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May 30, 2005

Playing AKs.....

I played some Texas Holdem last night at the club in a small freeze out tournament. For most of the night I got garbage for hands. I won a small pot playing 24s when I hit the flop for a flush.... I normally would never consider playing that hand, but they let me limp at a low blind rate! ;-)

Got pocket aces just before we merged to the final table, and took a nice sized pot to bring me over 4K going into the final. The average stack at that point was about 5100.

Unfortunately, I really didnt see much in the way of hands at the final table, for over an hour. I finally got dealt AQs, and called a 2x raise to see the flop. The flop came A rag rag, and I pushed my last 2400 chips in. Fortunately, the Big stack had A rag ( not matching ) and called me thinking I was making a short stack move! I doubled up, and was back over 6K in chips....

NOW.. the trouble hand for me......

I get AKs ( Diamonds ) in the big blind, and have two limpers in front of me.... I did not raise.... THAT was a mistake, but I've really had poor luck with big slick, and wanted to see if I hit anything before getting involved.

The flop came Jd Td 9c.... Four to a flush, a gut shot to a Royal, a gut shot to a straight! The button pushed for 2500..... I thought for a few, but figured I had 13 outs at LEAST. He had Pocket Q's.

I have 19 outs! ANY q, ANY A, ANY K, ANY DIAMOND......

Turn and river were rag rag spades..... now I'm down to 3K....

Played a few more hands and get Pocket 8's under the gun, again in the big blind. The button makes it 3x ( 1600 ), the small calls, and I push my 2K. They both have to call, as it's only another 375 for them to see the flop. Flop comes K 4 5 rainbow..... it's checked. Turn comes another 5.. it's checked down.... River comes a 4... it's checked..... river hits the original raiser who made his wheel......

THRID time in two tournaments I get wacked with Pocket 8's!

Posted by fatbill at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)

May 28, 2005

Played Online and Live

I played in two Texas Holdem tournaments yesterday.

One was an online Texas Holdem freezeout at Full Tilt and one live Re-Buy event at the club....

At Full tilt, there were just over 100 players, but it moved pretty fast, as they do a good job there with 10 Minute blinds. I was in real good shape throughout this event, and hanging in the top ten most of the way ( 18 places paid ).

It got down to 27 players, and I was dealt Pocket Q's in the big blind. Blinds were 120/240. Everyone folded to the player on the button, who raised to 480. The Small folded. I went over the top of the button for 960. The button called.

The flop came K73..... I checked... the button bet 1000. I AGAIN came over the top ALL IN, for 3500! I was called, and the guy had the MIDDLE PAIR of 7's!!

Now, normally, that is what you want, right? Until the idiot gets lucky and spikes a 7 on the river.....

HOW DO YOU MAKE A CALL LIKE THAT?

I ran against a similar result playing in the live event. With two limpers in front of me ( I'm on the button ) I made it three bets to go, and got called by both. I had Pocket 8's. The flop came 8 A 3! Hit the set! I push all in! I get one caller, who of course had an Ace, with A7c. There was ONE club on the board.

He, of course pulled runner-runner club to crack me with a flush....

I dont blame him for making the call with top pair... but I'm really getting frustrated getting rivered every damn time I hit a set.

Ironically, I got knocked out 11th later on in this event with the SAME pocket pair! AND, I hit the set on the flop, AGAIN.... unfortunately, I ran up against pocket 9's, and HE also hit his set on the flop....

Posted by fatbill at 10:03 AM | Comments (0)

May 25, 2005

Rivered... AGAIN!

I played in a small texas holdem tournament at the club.... a little more than 20 players. I held my own most of the event, and made it to the top 8. I have been knocked out 7th the last THREE events I have played at there!

Under the gun, I get AJs. I'm sitting on only 1875, which is the short stack. Blinds are 200/400 with 25 ante, so Im soon to be down to 1200....

I have NOT played a hand in at least a hour....

