wins the pot ($1,094.50) with a flush, Ace high
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $1,095 | Rake $0.50
Board: [Ad Jh 9d 5c 4d]
Seat 1: Kadabra (big blind) showed [Kd Td] and won ($1,094.50) with a flush, Ace high
Seat 2: TiltaMents (small blind) showed [Kc Jc] and lost with a pair of Jacks





so a pretty standard hand untilll the river.at this point i put him on a strong king, or weak ace. and i know if he feels i have him beat he wont give up on a big pot. so i put out bait, a huge underbet, a poisonous blocking bet. i wanted to fake fear of this flush and big cards on board. he ate it up and moved in. hell do this if he misses a huge draw too. if i value bet here i might not even get a call and i for sure wont make a lot.

Hand discussion

from the 150+13

Full Tilt Poker Game #3627069292: $55,000 Guarantee (26069876), Table 33 - 10000/20000 Ante 2500 - No Limit Hold'em - 2:20:02 ET - 2007/09/21
Seat 1: Kadabra (746,260)
Seat 4: therookieqq9 (528,740)
Kadabra antes 2,500
therookieqq9 antes 2,500
Kadabra posts the small blind of 10,000
therookieqq9 posts the big blind of 20,000
JoeDchiptaker (Observer): K dont chop take it home..SMART POWER PLAYING
Nova Zuess (Observer): COME ON ROOKIE
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Kadabra [As Js]
Kadabra raises to 40,000
Nova Zuess (Observer): YOURE MAKING ME LOOK BAD
therookieqq9 calls 20,000
*** FLOP *** [9d Th 5s]
therookieqq9 bets 58,000
Kadabra calls 58,000
*** TURN *** [9d Th 5s] [2d]
apibarra (Observer): a 8 no good rook
therookieqq9 checks
Kadabra checks
*** RIVER *** [9d Th 5s 2d] [7d]
JoeDchiptaker (Observer): K PLAY SMART
therookieqq9 has 15 seconds left to act
therookieqq9 bets 180,000
Matt Morrison (Observer): you gonna pay up nova?
Kadabra has 15 seconds left to act
Kadabra has requested TIME
Nova Zuess (Observer): yeah
Kadabra calls 180,000
*** SHOW DOWN ***
therookieqq9 shows [4h Ad] Ace Ten high
Kadabra shows [As Js] Ace Jack high
Kadabra wins the pot (561,000) with Ace Jack high
Nova Zuess (Observer): looks like you arent though.,,,,
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 561,000 | Rake 0
Board: [9d Th 5s 2d 7d]
Seat 1: Kadabra (small blind) showed [As Js] and won (561,000) with Ace Jack high
Seat 4: therookieqq9 (big blind) showed [4h Ad] and lost with Ace Ten high







ok, so pre flop i min raised trying to induce a raise.

1. because AJ is a great hand heads up

2. he is more than capable of raising then folding (which is terrible)

he didnt oblige and called.


flop came and he led. i had 2 over cards and a running nut flush, his bet was small, so i floated hoping to turn a spade draw or hit one of my overs.


turn was a blank. he checked, and i checked. feeling like the jack was my best card.


river was a 7 of DIAMONDS. this is key. [4h Ad] he has the ace of diamonds, he knows i can not have the nuts. he leads for 9/10 the pot.


what can we put him on. he wouldnt bet a 10 like this, hed want value and be afraid of me reraising. he wouldnt bet a 9, period. if he made 2 pair, its the same as the 10, he knows he can not call a reraise. a pocket pair is not in his bluffing range because it would of reraised pre flop. a higher ace is not in his range because it would of reraised preflop.

his range is, JQ, JK QK connectors that didnt pair like 34 or 46. in fact, i dont think there is a single hand that he can have here to bet 9/10 the pot. the only type of hand that would do that is 3 of a kind, but we established he cant have that because all pocket pairs reraise pre flop.

so i put in the call, and to my expectations, the chips went my way.

Tournament Takedown

so i won the ft 150+13. wheee. unfortunately today i bubbled the 320 heads up matches i was looking forward too. i have to wait another year to play in it. i was bad beated out and the guy talked shit for no reason. sasha is still in it tho so i have to root him on. GL sasha

Im at school

Hi everyone, im blogging from school right now because im bored out of my seat. were having a discussion about happiness. it seems now that happiness is something that can be determined and passed down. we are choosing how to be happy. and now they are actually fighting over the discussion. how can we choose who is happiest? its like a competition now who has the happiest life. the ironic thing is this whole discussion is depressing. the entire environment is depressing. i have to give the obnoxious person of the day award to the fake gangster in the back of the room. pretty much anytime he opens his mouth the intelligence in the room moves down about 3 degrees. right now im just annoyed for a lot of different reasons and probably just mouth spewing. this will probably all be deleted in the near future.

Life Blog

Last night i had the priviledge to meet my idol/role model. ben gibbard. he was performing a acoustic concert and havig a chat about music with some other guy i don't know. ill get the bad out of the way first. we headed up to san fran giving us time to do what we need to do (sfobv) get some food, and get to the concert on time. so we pick up the first girl, she seemed chill but kind of ditzy.... nothing i cared about tho, then we stopped at the other girls house, she waskind of the same way. they made us about 45 minutes late, they showed no respect at all for the fact i really wanted to get to this concert, the girl who lived in SF got us lost, and i finally asked for directions and aparently she took us to the wrong side of the city. whatever.. we get there, sit down, ben is chatting with the otherguy, and im really enjoying it. all the while the 2 girls on my left were giggling, making fun of the artist, saying wtf is this shit. lets just leave. this is so boring. im hungry. it was obvious they had no respect for the artist, wheneverhewould say anything, they had a sarcastic way of putting him down. they texted and laughed threw all of his songs and ruined the entire concert as well as embarassing me. do any girls my age have class? is there one frickin adult? im starting to realize there is a reason i have money and no one else does.


on to the good... at the end of the concert, ben was doing a signing. there was nothing to buy on the table except the other guys books. but then i found the last plans CD. the lady sold it to me (ripped me off too, i knew it was a $15 cd but let her sell it for $20. i immediately got in line and waited my turn. before i knew it i was face to face shaking hands with my idol. i had a million things to say but i couldn't think of anything. at that moment i was not 19 years old. i was 9. i gave him my cd to sign, which he broke open because i didnt take the wrapper off. i got a picture with him, and was on my way. and of course the girls just bitched and complained the rest of the night, but i was satisfied. but id pay a good amount of money to sit down and have a chat with my idol. also id really like to see a video of the first half of the interview i missed.

poker

its been hard lately. i was real close to breaking even, and now i realize im back to bein stuck 9k since my win at FTOPS. i really want to get back into the green. i feel like the deck is slapping me in the face, but as always when this happens i bring my game into question. seemed like i was bein read really easily today. i know a lot of people question there own game and if there good enough to make it, but for me its 10x as hard.

Most people who excell in poker are generally winners in many aspects of life. sports, prior hobbies, school. i seemed to be a failure in most of those categories up untill poker. i worked really hard at football but even with all the effort i was still only a mediocre player. ive put a lot of work into poker, but its hard for me to believe that i am actually good at this game. when you put it into perspective, i could just be a 19 year old with an extrodinary amount of luck. ive never really been good at anything in my life. and i really want to be a poker superstar. is it possible that someone whose been on the lower end of the spectrum most there life to excell in a particular game, and still be bad-mediocre at pretty much everything else?

a lot of people tell me they respect my game, and i am super intimidating to play with. and i just dont see it. i was even asked to to some videos for a new website. i like all the compliments but i feel like im being given too much credit at times (exspecially on days like these)

right now my main concentration is going to be getting back on top of my game, and trying to stand the test of time.

comeback, school, and thoughts

ok i took 2 days off of poker and just started playing again this morning... i was playing pretty well but then i got a headache all of a sudden and made some decisions im not so proud of. was able to quit the game before goin in the red so i still had like 1700 profit.


as for school. ive dropped a load of my classes, right now im taking a bussiness class, a science class and a history class, i might drop the bussiness class too. my parents are really upset about this. but ive decided poker is what i want to concentrate on, and i dont want anything to get in the way. if things go well, i might drop school completely, if things go south, i might start taking more classes. this options leaves open a couple of windows.

as for the 10k, its down to 5500 now. im gonna be really happy when i can clear this comeback and put that behind me.


here is a hand from this morning

Full Tilt Poker Game #3430487865: Table Avon (heads up) - $5/$10 - No Limit Hold'em - 16:20:52 ET - 2007/09/01
Seat 1: ibleedbenjamins ($1,445)
Seat 2: Kadabra ($1,192)
Kadabra posts the small blind of $5
ibleedbenjamins posts the big blind of $10
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Kadabra [7h 5h]
Kadabra raises to $30
ibleedbenjamins calls $20
*** FLOP *** [8c 6s 4h]
ibleedbenjamins checks
Kadabra bets $50
ibleedbenjamins calls $50
*** TURN *** [8c 6s 4h] [2s]
ibleedbenjamins checks
Kadabra bets $140
ibleedbenjamins has 15 seconds left to act
ibleedbenjamins calls $140
*** RIVER *** [8c 6s 4h 2s] [Jd]
ibleedbenjamins checks
Kadabra has 15 seconds left to act
Kadabra bets $972, and is all in
ibleedbenjamins has 15 seconds left to act
ibleedbenjamins calls $972
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Kadabra shows [7h 5h] a straight, Eight high
ibleedbenjamins mucks
Kadabra wins the pot ($2,383.50) with a straight, Eight high
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $2,384 | Rake $0.50
Board: [8c 6s 4h 2s Jd]
Seat 1: ibleedbenjamins (big blind) mucked [9s 8h] - a pair of Eights
Seat 2: Kadabra (small blind) showed [7h 5h] and won ($2,383.50) with a straight, Eight high






you have to be really careful when you overbet someone. you need to choose your opponents carefully. if you get a calling station (which is awesome) this bet will work as well as a $500 bet. he is either gonna decide you are full of shit, or hell jus drop his hand in fear.



a couple good times to overbet with the nuts.

