Sunday, December 30, 2007

New Home Game ($50 SNG)

Got invited to play in a home game near my local golf course (that I love) through an Internet home game finder type website. They send me emails often about 5-5 NL ring games around town, but this time they were having a $50 NL tourney using an online poker type SNG structure, not the best structure (these guys just like to have fun) but there is certainly a lot of skill to SNG tournaments; when you get deep with high blinds and small stacks knowing what to do in almost every spot if HUGE and I feel I definitely know most of what to do based on the amount of them I've played online.

They capped the amount of people to come at 18 for 2 full tables.

Payout was:
1st - $360
2nd - $270
3rd - $180
4th - $90

1500 in chips, 15-30 blinds to start, 15 min levels. I have no idea of any of these guys' playing tendencies so...

First hand of the tourney, BLINDS 15-30:

UTG+1 limps 30, I limp behind with K-Q for 30, Button limps 30, SB completes to 30, BB checks.

Flop: (Pot: 150)
K-Q-7, two diamonds

SB checks, BB checks, UTG+1 checks, I bet 150 (don't know anyone and don't wanna give any draws a chance to catch up), Button folds, SB folds, BB folds, UTG+1 calls.

Turn: (Pot: 450)
3h, it put two diamonds and two hearts out

He checked quickly (common sign of weakness, like a draw), I bet 400 to price him out of calling with a draw, He called 400 anyway.

River: (Pot: 1250)
8h

The backdoor flush got there, but I can't put him on that.

He checks, Now I'm clearly sure that I have the best hand and need to value bet like 600 which I do, he folds.

After one hand I'm there chip leader. Don't play any memorable pots for the rest of 15-30.

BLINDS 20-40:

2 guys limp in early position for 40, the Button limps for 40, I complete from the SB with 2-2 trying to flop a set for cheap, BB checks.

Flop: (Pot: 200)
10-3-2, two spades

I check (looking to check-raise whoever bets, I'm confident that someone will bet this flop as it hits a lot of hands that people are limping with), BB checks, UTG checks, guy in early position min-bets 40, the Button raises to 320, I make it 1200 ready to get it all-in with bottom set, everyone folds to the Button, he moves in 125 more, I call.

He has 10-9.

Turn - brick
River - brick... and he's out and I have a big stack, like 4500-ish. Chopped my way to near 5000 by the end of the level via late position raises and continuation bets, etc.

BLINDS 25-50:

Everyone folds, I raise 150 from middle position with K-K, guy on my immediate left calls 150 (he has a lot of chips like 3500-4000 range), everyone else folds.

Flop: (Pot: 375)
A-7-2, all clubs (I have the Kc)

I check, he bets 150, I raise to 400, he just calls.

Turn: (Pot: 1175)
6c, I now have the nuts.

I bet one single $500 chip to look kinda weak by betting small to try and maybe showdown cheaply, he moves in, SWEET!, I call. He has A-6... only 6 outs to fade.

River: (Pot: ~9000)
The Ace of Spades, UGH!

Down to like 1000-1500 range. I steal a few rounds to stay afloat through the rapidly fast blind levels.

BLINDS 40-80:

UTG calls 80, the Button shoves for about 900 (he's a real loose player, likes to be "all-in"), I call from the BB with K-K, UTG folds.

Flop a King, and he was out.

Went into the final table with about 2000 at 50-100 blinds.

BLINDS 50-100:
9-handed

A tight player UTG makes it 350, it folds around, a tight player in middle position makes it 1200, the SB just calls 1200 (almost 1/2 her stack), UTG moves all-in for a few thousand more, the guy in middle position calls, the SB goes into the tank and finally calls with As-Js!!!

UTG (His name was JC) = K-K
Middle position guy = A-A

Nothing comes until the River brings... a King! The chick was out and the guy with AA was down to nothing. JC was up to over 10,000 when on the next hand he finished the guy with 7-7 vs A-10.

BLINDS 50-100:

I'm down to like 1400 and I pick up A-K on the button, I plan on moving in if anyone limps/raises, and making a standard raise if everyone folds.

It folds to JC, he makes the motion of mucking his hand, so I say, "Raise", he says, "Wait I haven't folded yet", I get the host who is the 'floorman' to come over and making the obvious ruling (that he is able to act on his hand and my out of turn action means nothing) HE rules that JC can still call (which is correct so far) and when it gets to me I have to make a min-raise to 200 and then action continues (WTF! That's a horrible ruling, which could ruin my chances of chipping up here because the min-raise will price in a lot of people that I want to PRICE OUT!), SB calls 200, BB calls 200, JC calls 200... Fuck!!!

