Archive for the Rants category.
March 21, 2008
So my month or two long slump came to an end this week as I made two final tables and the last one completely dominated the entire tournament. I played a super tight game and waiting for opportunities to strike. I got at a table with a few donks showing down hands like J-6, K-4 etc… so I waited for my moments to trap them. Here’s some notable hands, my hand is the first one listed.
2-2 vs. A-K & A-K (2 small stack all-ins) - Board: Q-J-4-8-9
Q-Q vs. J-6 (post flop) - Board: 2-4-J-7-8
J-J vs. ??? - Board: A-A-10-J-K (Had a donk trapped but he folded to my min. re-raise on the river)
A-K vs. A-Q - Board: 2-A-10-J-8
J-10s vs. K-Q vs. A-K - Board: 8-5-10-2-3 (final table all-in push)
A-5s vs. Q-J vs. J-J - Board: 10-9-7-A-5
Final hand: J-J vs. K-K - Board: doesn’t matter Kings held up and I went out in 5th…
Most of these wins were in huge pots and I stayed around 50-100x BB the entire tournament starting at the second blind session. It got to the point where I had the whole table dominated and when I got a big hand I just put the whole table all-in to put their tournament lives at risk if they wanted to go against me. Ended up luring people in and crushing them when they thought I was just BSing around.
Feels awesome to dominate after a horrid slump…
March 15, 2008
Hey guys,
Just got back from two long days of poker that had me busting early and busting horribly to some awful bad beats… That’s the name of the game and I can handle it but it sucks to go on one of the slumps, I’ve heard about them but never experienced an all out long-term poker drought so to speak. It seems every time I’m ahead, especially 3-to-1 favorite or better they suck out on the flop or river. Here’s a brief list of the beats I’ve been hit with just in the past 2 days:
JJ (me) vs. 77 (opponent) - Board: A-K-7-4-2
AA (me) vs. 22 (opponent) Board: 2-4-7-J-8
J-10 of spades (me) vs. 88 Board: 8s-3-7s-Qs-Qh
A-J vs. 3-4: Board: A-2-5-7-J
… I think its time for a little break from the tables… I’ll be back at the tables in a few weeks hopefully refreshed and back to my normal form..
-Matty
March 06, 2008
2008 Presidential Candidate Barack Obama was an avid poker player. A common sight in the state of Illinois at low-stakes poker tables sometimes playing stud or draw poker.Obama on poker “It’s a fun way for people to relax and share stories and give each other a hard time over friendly competition.” He became known as a solid, cautious player that was difficult to read. He takes the game very seriously, looking into the odds and playing a tight starting hand requirement style to better his chances when he does play a hand.Another senator said of Obama’s poker playing “When Barack stayed in, you pretty much figured he’s got a good hand.” He was often teased about his cautious, tight playing style. He also caught criticism for his poker playing by other Senators who believed that the state of Illinois would be a lot better off if Barack was as conservative with tax dollars as he was at the poker table.The gambling laws in the United States passed some time ago made it difficult to play for money in many states, especially online which has inhibited not only our own, but even maybe soon-to-be President Barack Obama’s ability to play also. The competitive spirit of Obama was often shown when he would face a bad beat and leave the table with a very serious, angry looking face that is very typical among serious poker players.
Obama hopes that one day, if he’s fortunate enough, he can host a game in the White House. For poker players that think the UIGEA is crap and want to play poker online freely without the hassle or fear of prosecution at the hands of the U.S. Government then Obama may be your guy. It’s very apparent if he gets elected that he may just say “screw the UIGEA.” Then together all of us poker players can finally rejoice and enjoy our online poker with more ease!
March 05, 2008
So I’m playing tonight and I knew it wasn’t going to be my night anyway. Early into the tournament I picked up wired Kings and threw in a hefty re-raise to a raiser… Of course an ace comes on the flop and the girl insta-jams. I fold and she shows A-8 off suit I was like “one of those nights….”
Later on I’m in the small blind with 9-8s of clubs and I call then check dark. The flop comes 2-9-8 rainbow and my dark check is set up perfectly for a check-raise. Its me, Under the Gun and 2nd to act in the pot…. UTG checks and 2nd to act goes all-in. I go all-in over the top and the under the gun thinks for a while then calls.
UTG Reveals 10-10 and 2nd to act reveals A-Jo (yeh wtf was he doing?)
The turn comes an 8 and gives me 8s full of 9s so I’m thinking “sweet I’m good now, nice triple up.” Then the river comes out a 10 giving the under the gun guys tens full of 8s eliminating me out of the tournament.
While I’m used to these horrible beats on Full Tilt and am used to being victimized by them at least 3-4 times a tournament but I haven’t had a bad beat this bad live in a long time so I decided to write about it.
Here’s a digital representation of the hand.