I push my stack all in....

TWO people call me... one big stack calls.. she has Pocket 7s... the Small blind calls with Pocket Q's!

The blind comes rag, rag, Jack... so I'm in it!

The turn comes A! I have Two pair! Aces and Jacks!!!

The river is a QUEEN! He hits a damn TWO outer and I'm going home...

It is just unbelieveable sometimes HOW many times I can get hit on the river like this.... I think its time for a break....

Posted by fatbill at 11:16 PM | Comments (0)

May 23, 2005

Stuck in a rut...

I played in a texas holdem freeze out tournament yesterday. I had positive expectations about playing, and I have been playing pretty well. I'm being diciplined, and making the right reads for the most part, and staying away from trouble hands....

I made the final table, again, but finished 7th... AGAIN! Thats three times in a row now... its getting depressing! ;-)

I played right, but when it was down to 7, I was not in great chip position. I moved all in with 3K ( bb at 1K ) with a pocket pair of 4s. Not a great hand, but I was on the button, and everyone folded, leaving me against only the blinds. The Small folded... the big blind called me with Q8o! I still question HOW he made that call. I had played very few hands, and when I did play, I had BIG cards, AND, he KNEW that....

Needless to say, he hit an 8, and sent me packing....

Posted by fatbill at 01:11 PM | Comments (0)

May 22, 2005

Two States considering legsilation

Two states have bills under consideration that will make SOME types of Texas Holdem Tournament's legal.

Minnesota's law "The bill only clarifies state law so tournaments with no entry fee where contestants win prizes of marginal value do not constitute gambling"

The full article is HERE.

New York has a bill to Legalize poker in Bars, restaurants and clubs. That article can be viwed HERE.

Both bills are aimed at 'charity' events, with smaller, or no buy-in's and for 'nominal' prizes.

THE most important aspect of the Minnesota bill, IMHO is this:

"The bill defines Texas Hold'em — a popular form of poker — as a social skill game, akin to cribbage, bridge, pinochle or gin."

That statement can go a LONG way in the continuing struggle to make Poker a recognized and LEGAL game of SKILL. The defination of poker as a 'game of chance' in most state legaleze, is what is a major stumbling block towards getting progress on legal play.

Posted by fatbill at 11:10 AM | Comments (0)

Running up against Aces...

I played in a big Texas Holdem Tournament at the club last night. It was a decent buy in tournament, and had a very nice payoff for the top three... There were very few 'fish' in the game, and most of the players I have played with a number of times, and knew they had a solid game...

Mid way through the 4th level, I was in the big blind, and a very short stack pushed all in.... I had Pocket Tens. The numbers were there for me to make the call regardless, but I was not certain that this was not a push by the short stack, to make a move. I called... she had Pocket Aces! My bad luck, and a hit to the stack....

I played pretty solid for most of the night. I pushed a couple of times early, with AKs and picked up enough blind and ante money to keep me going through the levels.....

It got down to the final table, and I was one of the short stacks once again. I was in the 2 set, between my son and another very solid/aggressive player. I was in the blind, and had A9s, which I would normally not play hard, but I just had a feeling.....

The bet was only two times the blind, so I made the call. Three players stayed. The flop came an Ace, AND two clubs. The original bettor, again made a two times bet. I felt committed, with the top pair, AND the nut flush draw, so I called. This took me down to 1400 in chips with the blinds at 300/600. The turn was a club, giving me the NUT FLUSH!

I MADE A MONUMENTAL MISTATKE HERE! I blurted out 'ALL IN' OUT OF POSITION! I have no idea where that came from... I know better, and it was a foolish, thoughtless mistake. Everyone folded of course, and I had to settle for the pot. It was a nice pot, but it COULD have been a LOT nicer!! I felt like an ass....