1. when your losing
2. when you think your opponent thinks your tilting
3. when you've moved all in recently and didn't show your cards.
4. when you recently got caught bluffing



one thing about hu poker people should understand is image.

you could be dealt AA, the first 15 hands
if u raise and he folds every time... he has no idea u had aa every hand. you have to assume hes going to think your a very aggressive player, and use that image accordingly.

but when your being dealt, its not bad to get caught once or twice. it might be a good investment for the future... for a hand like the one i showed above.

My proud day

after a 10k loss, the tendency for most people, myself included, is to move up stakes. well i tried just the opposite. i moved down, way down, back to the 2-4. get back to the basics.
im very very happy with my play, in an hour i made nearly 2 grand at the 2-4. seeing myself do this shows me i can make a slow recovery from a big loss. the thing i like about heads up... first of all, i always run great heads up. id say i win 95% of my coinflips. another is consistency, i win a lot more often than i lose if were talkin days won/days lost.


i think i could actually play the 2-4 and 3-6 hu games for a while. it might be enough money to support myself. considering the competition is so so weak.




let me go over some hands

Full Tilt Poker Game #3402894787: Table Hunt (heads up) - $2/$4 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:18:58 ET - 2007/08/29
Seat 1: GIFT_4_YOU ($838.50)
Seat 2: Kadabra ($1,241.80)
Kadabra posts the small blind of $2
GIFT_4_YOU posts the big blind of $4
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Kadabra [Qd Ks]
Kadabra raises to $12
GIFT_4_YOU raises to $40
Kadabra raises to $120
GIFT_4_YOU calls $80
*** FLOP *** [Kd 2s 6h]
GIFT_4_YOU checks
Kadabra has 15 seconds left to act
Kadabra checks
*** TURN *** [Kd 2s 6h] [7h]
GIFT_4_YOU checks
Kadabra bets $180
GIFT_4_YOU has 15 seconds left to act
GIFT_4_YOU has requested TIME
GIFT_4_YOU calls $180
*** RIVER *** [Kd 2s 6h 7h] [6c]
GIFT_4_YOU checks
Kadabra has 15 seconds left to act
Kadabra bets $344
GIFT_4_YOU calls $344
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Kadabra shows [Qd Ks] two pair, Kings and Sixes
GIFT_4_YOU adds $205.50
GIFT_4_YOU mucks
Kadabra wins the pot ($1,287.50) with two pair, Kings and Sixes
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $1,288 | Rake $0.50
Board: [Kd 2s 6h 7h 6c]
Seat 1: GIFT_4_YOU (big blind) mucked [Ts Th] - two pair, Tens and Sixes
Seat 2: Kadabra (small blind) showed [Qd Ks] and won ($1,287.50) with two pair, Kings and Sixes




ok a lil info, he jus doubled up through me, and before and after the double up hes been rerasing me a lot preflop. and for good reason to, i was 3 betting 75% of the time he raised. i wanna figure out exactly where im at, and if hes doin these raises because he can, or because hes got a real hand


i 3x him, he calls. im immediatly thinking 44-JJ AK AQs


i flop great. K26


he can not have a strait draw, he can not have a flush draw.
one of the big reasons i made this 4 bet pre flop was position. i have complete control of this hand. he checks, now im only afraid of 666 (exspecially recently...) and AK


this isn't really like me but i check behind and gave him a free card.


turn 7h. now i wanna see whats cookin, he takes time, as if considering a bet, then checks. to me this just SCREAMS "hey we can both check this down, the pots pretty big and i got a mediocre hand"

now i want his action, i guess he can have a flush draw, but whatever. i bet 3/4 the pot, he takes 10 seconds and calls me. im PRAYING for a king. and ace is an ok card too. and anything below an 8

river 6

great river. he checks. i have the best hand, some people might say. hey this is a big pot just check it down. no, u lose to much value with your hyper aggro image. i think there was 500 in the pot and i bet about 350. i think i should have bet more. but i was pretty sure any pp would pay me off. and pay me off he did.

Tilt, School, and thoughts

So i have kind of a new way of dealing with being on tilt. yesterday i lost 10kish, i deserve that 10k, i feel like i played very well and was unlucky to lose. so to counter that i think of a time where i won money that i didn't deserve. lets take FTOPS for example. when we were down to 3 tables i got all my money in with K10s vs AK. i won the hand on the river and survived my all in... eventually leading to my victory.

Another example. At the very beginning of the summer i was supposed to take summer school. My aunt called me up and wanted me to go on a trip that summer. The only way it was possible was if i dropped school. so school i dropped. i made about 20k in the cash games that summer where i would of been in school otherwise. (maybe not giving me a sufficient roll to play the FTOPS)

So yes, im still stuck 10k, this morning i was running really well, then things came to a sudden screech, i was up about 4k and i took a 2 outter beat. followed by a 8 outter. both with 1 card to come, and both times i was holding 3 of a kind sixes. that set me about even for the day.
im going to move back down a little bit while i clear my head. i really need to tell myself that i WILL get this money back eventually. whether it is today, tomorrow, or a month from now. it will soon return, thats just how poker works. everyone has to lose, its the nature of the game.


School

I hate it here. I do not like my classes, my teachers, or the people around me. No offense, but by the way people act and talk, i feel like this how they institutionalize the inferior. This is a college campus and i feel as if i am smarter than my teachers. I am not making any friends here. and the people i know from high school i ignore for the most part.

A while ago i was at a party talkin to a friend, she asked me how school was going, i gave my usual "smeh". she somehow knew exactly what i meant when i said that. she said "Alex, maybe school isn't your thing, have you tried anything else?" It wasn't until then that i realized there may be other options. But the thought of dropping school to do anything else was so foreign at the time."


Like anything else, im not going to just give up and call it quits. Im going to remain in school for at least a week. have to give it the old college try (heh). If things continue the way they are going, i see no point in staying. my grades will eventually slip, if i am not enjoying something i will not excel in it. and i don't want to do a mediocre job at something i dislike. And that's what it comes down to for me, I dislike school.


but id like to hear what everyone else thinks. what would you do in my shoes?

-10k day

last night i got stuck 1ok. i felt like i played pretty well and didn't tilt at all. a big chunk of it was lost in one big pot and i decided to quit immediately after.


Full Tilt Poker Game #3387503575: Table Ballad (heads up) - $10/$20 - No Limit Hold'em - 2:39:06 ET - 2007/08/28
Seat 1: Kadabra ($3,834.50)
Seat 2: johny001 ($4,928.50)
johny001 posts the small blind of $10
Kadabra posts the big blind of $20
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Kadabra [9h 8d]
johny001 raises to $60
Kadabra raises to $180
johny001 calls $120
*** FLOP *** [7d 6d 6c]
Kadabra bets $280
johny001 raises to $960
Kadabra calls $680
*** TURN *** [7d 6d 6c] [Th]
Kadabra bets $1,900
johny001 raises to $3,788.50, and is all in
Kadabra calls $794.50, and is all in
johny001 shows [6h 3h]
Kadabra shows [9h 8d]
Uncalled bet of $1,094 returned to johny001
*** RIVER *** [7d 6d 6c Th] [3c]
johny001 shows a full house, Sixes full of Threes
Kadabra shows a straight, Ten high
johny001 wins the pot ($7,668.50) with a full house, Sixes full of Threes
Kadabra is sitting out
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $7,669 | Rake $0.50
Board: [7d 6d 6c Th 3c]
Seat 1: Kadabra (big blind) showed [9h 8d] and lost with a straight, Ten high
Seat 2: johny001 (small blind) showed [6h 3h] and won ($7,668.50) with a full house, Sixes full of Threes


i plan on not playing any more 10-20 until im at least unstuck the full 10k.

