" Mistakes, I've made a few but then again...

How's the weekend going everybody?  I just got home from 5.5 hours of work (yes working on a Sunday even) but upon reflection, it's been a good weekend.  Thursday night the PQ took me out for a steak dinner - she had a ribeye and I had a NY strip with grilled onions.   Most delicious.  I had the leftovers for lunch Friday, both hers and mine.  Even better. 

Friday was a long day at work but then I took her out Friday night for dinner after getting my hair cut.  I really needed one, I had been meaning to get one for the last 3 weeks or more but just kept forgetting about it (make that kept being a slug) and my hair was long.   I wasn't quite this guy but I was close.

Me before Friday

Now I have my summer cut to stay cooler in the heat so I look a bit better.  Almost like this

Me about 15 years ago

We grabbed some pizza Friday night and made a pretty early night of it.  Most nights I make an early night of it.  5:15 am comes waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too soon every day.  Saturday morning I did my usual, watched Law and Order and had a donut and some iced coffee.   The PQ went over to her sisters then had a manicure/pedicure appointment.  We decided to change things up for poker on Saturday and do the 1pm tourney rather than our usual 8pm tourney.  We found that we were such zombies on Sundays after playing till 2 or 3 (or 5) in the morning in this tourney that we wanted to play during the daylight hours instead.  It worked out pretty well as we were able to get out of there about 8:30 pm.   And here's the story about that.

The PQ was running behind on Saturday as her mani/pedi ran a little long but we got down there just in time for the tourney.  We were at separate tables and when we started my table only had 2 of us sitting there though it gradually filled up from there.  We started with 10k and for $5 more you could add on 2000 more which I did.  25 minute blinds meant  you got some good play for your 105 bucks.  80 people signed up and the top prize was a bit over $2100 with the top 8 paid.  I got a couple of decent hands early and used my position to chip up a bit.  I took my 12K up to almost 14 but then just before the first break I got my first big hand, KK on the button.  Short stack across the table pushed all in.  He took a bad beat a round before that cost him all but 2500 chips.  Everyone else folded and I raised to 6k to isolate him.  We went head to head and he had A10 of diamonds to my cowboys.  I had the diamond king as well.  Flop is not good, QJ of diamonds and 6 of clubs.  turn pairs the J so I'm still good but the 4 of diamonds on the river made his flush and put me down to about 11K. 

After the break my cards stayed pretty lousy but the table was broken soon after so I got to try my luck on some other suckers card sharps at the next table over.  I was there for only a couple of rounds, didn't play anything but lost some chips for antes and blinds before that table was broken.  Sucks to have to keep moving but it's just the luck of the draw I know.  With around 10K I moved to my next table.  This one I knew wouldn't break for a while so I settled in for a a long session I hoped.  The PQ was on the table next to me.  She was struggling when I first got there but then had a big double up and the next time I looked over, she was pretty flush.  I didn't get anything for a while and the blinds and antes were starting to eat me up.  I was down to about 9500 with blinds at 400/800 with 75 antes when I looked down at 10-6 suited in the small blind.  A couple of people called including the big stack in seat 10 so I decided to pay the other half the blind to see the flop as did the guy in the big blind next to me.  He was in the process of building a good sized stack as well.  Flop come out 10-9-2.  I check to see what happens though I like the flop.  Big blind checks and big stack bets 3500.  I read that as a pure steal with maybe a pair of 2s or 9s.  The pot had about 3900 so he almost put in a pot sized bet there.  I pushed all in over the top for 9100 which made him unhappy I could see and he folded.  That took me from 9500 to over 16K when I really needed it.

I managed to keep chipping up on a couple of other hands and went past 20k when I looked down at AK off on the button.  The guy to my left had won a monster hand and was up over 65K by then but I felt good with my stack after where I had been.  A couple of people limped but I took it up to 2600.  I was hoping to take it down but the big stack calls me while everyone else folds.  The flop is near perfect with AK8.  Unfortunately 2 are clubs but I'll take my chances there.  I bet only 3K which was a bit under half the pot there.  He called me but I was fine with that.  Next card was the 10 of spades.  Ok now there is a possible straight if he called me QJ and still a flush draw on the board so I decided to stop fooling around and pushed  all in for about 15K.  I was surprised when he called.  He turned over AJ off and said "you have A10 don't you?"  Uh no.  Also why are you calling if you feel pretty sure you're beat there?  You were but AK or A10 is beside the point.  That was about  half his stack just to call me down with AJ.  

I've read a number of times that the key to winning poker is to make less mistakes than the other guy and boy I got a first hand look at that Saturday.  I had chances to make big mistakes myself.  We were getting late in the tourney.  12 people were left at 2 tables and 8 got paid.  I'm in the big blind with 5-5 and was looking to make a move and pick up a limper or 2.  Then a shorter stacked gal pushed all in one off the button.  It was folded to me and I had a decision.  She didn't have to have a big hand I thought but she had about 31K in the pot and the blinds were 1500/3000.  I started counting out the chips from my stack then while I thought.  I had built up to 80K and was in good shape.  In the end I folded.  I figured at best I was 50/50.  She could be bluffing with 10-9 and I wouldn't be much of a favorite.  And if she had 9-9 I was a big dog.  So I tossed it.  I think I avoided a mistake there, even if I ended up winning the hand.  The lady pushed in a hand or 2 later with 88 and ran into KK.  Goodnight to her. 

