Pinball Wizard

My father is a pinball wizard.

He just set a sick high score on his favourite machine (it happens to be my favourite, too).

Me, I am a hapless apprentice, it seems.

Some highlights and two lessons taken from the MATH

Further proof that AQ is a hand to be played cautiously ...Bam Bam had made a sick bluff against me earlier to my dismay .....

Full Tilt Poker, NL Hold'em Tournament, 20/40 Blinds, 6 Players

MP: 2,380
CO: 3,495
BTN: 1,980
Hero (SB): 3,140
BB: 3,860
UTG: 3,145

Pre-Flop: (60) 4 4 dealt to Hero (SB)
UTG raises to 160, 3 folds, Hero calls 140, BB folds

Flop: (360) T 6 4 (2 Players)
Hero checks, UTG checks

Turn: (360) 6 (2 Players)
Hero bets 160, UTG raises to 840, Hero calls 680

River: (2,040) 6 (2 Players)
Hero checks, UTG bets 2,145 and is All-In

... and I vomit and fold

Results: 2,040 Pot (2,040 Rake)
UTG showed A J (three of a kind, Sixes) and WON (+1,000 NET)

Clearly, having the underfull there is just sick because I only beat a bluff. I should have 3-bet the turn or made a blocking bet on the river which my opponent can't call unless he has the stones to bluff-raise with ace-high.

That being said, I managed to recoup my losses when the same villain overplayed the mighty AQ at precisely the wrong time (I had made a huge comeback from a low point of 800 or so chips):

Full Tilt Poker, NL Hold'em Tournament, 100/200 Blinds, 5 Players

CO: 5,956
BTN: 10,751
Hero (SB): 14,415
BB: 6,204
UTG: 6,040

Pre-Flop: (300) A A dealt to Hero (SB)
UTG raises to 700, 2 folds, Hero raises to 1,700, BB folds, UTG raises to 6,040 and is All-In, Hero calls 4,340

Flop: (12,280) 4 7 8 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Turn: (12,280) K (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

River: (12,280) K (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: 12,280 Pot
Hero showed A A (two pair, Aces and Kings) and WON 12,280 (+6,240 NET)
UTG showed A Q (a pair of Kings) and LOST (-6,040 NET)

Sadly, I bubbled out after making a deep run, busting out in 11th. I had an unpleasant time of it once the tournament reached the late stages, either getting blown off hands preflop to shoves or just running bad at showdown; here is one example of a trap gone wrong when I took a big hit to my healthy stack:

Full Tilt Poker, NL Hold'em Tournament, 150/300 Blinds, 25 Ante, 5 Players

CO: 6,956
BTN: 17,990
SB: 5,505
Hero (BB): 18,440
UTG: 4,640

Pre-Flop: (575) Q Q dealt to Hero (BB)
3 folds, SB raises to 1,025, Hero raises to 2,450, SB raises to 5,480 and is All-In, Hero calls 3,030

Flop: (11,085) A 4 5 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Turn: (11,085) 3 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

River: (11,085) T (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: 11,085 Pot
SB showed A J (a pair of Aces) and WON 11,085 (+5,580 NET)
Hero showed Q Q (a pair of Queens) and LOST (-5,505 NET)

... and as the blinds and antes went up I found myself with an M of 7 and quite naturally I ran into LJ's AK at precisely the wrong time:

Full Tilt Poker, NL Hold'em Tournament, 300/600 Blinds, 75 Ante, 5 Players

SB: 23,155
BB: 12,415
Hero (UTG): 8,925
CO: 24,479
BTN: 30,822

Pre-Flop: (1,275) K Q dealt to Hero (UTG)
Hero raises to 8,850 and is All-In, CO folds, BTN calls 8,850, 2 folds

Flop: (18,975) 5 3 2 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Turn: (18,975) 4 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

River: (18,975) 8 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: 18,975 Pot
Hero showed K Q (King Queen high) and LOST (-8,925 NET)
BTN showed K A (a straight, Five high) and WON 18,975 (+10,050 NET)

If I could change anything about how I played, I would probably have opened one or two fewer hands, or opened for slightly less, in order to 4-bet over the top of lucko, who was able to get me to fold several legitimate hands in the late stages of the tourney, and really cause my stack size to stagnate. Sitting on his immediate right was no fun at all. I need to adjust better to the table conditions and the bubble of an MTT when tough, aggressive opponents have position on me. And sometimes I just have to get the chips in with a medium pocket pair or KQs when faced with frequent over the top shoves.

A Riverchasers Report

Finished third.

Here are the only two screenshots that I took throughout the tournament; they are pretty self-explanatory:



Here are some notable HHs and some accompanying analysis.

I play very TAG-ish at the beginning of the tournament and basically tread water in the first couple of levels. I 3-bet preflop with nines, AQs and so forth to take down some pots with minimal risk to chip up a bit. I raise with AK but get no action. I lose some chips when I have to fold JJ to a 4-bet.

I win a couple of decent pots where I outflop everyone. I don't have to go to showdown, which is a good sign that I'm getting respect. Consequently, I start mixing in a few pure steals preflop as I am mostly card dead and need to stay afloat as far as blinds (and now antes) are concerned. I raise with AKs and 83o alike and take down pots with no risk preflop.

I then get this beauty but am unable to get paid off:

*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [5d 5c] - presto!
Astin raises to 720
PirateLawyer calls 720
*** FLOP *** [4h 6d 5h] - improved presto!
Astin checks
PirateLawyer has 15 seconds left to act
PirateLawyer bets 550 - it's too suspicious to check behind, so I make a small bet in hopes Astin will CRAI
Astin folds
Uncalled bet of 550 returned to PirateLawyer
PirateLawyer mucks
PirateLawyer wins the pot (2,000)

Soon afterwards I get KK, but don't generate any action.