Value Betting

if there is one thing i feel i do really well in hu poker, its value betting.

heres a hand i played 10 minutes ago

Full Tilt Poker Game #3336000796: Table Echo (heads up) - $2/$4 - No Limit Hold'em - 23:11:46 ET - 2007/08/22
Seat 1: Kadabra ($782)
Seat 2: lolmonies ($599.50)
Kadabra posts the small blind of $2
lolmonies posts the big blind of $4
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Kadabra [Jh 7c]
Kadabra calls $2
lolmonies raises to $12
Kadabra calls $8
*** FLOP *** [6h 5d 4s]
lolmonies bets $20
Kadabra calls $20
*** TURN *** [6h 5d 4s] [Jc]
lolmonies checks
Kadabra bets $42
lolmonies calls $42
*** RIVER *** [6h 5d 4s Jc] [2s]
lolmonies checks
Kadabra bets $108
lolmonies has 15 seconds left to act
lolmonies has requested TIME
lolmonies calls $108
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Kadabra shows [Jh 7c] a pair of Jacks
lolmonies mucks
Kadabra wins the pot ($363.50) with a pair of Jacks
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $364 | Rake $0.50
Board: [6h 5d 4s Jc 2s]
Seat 1: Kadabra (small blind) showed [Jh 7c] and won ($363.50) with a pair of Jacks
Seat 2: lolmonies (big blind) mucked [Td Tc] - a pair of Tens






first off, i'm one of the very few hu players who will limp on the button. most players, especially at the big limits, want to play a big pot every hand, and lets say u limp at 5-10, and they cant raise it to 100+ its very frustrating and confusing for them. almost like i'm breaking some sort of gentlemen agreement or unwritten law.



anyway, i limp, he 3x's, i cant fold. ill never fold full stack or more for 3x regardless of my cards. i flop a strait draw, and an over. he bets this flop, and i feel like hes the type of guy, where if i hit my strait and bet turn and river, hell pay me off cuz he just wont believe me. turn card is a jack. now im gonna put in a tester bet and see where im at. i bet about 2/3 the pot. he takes his time, and calls. river is a deuce, that 2 fills up the bottom end of the strait.

he checks. most people at this point say, ok well i might have the best hand, i might not, i dont want to be raised so im not putting any more money in. guess what. keep this quiet, u wont be raised unless he has a monster.


ive determined that if he had AA KK QQ he would of bet the turn, the jack scared him, meaning my jack was good, at this point i put him on 88 thinking he would think i will only bet here with a strait. he knows he can only beat a bluff, and thats what i try to represent, this way he just calls. and i get an extra quarter of a buy in

Short handed tourmanet today

i just satellited into the $1000 6 handed. tournament wise, i feel this is my strongest event. and i think the 2nd and 1st i got in my satellites proved it. i am still in 2nd place for player of the year and desperately trying to rack up some points in this event. if i take anywhere in the top 40 ill be very very happy with myself. of course i am still rooting for the final table and maybe sealing the deal on this years race. the tournament today starts at 6.

300 NL

so the rebuy didnt go to well

45, flop 55A


i knew it but could not get away from it, he had AA.



i have now dropped into 2nd place for player of the year. today is the 300 NL.
theres gonna be about 4000 people in this tournament, i peg myself at about 35 to 1 to make the top 50 and collect some much needed POY points.

FTOPS player of the year challenge

so this is my biggest challenge ever. i want to win FTOPS player of the year. you must place in the top 72 to earn points. i have 200 points as of right now, i figure i need about 350 points to win it. i think if i make one more final table, i can win. tomorrow is the re buy tournament. i think this may be my best chance, the field is not usually over 1,500 people for a re buy tournament. so if i can just squeeze into the top 50, it might be enough to separate myself from the rest of the pact.

FTOPS event #1

So we won FTOPS! here is a screen shot of the final results




I'm in a bit of a rush so ill just discuss two final table hands

Full Tilt Poker Game #3198984859: FTOPS Event #1 (22618705), Table 239 - 80K/160K Ante 20K - No Limit Hold'em - 6:09:47 ET - 2007/08/09
Seat 2: Kadabra (2,936,700)
Seat 3: Jeezy888 (6,155,368)
Seat 4: The_Closer3 (3,402,932)
Kadabra antes 20,000
Jeezy888 antes 20,000
The_Closer3 antes 20,000
Kadabra posts the small blind of 80,000
Jeezy888 posts the big blind of 160,000
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Kadabra [5h 5s]
PhillyPhan85 (Observer): kad owns closer
CalluBudddy (Observer): nh
The_Closer3 folds
Kadabra calls 80,000
j-caly (Observer): lol
Jeezy888 checks
*** FLOP *** [3h 6s 7h]
Kadabra bets 160,000
WooWooPoker (Observer): Jeezy888 FAN CLUB
Jeezy888 calls 160,000
*** TURN *** [3h 6s 7h] [2c]
mcsaigon1 (Observer): ill give you 2-1 10 dollar bet jeezy outlasts kad
Kadabra bets 160,000
skinsiu13 (Observer): 335
mcsaigon1 (Observer): any takers
Jeezy888 calls 160,000
*** RIVER *** [3h 6s 7h 2c] [2s]
Ch1pFreak (Observer): Jeezy = Draw
Kadabra checks
skinsiu13 (Observer): 160
SuburbanAces (Observer): KAD OWNS EVERYONE
Jeezy888 bets 1,020,000
CalluBudddy (Observer): omg
Cubs 217 (Observer): obv
Triple Trio (Observer): 2-1?
Kadabra calls 1,020,000
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Jeezy888 shows [8h 9d] a pair of Twos
SuburbanAces (Observer): GO KAD
Kadabra shows [5h 5s] two pair, Fives and Twos
Kadabra wins the pot (3,060,000) with two pair, Fives and Twos
PhillyPhan85 (Observer): Kad gc!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 3,060,000 | Rake 0
Board: [3h 6s 7h 2c 2s]
Seat 2: Kadabra (small blind) showed [5h 5s] and won (3,060,000) with two pair, Fives and Twos
Seat 3: Jeezy888 (big blind) showed [8h 9d] and lost with a pair of Twos
Seat 4: The_Closer3 (button) folded before the Flop





ok, with jeezy i wanna be super careful, because hes a preflop player, if i raise, hell put me in with any ace, and with the way things were goin, i was not lookin to gamble on the low stack.

so i limp, regular lookin flop


i min bet, for info, and to try to take it down.

he jus calls.

this means a lot of things, but its his biggest mistake in the hand. just calling here indicates he does not have 2pair or better, because he would protect it.

turn comes a good card a duece, again i min bet, im actually a lil scared, i really wanna see the river cheap.


ok well i get the river i want, i check, no reason to bet here. now honestly i want him to check, or make a big bet, a big bet will indicate a hand like, K8h 89 810 910.


well he bets the pot. look, how can he have a hand here, a 7 value bets, if not checks, a 6 doesnt bet, those running dueces didnt do anything. there is jus no hand i can put him on. so i make, in my mind an easy call.



one more




Full Tilt Poker Game #3198902811: FTOPS Event #1 (22618705), Table 239 - 50K/100K Ante 10K - No Limit Hold'em - 5:44:39 ET - 2007/08/09
Seat 2: Kadabra (3,601,700)
Seat 3: Jeezy888 (2,620,368)
Seat 4: The_Closer3 (6,272,932)
Kadabra antes 10,000
Jeezy888 antes 10,000
The_Closer3 antes 10,000
The_Closer3 posts the small blind of 50,000
Kadabra posts the big blind of 100,000
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Kadabra [Td 8s]
cyruskash (Observer): its anyone's game
Jeezy888 folds
killanick (Observer): theres gonna be no chops...just a wild guess
CalluBudddy (Observer): close him
The_Closer3 raises to 300,000
PhillyPhan85 (Observer): Kabs
Kadabra calls 200,000
*** FLOP *** [4h 4d Ah]
jtb81100 (Observer): yea and without a chop he has a good shot at 147k
pokerking350 (Observer): kadabra owns closer
The_Closer3 bets 630,000
FOOL_BULL (Observer): ya it is
PhillyPhan85 (Observer): hands down best player
Kadabra calls 630,000
*** TURN *** [4h 4d Ah] [Ac]
RafiAmit (Observer): 80 k each closer gets 140k
CalluBudddy (Observer): omg
BigChipper86 (Observer): closer will finish 3rd
The_Closer3 checks
icudonks (Observer): KADABRA made a great comeback earlier
FOOL_BULL (Observer): 1st
Kadabra bets 800,000
CalluBudddy (Observer): close him one time
The_Closer3 has 15 seconds left to act
The_Closer3 has requested TIME
PhillyPhan85 (Observer): yea from 200k like 13 handed it was sik
The_Closer3 folds
Uncalled bet of 800,000 returned to Kadabra
Kadabra mucks
Kadabra wins the pot (1,890,000)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1,890,000 | Rake 0
Board: [4h 4d Ah Ac]
Seat 2: Kadabra (big blind) collected (1,890,000), mucked
Seat 3: Jeezy888 (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: The_Closer3 (small blind) folded on the Turn




probably my favorite hand of the tournament. now from the beggining of the final table till 3 handed, i acted like i was the guy who plays his cards, and lets them fall where they lie, thats how i set up a few bluffs on the very aggresiive closer later on.

he raises my blind (standard) and this time i decide to play with him and call. AA4, not a dream flop, he bet the pot.
freeze. any pair he has, has to be worried, and thats an overbet if he has an ace.but if i make a raise, he might push with a draw.... hmmmm.

i elected to just call the flop, and see what came on the turn,

a 4. he checks, action time, now with my flat call on the flop, it makes it look like i can either have a scared 4, or im slowplaying an ace.

theres 1.9 in the pot, i bet 800,000.

if he has a draw... he can not call now, if he has a pair, he will flat call, and i will bluff the river. buy bettin 800,000 i know he is smart enough to know i might be trapping, because he knows i am playing my hand, not his (totally not true tho!) so i want him to think im baiting him, and will bet big on the river. he promptly mucks.

