5/30 4/8 Kill Session: Running Better

So, as I had stated before I just wanted to run a little bit better, catch a few better starting hands. That ended up happening today.

As for my general thoughts on the session and my overall play: I like playing during the daytime, my session lasted 4 hours (2pm - 6pm) and I just felt awake and more in the game than when I play at night. I found that I shouldn't listen to music that much when I am playing because I distracts me too much, even when I am not in a hand. I originally thought that I was going to use the iPod today, however I decided to do more important things like constantly get inside the other player's heads to play along with them and adjust their starting hand range.

The players during the daytime, at least today, were very very passive and extremely loose. I don't know how many times that I saw someone limp with AKos, TT, AQs, AA, KK, and countless other premium preflop holdings. Although it was a little frustrating at first, I then became accustomed to this style of play.

My session was characterized by my big hands holding in a three kill pots, and my other hands hitting, and sometimes just picking up a pot with a C-Bet. All in all, I felt my play improving. Played my hands pretty fast, against these passive players, I felt like if I gave them the chance of checking they would take it, so the check raise was a little dulled by this.

A quick recap:

AA>KJ in Kill Pot Flop came Jack high, kept firing, never got raised

QQ>QJ in Kill Pot board was Jack high, kept firing, got paid off by river top pair

AA>KK in Monstrous Kill Pot Flopped Set of Aces, Turned a boat, Raised turn, got paid on river

J5os>KJ in Kill Pot, At this point I ran the table over for about 20 minutes, kept the kill going for 4 hands in a row and 6 hands total during this span.

33>JT Flopped Set villain rivered 2 pair

KQs>KQ Turned Flush, Flopped top pair w/ 2 flush, turned the flush, didn't get called

This was not without error however, I made a couple of mistakes which I semi-reget.

Mistake 1:

Hero is in CO w/ Ah8h two players limped in so I limped, button folds SB completes, BB checks option.

Flop: Ac 6h 4d

SB leads out, called by one limper, Hero calls

Turn: 7s

SB leads, limper calls, Hero calls,

River: 7d

SB leads, limper folds (had no clue what this guy was playing), Hero calls.

Results: SB shows Ad7h for full house.

I guess that I should limp A8s in with position, I should have raised the flop.

Was this standard? Do I have to call this down. I put him on any Ace, and with the river pairing, I thought that Aces up was good.

Mistake 2: Was this a mistake or am I just married to the hand.

Villain 1: is younger Asian girl who has a pretty good stack and has been pretty lucky all session hitting two pair, and rivering straights and flushes like they were going out of style.

Hero in BB with 9h8d

1 limper, Villain 1 limps, folded to CO who calls and Button who calls, SB completes, Hero checks option.

Flop: 9d 8h 5s

SB checks, Hero bets $4, first limper folds, Villain 1 calls, CO calls, button and SB fold.

Turn: Tc

Hero (now worried) bets $8, Villain 1 raises to $16 CO folds, Hero calls,

River: 3c

Hero checks, Villain 1 bets $8, Hero calls.

Results:
Villain 1 shows QsJs for straight
Hero shows 98 for two pair

Came to realize that she didn't raise as a semi-bluff, or when she was drawing, which was great. That meant that I could throw a away a hand against her I if felt that I was beat. I did end up doing so later on in the session.

Here are some HH's:

Kill Pot (8/16)

Hero is in BB w/ AsAc

Preflop:

Villain 1 is older Asian man kinda passive, plays solid starting hands though.
2 limpers, Villain 1 in CO calls, SB completes to $8, Hero raises to $16, all call. (5BBs)

Flop: Ah Kh 9s

SB checks, Hero bets $8, 1 limper calls, Villain 1 calls, SB calls. (7BBs)

Turn: 9c

SB checks, Hero bets $16, limper folds, Villain 1 raises to $32 (thought he might have 99 but Aces Cracked was still running), SB folds, Hero re-raises, Villain 1 calls. (13BBs)

River: 4s

Hero bet $16, Villain 1 calls after debating for a while. (15BBs)

Results:

Villain 1 shows KK for Kings full of nines
Hero shows AA for Aces full of nines ($240 pot)

Actually got a cool picture of my stack as well, which was a first for me.

Ended the session up $400 @ 12.5 BB/hr. Just gotta keep running gooooood!!!

Feeling I am Ready to Run Better

Well, the last few session have be marred by cold cards and bad plays, hopefully tomorrow I will venture up to the Creek and play a bit. I have always wondered what would happen if I started to run better/well. I am hoping to hit an upswing.

I have been playing fairly well online, making money at the micros, and the same types of players are at the 4/8 table. I just want to be able to translate what I do online into live play.

Hopefully I can start an upswing tomorrow and have my good hands hold and my draws come in.

Basically what I am saying is that I feel that I am capable of playing way better, just hope I can get the cards to do it.

Welcome to Antarctica: Not Running So Good (5/18)

So last nite was a bit of a waste. 4/8 Kill was no good to me. All I can say is that I have never, ever ran so f-ing frigid.