As my M shrinks below 10 I shove A2s UTG, and happily get no action.

Then just as we are reaching the second break, I am able to crack Kat's KK in a hand that really played itself:

*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [Ad Qh]
katitude raises to 1,800
PirateLawyer raises to 7,485, and is all in
katitude calls 5,685
PirateLawyer shows [Ad Qh]
katitude shows [Kd Kc] - yikes!
*** FLOP *** [5h Ac 4h] - I get lucky!
*** TURN *** [5h Ac 4h] [5c]
*** RIVER *** [5h Ac 4h 5c] [Jc]
PirateLawyer shows two pair, Aces and Fives
katitude shows two pair, Kings and Fives
PirateLawyer wins the pot (15,770) with two pair, Aces and Fives

And soon after the break, I am able to play a suited connector in position vs. an obvious overpair and I get there on the turn!

Rake Feeder posts the small blind of 250
pushmonkey72 posts the big blind of 500
The button is in seat #9
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [9c 7c]
PirateLawyer calls 500
Rake Feeder has 15 seconds left to act
Rake Feeder raises to 2,000 -- 3-bet from the small blind usually means strong PP
PirateLawyer calls 1,500 -- I have a good hand to speculate with from the buttton and the stacks are deep
*** FLOP *** [2c Tc Ks]
Rake Feeder has 15 seconds left to act
Rake Feeder bets 5,000
PirateLawyer calls 5,000 - I definitely have to see one more card here. I have no fold equity so a call is warranted.
*** TURN *** [2c Tc Ks] [5c] - GIN!
Rake Feeder bets 7,619
PirateLawyer raises to 7,620, and is all in
Rake Feeder calls 1
PirateLawyer shows [9c 7c]
Rake Feeder shows [Ac As] - ouch, a nut flush redraw
*** RIVER *** [2c Tc Ks 5c] [Ad]
PirateLawyer shows a flush, Ten high
Rake Feeder shows three of a kind, Aces
PirateLawyer wins the pot (30,090) with a flush, Ten high

The reverse Hoy doesn't work on me; but I have to sweat the nut flush redraw! Phew. This got me to the top of the leaderboard.

I get KK again, but get no action.

I then make a crying call and spew some chips to a very TAG-ish player, but with my stack size I do want to see a flop with JTs from the big blind:

*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [Td Jd]
scottc25 raises to 1,800
PirateLawyer calls 1,200
*** FLOP *** [Kh Kc 8h]
PirateLawyer checks
scottc25 checks
*** TURN *** [Kh Kc 8h] [3c]
PirateLawyer bets 1,800
scottc25 calls 1,800
*** RIVER *** [Kh Kc 8h 3c] [Th]
PirateLawyer checks
scottc25 bets 4,000
PirateLawyer calls 4,000
*** SHOW DOWN ***
scottc25 shows [Qh Jh] a flush, King high
PirateLawyer mucks
scottc25 wins the pot (16,100) with a flush, King high

I lose a pretty large pot on a sick river card. He made a brave call on the turn when I bluff on a scary board and he got the card he needed on the river.

I get back to taking down pots preflop and avoiding risky confrontations as I build up my stack. I am getting a fair amount of respect and I am happy to take down pots uncontested.

I 3-bet AK from the blinds and take it down.

I chip up again by busting a shorty who donk-bets into my top pair hand with 12 outs twice and amazingly doesn't improve.

And now we're at the final table bubble and I am completely card dead. I tread water, unable to chip up too much.

Fortunately, I dodged a bullet here:

Full Tilt Poker Game #6526784471: Riverchasers Online Tour (49262698), Table 8 - 500/1000 Ante 125 - No Limit Hold'em - 23:44:43 ET - 2008/05/22
Seat 2: SirFWALGMan (13,919)
Seat 3: scottc25 (28,762)
Seat 6: NCDeaton (20,675)
Seat 8: PirateLawyer (38,550), is sitting out
Seat 9: lightning36 (5,453)
SirFWALGMan antes 125
scottc25 antes 125
NCDeaton antes 125
PirateLawyer antes 125
lightning36 antes 125
SirFWALGMan posts the small blind of 500
scottc25 posts the big blind of 1,000
The button is in seat #9
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [Ah Qd]
lightning36 raises to 5,328, and is all in
PirateLawyer has returned
scottc25 calls 4,328
lightning36 shows [Jh Ac]
scottc25 shows [Qs 7s]
*** FLOP *** [Jd 7c 9s]
*** TURN *** [Jd 7c 9s] [9h]
*** RIVER *** [Jd 7c 9s 9h] [Ts]
lightning36 shows two pair, Jacks and Nines
scottc25 shows two pair, Nines and Sevens
lightning36 wins the pot (11,781) with two pair, Jacks and Nines
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 11,781 | Rake 0
Board: [Jd 7c 9s 9h Ts]
Seat 2: SirFWALGMan (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 3: scottc25 (big blind) showed [Qs 7s] and lost with two pair, Nines and Sevens
Seat 6: NCDeaton folded before the Flop
Seat 8: PirateLawyer folded before the Flop
Seat 9: lightning36 (button) showed [Jh Ac] and won (11,781) with two pair, Jacks and Nines

I dislike AQ but honestly I would have opened here but for the simple fact that I seized the moment for a bathroom break ...

The bubble bursts! Final table time.