Buy N Save

i finally got a chance to go car shopping today. i tried out the grand touring mazda. i really like the ride and i might buy it if they knock off some of the price for paying cash. the real story today came at buy n save.

Tyler and I went to get sandwiches and then to get a snack at buy n save. i went n picked up a couple drinks and while i was making a decision i put my sunglasses down. all the while this woman in an orange vest was standing behind us. as soon as i walked out the door i realized i forgot my sunglasses. tyler went back inside, and said he couldnt find them. i figured he just forgot where i set them down, so i went inside, and they were gone. its only been about a minute n a half since i put my sunglasses down that they were gone. i talk to the store manager, but apparently there cameras dont even work.... nice to know.

so i confront the woman about it. she practically gets right in my face and says no. i come back about 15 minutes later, confront her again, she starts screaming at me this time. "just call the police! ive never fuckin stole anything in my life, how dare you acuse me of stealing, it was probably the 2 mexicans behind me! just call the police!" there were no other people in the store, just her, tyler, and i.


at this point, i dont think i will ever see those sunglasses again. but you never know...

full tilt eating my cornhole

all day....

i just havent seemed to catch a break. last hand happened like this

Full Tilt Poker Game #3067025347: Table Firm (heads up) - $5/$10 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:26:05 ET - 2007/07/26
pez_vela has 5 seconds left to act
pez_vela posts the small blind of $5
Kadabra posts the big blind of $10
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Kadabra [Qc Ah]
pez_vela raises to $30
Kadabra calls $20
*** FLOP *** [8h 3d 8d]
Kadabra checks
pez_vela bets $45
Kadabra raises to $132
pez_vela calls $87
*** TURN *** [8h 3d 8d] [Qh]
Kadabra checks
pez_vela bets $397.20, and is all in
Kadabra calls $397.20
pez_vela shows [5d 5h]
Kadabra shows [Qc Ah]
*** RIVER *** [8h 3d 8d Qh] [5c]
pez_vela shows a full house, Fives full of Eights
Kadabra shows two pair, Queens and Eights
pez_vela wins the pot ($1,117.90) with a full house, Fives full of Eights
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $1,118.40 | Rake $0.50
Board: [8h 3d 8d Qh 5c]
Seat 1: pez_vela (small blind) showed [5d 5h] and won ($1,117.90) with a full house, Fives full of Eights
Seat 2: Kadabra (big blind) showed [Qc Ah] and lost with two pair, Queens and Eights



its like i cant catch a break all day. i need a massage

Bobby Baldwin's message

"I've heard good players complian to me about how they get outdrawn all of the time. But if they want to better their game and their emotional state while playing they should realise it os a mirage. If you are an excellent player, people are going to draw out on you alot more than youre going to draw out on them because theyre simply going to have the worst hand against you a lot more times than you have the worst against them. there is no way you are going to draw pout on anybody if you don't get your money in with the worst hand" Bobby baldwin




the truth is, the REALLY good players, are gonna be in showdown situations with the worst hand a decent chunk of the time. really good players makes lots of bluffs and semi bluffs. this is what i didnt understand for a while, when i always got sucked out on. i would always say to myself "how do i keep losing, if im always in with the best hand" well you can sit around all day and wait for AA. then push everytime you get it. hence your the best player in the world cuz your money has NEVER got in bad. right... no


the good players are getting there money in with strong draws, and a good amount of the time, there gonna push out there opponent, and when called, they have a good shot at winning the pot. i realized this the first time i played bill ivey. the hand went like this




6 handed table, i got 1000 in front of me, he has me covered

hes 2nd to act and he makes it 35. i look down at AA, ok here we go


i make it 120 to go, iwant action, folds to him, who calls.


flop comes 7C2C7D


he checks, i bet 210, he makes it 570, i move all in, and he calls instantly.


turn was 9c, river Jh



he flips QC8C for the winning flush.


im sitting there in shock. how can a player as well respect as bill ivey call an all in on a flush draw. so i decided to research the style a little bit, i watched him, grandiose, H@llingol play. a lot of the times there moving all in with monster draws in an attempt to pick up the pot, or gamble.


i always used to hate life whenever i got it in with the worst hand.cuz i thought thats what poker was all about. and thats why i never sucked out on anyone, cuz i would always make sure i was in with a really good hand.

now i play a much more flexible style. i make a lot of moves with draws. often get a lot of money in the middle. ussually i pick up the pot. but sometimes i get all in with only a 40% chance of winning. and i suck out about 41% of the time.




i mentioned that the object of the move with the draw is to get them to fold. obviously they wont fold everytime, and thats where variance comes in.

bill ivey made the right call mathmatically, he was gettin over 3 to 1. but in his mind i dont have AA there every time, and might just muck to the reraise, and i will muck to the reraise enough to make his play profitable. and 1 in every 3 times i dont, hell win the pot anyway.


when bill ivey hit his flush when we were all in, i jus said, o ok, well obviously im the better player, because i got all in with the best hand. its what i thought poker was about. but if your going to get chopped away all day, then get it in good, youll eventually lose.



i often hear players say, "i waited for this hand all day, i didnt play one hand, and as soon as i got my hand, i was gone. he reraised me like 15 times and i was just waiting to trap him, and he gets lucky"




heres the issue. lets say you both start with 1000 chips. and he plays you down to 700 by makin moves with draws and your folding. now you get all in KK vs AQ

your gonna double through 70% of the time. and go broke 30%

lets pretend this is a tournament



(.70)650 - (.30)650 = 260.



even tho you get your money in great, on average, your not even collecting enough for the chip lead. that may sound funny because 650 + 650 = 1300. but im saying if poker were done as a percentage chop.

meaning (whenever you are all in, you take a % of the pot that your hand is to win the hand)


when your opponent wins the hand (30% of the time he will) the tournament is over. when you win, you need to do what you just did... again.

lets say your playing the same style.


you get grinded down 400 chips, now you have 900

and you fall into the same situation KK vs AQ.

you need to dodge again to win the tournament.



what im really trying to say is, if you can grind down your opponent, to the point where you have a chance to end the tourney on an all in, and if he wisn your pretty close to even. your outplaying them.

sitting around and waiting for the perfect hand, while you might be in with the best of it more often, is not the optimal strategy.

good session

Last night I played a pretty good session of 2-4 NL. i got lucky once. when you get lucky early it kind of feels like your on a freeroll and i think it helps you out emotionaly. i was on a cooler for the past couple of days and i was able to keep my emotions in tact and grind back losing only $200. Then last night I made some good reads at 2-4 NL

Againzo!?

again a loose aggressive opponent

and he disconects





these loose agro guys should get better connections when i have big hands!

classic pic

i jus find this hilarious. super loose and aggressive opponent.

Oops i did it again.

another tournament taken down

just annoyed

all bad beats so far today, they bad beat, then they run. runner runner, everything. just having the worst day. i feel like my game is skewed to.... im a lil scared.

Readaments

my reads have been really prestige lately. i have been putting opponents on exactly what they have on some occasions. im feeling really comfortable at the table. although i feel like im in control, my opponents have been rather lucky today.

Full Tilt Poker Game #2965396429: Table Gull (heads up) - $2/$4 - No Limit Hold'em - 15:53:40 ET - 2007/07/16
Seat 1: jcreachbaum1 ($405)
Seat 2: Kadabra ($400)
jcreachbaum1 posts the small blind of $2
Kadabra posts the big blind of $4
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Kadabra [6c 8s]
jcreachbaum1 raises to $12
Kadabra calls $8
*** FLOP *** [Js 9s Jh]
Kadabra checks
jcreachbaum1 bets $16
Kadabra raises to $42
jcreachbaum1 calls $26
*** TURN *** [Js 9s Jh] [5c]
Kadabra bets $70
jcreachbaum1 calls $70
*** RIVER *** [Js 9s Jh 5c] [6s]
Kadabra checks
jcreachbaum1 bets $281, and is all in
Kadabra has 15 seconds left to act
Kadabra has requested TIME
Kadabra calls $276, and is all in
Uncalled bet of $5 returned to jcreachbaum1
*** SHOW DOWN ***
jcreachbaum1 shows [Tc Qd] a pair of Jacks
Kadabra shows [6c 8s] two pair, Jacks and Sixes
Kadabra wins the pot ($799.50) with two pair, Jacks and Sixes
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $800 | Rake $0.50
Board: [Js 9s Jh 5c 6s]
Seat 1: jcreachbaum1 (small blind) showed [Tc Qd] and lost with a pair of Jacks
Seat 2: Kadabra (big blind) showed [6c 8s] and won ($799.50) with two pair, Jacks and Sixes