Several hands later, I am dealt AK on the big blind.... The bet is 1200 ( again 2 times ) I call. The big stack pushes ALL IN. The original bettor folded, and I had to seriously think on this. I only had 2200 chips left, and the blinds were about to go to 400/800. I knew the guy was solid, but his he had been playing things like A7s the last hour or two, and using his stack to advantage. I made the call... he had POCKET ACES.... ugh... I'm out 7th....

Posted by fatbill at 10:54 AM | Comments (0)

I am at a loss of words.....

Unfortunately I dont listen to myself at the poker table, and thats a problem.. I played a certain hand horribly and it cost me, and then lost to a kicker right after.
I lost half my stack CALLING A GUY WITH A BETTER HAND, i shouldnt have done that. He raised a lot and I knew I had the best hand, I told myself im all in, and I still called.. I dont understand why I dont listen to myself and just do what the hell i want!!
I now realize this will never happen again. I'm so steaming pissed at myself I cant begin to explain, as im sure you can tell just by reading this....but I will work on this and continue my game as I should THE SMART WAY.

The final 3 got paid out and i played for about 6 hours to get knocked out 5th....a little something more to spruce up my evening! Did I mention it was a 150 buy in? MARINATE ON THAT FOR A MINUTE

Posted by wilcone at 02:31 AM | Comments (0)

May 21, 2005

Sucked out four times!

I played in four texas holdem no limit sit-n-go events yesterday... actually, two single table, one 3 table, and one small tournament.

I was sucked out on the river AGAIN, in three of those events, playing the best hand, and pushing the other guy into making silly calls, that the poker gods rewarded..... that gets frustrating, to say the least.

I did get caught one time with a guy slow playing aces. He played it perfectly by not betting big when an ace hit the board. I had AQs, and the board paired them both. I pushed, and his Set took me down. I played what I felt was the best hand from what the betting was, and got caught. I had to congradulate him on his play!

I think it's important to recognize, at least for me, that you are NOT going to win every time you enter an event! It just is NOT going to happen. I've heard from pros that if you do well in 20% of them, you are ahead of the game, and that is starting to sink in for me.

I'm looking forward to playing in a live event tonight... I think the odds are in my favor! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 09:18 AM | Comments (0)

May 20, 2005

Making the right move... at the wrong time!

I played some Texas Holdem again last night at the club... a simple two table satellite event, with 20 players... but most were very good, solid players....

I only played aggressively when I had solid hands, and then, only when I hit on the flop. This was working fine for most of the night, and got me to the final table in good stack position with about 3500 chips, about average.

I played AQo, from the big blind, mainly because the raise was not prohibitive ( 3X the blind ), and the raiser was the big stack, who was not only loose, but pushing his stack around at people all night. The player to my left also called.

The flop came A Rag Rag.... While I hit the flop, I wanted to see what the other two had. The player to my left checked, and the big stack made a 4X bet, which was not unexpected. I called.. I just didnt think he hit top pair, probably one of the rags..... the Other player called also.... This is where I made my error...

Next card comes another rag, but gives the opportunity for an gut shot straight.... instead of making a move here ( I was down to around 2400 at this point, and up against the two big stacks ), I checked, and Really don't know why.... Everyone checked.... The river paired one of the rags..... I pushed all in.... the player to my left called... he of course hit his set on the flop. He played down THREE 4X bets with 56o... and hit on the river....

Thats the second night in a row that that same player river ratted me, and knocked me out..... I WILL pay that back! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 10:45 AM | Comments (0)

May 19, 2005

Stupid online players...

So i woke up this morning and wanted to play some cards. Not long into the tournament, and not playing many hands i got dealt a-q suited so i smooth call. The flop comes a-k-q, ok i have two pair wtf....this guy goes all in and i called he had a-k......wasnt the happiest camper but hey TWO PAIR NO FLUSH WTF, i shoulda folded but i couldnt bring myself to do that......it was a 5 dollar game so im not stressing it any, but it still makes me mad for making that call..

