6/30/2009

Bam-Bam Unplugged....



As of about 2:00pm or so today, I'll have


to your continued health and success.

You are the GREATEST COUNTRY on this old flying rock!

We'll see you on the other side kids.

My sincerest thanks for dropping by....

6/29/2009

GET.OFF.MY.JUNK.....

After a series of one, two and three table games that all ended very poorly for me, I sat back from the computer Friday night and considered cashing out right there and then. The beats were "nasty" as some like to say, "brutal" as others describe them but there was always that one constant. As has become more and more the case of late, they were totally expected.

In a NLHE 9 player / 1 table game, I had sat and folded crap cards for two orbits. There are still 9 players left sitting at the table and action is fairly tight. At least it appears that way based on the three or four showdowns that have occurred. Made hands making bets and standard raises pre, all seem to be the norm. Your hero here is dealt pocket Aces in the SB. UTG folds and the next spot makes it 3x to go. (25/50 blinds) I haven't quite got a range on this player as of yet but from the two similar raises from earlier on, I'd start with high PP. As I think more about his previous hands, I decide to go with 10-10/J-J. It folds to me where I want to make a raise for sure, I just don't want to scare him away. With 225 in the pot, I make it 300 to go. The BB takes no time at all and jams all-in. Now UTG+1 takes all the time in the world here. He's raised and been met with not one but two re-raises. Despite all this, he makes the shove. Two players all-in pre and I'm holding pocket Aces. The initial raiser flips up pocket Queens, my Aces flip over and to my immediate left, I see 4-8 off. Flop is 4-4-7, Turn Queen and the River of course, brings an 8. The pot got pushed to the second best hand in play.
**edit** Thanks Dave. No proof read and I apparently split two thoughts in that last sentance.

I sat in on a game after that, that had all 18 players left in it after the first 30 minutes. Play at my table was incredibly tight! There were almost no showdowns despite the small-ball style of Poker that seemed to be being played. I could see the pattern of swing and a miss chases, followed by hammering the pot when the chase turned good. Pretty much everyone at my table was on that same train so when I made it pot to go on the button with the Ac-Kc (crubs!) on the button, I wasn't too terribly worried about the two callers going to the flop with me. A flop that came out, Jc-10c-Qs. The standard play ensues where there is a bet, a call and a raise. Followed by the also standard call, call. The turn brings the Ks and the action heats up. Now I'm not sure what message to send these guys to be honest, but I figure my early raise pre and C-bet on the flop, should've told them a little something about the strength of my hand. In the end, all of our chips get in the middle and I see pocket Queens again in one hand and the 7s-10s in the other hand. The River lays down the 3s and once again after flopping the joint, I go home to a play by the third best hand in the pot. Let's see here... pre-flop I know I'm racing against the two Queens, let's call it 41% to my 39% and we'll give the rest to the 10-7 of Spades. After the flop however, I think I take a pretty hefty 68% to 28% to 4% lead don't you? That King of Spades on the turn was not my favorite card for sure, but what would I have been sitting at even there? I'm guessing about %60 / %20 / %20 or so.

The last game was one that could be the poster child for all the conspiracy theorists out there, that truly believe someone NOT something is controlling the action. Dealt pocket Kings in the cut off, I make a standard raise pre. Once again there are two callers. The flop gives me my third King and a very 'drawy' to a straight appearance, with the 9-10 to go with it. I get a few chips in the middle to end the hand right there, but it doesn't turn out that way. There is a fold and then a raise to all but $2 of my stack. (FWIW, I <3 cute idiots NOT) I jam and he flips up the obvious now, pocket Aces. Both the turn and River come Aces. I guess making set over set at that point, just wasn't quite enough of a statement about how poorly I played the hand.

I jumped on an O/8 table and made my money back, by being one of those Donkey's that liked almost every starting hand he was dealt. If I had crap with a draw and wrap to more crap, crap came. Holding the 7s-3c-8h-8d, I naturally flopped Quads. The golden holdings of 2c-2d-3s-9h, also saw the last remaining ducks in the deck come out to play. I folded A-K-A-K DS instantly! There was no place for hands like that in my game.

Now I'm taking a little hiatus from NLHE, maybe even from FullTilt. A guy can only get repeatedly kicked in his junk for so long, before he starts becoming a guy with no junk.

Since I have only two working day's this week, I don't know how much material is actually going to appear on this little corner of the intertubles. If I see ya' I see ya' and if I don't, Peb's and I would both like to wish everyone, the very best of Canada Day and Independence Day as well.

Drink well but drink wisely,
Laugh hard and laugh lots.
If it's half gone it's wasted,
If it's half there there's lots!

My sincerest thanks for dropping by....