Full Tilt Poker Game #6526794100: Riverchasers Online Tour (49262698), Table 8 - 500/1000 Ante 125 - No Limit Hold'em - 23:45:30 ET - 2008/05/22
Seat 1: NumbBono (10,075)
Seat 2: SirFWALGMan (13,294)
Seat 3: scottc25 (23,309)
Seat 4: wwonka69 (49,872)
Seat 5: dwal78 (74,710)
Seat 6: NCDeaton (20,550)
Seat 7: Astin (21,984)
Seat 8: PirateLawyer (38,425)
Seat 9: lightning36 (11,781)

I continue to be card dead and sit back and watch the explosions as players bust right and left; frankly the play at this final table was often rather hilarious; any Ace-x hand was being pushed AND called with; and any pair was gold preflop.

I make a couple of tight folds (like dumping ATs vs. Scott, who is playing like a rock) when he re-raised and I was out of position with a trouble hand against his range to avoid a sticky situation. With enough bets in my stack, I was willing and able to wait for good spots to get my money in as a strong favourite.

I get it in with a big race situation and finally hit:

Full Tilt Poker Game #6526965231: Riverchasers Online Tour (49262698), Table 8 - 600/1200 Ante 150 - No Limit Hold'em - 23:59:25 ET - 2008/05/22
Seat 1: NumbBono (14,550)
Seat 3: scottc25 (50,118)
Seat 4: wwonka69 (39,659)
Seat 5: dwal78 (105,898)
Seat 6: NCDeaton (20,600)
Seat 7: Astin (4,200)
Seat 8: PirateLawyer (28,975)
NumbBono antes 150
scottc25 antes 150
wwonka69 antes 150
dwal78 antes 150
NCDeaton antes 150
Astin antes 150
PirateLawyer antes 150
scottc25 posts the small blind of 600
wwonka69 posts the big blind of 1,200
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [As Kc]
dwal78 folds
NCDeaton folds
Astin folds
PirateLawyer raises to 4,000
NumbBono folds
scottc25 folds
wwonka69 raises to 39,509, and is all in
PirateLawyer calls 24,825, and is all in
wwonka69 shows [7d 7h] -- he's putting most of his stack at risk with a low pair seven-handed
PirateLawyer shows [As Kc] -- no way I am folding AK preflop in this situation
wwonka69 is feeling angry
Uncalled bet of 10,684 returned to wwonka69
*** FLOP *** [Jd Qc 9s]
*** TURN *** [Jd Qc 9s] [4c]
*** RIVER *** [Jd Qc 9s 4c] [Kd]
wwonka69 shows a pair of Sevens
PirateLawyer shows a pair of Kings
PirateLawyer wins the pot (59,300) with a pair of Kings

And just like that I am in second place.

I get no action with QQ.

Astin begins a miraculous comeback hitting all sorts of longshot outs (going runner-runner trips, rivered 2 pair, etc.). The painful one for me:

Riverchasers Online Tour, Table 8 - 1000/2000 Ante 250
Seat 1: NumbBono (24,900)
Seat 3: scottc25 (48,268)
Seat 5: dwal78 (80,764)
Seat 6: NCDeaton (47,018)
Seat 7: Astin (8,900)
Seat 8: PirateLawyer (54,150)
NumbBono posts the small blind of 1,000
scottc25 posts the big blind of 2,000
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [Jc Jh]
Astin raises to 8,650, and is all in
PirateLawyer raises to 53,900, and is all in
PirateLawyer shows [Jc Jh]
Astin shows [Ad 3s]
Uncalled bet of 45,250 returned to PirateLawyer
*** FLOP *** [6h Qd 5s]
*** TURN *** [6h Qd 5s] [8c]
*** RIVER *** [6h Qd 5s 8c] [Ac]
PirateLawyer shows a pair of Jacks
Astin shows a pair of Aces
Astin wins the pot (21,800) with a pair of Aces

What can I say, I was a 94% favourite with one card to come. That was painful.

I start mixing in 3-bets preflop (55, AQ, etc.) and wider open-raises in good spots as I shift gears to take advantage of my tight table image as I have only been showing down premium hands (such as AK or JJ).

I begin to mix in some postflop moves, where I feel I have an advantage and make a profitable flop CRAI vs. dwal when I hit a piece of the flop.

Like so:

Riverchasers Online Tour (49262698), Table 8 - 1200/2400 Ante 300
Seat 3: scottc25 (38,618)
Seat 5: dwal78 (91,282)
Seat 7: Astin (76,850)
Seat 8: PirateLawyer (57,250)
Astin posts the small blind of 1,200
PirateLawyer posts the big blind of 2,400
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [Qh 4h]
scottc25 folds
dwal78 raises to 6,500
Astin folds
PirateLawyer calls 4,100
*** FLOP *** [6s Kh 4d]
PirateLawyer checks
dwal78 bets 10,400
PirateLawyer has 15 seconds left to act -- time to let the clock tick as I choose my bet size
PirateLawyer raises to 28,800
dwal78 folds
Uncalled bet of 18,400 returned to PirateLawyer
PirateLawyer mucks
PirateLawyer wins the pot (36,200)

Unfortunately I give some of those profits back on a dangerous flop where I don't think I have fold equity and my draw is dangerous:

