Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Poker blahs

I am still struggling with motivation. Losing sucks and lately it has been sucking my inspiration from the game. I used to get more motivated to come back from a loss, but now the loss has been so big, that I dread the long hours it will take to build back up.

I have been good about not trying to move up and make it all back in one session, but it's hard to resist.

It's been a while since I have been in the running in a multi table tournament. This is the pattern that has been consistent: 180 man $22 tourney on Stars last night.

1. Wait for good hands that don't come early. Watch as idiots lose chips in big pots that you are not in.

2. Start to lose patience and lose 1/3 of my stack by raising with medium hand and laying down to reraise, or missing flop and continuation betting but getting called.

3. Blinds are up and I steal blinds a couple of times.

4. Somebody calls my all in raise and sucks out. I am out in 80th place.

Here was the end last night:

I have 1185 in chips. Blinds are 50-100. I am dealt Ad 5s on the button.

It's folded to me. The small blind has 1265 in chips and the big blind has 5460 in chips.

This is an obvious raise, the question is whether it should be all in or just 300. I decide 300 since there are still 7 minutes left in this level, and I'll still have 7 big bets if I have to fold to a reraise or miss the flop.

The small blind moves all in and the big blind folds. I fold as well.

Next hand in the cut off, I am dealt Kh 8d. It is folded to me again. Now I decide I need the chips. Note: this may not be the best move in retrospect, but there are only a few minutes left now in the level. This is the exact opposite of my thinking in the previous hand. I raise all in.

I am called by the big blind who has 1140 chips with 33. I guess he was looking to gamble.
Flop is Ad Ks 6c. Yeah I have a King! He is down to 2 outs. Turn is an 8c. I have two pair, but it doesn't matter since it still doesn't beat 3 of a kind, which is my opponent's only chance. River is the 3. Fuck!

I play a $22 Sit and Go on Stars the night before last. I have been playing more Sits one table at a time, to work on my game. I play solid and make it to heads up. My heads up play is relatively weak, but I am getting better. Pokerstars Sits tend to give you a lot of play heads up. Even on the final hand, we both had about 13-15 big blinds left.

My opponent should have been out when we were 3 handed. I had over 8000 in chips and my 2 opponents had less than 2000. He rivered a 6 for 3 of a kind and stayed alive. Eventually we made it to heads up and he was still alive.

My opponent, Spkrothhouse had reraised me a couple of times all in and watched me fold. He had also over bet all in preflop once as well. I was starting to believe that when he overbet the pot, that he had nothing and that when he bet small, he had the goods. Here is the last hand.

Larryvq 6460
Srkrothhouse 7040.
Blinds are 200-400 with 25 ante.

Larry posts the small blind and has the button.

I am dealt Ac 6s. I raise to 1225 and he calls.

Flop is 4s 4h Ks. He bets all in for 5815 into a 2450 pot. This smells like another bluff. I have about the worst hand I would call with. I call.

Skrot turns over Jh 8s. I caught him with his hand in the cookie jar.

Of course he spikes an 8 on the turn and I don't get my Ace on the river.

I need a Big Score!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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