Posted by wilcone at 03:33 PM | Comments (0)

Venting about the river....

I played two Texas Holdem sit n go's today... and had almost the EXACT same circumstances in both...

5 TIMES I got busted ON THE RIVER with a flush... 5 TIMES...

There has to be some sort of rule against this, doesn't there?

sigh.....

Posted by fatbill at 02:30 PM | Comments (0)

On taking (bad?) Beats....

I played texas holdem in a sit n go yesterday at Empire Poker... got down to the final two, and we went back and forth for a while before I finally pushed my stack with A5c.... he had AKo! The flop comes 55K!! I hit a set! Of course, he rivers a K to take me out....

So I decide to go to the club last night to play, and we have a small Texas Holdem satellite with about 20 players.... I was not seeing anything for hands! I played JJ, and TT and won modest pots with both, but went a long time between hands, and started looking like a muck machine! I got down to under 1K ( started with 2K ) and pushed with Pocket 8's, against a player I figured had a couple overs.. I was right, and my 8's held, pumping me back up to about 2700....

Several hands later, the Big Stack pushes all in under the gun.... I'm sitting on ATh.... this player is loose, and has played loose all night, getting lucky hits, so I figure he's putting a move on. After a few minutes of thought, I call. I was right! He had K2o!!

Of course, he rivers a K and knocks me out.....

ALL you can do in the wonderful game of Texas Holdem, is make the RIGHT read, and the RIGHT call. You get your chips in with the best hand, and then it's up to the poker gods!

Posted by fatbill at 10:50 AM | Comments (0)

May 18, 2005

Tournament for UK Amateur Players

This offer is unique enough that I thought it would be of some interest to any UK players out there...

Late Night Poker Ace tournament to find the best amateur player in the UK.

Details:

The finals will be filmed and broadcasted on Channel 4
The winner will get £50,000 or a life style make over and total prizes are £100,000
42 people will be selected from qualifying stages on PartyPoker.com
The qualifying starts this Wednesday and takes place every Wednesday for six weeks
Only UK residents are allowed in the finals
The last qualifying will be on the 22nd June, so the campaign ends on the 20th June 2005. This will be the last day to accept players.

Toe have a look at the information page, LOOK HERE

Posted by fatbill at 08:56 AM | Comments (0)

May 16, 2005

WSOP questioning 'logo wear' issues

It seems there are some legal concerns about players having Logo apparel during the upcoming WSOP, specifically pertaining to being seen on TV.

Barry Shulman has an entry on his blog about this at His Blog. His statement:
"It is no secret that Internet poker is the reason for the huge boom in WSOP attendance (and vice versa, I might add), however, between Harrah’s lawyers and ESPN, nobody yet knows for sure whether players can wear logowear — especially at TV tables."
Seems to confirm that they just dont know WHAT they should do! LOL

I find it ironic, that a HUGE number of players in the upcoming WSOP will be Internet qualified entries, which in a legal sense are ALL qualifiers that have ILLEGALLY obtained their seat! ;-)

In the US, it is NOT legal to play internet poker ( although they have yet to prosecute, the government is still publicly saying it is ). So although it IS legal to play poker in a licensed casino in the state of Nevada, those US residents that have won seats via online poker rooms, have done so illegally! LOL

Add to this, that virtually ALL of those poker rooms REQUIRE the players that won their seat online, wear THAT rooms apparell, as part of the package!

NOW, enter the uncertainty now of both ESPN and the WSOP, on whether or not that constitutes 'advertising', and you have an additional legal mess.

Aint it about time this silliness is ended, and the government just admit they can NOT do anything to stop the American desire to PLAY POKER, and just make it LEGAL?