on this hand i put him on 10Q exactly


Full Tilt Poker Game #2965167874: Table Hand (heads up) - $2/$4 - No Limit Hold'em - 15:24:41 ET - 2007/07/16
Seat 1: whaahhahahah ($461)
Seat 2: Kadabra ($282.50)
Kadabra posts the small blind of $2
whaahhahahah posts the big blind of $4
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Kadabra [Ac Jc]
Kadabra raises to $12
whaahhahahah calls $8
*** FLOP *** [6d Qs 8c]
whaahhahahah checks
Kadabra checks
*** TURN *** [6d Qs 8c] [3c]
whaahhahahah checks
Kadabra bets $18
whaahhahahah raises to $70
Kadabra calls $52
*** RIVER *** [6d Qs 8c 3c] [3s]
whaahhahahah has 15 seconds left to act
whaahhahahah bets $379, and is all in
Kadabra calls $200.50, and is all in
Uncalled bet of $178.50 returned to whaahhahahah
*** SHOW DOWN ***
whaahhahahah shows [4s Ah] a pair of Threes
Kadabra shows [Ac Jc] a pair of Threes
Kadabra wins the pot ($564.50) with a pair of Threes
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $565 | Rake $0.50
Board: [6d Qs 8c 3c 3s]
Seat 1: whaahhahahah (big blind) showed [4s Ah] and lost with a pair of Threes
Seat 2: Kadabra (small blind) showed [Ac Jc] and won ($564.50) with a pair of Threes


i was almost sure he had a busted draw here and was putting me on an 8 or a busted draw.

lollerskates

im pretty happy with how ive been controlling my emotions lately. ive taken consecutive bad beats with pocket aces and ive never really seemed to let it ruin my day. last night i went up against gopheresque on full tilt. from what i heard he was a good player and i wanted to see how i matched up. i ended up all in with the best hand AA, but he got lucky and made a strait. a lot of players on the site would rub it in, but he was very polite and apologetic which eases the blow. and i also realized i could match up with him, which is a boost of confidence.


today i had AA again in the live game. pot was a bout 50 bucks and the flop was 267, i bet 60, was raised to 150, and i moved all in which was only a few dollars more. he flipped K7 and turned a king. again, my opponent was very apologetic which eases the blow. i think all the pot i smoked has chilled me out a little bit, its just a game, and its just money.


but even when things are goin south in my personal life ive been handling it really well. the trick for me is to just laugh it off, realize things could be worse, and get back on track as soon as possible.

Big changes

so yesterday, i decided i was fed up with de anza. so this morning i dropped.... everything. im no longer going to attend summer school. instead im going to fire up again next fall over at west valley. this means i will be attending the cruise to mexico next week :). im very excited about the cruise, i get to hang out with my distant family. im really starting to get my flow back in poker as well. i feel like im making goo dreads again and i think ill win all my money back from my blow up within a few weeks. the blow up totaled around $12,000 before i finally got things turned around. now, not taking summer classes means i should be playing a lot of tournament poker this summer. i may even be traveling to New York for some events at turning stone. im kind of excited about all this change but im still feeling a bit skeptical as everything was pretty much spur of the moment, this morning i was a de anza student and had no intentions of changing that, now ive completely dropped it.


ive been really active heads up lately, heres a hand i played earlier this week, kind of been how things have been flowin.


Full Tilt Poker Game #2784908545: Table Reed (heads up) - $2/$4 - No Limit Hold'em - 13:02:15 ET - 2007/06/27
Seat 1: donkyslayer ($357.20)
Seat 2: Kadabra ($481.50)
donkyslayer posts the small blind of $2
Kadabra posts the big blind of $4
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Kadabra [Jh 8h]
donkyslayer raises to $12
Kadabra calls $8
*** FLOP *** [5h 3c Ad]
Kadabra checks
donkyslayer bets $16
Kadabra raises to $39
donkyslayer has 15 seconds left to act
donkyslayer raises to $84
Kadabra has 15 seconds left to act
Kadabra raises to $129
donkyslayer folds
Uncalled bet of $45 returned to Kadabra
Kadabra mucks
Kadabra wins the pot ($191.50)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $192 | Rake $0.50
Board: [5h 3c Ad]
Seat 1: donkyslayer (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 2: Kadabra (big blind) collected ($191.50), mucked


so donkslayer made a standard raise on the button. i called with a marginal holding and the flop came with an ace

i checked it. he bet 16, i felt like if he wanted action hed bet 12, so i put in a raise.

he made a good reraise, realizing i could do this with complete air. and also thinking i wouldnt think he would reraise without an ace or a set.

the raise smelled for a few reasons


if he had an ace with a weak kicker, he just call.


if he had 2 pair or ace with a strong kicker he would make his reraise larger, push out draws and get more money in the pot incase i have a medium solid hand.


so i decide to make a small reraise. the reason i made it small, is because if he actually does have a hand, he will call or move in and im practically drawing dead. if he has nothing my small raise is as good as a big raise



thanks for reading

New post

So right now its crunch time for school. ive been working relatively hard, and ill be finished with the quarter after finals next week. but much to lazy to type about school. as far as poker goes, im starting to get back on track. ive made a couple of good reads lately. yesterday i played someone heads up for about 4 hours, he was up a grand or more at one point and i continued to play for the 4 hours and finally got my man. i think i went up about 1500-2000. it was a good moral victory tho, really shows how much variance there is in a heads up match.

personal life

been mostly getting high using my new vaporizer every month. kind of having second thoughts tho, i might just go buy a volcano because people keep telling me its much better. Friday i went with some buddies to marios party, good times. Also met a waitress at chilis. waitresses are the hardest people to read on the planet. you never can really tell if there flirting with you because their friendly, or because they want a boosted tip. she had a really outgoing personality and was fun to talk to. i never was able to squeeze in a request for her number. so i took phils advice and did the lamest last second desperation shot. left my number on bill, hopefully she doesnt charge my credit card for 7 figures :)

also, at a party the other day, some girl guessed my nationality in one guess. 19 years and no one has even come close to guessing i was Armenian. many people guess im Irish, which is true im half Irish half Armenian. most people dont even know there is a country called armenia. so i was very impressed.

played a hand well today

Full Tilt Poker Game #2719314533: Table Chad (deep 6) - $2.50/$5 - No Limit Hold'em - 12:37:10 ET - 2007/06/20
Seat 2: Kadabra ($1,098.50)
Seat 3: erusugen ($1,062)
Kadabra posts the small blind of $2.50
erusugen posts the big blind of $5
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Kadabra [5s 6s]
Kadabra raises to $15
erusugen raises to $52
Kadabra calls $37
*** FLOP *** [Ks 3d 2s]
erusugen bets $83
Kadabra has 15 seconds left to act
Kadabra calls $83
*** TURN *** [Ks 3d 2s] [7s]
erusugen has 15 seconds left to act
erusugen checks
Kadabra has 15 seconds left to act
Kadabra bets $180
erusugen has 15 seconds left to act
erusugen calls $180
*** RIVER *** [Ks 3d 2s 7s] [Th]
erusugen checks
Kadabra has 15 seconds left to act
Kadabra has requested TIME
Kadabra bets $783.50, and is all in
erusugen has 15 seconds left to act
erusugen has requested TIME
OceanStorm sits down
OceanStorm adds $1,000
erusugen calls $747, and is all in
Uncalled bet of $36.50 returned to Kadabra
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Kadabra shows [5s 6s] a flush, King high
erusugen mucks
Kadabra wins the pot ($2,123.50) with a flush, King high
erusugen is sitting out
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $2,124 | Rake $0.50
Board: [Ks 3d 2s 7s Th]
Seat 2: Kadabra (small blind) showed [5s 6s] and won ($2,123.50) with a flush, King high
Seat 3: erusugen (big blind) mucked [As Kc] - a pair of Kings



on the flop i figured his bet to be something along the lines of 99-AA, AK



so instead or raising, i flat call.

turn
ding.


now i have exactly what i want. he checks, now i always have an aggressive image at the table, so im sure if he has a king or better he will call any bet. so i bet 2/3ish the pot. takes his time, and calls.

this to me says he has a big hand (possibly wants to see the board pair). and might want to jus check it down because hes scared of the flush.


river is a dream card



he takes a few seconds and checks to me. i ponder and move all in, why all in? why not 400. if i bet 400 he can think hmm, hes betting a set, or 2 pair, or even a flush. when i move all in, in his mind, i either got the nuts or nothing, so its a smaller range of hands he can put me on. which allows him to call me with just one pair, (in some cases even just high card) im putting him on something like what he has, AK KK AA. im mostly putting him on AA here (hopefully with the ace of spades, if he has the ace of spades then i can not have the nuts, which makes my bet look more like a bluff.)



Now a buddy of mine brought up an excellent point, he said



Ok...I understand that in the end you won the hand....BULLY FOR YOU!!! WTG!! GG you!! and all that.

Here's where I don't get it, and it may just be me but I Really don't get it. How could you get 50+ dollars into a hand PREFLOP with 5,6 suited? Is that really a strong enough hand to put that much in a pot?

I am not knocking the hand, you won it so wooooot!!! But I have a real tough time justifying the amount of money you risked preflop.