Riverchasers Online Tour Table 8 - 1200/2400 Ante 300
Seat 3: scottc25 (38,618)
Seat 5: dwal78 (63,082)
Seat 7: Astin (88,150)
Seat 8: PirateLawyer (74,150)
Astin posts the small blind of 1,200
PirateLawyer posts the big blind of 2,400
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [Th Qh]
scottc25 folds
dwal78 raises to 6,500
Astin folds
PirateLawyer calls 4,100
*** FLOP *** [8d 9d Ac]
PirateLawyer checks
dwal78 bets 11,100
PirateLawyer has 15 seconds left to act
PirateLawyer folds
Uncalled bet of 11,100 returned to dwal78
dwal78 mucks
dwal78 wins the pot (15,400)

A few hands later I 3-bet shove AK over an open-raise by dwal but don't get any action; still I'm happy with the pot as it stands:

Riverchasers Online Tour, Table 8 - 1500/3000 Ante 400
Seat 3: scottc25 (38,318)
Seat 5: dwal78 (71,682)
Seat 7: Astin (86,650)
Seat 8: PirateLawyer (67,350)
PirateLawyer posts the small blind of 1,500
scottc25 posts the big blind of 3,000
The button is in seat #7
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [Ad Kh]
dwal78 raises to 8,000
Astin folds
PirateLawyer raises to 66,950, and is all in
scottc25 folds
dwal78 folds
Uncalled bet of 58,950 returned to PirateLawyer
PirateLawyer mucks
PirateLawyer wins the pot (20,600)

Then I lose a key race that would have set me up in a very strong position 3-handed:

Riverchasers Online Tour, Table 8 - 1500/3000 Ante 400
Seat 3: scottc25 (28,818)
Seat 5: dwal78 (54,982)
Seat 7: Astin (94,550)
Seat 8: PirateLawyer (85,650)
scottc25 posts the small blind of 1,500
dwal78 posts the big blind of 3,000
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [Js As]
PirateLawyer raises to 9,500
scottc25 raises to 28,418, and is all in
dwal78 folds
PirateLawyer has 15 seconds left to act
PirateLawyer has requested TIME
PirateLawyer calls 18,918 - I know Scott is tight but I figure to be racing at least and I have a potential flush draw
scottc25 shows [9s 9d]
PirateLawyer shows [Js As]
*** FLOP *** [Tc 4c 2s]
*** TURN *** [Tc 4c 2s] [2h]
*** RIVER *** [Tc 4c 2s 2h] [8s]
scottc25 shows two pair, Nines and Twos
Fuel55 (Observer): jackace!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PirateLawyer shows a pair of Twos
scottc25 wins the pot (61,436) with two pair, Nines and Twos

I 3-bet Astin from the blinds with A8s.

And then, well, we get a classic setup 4-handed as pictured at the beginning of this report and there's no way I can fold getting these pot odds:

Full Tilt Poker Game #6527499377: Riverchasers Online Tour (49262698), Table 8 - 1500/3000 Ante 400 - No Limit Hold'em - 0:45:43 ET - 2008/05/23
Seat 3: scottc25 (65,236)
Seat 5: dwal78 (39,782)
Seat 7: Astin (97,750)
Seat 8: PirateLawyer (61,232)
scottc25 antes 400
dwal78 antes 400
Astin antes 400
PirateLawyer antes 400
scottc25 posts the small blind of 1,500
dwal78 posts the big blind of 3,000
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [Kc Ad]
Astin raises to 12,100
PirateLawyer has 15 seconds left to act
PirateLawyer raises to 29,200 -- I put half my stack in, so I am screaming a monster here
scottc25 folds
dwal78 raises to 39,382, and is all in
Astin raises to 97,350, and is all in
PirateLawyer has 15 seconds left to act
PirateLawyer has requested TIME -- two all-ins ... I don't figure to be best, but I am playing to win and the pot odds are ridiculous
PirateLawyer calls 31,632, and is all in
Astin shows [Qs Qh] -- okay I'm racing against the big stack
PirateLawyer shows [Kc Ad]
dwal78 shows [As Qd] -- now there is a misguided shove against my range here
Uncalled bet of 36,518 returned to Astin
*** FLOP *** [5h Jd 4d]
*** TURN *** [5h Jd 4d] [9h]
*** RIVER *** [5h Jd 4d 9h] [Jc]
Astin shows two pair, Queens and Jacks
PirateLawyer shows a pair of Jacks
Astin wins the side pot (42,900) with two pair, Queens and Jacks
dwal78 shows a pair of Jacks
Astin wins the main pot (121,246) with two pair, Queens and Jacks
dwal78 stands up
PirateLawyer stands up

Mini-report on Friday live deepstack cash game

I was simply card dead and folded a lot.

I got four pairs in five hours of play (33 - won a small pot; 88 - chopped a medium pot; TT - lost a small pot; AA - won a big pot).

I managed to book a profit of $100 on the night (I bought in for $200) mostly because my one premium hand of the evening didn't get cracked. My pocket aces survived five preflop callers (yes, my UTG raise to 8 BBs got no respect despite my super-tight table image ... most of the players were oblivious to such things and were bound and determined, come hell or high water, to see a flop and consequently the game saw a lot of showdowns between very mediocre hands) when my opponent made kings up on the river only because the board had previously paired up (final board read K2726); so his kings and sixes were outgunned by my aces and deuces.

Sadly, more than half of my profit for the session is bound over to the city for a parking ticket -- I narrowly avoided being towed, ugh -- now that is a bad beat. Somehow this blogger's fancier vehicle escaped the clutches of the tow truck, but given his much worse luck at the poker tables that night, I guess I should be grateful to have incurred the extra $25 towing fee. Things could always be worse.