Posted by fatbill at 11:18 AM | Comments (0)

Clueless

Lately i've been playing rather good, not making many mistakes, i ran into a set when i had ACE KING, TOP PAIR....yah so then i have to wait and i got one hand i played, it was a-10 of clubs against k-10 off suit, i doubled up to 1000 in chips, as i was at 500 :-( It wasnt a great night. Then i had a big raise by a guy, i put him on a low pocket pair as i had jack-queen suited in hearts...well he had pocket QUEENS so i couldnt do anything but get a straight, and i didnt! So therefore i made some mistakes i have to work on and ill be back to myself, stealing stacks....

Id have to say i did get one guy good, i had pocket 7s and limped in, blinds were 100-200 i flopped a set but he flopped top pair, so it was a beaut!! I bet 200 on the flop, 400 on the turn when i got my boat, and 600 on the river lol i suckered him in for some chips, he was real low after that but...about 3 levels later (30 min) i was out!! SUCKS BEING THE SHORT STACK AND MISSING YOUR TARGET, im gonna have to not do that again ;-D

Posted by wilcone at 01:26 AM | Comments (0)

May 15, 2005

Out on a ONE outer...

In last nights texas holdem tournament, I played very solid for a change! ;-)

I got some hands early, that allowed me to build up a stack and not fret the blinds, letting me wait for good opportunities to play...

I got REALLY lucking, making a horrible call on an all in from another player early in the game. I had AJs... the flop came K-Q-Rag... I was on the button. The only other player in the hand went all in for 1600... I was sitting on 5K.... after a lot of thought, I called, thinking he probably had two over's, maybe hitting a K on that flop. It really was a loose call, one I should not have made, but I had a real hard time letting it go....

He had Pocked K's giving him the set! I was in deep trouble here...

BUT

The river hit a 10 giving me the nut straight, and him a horrible beat... I felt so bad I apologized numerous times.. but he's a good player, and knows how things go....

I get moved to the final table, and I'm at 7500... really good shape with only 60K in play... for the next TWO hours, I get ICEY cards, and watch my stack dwindle to under 2K to the blinds... the ONLY hands I saw that could even be considered for calls to see the flop, the big stack made HUGE bets on ( 5K ), and I had to get away from them...

I finally make my stand with KT in the Big blind ( 800 ) and push my other 9K in making it 1800 to go.. I get two callers.. one is also short and cant cover that bet..... A Ten flops...... my K out kicks hit J and I win a good pot, bringing me back to 5K....

I take a couple more small hands to bring me up again to the 7500 count.

With 4 left, a somewhat loose player makes it 3K to go.... I have AQs, and know he will bet with any Ace.... I push all in for 6800.

The big stack, who is on the big blind, calls! The intial caller folds....

Big Stack has Pocket Qs, so I have an over with my Ace, and he only has a ONE OUTER with his hand! I spike an ace!!!

HE HITS THE ONE OUTER!!!

Posted by fatbill at 01:00 PM | Comments (0)

Another bad beat and lucky draw...

So im playing in a texas holdem tournament fundraiser for the fireworks show this summer in my area. About 20 guys signed up, and again it was great competition. Pretty much i played decent the whole night, except my kinks vs aces, i got my butt handed to me.

So after that beat i was the short stack at the tournament once again. Down to 11 people and i get a-j off suit. I call the small blind hoping the big blind will raise because he is a very aggressive type of player. The flop came 8-9-J, giving me the top pair with top kicker so i moved all in. He called almost immediately with a 9-3 OFF SUIT!! Needless to say he spiked a 3 on the turn ending my play for the night, what a lucky draw huh?

Posted by wilcone at 11:40 AM | Comments (0)

May 14, 2005

About seat position in texas holdem

I found an good article that talks about SEAT POSITION and how it can help you increase your stack by taking blinds and bets from limpers.
This is not extraordinary information, nor is it 'new' to anyone familiar with the game... but it has good info and examples, and refreshing our memory is always a good thing in this game! ;-)

Read the article HERE

The premise of the article is summed up best with theis opening paragraph:

"Position allows you to steal blinds every round. Position allows you to control a table for part of a round. Position allows you to isolate yourself against the dead money."