Is it me? or do I still have ALOT to learn when it comes to what hands I should risk money on





my response



glad you asked ryll



this is very situational, if this was a tournament, and we only had lets say, 40 big blinds each, i wouldnt dream about making this call pre flop. however, in this cashed game, we each have over 200 big blinds.

you might think, 10 big blinds, 10000 big blinds, whats the difference? the hands are still worth the same value.


with 200 big blinds, im willing to risk 7 to try to win all of his money. now 65 is 6 high. but 65 has a lot of potential to make a strait and a flush, if low cards come its pretty hidden that my cards match too, and if he has an overpair i might make a lot of money.



so does this mean when the stacks are deep you should make a call every hand


absolutely not


56s is a great hand to do it with, now in comparision, if i had, for instance, K2, this would be a fold.


when i make a hand with 56, i almost always know exactly where im at, with k2, you could be outkicked, you can be dominated, its hard to get away from top pair. with 56 if it comes 6JQ, its easy to get away cheaply.



when the stacks are this deep and i have a hand like 46s 56s 57s 87s etc
and i raise, im begging for a reraise. why? because i can bust a hand like AA KK QQ AK. deep stack tournaments are very similar.



if you have any other questions about it, feel free to let me know


too add to this

lets say same stakes, but we only had like 250 bucks in front of us, when he reraises, im folding here pretty much always.

My explosion vol. 6

so who didn't see it coming...? i blew up again. i was playing someone heads up and got coolered. then someone bad beated me. then i lost a few variance plays. somewhere between all that this happened.

Full Tilt Poker Game #2595862284: Table Avon (heads up) - $5/$10 - No Limit Hold'em - 5:45:05 ET - 2007/06/06
Seat 1: Fluffdog ($1,000)
Seat 2: Kadabra ($1,684)
Fluffdog posts the small blind of $5
Kadabra posts the big blind of $10
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Kadabra [Qh Qc]
Fluffdog raises to $30
Kadabra raises to $90
Fluffdog calls $60
*** FLOP *** [6h 9c 5d]
Kadabra bets $180
Fluffdog calls $180
*** TURN *** [6h 9c 5d] [7d]
Kadabra checks
Fluffdog bets $330
Kadabra raises to $1,414, and is all in
Fluffdog calls $400, and is all in
Kadabra shows [Qh Qc]
Fluffdog shows [Ah Jd]
Uncalled bet of $684 returned to Kadabra
*** RIVER *** [6h 9c 5d 7d] [Ac]
Kadabra shows a pair of Queens
Fluffdog shows a pair of Aces
Fluffdog wins the pot ($1,999.50) with a pair of Aces
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $2,000 | Rake $0.50
Board: [6h 9c 5d 7d Ac]
Seat 1: Fluffdog (small blind) showed [Ah Jd] and won ($1,999.50) with a pair of Aces
Seat 2: Kadabra (big blind) showed [Qh Qc] and lost with a pair of Queens



then he rubbed it in, and i went nuts. i knew at this point i should go to bed. but instead i proceeded to lose about 7 grand on the night. for some reason its not bothering me as much as it ussually does. i have 1k left in my account and i cashed out a little bit. im going to try and rebuild and get myself back in the game. if i can get to 10 by the end of the month ill be happy. right now i just have to suck it up and take this one.

Cash game report

I am uber proud of myself. i feel like i passed a bridge in my career.


so the game was hot, i bought in for 400, had about 400 when a few hands in a row happened

i had in the sb folded to me, i raised the big blind to 6. bb called. flop





i bet 7, get a call, turn




bingo

i check

bb checks

river




i love my hand, theres about 25 bucks in the pot, and i decide to check

he bets 12 bucks. this is what i was waiting for, the big blind is a station, who always thinks i am bluffing. so his stationness is doubled when im paying. i make it 90, he insta calls and mucks his hand.


he starts screaming at me "you suck man, your so lucky"

now i could have explained to him that the only time he put in a bet was when he was behind but i decided to keep it to myself. i beat him a few more hands, and he beat me some, then it came down to this


im bb, were 5 handed. 2 people limp, i make it 10 total with . what im looking for is tilty bb to call and others to fold. i get exactly that, dream flop




i bet 25, about the pot. dan has 240 left and i have him covered. the reason for this bet is, he can either think im bluffing, or have an ace, or have a draw, and all of that hell play strongly, i really wanna get all the money in right here. no point in letting cards come off. he makes it 70, perfect

im all in.....

he instantly calls me and shows




turn card



river blanks

now this guy, the entire time, berates me, gives me shit, calls me names...

and i show incredibly maturity, counting out my chips as if i was supposed to lose that pot. gave it to him


he states

"that was a bad beat"

and finally he says
"sorry about earlier (the hand i showed where i had a strait) , i made a set on the flop and i had a good board, thats why i was mad"


the game went on very friendly, i got down to 160 bucks, then this happened


i have , were 3 handed. button bets 8, im sb and call as well as the big blind.

flop

i check, bb checks, button makes it 18 and i call, and bb raises 69 more. sb moves in

lets play math, as it turned out i had 130 bucks, and was sure bb was playing


24+63+69+69= 225, i got 130 in my stack, and i know dan is calling, but even if he doesnt, im still getting odds on the button player (barily)

so 225+69(mine) +60(his) +60(mine) = $414 is in the pot so it cost me 130 to win 284. meaning i have to be 31% or better, which i am...

now the kicker

dans 60 he will owe the pot if he calls (which im sure he is)

now its 130 to win 344 meaning i have to be 27% or better.

so i moved in. both players also got all in which i expected. and everything blanked, so that was the night for me. im still very happy how i handled myself when things went south.

thanks for reading

Issues

Full tilt recently found out that i have an old account that i deleted a while ago. So they immediatley took down my new account and re opened my old one. this is bad for many reasons, most importantly i will not be recieving rakeback unless i get them to change their rule.

Tournament Takedown!

i might write a tournament report later. im exhausted.

a few bad beats, rereading to calm down

ive been taking a few beats lately and havent really had much to blog about so i thought id throw an old tournament report on. enjoy.


i played a live tournament tonight 70+15, 15 payed rake, pizza, and drinks. its run pretty well.

everyone stars off with 5k, tyop 5 pay out, 40 entered.


ok so i start off playing well, one guy i recoginzed from a long time ago. andyway he raised and i reraised with q10, he mucked and asked me to show so i did. he was al il disgruntled about that, but it wasnt many chips.

well never next hand i flop trips and get paid off probably because of it, now i got about 8500. a lot of boring hands, juss bluffs for small pots. and then i caught some guy bluffing me. then bluffed him back, then value bet him later, then finally took him out. i really had a field day with that player.

anyway most stuff was boring till the final table, my hands were just holding up which was really helpful. so we sit down at final table, ive got about 35k chip leader has around 50. my friend i recognized also made the final table.and one early hand. one limp, chip leader makes it 4500 to go. blinds 500/1000. my friend had about 30,000, which was pretty solid. anyway he looked at his cards, took a while to think, and said. "i think i picked up another read on you, ok im all in" to me this just stank aces. the chip leader immediatly calls and flips KQ, and as for my friend, i was right he had aces. so now ive got his tell.


eventually we get down to 4 players. im chip leader. now we got my friend , some nice guy who always wants to get in as a statistcal favorite, and a quiet guy with about 55,000 chips.


i needed information on the quiet guy, i wanted to figure out what kind of person he really was. so i teased him a bit. "why do you keep babblin on and on? cant u shut up for like 2 minutes?"


im looking for one of two things here

he laughs and has a good time with it= a nice guy, trying to have a good time, very easy to steal his blinds cuz he just likes sticking around and seeing flops.

or

he gets brash, might say something rude to me, might put a bounty on my head just for pride- this means hes going to be willing to put expected value out of the way to try and take me down a peg.


now these are both sterotypes but ive found them to be true to a great extent.

anyway, he laughed, he had a good time with it. bingo! so i start robbing his blinds, everytime he limps i jus pop ti n he mucks.

so i bluffed my other friend about 3 or 4 times, and finally i was dealt KQ, i raised he called, the flop was

882
i bet 5k, yhe moved all in for about 40k, i mucked, he showed 44. now ive got him. hes pushing based on how comfortable he is with his hand, not thinking about chip stacks. so here is the turning point


me-65k
him-45k

2k-4k blinds.

i get dealt 99 on the button
i make it 8 to go jus thinking ill get the shortstack in cuz he only had about 12. to my surprise my friend moves all in for 45k. i take a long time thinking about it, if he had AK AQ, hed consider more options, if he had AA KK QQ JJ, hed be talking me into a call like ive seen him do many times before. i get the feeling, hes comfortable, but only because he thinks im mucking cuz i was on a steal