I am not exaggerating when I say that in 5 hours I did not win one pot. That's right I went "O-fer". Against all those horrible players at my table, I am not happy to say the least.

I played a total of 5 friggin hands outside of my blinds in 5 hours and all of them got cracked. Yeah not even 1 Big Blind special, what the hell? At this table full of super donks, one extremely tight player, I am talking extremely tight, and I sort of TAG-ish guy, all I need to do was hit one hand I would be paid off. It seem that everyone was calling down w/ their missed draws and bottom pair on their 2 pair draw.

Am I just a slave to variance? I have never seen cards with icicles attached to them, or coming out of the dealers hand with a Hungry Man Mega Meal Frozen dinner stuck to them.

I am friggin heated. TFong, now, in retrospect, I am pissed. I am still in shock. My bankroll took a hit. But look at it this way, I didn't make stupid plays OOP, cold call any raises, or get frustrated and start playing cards that I shouldn't. What I am trying to say is that I kept my discipline and tried to wait it out, it just didn't happen last night.

JJ < QJos for a straight, TT<62os for flopped trips (on button), AKs < QTos for a straight, AKos whiffs flop < 75os for bottom pair. KQs < J5os for bottom pair.

Yeah so that was my night. I didn't run ridiculously well like Mr. Santi, nice work.

But I will use this as learning experience and capitalized on my failures.

Things that I learned from my session.

2 Watered Down Cokes - $2
Wasted time waiting for cards w/ Uber-donks - 5 hours
Little Hit to Bankroll
Learning the phrase "Table Change" - Priceless

I don't want to become one of those superstitious players, it is just something that you have to do sometimes. Just change it up a little bit. Maybe open my range of starting hands just a little bit. Hell, I might even try a new venue.

As for playing live, I am done for now, partly because I am sooooo pissed at myself, and at the cards. I will be working on my game online for the next month or so, trying to get another 5000 hands under my belt.

Yeah, so now I have a new rule to added to my game: "If I haven't won a pot in 1 hr, I want a table change."

Seems fair don't you think.

So, this is the Iceman signing off.

And for you clones out there...

"GOOD NIGHT NOW!!!!"

Adjusting to Live Play 6 Months Removed

Well, so it has been 6 months since I had last played live in a cardroom and dam I sucked it up pretty bad. Although I had a winning session, I made three horrible plays. Basically this post will be me bashing myself in the head for some all the stupid plays that I made and the money that I could of won.

For the last 5 months or so I have been strictly an online player due to school constraints and time restrictions in the like. I have taken the time to learn/get a grasp on the micro-limits on PokerStars. I have only 5000 hands under my belt and I have improved my play drastically so I thought I would try to translate this to live action.

However, last Tuesday (5/8), I made my first trip up to the new poker room at Cache Creek which was my first live session since last Thanksgiving a Chumash Indian Casino in Solvang, CA. Nice room, terrible players. I vegetated for 2 hours, dragged 1 pot with TPGK and then left down 1BB. Anyways, I digress. Upon arriving, I sat 3/6 for 1 orbit before I was called for 4/8 Kill.

I sat down and made the mistake of not telling the dealer that I was going to wait for the button so I posted the into the BB. Dumb move, save $6 next time.

Drastic Error No.1: Being a NIT. Quad 8's
It was my third or so orbit at the table and it was pretty loose with Nick (TAG) in seat 6, TFong (TAG) in seat 1 and Brian the Echopheen guitarist in seat 7 (LAG-MANIAC)
I am not going to run down hand I will direct you to Nik's Blog:

http://niksanti11.blogspot.com/2007/05/session-no-6-tuesday-night-58-part-iii.html

I played like the girl on the cover of the Swiss Miss box. Flopped bottom set vs. top two pair vs. 2 flush draws as well as a straight draw and failed to raised the turn when a blank hit. "Take that shit to Valuetown." I could have easily taken 4-6 more BB's on that hand and then when I made quads on the river another 3BB's at least. Yeah so I suck.

Drastic Error No.2: Not Value Betting w/ Top Two pair and a Flush Board

AQos in the CO and I raise preflop get 2 callers. Flop is A73 rainbow (1 diamond) check to me and I bet 2 calls. Turn is the Qd checked to me and I bet 2 callers. River is another diamond checked to me who checks to showdown top two lame. Another value bet missed.

Drastic Error No.3: Making a Hero Laydown

Had no clue what these were until Tuesday, thanks to Santi. In the CO again w/ KJos and it is folded to me so I open and get 3 callers. flop is Jack high w/ 2 spades big blind bets out gets folded to me I pop it, big blind (Feliz) just called turn is another spade Feliz checks I bet he calls. River is another spade he bets out and I fold it like an idiot. He used my own style of play against me know that I wouldn't call if another spade hit on the river. I should have called and showed it down. If he had the spade then oh well I lose 1BB, but by folding I lose all the bets in the pot. Stupid move.

For next time I will play more like a play online, more aggressive be a little more liberal with my calls from the Big Blind w/ suited cards especially gap suited connectors.