Posted by fatbill at 12:25 PM | Comments (0)

Chip and a chair....

Well i deceided to go to the club last night and play a little Texas Holdem Poker. About 25 guys showed up, mostly players that are good and i enjoy playing against. I started off not losing any pots, but splitting about 7 all together for the night.

I got hit early by a boat on the river to my turned flush, which got me down to the felt. I had about the lowest stack in the whole tournament, and then i made an impact....

I saw A-k about 6 times raising every time and getting some nice pots in. Saw k-q and a-q about 4 times a piece. Had pocket 9s SEVERAL times, and even got to see aces.

I found myself around middle stack going into the final table, which is unusual for me always being the short stack! I started to hit cards like crazy and was taking guys out left and right, gaining a lot of respect at the table. I wasn't showing that i was bluffing by any means.

As we got down to four players, i took 2 of them out leaving me heads up with a guy. We played for a little bit, and he was about to be even with me and it was 4am, so we deceided to chop and go home.

I had a 3-1 chip lead over him to start, but began to run dry as we reached heads up. Im not disappointed in my play at all, i came back from 1000 in chips to over 20K, then to 55K and the chip lead! Id have to say that im playing better than ever and am looking forward to another game SHORTLY!

Posted by wilcone at 10:52 AM | Comments (0)

May 13, 2005

Two online texas holdem tournaments...

I played in two texas holdem tournaments today online... was a little bored, as I had not played in a couple days...

I played patiently as usual... it paid off in the first game, and althought I really did not have that many good hands to play, I played what I had pretty well.... I ended up 2nd!

The second tournament got down to the top 30 ( out of 95 ) when I got pocket 6's on the button.... I called the two times bet.... flop came a couple of 9's.... the one better bet another two times bet.. I called.... Turn was a rag... we both checked..... River was a 6 giving me the boat! I pushed all in!

He had 4 9's!!!

Posted by fatbill at 02:57 PM | Comments (0)

May 12, 2005

Playing the short stack

With my style of play, I find myself entering the final group ( money positions or final table ) with the short stack a lot of the time. As a rule of thumb, I play pretty tight until I get a hand that I can be comfortably aggressive with....

Mainly, I play tournament structures of Texas HOldem, either multi or single table events.

I try to exercise patience when I play, to allow for those hands to 'come' to me over the course of the game. I am not a player that likes to see a lot of flops with marginal hands. One thing I have been looking at harder, of late, is my hand in relation to my table position.

The problem is, that when you are NOT getting good hands, you can find yourself very short when the blinds start getting up there! When the blinds become risky to your stack, you have to look for 'that hand' that will allow you to push your chips and hope for the best. NOT always the best thing, as sometimes you just don't get 'that hand'...

I have had a certain amount of success playing this way, and probably cash 40% of the time or more, but end up winning less than 10% of the time. There is some area of compromise in my play that will help me minimize the number of 'short stack' experiences. My experience in trying to loosen up my game have not been fruitful, as I never seem to hit the flop when I try to play suited connectors or small pockets.

I know that I have to make some adjustments to my game, I'm convinced that this is an evolutionary process with all players.....

Posted by fatbill at 10:10 AM | Comments (0)

May 09, 2005

Cashed in the Home game

Played in the normal saturday night texas holdem home game. Since I had been doing pretty well online, I figured I'd continue my play in this game.

We only had 11 players this time, which is a few down from normal, but it was a pretty decent game.

I really played VERY few hands for the first few hours. My strategy was to wait out the 'river rats' and 'calling machines', of which this game has several. The hands I played were premium, and I did well enough with them to hold my own as I patiently waited....

When it got down to 5, I knew I could not continue to sit, since I was close to the short stack. Hands were not exactly coming for me at this point, but I was able to maintain, and the blinds were not enough at this point to really concern me... I had about 6K ( we start with 5K ).