Deepstack poker musings, Part 1

The more I study poker away from the tables, and the more time I spend playing deepstack NLHE or PLHE cash games, both live and online, the more I recognize that it is this form of poker that appeals to me the most. And in part because I like this type of game so much, I find that I am more consistent at playing my A-game in these games as compared to other poker games. Not only that, it's simply more profitable for me than if I am slogging away at turbo SnG challenges or capped games with restricted buyins of 100 BBs where you will also regularly find skilled short-stackers playing with 20 or 40 BBs and will often have a high rake to contend with.

So, to sum up three key reasons why deepstack cash games are now my primary focus:

1) Poker is a game of mistakes. Deepstack poker provides me with more opportunities to exploit my opponents' mistakes for larger profits. I'd rather my opponent overplay a vulnerable hand for 400 BBs than 100 BBs! (As always, game selection is crucial.)

2) I play my A-Game more consistently in these games (expanding my concentration in tournament play to match my cash game play is something I am constantly working on)

3) Deepstack games reduce the frequency and utility of "push and pray" preflop poker that lesser-skilled opponents can use to blunt my postflop skill advantage by bloating the pot size preflop. They can't take away my implied odds so easily when the stacks are deep.


How did I come to this epiphany? In part, I guess you could say I'm a purist at heart, or maybe even something of an intellectual snob. I'm very analytical by nature -- all lawyers are -- and as I experimented and gained experience in playing various forms of poker, especially the ubiquitous 100 BB NLHE games played everywhere these days from online poker sites to local casinos, I began to realize that poker was much more interesting when the stack sizes were large enough to allow for pot-sized bets on all 3 betting streets postflop without all the money going in. In other words, a skilled player has much more scope to maneuver and play postflop with a wide range of hands. Position takes on increased importance. Bluffing becomes a bigger part of the game. I get to make better, more informed decisions once I've seen 60% of the board. And so on.

From now on, I'm going to try and develop my skills and put up crooked numbers on the positive side of the ledger in these games.

I'll end this inaugural post by touching on a few nuggets of wisdom I've been mulling over from the end of this book (for a review that mirrors my own opinions about the text, go here) as the authors interview one of the best cash game players you've likely never heard of, Bobby Hoff.

Hoff bluntly talks about two significant and exploitable leaks that many players exhibit in deepstack games (200+ BBs). On these common mistakes, he goes on to say that:

"Calling re-raises too much. If I raise with AK and I get re-raised, and I think the re-raise is legitimate, I don't even think about it. When I say I don't even think about it, I mean seriously I don't even think if I am throwing a good hand away. I just put it right in the muck, like this. That's how fast I put it in there."

It's fair to say that Hoff is very sensitive about avoiding sticky situations wherever possible. He doesn't get wedded to a hand.

"Not paying enough attention to trouble hands before the flop. Two big unsuited cards. I really like limping in with these hands or making very small raises.

... I would rather have 63s in early position to call a re-raise than AQ or KJ. If I have a six and a trey, it's hard for me to get in a real bind. If I have a king and a jack, and I make a pair, it's really hard to play, it's a really hard spot to be in. You don't want to make one pair because it's hard to make one pair and make any money.

Look at it this way. Think of a couple of hands where you make a raise in early position and you get a caller. In the first hand you have six-trey offsuit and in the second you have king-jack. Now in both hands the flop comes king-seven-deuce, three suits. You bet out on the flop.

Now look at the six-trey hand first. When they fold you take the pot. When they call, you know you're beat. You're done with the hand.

Now look what happens when you hold king-jack. When they fold, you win the pot like before. But when they call, what did they call you with? Maybe it was AK, KQ, 77 or 22. Those hands are bad news. You're hoping they called with KT, K9, or K8, but most guys who can play a lick don't call with those hands before the flop. Maybe they called with nine-eight suited and don't want to throw away middle pair just yet.

The point is, you don't know. You're out of position, and you don't know what's going on, and that's a bad way to try and make some money."

This struck me with uncommon force. Hoff speaks powerfully and simply about these and many other aspects of deepstack play in this interview, and I'll discuss more of these issues in subsequent posts.

A few deepstack hands for review

I flamed out of the bloggament fairly early on, so I took Don's nagging to heart and helped get a deep-stacked blogger cash game going, which was quickly populated by a few bloggers -- we attempted to clean out the non-bloggers as best we could during the session, of course!

I was a bit of a card rack at times (QQ 3 times; KK once) and managed to win about half a buy-in. Here are a few hands worthy of commentary. I look forward to suggestions on how I can improve my decision-making; I have included several HHs where I think I could improve my betting patterns.

Hand #1: I took a bluff one step too far.

Full Tilt Poker Game #6341863006: Table Lida (deep) - $0.50/$1 - No Limit Hold'em - 23:15:09 ET - 2008/05/08
Seat 1: weak_player ($201.50)
Seat 2: turoati ($100)
Seat 3: cdnmoose_8 ($203.80)
Seat 4: Miss Mattch ($150)
Seat 5: saso25 ($238.40)
Seat 6: bayne_s ($316.25)
Seat 7: PirateLawyer ($244.35)
Seat 8: MiamiDon ($193.45)
Seat 9: OMGitsPokerFool ($275.45)
MiamiDon posts the small blind of $0.50
OMGitsPokerFool posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #7
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [Tc 9d]
MiamiDon: nh
weak_player has 15 seconds left to act
weak_player calls $1
cdnmoose_8 folds
Miss Mattch folds
saso25 calls $1
bayne_s folds
PirateLawyer calls $1
MiamiDon calls $0.50
OMGitsPokerFool checks
*** FLOP *** [7s Qc 3s]
MiamiDon checks
OMGitsPokerFool checks
weak_player checks
saso25 bets $3
PirateLawyer calls $3
MiamiDon folds
OMGitsPokerFool folds
weak_player folds
*** TURN *** [7s Qc 3s] [8c]
saso25 bets $7
PirateLawyer has 15 seconds left to act
PirateLawyer raises to $21 -- I'm representing a flush draw when I'm really semibluffing with an OESD
saso25 calls $14
*** RIVER *** [7s Qc 3s 8c] [Ac]
saso25 checks
PirateLawyer bets $19 - one more shell because I can't win unless I bet. The backdoor flush came in and an ace is a good scare card to bluff.
saso25 calls $19
*** SHOW DOWN ***
PirateLawyer shows [Tc 9d] Ace Queen high
saso25 shows [Qh 3h] two pair, Queens and Threes -- nothing doing as villain flopped 2 pair.
saso25 wins the pot ($88) with two pair, Queens and Threes