"i call, im not sure man i was puttin you on sevens"

he flips exactly sevens. the room goes nuts. i win the hand take a monster chip lead, and win the tournament, $1,100

it was a lot of fun and really well set up




thanks for reading

Art of the the bluff

Full Tilt Poker Game #2360883807: Table Ahey (heads up) - $2/$4 - No Limit Hold'em - 22:08:00 ET - 2007/05/05
Seat 1: Figurine ($396)
Seat 2: XYZ123456 ($124)
Figurine posts the small blind of $2
XYZ123456 posts the big blind of $4
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Figurine [2c 5h]
Figurine raises to $12
XYZ123456 calls $8
*** FLOP *** [8h Tc Ah]
XYZ123456 checks
Figurine bets $17
XYZ123456 calls $17
*** TURN *** [8h Tc Ah] [9h]
XYZ123456 bets $23
Figurine raises to $367, and is all in
XYZ123456 folds
Uncalled bet of $344 returned to Figurine
Figurine mucks
Figurine wins the pot ($103.50)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $104 | Rake $0.50
Board: [8h Tc Ah 9h]
Seat 1: Figurine (small blind) collected ($103.50), mucked
Seat 2: XYZ123456 (big blind) folded on the Turn

heres a pretty good example of a bluff imo. our story adds up. we raise before the flop to show strength. flop comes with our strength card (ace) and we lead out representing it. he calls. turn card puts a 3 flush on board. theres 60 bucks in the pot and he bets 23.


hands he can have

1 pair

strait (no hearts)

Ax

a draw


1 pair he will lay down
Ax he might even lay down.
a draw hell probably lay down as well.



the only thing to be afraid of is the strait and maybe the top pair. here is the other beauty about this bluff. we have the five of hearts. if he calls and dosent have a heart, and a heart rivers. we win with the flush. its common for people to feel like if there a 3 flush on board and they have a low card that its not a "serious" flush draw because your opponent could have a higher one. but when bluffing and failing this could save you 30% of the time.


the problem i see in unexperienced poker is "yeah i knew he had something i just wanted him to fold."

thats bad thinkin, the times you should bluff your opponents is when they have nothing, but their nothing beats your nothing. bluffing someone off a big hand without a scary board is very hard to do, you should try to bluff your opponents off medium strength to weak hands.


Full Tilt Poker Game #1857509618: Table Vita (heads up) - $2/$4 - No Limit Hold'em - 17:26:12 ET - 2007/02/23
jozexb posts the small blind of $2
JackDrinker posts the big blind of $4
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to JackDrinker [Ah 5c]
jozexb raises to $12
JackDrinker raises to $36
jozexb calls $24
*** FLOP *** [9d 8s 6c]
JackDrinker bets $52
jozexb calls $52
*** TURN *** [9d 8s 6c] [2c]
JackDrinker checks
jozexb bets $132
JackDrinker raises to $312, and is all in
jozexb folds
Uncalled bet of $180 returned to JackDrinker
JackDrinker mucks
JackDrinker wins the pot ($439.50)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $440 | Rake $0.50
Board: [9d 8s 6c 2c]
Seat 1: JackDrinker (big blind) collected ($439.50), mucked
Seat 2: jozexb (small blind) folded on the Turn



in this case he bet pre and i tried to take it down unsucsesfully. then the flop coame out and i fired with a gut shot, he called and that tels me he thinks i have AK or AQ but is not sure. the turn comes a blank. if he had a set. he would of raised the flop, so we can rule that out he has 77 1010 JJ AK AQ. i check too see what he does, if he checks, i give up on the hand. butt he makes a bet about 3/4 the pot. now i know hes smart, so i raise thinking he will think that i am jus deciding my KK or AA is good right here. and thats what i think he put me on and mucked his cards. also, if he is a bad player (which we wouldnt try this on) and calls with like JJ, we have 7 outs

A few heads up hands with a tricky player

heres a quick hh on how to deal with tricky opponents. tricky opponents can be good or bad, their variance is ussally high. they make min bets and weird raises and call with nothing to steal later.


Full Tilt Poker Game #2358990901: Table Nido (heads up) - $2/$4 - No Limit Hold'em - 17:25:12 ET - 2007/05/05
Seat 1: Figurine ($225.50)
Seat 2: texas687 ($301.80)
texas687 posts the small blind of $2
Figurine posts the big blind of $4
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Figurine [7h Ts]
texas687 calls $2
Figurine raises to $12
texas687 calls $8
*** FLOP *** [Qd 4h 7d]
Figurine bets $12
texas687 calls $12
*** TURN *** [Qd 4h 7d] [9c]
Figurine bets $27
texas687 raises to $54
Figurine calls $27
*** RIVER *** [Qd 4h 7d 9c] [As]
Figurine checks
texas687 bets $90
Figurine calls $90
*** SHOW DOWN ***
texas687 shows [2c Tc] (Ace Queen high)
Figurine shows [7h Ts] (a pair of Sevens)
Figurine wins the pot ($335.50) with a pair of Sevens
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $336 | Rake $0.50
Board: [Qd 4h 7d 9c As]
Seat 1: Figurine (big blind) showed [7h Ts] and won ($335.50) with a pair of Sevens
Seat 2: texas687 (small blind) showed [2c Tc] and lost with Ace Queen high



ok now on the river, im begging him to throw in a big bet here. what can he possibly have if he bets here


if he had a queen or a nine, he checks the river. if he has an ace, he doesnt bet so much because he would
1. be scared and 2. want to bet for value.

this bet just screams bluff



Full Tilt Poker Game #2359035775: Table Nido (heads up) - $2/$4 - No Limit Hold'em - 17:31:41 ET - 2007/05/05
Seat 1: Figurine ($211.70)
Seat 2: texas687 ($310.20)
texas687 posts the small blind of $2
Figurine posts the big blind of $4
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Figurine [8c Kh]
texas687 calls $2
Figurine raises to $12
texas687 calls $8
*** FLOP *** [Ac 9h 8s]
Figurine bets $12
texas687 calls $12
*** TURN *** [Ac 9h 8s] [2d]
Figurine checks
texas687 bets $16
Figurine calls $16
*** RIVER *** [Ac 9h 8s 2d] [3d]
Figurine checks
texas687 bets $40
Figurine calls $40
*** SHOW DOWN ***
texas687 shows [Jd 5c] (Ace Jack high)
Figurine shows [8c Kh] (a pair of Eights)
Figurine wins the pot ($159.50) with a pair of Eights
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $160 | Rake $0.50
Board: [Ac 9h 8s 2d 3d]
Seat 1: Figurine (big blind) showed [8c Kh] and won ($159.50) with a pair of Eights
Seat 2: texas687 (small blind) showed [Jd 5c] and lost with Ace Jack high



again, what can he have. it seemed to me like he had 107 this hand, but keep in mind these players will often call with nothing to make a play later.


now what he should of done on hand #1 was


Full Tilt Poker Game #2359050878: Table Nido (heads up) - $2/$4 - No Limit Hold'em - 17:33:58 ET - 2007/05/05
Seat 1: Figurine ($286.70)
Seat 2: texas687 ($232.80)
Figurine posts the small blind of $2
texas687 posts the big blind of $4
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Figurine [Jh 3d]
Figurine raises to $12
texas687 calls $8
*** FLOP *** [7d 9h 8d]
texas687 checks
Figurine checks
*** TURN *** [7d 9h 8d] [Qc]
texas687 bets $10
Figurine calls $10
*** RIVER *** [7d 9h 8d Qc] [As]
texas687 bets $16
Figurine raises to $62
texas687 folds
Uncalled bet of $46 returned to Figurine
Figurine mucks
Figurine wins the pot ($75.50)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $76 | Rake $0.50
Board: [7d 9h 8d Qc As]
Seat 1: Figurine (small blind) collected ($75.50), mucked
Seat 2: texas687 (big blind) folded on the River



its a scary board to start, a scare card comes, then another scare card comes, this is where you should be bluffing if you don't think you opponent is cappable of putting it in with just a pair of eights.



Full Tilt Poker Game #2359069089: Table Nido (heads up) - $2/$4 - No Limit Hold'em - 17:36:45 ET - 2007/05/05
Seat 1: Figurine ($293.95)
Seat 2: texas687 ($223.15)
Figurine posts the small blind of $2
texas687 posts the big blind of $4
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Figurine [3h Js]
Figurine raises to $12
texas687 calls $8
*** FLOP *** [6h 3s 2h]
texas687 bets $13
Figurine raises to $26
texas687 calls $13
*** TURN *** [6h 3s 2h] [9d]
texas687 checks
Figurine checks
*** RIVER *** [6h 3s 2h 9d] [7d]
texas687 bets $60
Figurine calls $60
*** SHOW DOWN ***
texas687 shows [4h Ac] (Ace Nine high)
Figurine shows [3h Js] (a pair of Threes)
Figurine wins the pot ($195.50) with a pair of Threes
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $196 | Rake $0.50
Board: [6h 3s 2h 9d 7d]
Seat 1: Figurine (small blind) showed [3h Js] and won ($195.50) with a pair of Threes
Seat 2: texas687 (big blind) showed [4h Ac] and lost with Ace Nine high



this is what i figured, he min raises with a draw, i figure hes putting me on a 6 here and with all those scare cards coming, i wont be able to call him. unless he had 79 hearts this is almost always a bluff.






now this one was just silly


Full Tilt Poker Game #2359081655: Table Nido (heads up) - $2/$4 - No Limit Hold'em - 17:38:36 ET - 2007/05/05
Seat 1: Figurine ($346.45)
Seat 2: texas687 ($168.75)
Figurine posts the small blind of $2
texas687 posts the big blind of $4
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Figurine [Ah 6c]
Figurine raises to $12
texas687 calls $8
*** FLOP *** [Qd Qh 2s]
texas687 checks
Figurine bets $16
texas687 raises to $32
Figurine calls $16
*** TURN *** [Qd Qh 2s] [2d]
texas687 bets $60
Figurine raises to $302.45, and is all in
texas687 folds
Uncalled bet of $242.45 returned to Figurine
Figurine mucks
Figurine wins the pot ($207.50)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $208 | Rake $0.50
Board: [Qd Qh 2s 2d]
Seat 1: Figurine (small blind) collected ($207.50), mucked
Seat 2: texas687 (big blind) folded on the Turn


i raise he calls, flop QQ2 i bet and he raises, again indicating he might have a draw, my a is probably good. so i call turn is a 2. now hes betting? practically the pot. what can he possibly be comfortable here with AND want me out of the hand. 60 dollars is just too much for him to have a house, which is all he can be holding.