We broke for dinner at about 9, and I was the short stack with 4 players remaining. I had 5K, Next was 14K, 19, and 21K.... I needed to start playing....

By 10, I was the chip leader! ;-) I sucked out a big pot ( I flopped two pair ) by hitting a boat on the river... Two hands later, I made the big stack pay dearly for being a river rat, and took him for over 10K.

When we got down to the final two, our stacks were nearly identical.... he proposed a chop, and I accepted, cuz I didnt want to be there into the wee hours, as it was Mother's day the next day!

Posted by fatbill at 10:08 AM | Comments (0)

May 07, 2005

I WON one!

After that horrible day yesterday... I was pretty much put off with texas holdem! I just figured it was not my day!

I got bored! ;-)

So... I went into a sit-n-go, on a whim from my laptop, early evening, while I was watching some tube... Things were pretty normal in the game, but everyone was playing pretty tight. Going into the last 5 players, I was the short stack ( no suprise there! ).

Once it got down to the final 3 ( the money places ) I was the big stack! ;-)

It gets down to heads up.... we are going back and forth... so this 'person' types into the chat room 'you suck dude'! I'm like WTF is THAT all about??

It pissed me off.... but instead of getting made... I got even.... three hands later, I was sitting at the table alone when my A6s held against his KTo! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 08:57 AM | Comments (0)

Alaska on Verge legal poker rooms?

"The Alaska House voted Wednesday to allow poker and other card gambling in public rooms."

The full article can be read HERE

It is an important step in the right direction for us all!!

AND... one of THE most important statements in this article is:

"The bill's sponsor Rep. Pete Kott, R-Eagle River, said people should not associate poker with slot machines, roulette and other forms of gambling.

"It's not truly gambling," said Kott, but rather a "game of skill."
"

One of the stumbling blocks in most state decision maker's minds and interpretations of the law has CONTINUALLY been 'game of chance'! WE all know that Poker.. especially Texas Holdem, is definately a game that is 80% skill.

IF this bill goes through, it could well be a blueprint for other states to follow....

.... it's a start!

Posted by fatbill at 08:52 AM | Comments (0)

May 06, 2005

What a horrible day...

I played THREE tournaments today.... and I got my butt handed to me in each one of them on bad beats!

You would think that the odds would be in my favor in at least ONE of those games, wouldn't you?

ATs gets knocked by a straight on the river....

QQ gets knocked by an A on the river....

KK gets knocked going up against AA....

I think I'll go watch tv! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 12:54 PM | Comments (0)

Online Texas Holdem play....

I was really into playing yesterday, so I went looking for some action. I had really wanted to play a texas holdem tournament, but I could not find one worth the effort, so I eneded up playing in a couple of single table games.

I got blasted out of the first one on a bad beat.... things happen in poker....

I was short stacked in the second one, mainly due to not hitting any flops with things like AK... but I was patient. PATIENCE PAYS OFF in texas holdem! I waited out the game, and it got down to 4 players, when I moved my short stack ALL IN with AA... trippled up.. two hands later, I hit another big flop calling another short stack who had been playing strange all game, with a K10. That brought it down to 3.... the money positions! VERY soon, I played a few more hands, and ended up the chip leader!

I was pleased with myself for the patience, and coming from short to leader like I did!

With two remaining, I moved with ATs.... ran up against AQ and got knocked... but.... Overall I was pleased with my play, AND the outcome!

We'll see what today has to offer, as I'll be playing in a few more events. I'm trying to cram in a bunch of action into a short time frame, and to some extent, experimenting with my play... ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 08:57 AM | Comments (0)

May 03, 2005

The problem with Online poker

So I play in a $25 buy in texas holdem freezout tournament.... I check from the Big Blind with J3 to a caller in early position... the flop comes 456! Small bet from another player, so I call... turn comes a 2 giving me the straight!

