Quite a pot

Check out this hand. Probably the largest I have seen at 3/6. Speaks for itself...

PokerStars 3/6 Hold'em (8 handed)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with Td, 4c.
3 folds, MP2 calls, CO calls, 2 folds, BB raises, MP2 calls, CO calls.

Flop: (6.33 SB) Jc, Jh, Kc (3 players)
BB bets, MP2 raises, CO 3-bets, BB calls, MP2 calls.

Turn: (7.66 BB) 3c (3 players)
BB checks, MP2 bets, CO raises, BB calls, MP2 3-bets, CO caps, BB calls, MP2 calls.

River: (19.66 BB) Ts (3 players)
BB checks, MP2 bets, CO raises, BB 3-bets, MP2 calls, CO caps, BB calls, MP2 calls.

Final Pot: 29.66 BB ($187)

Results:
BB has Kh Ks (full house, kings full of jacks).
MP2 has Qc Ac (straight flush, ace high).
CO has Js Jd (four of a kind, jacks).

Outcome: MP2 wins 29.66 BB. ($187)

Looking In

I promised some poker content tonight so here it is along with the blogger tourney summary. Last week I had to write my self evaluation at work along with a bunch of other work. Hence, the lack of content on here recently. Anyway, writing my evaluation reminded me a lot of writing this attempt at blogging. It required me to look back at the last 12 months and figure out what I did and what I accomplished/acheived. While, this may sound fairly straightforward, I find this extraordinarily difficult. Granted it didn't help that I was playing in the blogger tournament while writing a piece of it or that I didn't have the equivalent WorkTracker to look back. The evaluation comes down to grading yourself in 4 categories along with supporting writing for why you deserve the grades you assigned yourself. In a parallel poker evaluation, what would those categories and subcategories be? I guess it would somthing like the autorate rules flying around for PokerTracker. Loose/Passiveness, Preflop aggression, post flop aggression, winning money at showdown... But that really doesn't take into account what kind of play comes natural to you. (Primate Poker had an article about this a while back.) You often hear a lot of talk about which category is best but I tend to agree with articles like that above where the best style is really the one you can do best with. As an example, there are a lot of people out there who get bored playing very tight. This type of play may eventually get to them such that they start playing their B game because they are just not having a good time. Even with discipline to remove this kind of tilt, I think that player would be most effective playing whatever suits him best. Though, that should not be a license to allow myself to go off and play poorly because it's fun. Suckouts are fun in the short term but
that doesn't make it my best style. For me, I tend to have a lot of fun (and win money) with a sLA-N strategy, using PokerTracker terminology. Something on the order of 20% VP$IP, 8-10% preflop raising, and middle of the road aggretion. Though, that just leaves us back with a very theoretical framework around which categories make you a good player. I think there are also a lot of softer non-stat things to consider as well.

So, in the end, what categories or criteria make a good player? Let me know what you think.

Blogger Tourney

Should have posted this earlier, but here it is late anyway. I had a great time playing. 133 players is pretty crazy. Though I am sure Wil had a lot to do with that considering all the people going from table to table looking for him. Congratulations to MtDew and Todd on the top two spots.

Here is a recap of some of the hands:

Start off at a table with Chris and Wil.

Level 1: The table started out pretty tight at first as did I. Won the blinds a few times when i raised good hole cards. Dealt 42s in the SB. Everyone folds except the Button (Nolan 11) who limps so I call as well. Big blind folds. Flop is T77 (2 spades). I check and call a small bet. Turn is 5s. I bet and get called. River is Ah. Same thing and I take down T660 pot with a ten high flush.

Level 2: I get QQ in BB. All fold except SB who calls. I raise to 120 and get called. The flop is KQ8 rainbow. I bet all in and he folded. Should have slowplayed the set. I later get 99 in EP. I raised and am reraised by the button. Flop is TTT. I check and am raised all in. I thought I smelled a rat so I call and lose T1105 to JJ.

Level 3: Get dealt QQ again short stacked in EP. I raise and Chris calls. Flop is 982 rainbow. I bet all in and Chris calls. Turn is 6 with T river. I double up against Chris' JJ.

I am moved to a table with Iggy, helixx, and Todd.


Level 4: Dealt QJo UTG. I call as does dankhank and helix in the BB. Flop is AJT. Dankhank bets after our checks I call and we lose helix. Turn is a 2 and we see a free river of another 2. I check, dankhank bets, and I call since he had been pushing around chips with nothing. Sure enough he has 98o and I take down a T1550 pot.

Level 5: I come back from the break happy to have survived this far in NL. I only played 6 hands before the one that ended it for me. Dealt JJ in EP with only T785. I am raised by UTG and reraise all in and am called. Board is AT849. I lose to AJo who flopped an A.

I finished 86th. Not as bad as I expected for a NL tournament. I really don't know how much to raise at any given juncture. Still survived longer than some blogger greats so could have been worse. Thanks again to Iggy for setting it up.

Bored at the office

After Al posted that last office sucking activity, I had to give it a try. Anyway, best score:30. I am sure SirFWALGMan (you ever going to post what that thing means?) will come around and smack that 30 around.




Some other favorite timesucking games:
Tea Games
Reverse (no cheating by turning the mouse upside down)

Actual poker content tonight. I think. I hope.