The Full Tilt roll

I forgot to mention, i am now playing under the alias "Figurine". Here is a hand that was "played" this afternoon


Full Tilt Poker Game #2346353096: Table Goal (heads up) - $1/$2 - No Limit Hold'em - 22:10:26 ET - 2007/05/03
Seat 1: sas25501 ($125.70)
Seat 2: Figurine ($116.30)
Figurine posts the small blind of $1
sas25501 posts the big blind of $2
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Figurine [Ac Ad]
Figurine raises to $6
sas25501 raises to $125.70, and is all in
Figurine calls $110.30, and is all in
sas25501 shows [Kc Js]
Figurine shows [Ac Ad]
Uncalled bet of $9.40 returned to sas25501
*** FLOP *** [9d Jc 8c]
*** TURN *** [9d Jc 8c] [5s]
*** RIVER *** [9d Jc 8c 5s] [Kh]
sas25501 shows two pair, Kings and Jacks
Figurine shows a pair of Aces
sas25501 wins the pot ($232.10) with two pair, Kings and Jacks
sas25501: sry
Figurine is sitting out
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $232.60 | Rake $0.50
Board: [9d Jc 8c 5s Kh]
Seat 1: sas25501 (big blind) showed [Kc Js] and won ($232.10) with two pair, Kings and Jacks
Seat 2: Figurine (small blind) showed [Ac Ad] and lost with a pair of Aces



that was a sick one, but heres one i think I played well.


zoah wrote a good article on why we bet our big hands.

heres a good example + the combination of knowing your opponent




Full Tilt Poker Game #2348019365: Table Aire (heads up) - $1/$2 - No Limit Hold'em - 2:08:27 ET - 2007/05/04
Seat 1: Kramerica Ltd ($173.10)
Seat 2: Figurine ($125.70)
Figurine posts the small blind of $1
Kramerica Ltd posts the big blind of $2
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Figurine [7c 4h]
Figurine raises to $6
Kramerica Ltd calls $4
*** FLOP *** [7d 2s 7s]
Kramerica Ltd checks
Figurine bets $12
Kramerica Ltd raises to $167.10, and is all in
Figurine calls $107.70, and is all in
Kramerica Ltd shows [Ah 2c]
Figurine shows [7c 4h]
Uncalled bet of $47.40 returned to Kramerica Ltd
*** TURN *** [7d 2s 7s] [4c]
*** RIVER *** [7d 2s 7s 4c] [8c]
Kramerica Ltd shows two pair, Sevens and Twos
Figurine shows a full house, Sevens full of Fours
Figurine wins the pot ($250.90) with a full house, Sevens full of Fours
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $251.40 | Rake $0.50
Board: [7d 2s 7s 4c 8c]
Seat 1: Kramerica Ltd (big blind) showed [Ah 2c] and lost with two pair, Sevens and Twos
Seat 2: Figurine (small blind) showed [7c 4h] and won ($250.90) with a full house, Sevens full of Fours


my opponent caught me makin big bets with nothing, he was always willing to get enough money in to protect his hand. the reason i bet here, is because if he has any pair, the way he plays, he either has to muck, or make a big raise, if he makes that raise, hes commited to the pot. If i just check, that allows a scare card to come off and kill my action, if i bet small it gives him the chance to just call down. (which means a scare card could come off and kill my action)

Bought into Full Tilt Poker

Bought into full tilt poker today for 600. i played a tournament where i made a bad read then everything just went downhill from there. played a couple of cash games where my reads were pretty hot. i was cold decked for a while but when that was over i got back on track and really felt like i was in control of the game. im feeling confident about this so far.

Tournament report from Chumash

So yesterday i played in the chumash central coast championships. It was a very hard day because the night before my roomates were very loud, i slept on the floor, barely got any sleep, and had to be up at 6 am. so i woke up at 6 got in line for an hour and a half and ended up being alternate #46. gravy. i went back to the hotel to try n sleep for 20 more minutes. by the time im ready to go the keys go missing, so i find out a while later my roomate accidently took them with him. so i call a taxi asap because im supposed to be back at a certain hour. anyway i get there, cards go in the air. 55 minutes go by and they only get to alternate 40, their only accepting alternates for the first hour. at 59:42 i was seated, i was the last alternate to get a seat. a an alternate i acctually started with less chips than everyone else.

I get my seat, introduce myself as always, i got the 1 seat and i hate the 1 seat and the 10 seat for many reasons. you cant see the whole table, dealer accidently steals your cards, chipstacks are hard to count. so cards go in the air, i got 4700 blinds 50-100. humongous stack on my right. trying to figure him out. hes one of those gangster looking guys, grill and all. i try not to stereo type too much, but this look generally means loose aggressive or loose passive. im not going to judge immediatly though.

I folded for the first half hour, every hand i simply mucked. finally i made a play with rags. was dealt on the button 5 people limped so i made it 600 to go, 2 callers flop






both check to me, i make it 1100 they both fold. i actually didnt see a real holding for the first 2 hours. so i made a lot of steals and bluffs when the blinds moved to 100-200




finally the blinds were at 200-400 and i got a table change. i was in charge of my table, making 5 consequtives bluffs (i wasn't caught once in this tourney). then BOOM a real hand, im dealt



and i got like13k. i make it 1400 to go, small blind moves all in for 6k. given my table image he could really have any type of hand. i call he had and won the coinflip. after that he muttered "I knew I'd get him" to people close to him at the table. i don't understand this. when the money got in he wasnt even a favorite. he didnt really get me, he got luck. whatever, shakin it off.

ok back to the drawing board. no reason to get upset yet. i come back bluffing. seriously i would jus put in a raise and everyone would fold everytime. or people would limp my blinds in late position and i would jus checkraise the flop with nothing and theyd actually muck middle pair. i really liked my table. so now i have about 17k and bingo utg i get dealt




blinds are now at 400-800, i make it 2500 to go. everyone folds. the big blind thinks for a long time. and pushes all in. i know i got him, but he has a little over 11k. i call, he flips....




you kiddin? "i was short stack" he said. he was like the 2nd biggest stack at the table. ok well heres a chance to accumulate A LOT of chips. turn card brings and ace and im crippled.


agh so frusterated at this point because at this point. i have not had a hand, that would of won a showdown yet. and were 3 hours in. so the next 3 or 4 hands i jus push and everyone mucks. i get back to about 12k

we come back from break and i feel a lot better after talking to some friends. blinds come back at 600-1200. then someone special arrives at my table. its jamie foxx. jamie was doing a lot of limping in his first hands, and i would raise and everyone would muck, it worked out really nicely for me. then he limped again leaving him 2k. i got dealt and moved all in in the sb to push out shortstack bb. jamie called with . and did not catch up and was eliminated. nice, at least i got that, my table gave me shit for movin in with a9 saying its a terrible play and i was js attackin him like i was all day. but if he had a9 beat he would of raised. i was pretty sure i was ahead.


blinds 600-1200, i raise to 3200 with BB moves all in for about 7k with . i call leaving me about 10k after this. he wins the coin flip. then i make a big move, i raise in mid position with



i make it 3500 to go, leaving me 9000
big blind big stack calls. flop





he checks, i move all in. he takes a long time and folds .

im ready to open up my table so i throw face up. this is my advertisement, im set to make a move with big cards later.

a while later im at 12k. blinds 1000-2000 100 ante. my buddy on the right who beat me with A10 was not at 7k, a few hands later he moved in from one of the cut off and i was dealt . i reraised all in for 11,900. the big blind takes his time, and calls both all ins. im thinkin i need some help. BB flips other guy flips .

this cant be serious? kq alright, but q10??? here we go flop junk junk JACK. turn junk, river junk. and i make kind of a big comical scene about it.


now we got nearly 30k in chips. im in the cut off with . nice blinds 1500-3000 100 ante. i make it 9 to go. old lady moves all in for about 14, 5 more to me i throw it in. she flips . and i lose... again. i got about 15 or 16 left. a couple more blind steals and now i got about 25k


were down to 121 players at this point and 100 cash. but im not worried about cashing, i want that ring so bad. i get dealt in the cutoff. and i make i move in. the guy who called me with Q10 jus sucked out on someoneand had a huge stack, and he moved in havign me covered. everyone folded and he flipped . lights out.