Random thoughts about my interests which include (in no particular order) poker, finance & investing, politics, football and whatever else I happen to see that piques my interest

Monday, January 21, 2013

Getting my Mojo on

Had a chance to play a little poker at Derby Lane last night and since this was the first time I had truly felt like I could stand the rigors of the poker table without my back bothering me so much that I couldn't concentrate.  I had started off the day with a 90 minute massage.  I explained to Hildy my masseuse how I'd managed to pull a muscle in my back coughing and how I still felt some pain there and in my ribs as well.    Hildy took that as a challenge and for the next 90 minutes she tore into my back and ribs.  It hurt so good.  And so bad. 

Afterwards I felt a bit more pain than I had before the massage but today I feel very little so I know she did some good inside me.  My range of motion now with my right arm is getting closer to normal without the pain I had been feeling.  I went to the doctor during the week and she told me to expect it to take another 3 weeks before my back feels right.  I'm not looking forward to it taking that long.  Hopefully it won't take quite that long.

Anyway I mentioned last night was a poker night.  That's because we had a special guest visiting Derby Lane.  Word around the campfire was that none other than Memphis Mojo would be paying a visit to our sleepy little burg.  Now I couldn't pass up a chance to see the world famous tourney player in action, besides which I had always wanted to meet the man, the myth, and the legend, so I made it a point to get down to Derby Lane in plenty of time for the 8pm tourney. 

Unbeknownst to me Mojo was already there when I arrived and had been playing limit poker for awhile.   So I signed up for the tourney and waited for him to appear while taking seat 3 at my table.  A little later I got a text from him saying he was at seat 1 on my table but I still hadn't seen him come in.  He came up to me shortly afterward and explained he had been playing some limit holdem while killing time before the tourney as he'd been there a couple of hours already.  We chatted some before the tourney then got right down to it.

Neither of us seemed to be getting much in the way of cards.  Mojo made a good raise early on I assume with a big pair, got one caller on every street but the river and made a few chips but otherwise he was the epitome of patience.  I thought I played it pretty tight but Mojo was much tighter than I was.  Which I should have taken to heart as I managed to lose a couple of fairly significant hands when I rivered a flush with J9 to lose to some guy who raised preflop with K5 suited.  Then I lost another chunk with A9 on an A55 flop when A8 rivered an 8.  I bluffed to pick up a couple of pots but I was bleeding chips pretty badly.  I was down to 1225 chips when I picked up 33 in the small blind.  A guy in early position raised to 1200 and 3 others called by the time it got to me.  I decided a quadruple up would be perfect so I pushed in. Another gal called as well so with a lot of luck I had a chance to get back into this a little.  The flop was 945.  The original raiser pushed all in and got one caller.  Original raiser flipped over KK.  Other guy flipped over J9 with a flush draw.  Turn was my magic 3.  No club or K on the river and I took my 1225 up to over 6500.  I managed to make a couple of more hands into some chips and even got to win with KK (I raised and got a walk which is the only way to win KK most days it seems).  It was my only premium hand of the tourney.

I managed to build my 1225 all the way up to near 25K when I pushed 64 of clubs in position.  Called by a big stack the flop was KQQ.  He checks so I push all in.  He thought for a while and I thought he would fold but he eventually calls with AJ.  Really?  No credit for even a pair there?  But it worked out when a 4 hit the turn and I got a big double up.  But with blinds at 800/1600 I was still pretty short so I was determined to stay aggressive and try to build up a big enough stack to final table with.  Which of course led to my undoing.  I raised preflop to 4200 with QJ suited and got one caller in early position.  Flop was 10-9-4.  It was checked to me and I bet out 7K which put almost half my stack into play.  Probably a mistake.  The caller then pushed all in for about my stack size.  I called with my draw and 2 overcards.  Unfortunately I didn't hit this draw and the guys 10s held up taking me out.  I probably got too aggressive there especially after recently pushing 6-4 I should have known I wouldn't get credit for a big hand.  Then again, big hands were very few and far between in that tourney.  I was very lucky to last as long as I did.  Mojo was the epitome of patience though taking some chips when he could including some off me on a blind vs blind and just waiting for his moment.  I should have imitated him a lot more when I got up over 20K.  But I just got impatient to score more chips and it was sayonara for me.  I went out around 22 and Mojo a bit short of the final table.  I was playing 1-1 no limit when he busted and he came over to say good bye.  It was great meeting and playing with him.  He wrote up his night here along with a couple of pictures.  Too bad our results weren't better.