Hand #2: Your standard flopped stone cold nuts with royal flush redraw is all ...

Full Tilt Poker Game #6342014167: Table Lida (deep) - $0.50/$1 - No Limit Hold'em - 23:27:30 ET - 2008/05/08
Seat 1: weak_player ($197)
Seat 2: turoati ($107.05)
Seat 3: cdnmoose_8 ($203.80), is sitting out
Seat 4: Miss Mattch ($156.30)
Seat 5: saso25 ($280)
Seat 6: bayne_s ($343.25)
Seat 7: PirateLawyer ($191.85)
Seat 8: MiamiDon ($200.40)
Seat 9: OMGitsPokerFool ($282.50)
bayne_s posts the small blind of $0.50
PirateLawyer posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [Kc Tc]
MiamiDon folds
OMGitsPokerFool folds
weak_player folds
turoati raises to $3.50
Miss Mattch folds
saso25 folds
bayne_s calls $3
PirateLawyer has 15 seconds left to act
PirateLawyer calls $2.50
*** FLOP *** [Jc 7c Ac] -- GIN!
bayne_s checks
PirateLawyer checks
turoati bets $8
bayne_s folds
PirateLawyer calls $8 -- trying not to scare off my customer
*** TURN *** [Jc 7c Ac] [4h]
PirateLawyer checks -- planning to CRAI
turoati checks -- doh!
*** RIVER *** [Jc 7c Ac 4h] [Js]
PirateLawyer bets $15 -- board pairs, which is no fun, but it's time for valuetown with a 2/3rds pot bet
turoati calls $15
*** SHOW DOWN ***
PirateLawyer shows [Kc Tc] a flush, Ace high
turoati mucks
PirateLawyer wins the pot ($53.70) with a flush, Ace high

Hand #3: MiamiDon money is pretty sweet -- he bluffed a busted draw in position and I showed discipline out of position ...

Full Tilt Poker Game #6342173996: Table Lida (deep) - $0.50/$1 - No Limit Hold'em - 23:40:33 ET - 2008/05/08
Seat 1: weak_player ($201.50)
Seat 2: FabulousHubcap ($48.50)
Seat 3: Kevkon ($258.50)
Seat 4: Miss Mattch ($142.30)
Seat 5: saso25 ($309.55)
Seat 6: bayne_s ($337.75)
Seat 7: PirateLawyer ($213.10)
Seat 8: MiamiDon ($186.25)
Seat 9: OMGitsPokerFool ($218.95)
PirateLawyer posts the small blind of $0.50
MiamiDon posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [3h 3d]
OMGitsPokerFool folds
FabulousHubcap folds
Kevkon folds
Miss Mattch folds
saso25 folds
bayne_s folds
PirateLawyer raises to $3
MiamiDon calls $2
*** FLOP *** [3c 9c Jh]
PirateLawyer bets $3 -- bet your sets
MiamiDon calls $3
*** TURN *** [3c 9c Jh] [Tc]
PirateLawyer checks
MiamiDon bets $8.65
PirateLawyer calls $8.65 - turn completes straight and flushes but I can redraw if I need to
*** RIVER *** [3c 9c Jh Tc] [4s]
PirateLawyer checks
MiamiDon has 15 seconds left to act
MiamiDon bets $22.35
PirateLawyer calls $22.35 - committed to calling down; I don't want to CRAI and re-open the betting with a small set here
*** SHOW DOWN ***
MiamiDon shows [6s Ac] Ace Jack high
PirateLawyer shows [3h 3d] three of a kind, Threes
PirateLawyer wins the pot ($71) with three of a kind, Threes

Hand #4: I am a payoff wizard on the river; I think I should have bet the turn but I hate to overplay mediocre top pair hands ...

Full Tilt Poker Game #6342322766: Table Lida (deep) - $0.50/$1 - No Limit Hold'em - 23:52:32 ET - 2008/05/08
Seat 1: weak_player ($199)
Seat 2: FabulousHubcap ($45.50)
Seat 3: Kevkon ($263.30)
Seat 4: Miss Mattch ($148.55)
Seat 5: saso25 ($309.40)
Seat 6: bayne_s ($338)
Seat 7: PirateLawyer ($240)
Seat 8: MiamiDon ($189.90)
Seat 9: OMGitsPokerFool ($230.80)
PirateLawyer posts the small blind of $0.50
MiamiDon posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [Kd 9c]
OMGitsPokerFool folds
weak_player calls $1
FabulousHubcap folds
Kevkon folds
Miss Mattch folds
saso25 folds
bayne_s folds
PirateLawyer calls $0.50
MiamiDon checks
*** FLOP *** [Qs 8s Kh]
PirateLawyer bets $3 - decide to lead right out here with top pair
MiamiDon folds
weak_player calls $3
*** TURN *** [Qs 8s Kh] [3d]
PirateLawyer checks - trying to exert pot control with a one-pair hand with a bet-check-bet line
weak_player checks
*** RIVER *** [Qs 8s Kh 3d] [Ks]
PirateLawyer bets $6
weak_player raises to $18 --- uh-oh
PirateLawyer calls $12 -- with top set I have to reluctantly pay off a flush here ...
*** SHOW DOWN ***
weak_player shows [As 2s] a flush, Ace high -- as I suspected ...
PirateLawyer mucks
weak_player wins the pot ($42.75) with a flush, Ace high

Hand #5: I play an overpair cautiously out of position ...