We got to the final table and I am a little below average at 78K.  Average stack was 96K. Usually there are 1 or 2 monster stacks and a number of shorties.  I figured I would be 4th or 5th in chips even with less than an average stack.  I was surprised to see only 1 monster stack, 1 shortie, and a bunch of us between 70K and 110K.  I'm probably 7th at that point.  Action goes slow for the most part.  The short stack doubles up and then takes down another nice pot to get himself into nice shape.  Some chips get exchanged back and forth.  Guy a couple of seats to my left loses a big pot but then takes down a good one.  I'm getting nothing and bleeding chips.  My one steal attempt got raised up by a big stack and I had to respect his raise there.  Finally one guy gets knocked out in 10th place.  Everyone pitched in $20 for the bubble so the guy going out 9th will get 160 which is more than it cost to enter.  But I'm not interested in just making my money.  8th is 260 and it goes up from there.

Two guys across the table plus the guy on my right build big stacks around 200K each.  Guy directly on my left was the shortest stack but doubles up and is in decent shape at almost 100K.  I'm down to just under 40K and me and one other guy are the shorties.  I'm trying to wait out a hand or find a spot to attack but the 2 big stacks across the table are raising a lot of hands and when they don't the guy just to my right is.  I'm getting into desperate territory when I catch AA in the big blind.  2 big stacks call and it gets to me.  I'm tempted to just play it there but I really don't want to lose by slow playing aces.  If I slow play them, I don't have the stack to get away from them and a bad flop does me in.  So I pushed in.  I was surprised they both folded.  Still I got a decent chunk of change.  I got some more on the next hand when it was folded to my small blind and I raised the big blind out.  At 4K/8K with a 700 ante I made about 40K on those 2 hands.  Then the one big stack loses a large chunk of his stack to the other biggie and to the guy 2 seats on my left.  

2 hands later fireworks break out.  Min raised preflop and by the former big stack in seat 3 and called by the maniac in seat 4 along with the guy 2 seats to my left (seat 9).   Flop is KQJ with 2 diamonds.  Guy on my left checks, seat 3 pushes all in and seat 4 does too.  Guy on my left has them both covered but not by too much.  He thinks a minute and calls.   Seat 3 has 10-9 for the flopped straight, seat 4 has K9 for top pair and a straight draw (he called a raise with this then pushed in over an all in???) and seat 9 shocks me with A2 of diamonds.  Turn is another K and the river is a low non diamond.  The ex biggie is a biggie again as he triples up to over 200K.  Seat 4 wins the side pot for about 50K and seat 9 is down to 20K.  Soon after seat 9 is out and the money bubble breaks

After that I treaded water, made a few steals and used my position to improve my stack while some of my seatmates were not able to do so.  I kept picking on the guy in seat 1 and took his blinds a number of times.  I also made some chips off the guy on my left.  He got very unlucky when he pushed in for his last 35K with pocket 10s and the one of the big stacks in the big blinds called him with J2 and flopped a jack.  I took out a shorty with 65 when I hit a 6 and his AJ did not improve.  Then I took out the maniac in seat 4 when he pushed all in with A4 and I called him with A10.  I had refused to call his earlier all in with A-10 when I felt it a little suspicious.  I may have goofed that time but with his chips at 50K and mine about 80 I didn't think it was worth that risk.  But for 30K when I had 90, I took him down.  Eventually we get down to 4 people.  3 big stacks with 300K+, 300K, 200K and me with 120K.  Wish I could say I doubled up and took it down but after a couple of rounds I pushed KQ into KK and it was good night Irene.  Still coming out with a $720 payoff was sweet.  The other 3 split the rest for about $1400 each. 

My best thing until my last hand was avoiding mistakes.  I avoided getting it in on 50/50 hands or what I perceived were 50/50 situations and I stayed patient when things were getting tough.  I found a couple of weak links and picked on them.  Got a rep for playing good hands, enough that a fairly small stack raised preflop and I reraised him enough to put him all in.  He looked at me,  looked at his cards and eventually mucked 9-9 face up.  He put me on a big pocket pair.  I showed him AQ.  I thought he had something like he did and at that point was willing to pressure him.  I was a bit surprised he dumped it at it was almost half his chips.  My reraise may have been a mistake but at that point I knew I could pressure him and even if I lose, I still have a decent stack.   And I dumped a number of good hands like AJ, A10, and A9 to all in raises (not to mention 5-5) when I felt at best I'm 50/50.  But before I pat myself on the back too much, I know I didn't take advantage of position enough and let my stack get blinded down more than I should have.  I also got lucky that some big hands got called by guys with not as big hands so I could chip up.  At the final table I was not so lucky there as the KK and AA I got were both uncalled but otherwise I could not complain at all.  It was a good time and I was home by 10.  So I wasn't a zombie today and managed to work a good bit as well.  All in all a profitable weekend all around.   Hope this week goes as well.  Happy Tax Day to all.  Stay lucky you nuts.