My 1-1 game continued my luck from the tourney.  Early on I made a nice flush and lost to a full house.  Lost a straight to another full house.  Then my top pair and kicker got crushed by a set of 10s.  In a short time I was down 70 bucks from my 100 buyin.  But I stayed patient and it turned in a big way.  I got AA in early position and raised to 6 with 2 callers.  Flop was queen high and I pushed in my last 22.  Both folded and I got a little breathing space.  Probably should have played it a little slower but was hoping one had a queen and would play back and as short as I was, I didn't have much to push with.  That gave me a bit of breathing space.  The very next hand I have KK under the gun.  This time I just called as the table was pretty aggressive with many hands raised.  I figured I'd have a decent chance of reraising then.  I was right when a guy a few places to my left raised and a short stacked lady moved all in for about $18.  It came around to me and I moved all in which was called by the original raiser.  My kings held up against both hands and I was back to even in 2 hands. 

It was well after midnight and I was getting tired and thinking about calling it a day when I got JJ on the button.  UTG raised to 4 and the shorty I had busted with KK reraised to 8.  I figured there were some good hands but wanted to see what happened so I called with JJ.  After midnight, every time someone hits a hand with quads or better they get paid a bonus.  First hand gets $50 and every hand goes up by $50 until they reach $500.  They had paid the $250 bonus a little before this hand started.  The flop came down J45 with 2 clubs.  It was checked to the lady who bet $20 which was more than half her stack.  I figured she was committed so I decided to push all in.  Thinking back that may have been the wrong move.  A call and maybe the original raiser calls as well.  Or maybe not.  He folded but the lady called the all in with all her chips.  Turn was another J.  YES.  I wasn't even thinking about the bonus until that J fell.  River was the 5 of clubs so I actually could have lost that hand to a straight flush if the lady had been playing 23 or 78 of clubs.  But she actually had AA.   She flips it over and says I have 2 pair.  I flipped over the jacks and said I have quads.  I cleaned her out again plus get a $300 bonus to boot. 

I gave a good tip to the dealer and bought a round for the table.  Made it through another hour of play staying even until I just got too tired then packed it in with a nice profit for the night, even including my tourney loss.  It was a pretty good night after all.  Hopefully next weekend I'll play again.  Till then stay lucky folks.

2 comments:

KenP said...

I now have a tilt problem play Hold'em tournaments. It is "mixing it up" too early. I call it my boredom tilt. It isn't unique.

It is about the hands we are willing to play at points relating to blind progression.

Mojo is capable of playing A9 or 33 as an overplay but not indiscriminately. These days I'm not so I seldom play HNL tournaments. Dave plays the game I used to be capable of. It isn't flashy -- especially early. That is the rub. Boredom tilt, or A-gameitis or whatever you want to call it, takes one out before the real fun begins. There isn't a lot of fun to be counted on early most days. You can play marginal hands occasionally from position but need to uses small pot efforts when you do. That's hard when we are bored.

Dave even has talked about the problem and did a blog about needing to change to a more aggressive approach when he had a little dry spell. I see he didn't fall for his own conjecture. ;)

It is obvious you are a good player but you saw an approach that provides less variance. Like that broad says, "It is a good thing."

Memphis MOJO said...

It was good to meet you Neophyte and play on your home turf (Derby Lane is a great venue). Next time we'll final table and kill 'em.