Sunday, July 13, 2008

Slow Slowplayers Slowplaying Just a Bit Too Slowly

Hey Zeus what a day. Had some good online pokering, got some fun hands to post out of it, and I just heard that Phil Hellmuth busted out of the WSOP main event. Not that coming in 45th out of over 6,000 entrants is anything to poke fun of him for, but if he would've made it to the final table I think 90% of poker pros would have turned away from the game forever just to avoid the ghost of his ego haunting them at every table in every casino. I guess it's obvious that I'm not a big fan. I am however kind of hoping that Mike "The Mouth" makes it to the final table for the sake of good television and a potentially epic blow-up, while this Tiffany Michelle chick also seems to be doing fairly well, and it'd be nice to have some female representation in the last 10.

Moving right along to some micro-stakes headlines. First I have to say it's kind of ironic I typed up that whole mess about 3rd place finishes yesterday, since that's where I happened to find myself again today... only this time it was in a $5 90-seater, so it was a bronze medal I didn't feel too disgruntled about. I was pissed about my bustout since I played the final hand terribly, but in retrospect I really probably should've been done a whole lot earlier in the tournament. Nothing great happened for the first 2 hours or so (both tables I was seated at were nitty as the dickens), at one point I was down to about 1,200 chips with 200/400 blinds right after losing an AQ vs. JJ flip... very next hand I picked up AA, doubled up, and somehow managed to scrap my way back into the money. Then went on a mini-tear to go into the final table in 5th, got up to 2nd at one point, but there was a monster stack at the table that just started crushing it, and it pretty much turned into a race for 2nd for me and the other short stack. Gotta say I got a fair amount of luck in getting that deep... once pushed JTs into KQo and turned a full house, later on pushed A7s into 99 and turned the nut flush. Yeah, things definitely worked in my favor a few times... but it's nice knowing that I can still get lucky.

After that 3-hour romp I took another $10 STT down, the 6th win out of 19 if anyone's still counting. Still sporting an unrealistic ROI of about 85%, and feeling good that my bankroll is at a new all-time high with the $75 or so I added today. The STT actually provided some fairly entertaining hands... particularly in the form of some slowplays gone wrong (hence the title, in case you were wondering). Here are two fun ones...


Full Tilt Poker, $10 + $1 NL Hold'em Sit n' Go, 50/100 Blinds, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

Hero (BTN): 2,415
SB: 4,610
BB: 1,220
UTG: 1,305
MP: 1,530
CO: 2,420

Pre-Flop: (150) 6d 3c dealt to Hero (BTN)
2 folds, CO calls 100, 2 folds, BB checks
Flop: (250) 5c 2d Ks (2 Players)
BB checks, CO checks
Turn: (250) Th (2 Players)
BB checks, CO checks
River: (250) 6s (2 Players)
BB bets 370, CO raises to 740, BB raises to 1,120 and is All-In, CO calls 380

Results: 2,490 Pot
BB showed 3h 4d (a straight, Six high) and WON 2,490 (+1,270 NET)
CO mucked Kc Kd (three of a kind, Kings) and LOST (-1,220 NET)


OUCH! I don't know why he didn't raise preflop, as none of the remaining players had been overly aggressive or attempting limper steals from the blinds. Then I think you gotta at least bet the turn to build the pot. Final result is just too flippin hilarious though. Guy had to be thinking "okay, only hand I'm behind is 4-3... $%@$!!!" Anyways, here's an equally amusing last hand of the tourney...


Full Tilt Poker, $10 + $1 NL Hold'em Sit n' Go, 120/240 Blinds, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

Hero (BB): 10,120
SB: 3,380

Pre-Flop: (360) Ks As dealt to Hero (BB)
SB calls 120, Hero raises to 720, SB calls 480
Flop: (1,440) 9s Kh Qc (2 Players)
Hero checks, SB checks
Turn: (1,440) Kd (2 Players)
Hero checks, SB checks
River: (1,440) Ah (2 Players)
Hero checks, SB bets 1,440, Hero raises to 2,880, SB calls 1,220 and is All-In

Results: 6,760 Pot
Hero showed Ks As (a full house, Kings full of Aces) and WON 6,760 (+3,380 NET)
SB showed Tc Js (a straight, Ace high) and LOST (-3,380 NET)


With the stacks as they are there's really no way I'm not calling if he bets at any point in the hand here. Heads-up there's just no point at which I think you can afford to fold here without a super read. Little did I know that my hand needed to improve, but luckily for me it did just that, giving me the lock by the time he was ready to take a stab at it, as opposed to getting it in as a 7% favorite on the flop. Always fun ending it with a runner-runner.

Alright that's all I got for now. Have a happy Monday ya'll.

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