Full Tilt Poker Game #6342450540: Table Lida (deep) - $0.50/$1 - No Limit Hold'em - 0:03:02 ET - 2008/05/09
Seat 1: weak_player ($221.75)
Seat 2: FabulousHubcap ($42.50)
Seat 3: Kevkon ($257.80)
Seat 4: Miss Mattch ($151.20)
Seat 5: saso25 ($276.05)
Seat 6: bayne_s ($340.90)
Seat 7: PirateLawyer ($215)
Seat 8: MiamiDon ($243.10)
Seat 9: OMGitsPokerFool ($208.55)
Kevkon posts the small blind of $0.50
Miss Mattch posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [Qs Qd]
saso25 folds
bayne_s has 15 seconds left to act
bayne_s folds
PirateLawyer raises to $3.50
MiamiDon folds
OMGitsPokerFool folds
weak_player calls $3.50
FabulousHubcap folds
Kevkon calls $3
Miss Mattch folds
*** FLOP *** [3c 5d 8d]
Kevkon checks
PirateLawyer bets $6
weak_player raises to $18
Kevkon folds
PirateLawyer calls $12 - contemplated a 3-bet but decide to play cautiously
*** TURN *** [3c 5d 8d] [7s]
PirateLawyer checks
weak_player bets $20
PirateLawyer calls $20 - the board completes a possible straight but I will check/call another street
*** RIVER *** [3c 5d 8d 7s] [4s]
PirateLawyer checks - I want to make a blocking bet here but the board is so coordinated that I opt not to
weak_player checks
*** SHOW DOWN ***
weak_player shows [9h 9s] a pair of Nines
PirateLawyer shows [Qs Qd] a pair of Queens
PirateLawyer wins the pot ($84.50) with a pair of Queens

It turns out that weak had one of the few hands I could plausibly beat. Does anyone have good arguments for taking a different line with queens here to extract more value, even if such bets are very thin?

Hand #6: I misplay AK preflop and it costs me a fair amount as I get outdrawn on the turn and miss my nut flush draw on the river.

Full Tilt Poker Game #6342478294: Table Lida (deep) - $0.50/$1 - No Limit Hold'em - 0:05:21 ET - 2008/05/09
Seat 1: weak_player ($180.25)
Seat 2: FabulousHubcap ($42.50)
Seat 3: Kevkon ($254.30)
Seat 4: Miss Mattch ($149.20)
Seat 5: saso25 ($278.80)
Seat 6: bayne_s ($339.90)
Seat 7: PirateLawyer ($258)
Seat 8: MiamiDon ($242.10)
Seat 9: OMGitsPokerFool ($208.55)
bayne_s posts the small blind of $0.50
PirateLawyer posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [Ac Kd]
MiamiDon has 15 seconds left to act
MiamiDon folds
OMGitsPokerFool raises to $3
weak_player folds
FabulousHubcap folds
Kevkon calls $3
Miss Mattch folds
saso25 folds
bayne_s has 15 seconds left to act
bayne_s folds
PirateLawyer calls $2 -- I opt to under-represent my hand preflop. I don't mind this play when stacks are so deep and I'm out of position, but often I will 3-bet to take the initiative
*** FLOP *** [7d Tc Jc]
PirateLawyer checks
OMGitsPokerFool bets $7
Kevkon folds
PirateLawyer calls $7 -- I have a gutshot and a backdoor nut flush draw and likely two overcards, so this is an easy call
*** TURN *** [7d Tc Jc] [9c]
PirateLawyer checks
Miss Mattch has been disconnected
OMGitsPokerFool bets $13
PirateLawyer calls $13 -- I'm drawing to the nut flush now but I could dump here if I don't think the implied odds are there ...
Miss Mattch has reconnected
*** RIVER *** [7d Tc Jc 9c] [Td]
PirateLawyer checks
OMGitsPokerFool has 15 seconds left to act
OMGitsPokerFool bets $30
PirateLawyer has 15 seconds left to act
PirateLawyer has requested TIME
PirateLawyer folds
Uncalled bet of $30 returned to OMGitsPokerFool
OMGitsPokerFool shows [4c 7c] a flush, Jack high
OMGitsPokerFool wins the pot ($47.05)

Hand #7: Another overpair, this time played in position ...