February 28, 2008
1. Any hand containing a face card most definitely is the nuts, even though you don’t know what “the nuts” means yet, you must certainly will have it. Yeah I know there’s three all-ins and you have jack-deuce, call with confidence!
2. If there is one strength of being a complete donkey it is this: you will not and cannot be bluffed… EVER!
3. Flopping bottom pair definitely is the strongest hand at the table. Call down to the river when everyone else but you knows you’re hopelessly defeated.
4. Even though you have nothing you continue to call bets hoping to get your card on the turn or river. As a matter fact, you call your opponents bet after the river to try to catch your card on the river… but it’s too late and you can’t figure out why your seven high didn’t win.
5. Aces in the hole… No problem, just throw all your chips in the pot right there because you have the best hand in poker. But wait, there’s 5 people to act before you and you just broadcasted to the entire table that you have Pocket Aces… But it doesn’t matter because there’s probably another idiot like you at the table that will call you with king-rag.
6. Two suited cards, you definitely have a shot at a straight here. Yes you still think five suited cards is called a straight but it doesn’t matter because you’re definitely going to hit it. Even with a rainbow flop you call any bet because god willing you will hit your “straight” on the river.
7. Ace-deuce off-suit is definitely a premium hand. Call any and every bet you face because even if you miss the board your ace-high is definitely superior.
8. Get excited and gitty any time you look down at King-Four offsuit under the gun. You don’t know what under the gun means nor have any concept of table position but it doesn’t matter because you have a FACE CARD!
9. Call all the way down with A-K even when you have nothing just because A-K is a good hand and you feel like you should win with it every time because its one of the few hands you know that you should raise with.
10. You have a flush or a gut-shot straight draw, this definitely is better than anything and a favorable situation for a donkey. Call all the way down and then if you miss and face a bet after the river just call anyway. Who knows, your straight or flush draw might be good. Right?
Congrats you are now a certified Poker DONKEY.
WARNING: This story is found on a variety of social networks (sweet!) so I should keep up on entertaining my fellow poker enthusiasts by offering you guys other viewing options:
My personal poker blog
Poker Donkey Video
Donkey’s please get poker coaching here
January 28, 2008
So I played a tournament tonight at the place that got me started. Was card dead for most of the night and got wittled away by blinds after sitting tight and picking up a few small to mid-sized pots… So blinds are at 50/100 and I’m sitting on 10-15bb and need to make a move pretty soon. I pick up Q-8s on the big blind, garbage but I checked my option and flopped top pair, flop was J-8-4. I move all-in which was close to 2x the pot and get called by under the gun who was holding 5-4o. Not only did he call under the gun with 5-4o but he calls an all-in with bottom pair. Turn comes another 4 giving him trips and I am eliminated from the tournament… I was like are you serious man, 5-4o under the gun, I could understand if it was suited and you were in the blinds or on the button maybe but under the gun then calling an all-in with bottom pair when also being priced out is terrible….
This is the second worse under the gun idiotic play I’ve got donked out of tournaments from, the worst was I had J10 in BB and UTG called with J-4o and we both flopped top pair and he spiked a 4 on the river and crippled me early…
Note to players that play garbage in early position: Read the starting hand requirements section please.
January 18, 2008
So the past two tournaments I’ve played in have landed me eliminated when I tried to chase off flush drawers offering them less than 1.5-1 odds to call, obviously players with no concept of pot odds. The first was at an annual tournament where I limped in late position with A-10 and the small blind called with 8-6 of diamonds. The flop comes Ad-Kd-8s… The girl with 8-6 bets minimum and the big blind folds. I figure she’s on a flush draw or has a lower ace so I reraise her minimum bet of 800 to 3000; pricing her out of the pot. She goes over the top all in for my last 2500 I believe and I call being pot committed and she spikes her diamond on the turn… Yes its poker and I induced a beautiful theoretical mistake and got punished for it but thats not the point, its a rant for you to enjoy…
The next one a few days later I have pocket kings and the flop comes 4h-2h-2d I believe the flop was. I had the king of hearts, I raised 3x big blind… I move all-in because I was relatively short-stacked and had two callers of my raise so the pot was big enough for me, I get called by the small blind who called my raise with 8-10 of hearts, figures… one of those players that calls any raise if they have any money invested in the pot… The idiot gets his heart on the turn and I’m gone, kings cracked by 8-10 suited, a hand I wouldn’t be that surprised to see in a limped pot, but in a raised pot at a table that doesn’t include Gus Hansen; I was unpleasantly surprised… I hate people who have no concept of starting hand requirements or cant fold their freaking crappy draws.
That is all, I promise I won’t rant too much… I must provide insight also….
Donkies and people who don’t know what the hell you’re doing, like the two people described above… visit http://www.mega-poker.net/startinghands.php to learn a thing or two…
-The M