Flop: (Pot: 800)
A-9-5, rainbow

They all checked, I moved all-in, they all folded. I was lucky to get that flop and get extra chips from the blinds. If it had came 10-9-8 I was gonna throw a chair... in my mind.

So I up to like 2000 and change.

BLINDS 100-200:

This is a real interesting hand! I have 2000 even (10BBs).

UTG limps for 200, middle position limps for 200, SB completes to 200. These course of actions are so weak, the possibility of any of them having a hand good enough to call another 1800 (if I move in) is super slim. It doesn't matter what my cards are if I feel I'm gonna pick up the pot pre-flop. I thought the 2 guys in early-middle position might call with a wide range because they had decent stacks so I bailed on the idea and just checked my BB with 10-8.

Flop: (Pot: 800)
8-7-2, two hearts

SB checked, I bet 600 (looking back this is very marginal, I don't know if its the best play in this spot... but I made it here), UTG calls quickly like a draw, MP folds, SB calls although he doesn't look happy about it. I was ready to kinda be done with the hand once I got called in 2 spots, but I just really felt form their body language that they were drawing.

Turn: (Pot: 2600)
Q

SB checked, I find this to be a safe card for my hand. As long as they didn't call with like a flush draw that had a Q in it (or slow played a big hand which is unlikely based on their body language) they can't call an all-in here, so I moved all-in for about 1200 and they both folded. Phhhhew!

I was up over 3000 with 7 people left (top 4 get payed).

BLINDS 150-300:

UTG makes it 900, it folds to me on the Button with 6-6. This is weird spot, with only about 10BBs its simply all-in or fold, he's so commit ed to the pot though that if I move in he has to call with most hands he's raising with. And because he's raising UTG, at best (for me) he'll be calling with like A-Q/A-K/K-Q, but a lot of the time he'll show up with a bigger pair and I'm near dead. So in this spot I think that it is a definite fold since we have almost no fold equity. I folded and don't regret it.

BLINDS 200-400:

I have about 2500, so I'm very short. We were down to 5 people at this point (on the money bubble).

It folds to the Button who is as short as me and he moves in for a little more than me, SB folds I have Ks-Qs in the BB and insta-call fro my last 2500, he had 5-5 and it was a race. I flopped a King and held for the double up to over 5000.

The very next hand: UTG tight player makes it 1200, the Button (JC) re-raises to 2500, I'm in the SB with A-Q and can't see how it is good after a raise and a re-raise from 2 solid players so I fold, UTG moves all-in for a little more, JC calls with A-J. UTG had Q-Q so I was right in folding.

BUT, the flop was Ace high and JC busted the guy with a two outer.

BLINDS 250-500:
I had about 5000 and we were in money.

JC folded on the button, I was in the SB with K-8 and the BB was very short and virtually pot commited from his blind. King high is way ahead of his range of two random cards, so I moved him all-in. He made an easy call with A-2, but I flopped an 8 and held on to win the pot an get heads up. No big deal there, just won a 40/60 that I had to play.

I went into heads up vs JC about a 2.5-1 dog in chips.

BLINDS 400-800:
We were near even in chips like me with 12k and him with 15k (he had about 3000 more I know that). I had been raising my button almost every time (to my standard 2.5 x BB when heads up). So I did the same here:

A-A in the SB raise to 2000, he flat called.

Flop: (Pot: 4000)
J-8-5, rainbow

He bet 4000, I moved all-in, he called with K-J and my hand held up.

Now I was in great shape with about 23,500 vs his 3500.

He shoved the next hand, I called with A-5, he had K-10. He made Kings Up to double through to 7000. He stole his way back to even when I went card dead

BLINDS 500-1000:

Stacks were about 14k vs 13k. He didn't look like the type of guy who cared about making a deal over a $90 difference, so I didn't mention making one.

I was in the BB with A-K, he min-raises to 1000 on the button, I move in for 13k, he calls with 3-3, flop came King high and I held on to win that pot.

He's down to like 600, he wins 3 straight hands all-in pre-flop with rags vs rags to get to like 2500, until I move him in with K-J he calls with 9-5, I flop a King... again! I hold to win the pot and I win the tourney.

Really fun time. They started a side game (1-2 NL) right after like 4-5 guys were out. So they were all obviously there to just play poker and have a good time even though they were out of the tourney, which is great. I didn't get to play in the side game (everything kinda wrapped up when the tourney ended) but I don't really care. I probably wouldn't have done that well since I was kinda tired and have been really focusing more on tournaments lately as opposed to cash games (which I used to love over tourneys).

Things are going great for me right now in life. My team won the Fantasy Football league I had with my friends (more $ coming in!). I'm really happy these days. Kinda could care less about school right now, which is a problem I need to turn around, but for the most part everything is awesome... I could use more golf though. Yeah, def more golf!

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