Full Tilt Poker Game #6342605335: Table Lida (deep) - $0.50/$1 - No Limit Hold'em - 0:16:11 ET - 2008/05/09
Seat 1: weak_player ($184.85)
Seat 2: leobarag ($86)
Seat 3: Kevkon ($268.30)
Seat 4: Miss Mattch ($150.70)
Seat 5: zmeyga ($60)
Seat 6: bayne_s ($334.40)
Seat 7: PirateLawyer ($233)
Seat 8: MiamiDon ($242.60)
Seat 9: OMGitsPokerFool ($306.25)
OMGitsPokerFool posts the small blind of $0.50
weak_player posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [Qs Qd]
Miss Mattch: no
leobarag folds
Kevkon calls $1
Miss Mattch folds
zmeyga folds
bayne_s folds
PirateLawyer raises to $5
MiamiDon folds
OMGitsPokerFool folds
leobarag adds $14
weak_player folds
Kevkon calls $4
*** FLOP *** [7h 4h 7c]
Kevkon checks
PirateLawyer bets $7
Kevkon calls $7
*** TURN *** [7h 4h 7c] [8c]
Kevkon checks
PirateLawyer bets $15
Kevkon calls $15
*** RIVER *** [7h 4h 7c 8c] [5d]
Kevkon checks
PirateLawyer checks - safety check; I don't really see very many second-best hands calling here
*** SHOW DOWN ***
PirateLawyer shows [Qs Qd] two pair, Queens and Sevens
Kevkon mucks
PirateLawyer wins the pot ($52.75) with two pair, Queens and Sevens
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $55.50 | Rake $2.75
Board: [7h 4h 7c 8c 5d]
Seat 1: weak_player (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 2: leobarag didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: Kevkon mucked [Ah Jh] - a pair of Sevens
Seat 7: PirateLawyer showed [Qs Qd] and won ($52.75) with two pair, Queens and Sevens

Hand #8: Bayne $$$ is just as sweet as anyone else's ... I snap off another bluff in position here:

Full Tilt Poker Game #6342846495: Table Lida (deep) - $0.50/$1 - No Limit Hold'em - 0:37:20 ET - 2008/05/09
Seat 1: weak_player ($244.35)
Seat 2: TheOahuOgre ($52.40)
Seat 3: Kevkon ($200)
Seat 4: Miss Mattch ($147.50)
Seat 5: zmeyga ($89.85)
Seat 6: bayne_s ($338.50)
Seat 7: PirateLawyer ($258.75)
Seat 8: MiamiDon ($240.55)
Seat 9: OMGitsPokerFool ($301.75)
MiamiDon posts the small blind of $0.50
OMGitsPokerFool posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #7
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PirateLawyer [Td Jc]
weak_player folds
TheOahuOgre folds
Kevkon folds
Miss Mattch folds
zmeyga folds
bayne_s raises to $3.50
PirateLawyer calls $3.50 - fairly easy call in position
MiamiDon has 15 seconds left to act
MiamiDon folds
OMGitsPokerFool folds
*** FLOP *** [2h Tc 5h]
bayne_s checks
PirateLawyer checks - trying to trap and extract value on later streets
*** TURN *** [2h Tc 5h] [6h]
bayne_s bets $6
PirateLawyer calls $6 - trap is proceeding as planned
*** RIVER *** [2h Tc 5h 6h] [3c]
bayne_s bets $15
PirateLawyer calls $15 - I think top pair is good but I decide to exercise pot control and just call down
*** SHOW DOWN ***
bayne_s shows [Qs Ah] Ace Queen high
PirateLawyer shows [Td Jc] a pair of Tens
PirateLawyer wins the pot ($48) with a pair of Tens

Sure enough, Bayne fired two bullets with ace-high and I generated as much value as I could reasonably expect here.

A reminder of what not to do in a bloggament

Don't try to check-raise a blogger off an overpair, even if you have eleven outs twice (an overcard and an open-ended straight draw).

Why not?

Because you have no fold equity. Even if you have them covered and your raise is more than pot-sized. Bloggers just won't fold in that situation.

Brief SnG report

Last night featured a deepstack 9-player SnG at FCPC.

Couldn't get much going; was very card dead in nearly six hours of play. QQ was my best hand all night, only won the blinds as I was the UTG raiser. Had AK four times ... and chopped three times and took the blinds down once. I was dealt one JJ, one TT, and three small pairs.

Two highlights:
I flopped a set of fours and busted Fuel when he semibluffed on the turn with a nut flush draw. He was short-stacked (I had him covered by about 10K) and so I made a weak lead on the turn hoping he'd come over the top. He obliged and my bottom set held up.

The second notable hand occured when I raised Simon with 56s from LP on an A6Q6 board (everyone had checked around on the flop) and called his 3-bet shove. He tabled ... 63o(!) and we chopped it up. Personally I thought I was making a crying call but I am still amazed that he 3-bet with such a crappy hand that can't really beat much of my range when I raise in position on the turn. I was priced in to call so his 3-bet really struck me as odd, because my turn raise represents a better 6 or a slowplayed monster (AA, QQ, A6 or Q6).

I ultimately busted out about 6 hours in with the blinds at 1K/2K with a 300 ante with an M of 7 or so when I 3-bet shoved (my first 3-bet in 2+hrs) on the button with A2s for 22K. Grant in the small blind decided to call 20 bets cold ... with KJs. (Nice call! Then again this was the same guy who had recently donated nearly half of his stack with Q9 vs. a squeeze from Cathy's QQ.) Of course the flop was AKK and I go home now.

Great structure, love the format, but boy was it excruciatingly painful to fold and fold and fold for so long. Definitely a plus EV situation for me; I just need a larger sample size to turn a profit. At least I was freerolling this tourney from my cash game winnings the week before.

Opening Day, 2022

Here's hoping my Montreal Expos return to respectability in 2022. I haven't had much luck in assembling a good offense to go along with my generally solid pitching, but I expect to continue improving back up towards a .500 season as I slowly develop enough hitting to become a playoff contender. I hope that happens before I have to consider life without my star first baseman, who hasn't been able to carry the offense by himself these past few seasons.