Player bets 3x the blind.. I move all in... the guy has 37!

WHAT the hell is the guy doing calling with a 37o???

incredible things are seen when playing online poker....

Posted by fatbill at 02:36 PM | Comments (0)

Another online tournament

I played in another texas holdem tournament online at Empire Poker. The entry fee was $25 so there were only 70+ entries, but they were mainly better players, from what I saw...

I grinded.... with the cards I was seeing, thats about all I could do! LOL

I had such a bad run of cards throughout the game, that I really could never get my stack going. When I got involved in a couple hands, I played them correctly, but most of the time I got rivered.

I was able to hang on and make the final table, but my stack would not allow me to do much. I pretty much got blinded to death with awful cards. When I made my last ditch move with A6s, I ran up against AJ, and the jack hit... buy bill!

Posted by fatbill at 09:06 AM | Comments (0)

May 02, 2005

Underdog a big factor....

Well i played in a special texas holdem tournament with 22 guys...and needless to say the first hour and a half was stone cold, nothing worth playing other than defending blinds and little pots here and there. It really didnt start up until right before we merged tables and took a break. I went all in with A-K with the last 900 in chips i had, i was VERY low stacked. I got 3 calls, well shit i didnt like my odds. My buddy while in showdown told me he folded a king, i was against king-7 suited and pocket jacks. Well thats 3 kings gone, so i had one out other than aces, which i hit on the river. Well after i was getting hot we had to merge :-(

So it was down to the final 9 people, and these people were no fish. I started to dwindle, then fire shot out under me, i got a-q three times i went all in each and got nice pots. I got Bullets ( a-a) 3 times which i got nice pots from and a-k about 3 times. I was really playing good, making the correct reads EVERYTIME! A couple people got knocked out and it was down to five people for over an hour, everyone was playing very tight, which gave me an advantage. These people know i dont come in unless i have something massive. And i had fire power to back it up. Two of the three went out at the same time, making one lady i was playing with a huge chip stack. The other guy was a 2-1 favorite on me. We played a few hands, being able to steal some and catch nice cards for that short time was nice. I doubled up off the other guy with a-7 off, he thought i was bluffing ;-) he had a-4 :-o That evened me and him up, but she had both of us 2-1 in count.


We played for about 45 minutes with the three of us and blinds were at 500-1000 with a 100 ante. Everyone folded around the the big stack on the small blind who raised me 4,000 preflop. I had pocket 8s and i moved all in against her, she had pocket 10s, good night wilcone. But i do have to say i put up one hell of a struggle and im damn proud of how i played. So until next time dont under estimate the guy with the lowest stack, he could come back and be in front of you!

Posted by wilcone at 02:12 AM | Comments (0)

May 01, 2005

Went to a friendly game last night

Went to the weekely cash game that I used to play in before joining the club, last night. Had 14 people playing, mostly familiar faces.

They FINALLY decided to cut down the initial chip count to 5K ( from 10K ) and started the blinds at 25/50 instead of 5/10. Like I had been trying to tell them for months.. this helped speed up the game!

I played well, but went out 7th. I probabaly could have played the hand differently, in retrospect, but, hindsight being what it is....

I had not played a hand in almost an hour. I just was waiting for some sort of decent hand, and I was not getting anything.

Finally got Pocket Kings! Two players limped in, and the player on my right made it 400 ( blinds were 100/200 ). I thought for a few seconds, and made it 1200 to go! The player on my left, who was the big stack, called..... the two limpers folded, but the player who initially bet 400 called.

The flop came 3-8-3.... the player on my right checked, and I moved all in. The player on my left folded. The player on my right called! He had a Set of 3's! He called a 6x raise with a A3!!!

That ended my night.... I'm still wondering what the hell he was thinking making that initial call!?!

Wilcone grinded most of the night, and ended up taking 2nd, but I'll leave that account to him...

Posted by fatbill at 11:14 AM | Comments (0)



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