Moar Cards

A couple of tournament droughts have been broken with a short flurry of cashes, just in time for the holidays. 5 cashes in 13 tournaments so far this week, with 11th and 5th in a couple 100+ entry games, my first win (heck, my first cash) in a long time at the home game that got me into NLHE a few years back, and a couple wins in non Hold-’em games. I played a $6,500 guarantee at Encore Club yesterday, busted out after losing half my stack in a [ax kx] v [ax ax] showdown, then chopped a small Big O game at Portland Players Club heads-up. And the night before, there was this.

Bovada PLO8 Quadruple-Up (T1,500)

I like these kinds of Survivor-style tournaments. A quarter of the entries get 300% profit. And I really love PLO8. But there were some peculiarities.

Hand 5 [7s 4d as 3h] UTG T1,410 10/20
I called with my suited ace and a couple of low cards; CO and SB were along for the ride and the flop hit [th 6c 4s]. Everyone checked, a [qh] hit the turn and SB bet 20, which I called. We were HU. [7c] on the river. A bad two pair and second-nut low for me was enough to call SB’s bet of 40 on the river. He showed [6s jc kc 5d] and I scooped the pot.

Hand 6 [ts 6s ac 2s] SB T1,530 10/20
CO limped in but BTN raised to 90 with [5h ad td ah]. I called with my potential low, and CO came along with [qc 4d 9h qs]. We checked through to the turn and the board read [kc 5c 9c qd]. CO bet 40 with his set of queens, BTN came along, and I folded since there was no possible low any longer. BTN called a big bet with trips when a [5d] hit the river, but the full house took it.

Hand 8 [ts 9h jh 8h] UTG1 T1,420 20/40
Table change. I limped in, then called a raise from CO along with BTN and BB. We got to the turn with checks on a board of [8c 5d 2s 4c], BTN made a bet of 340 with [kh 4h ac 6c] and stole it away with third pair and double gutter draw.

Hand 10 [8h 5s ah th] SB T1,340 20/40
Three limpers, me, and BB got to a flop of [6h 3h 8d]. UTG ([2h 6c 8s 2c]) bet 200 on top two pair and I called, along with BB ([9h 4s js 5c]) and his double gutter. [jd] for the turn and I called another 400 from UTG, but BB dropped out, probably a mistake as he was favored for the high. I had a bad low, but was the only one of the three of us with scoop possibilites. a [3s] on the river gave me two pair, but inferior to UTG’s, and I took the low.

Hand 11 [ah 4h kd jh] CO T1,500 20/40
I didn’t notice it at this point, but we were six-handed at the table (seats 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, and 9 were occupied). Nobody had been knocked out on the last hand, no new players had been brought in. As SB on the last hand, I should have been BTN this hand, but the button skipped over me and went from seat 9 on hand 10 to seat 2 on hand 11. This pattern continued throughout the tournament. I hadn’t even seen it before, but it would cause some trouble later in the game, and was particularly punishing to players in the wrong positions on tables with six or eight players. Anyway, I called, along with SB and then bet pot on the [jc ad qs] flop to take the hand.

Hand 12 [js 5c ac kd] UTG T1,580 20/40
I was HU with BB and the flop was [qd 6c td]. I called 40 on the flop on my draw, he had [6d 2c 7c qc] and two pair, but we were pretty much dead even on the odds calculator. [3s] on the turn, but he kept it small at 40 and I called. Any ace, king, or jack locked it up for me, and [kc] came on the river. He bet 40 again, I potted it, and he folded.

Hand 13 [js jh qd th] SB T1,760 20/40
HJ and BTN limped in and I called. [7h jc 9s] gave me top set and an open-ended straight draw, so I opened up for the pot and won.

Hand 14 [js 7s ah ac] CO T1,880 20/40
I know some people like to barrel out with aces, but I like to see flops and only one of the six players at the table wasn’t in the hand to the flop of [8c ts 5h]. SB bet 40 with [6h qh qs 7d] and all the limpers called. I had the over pair and gut shot straight draw to a jack, SB was open-ended with queens, The button had a second-nut low draw and a ten, BB was open-ended with seven through ten, and HJ had a pair of kings and a five. The [as] on the turn put me in the lead for the high with a set. SB bet 40 again and got calls until BTN potted with [4s td 2s 3d] giving him a low flush draw, and a low that couldn’t be counterfeited. SB folded, BB gave up with just the straight draw and and unlikely low. HJ, with the nut flush draw ([5s ks kc 2d]) made a tight lay down, which was good because there were only three spades left in the deck. I called. [6c] on the river. BTN tries to steal the pot with a shove, I cross my fingers and hope my set is good. Fortunately, his bet on the turn got out the winning hands, and I take the high.

Hand 16 [js qs 8d 7c] SB T2,060 30/60
Not having to play big blinds makes poker easier. I went from UTG on hand 15 to SB here. I limped in with UTG1 and saw it through to the turn with [tc td jc 4d] on the board, then BB and I both folded to a bet. UTG1 didn’

t have anything: [9c kd ah 5s].

Hand 17 [qh qs as kc] CO T2,000 30/60
I limped in, saw a [6c 5c 4c] flop, then folded after a bet and a call with no flush draw and no low.

Hand 18 [ac 7s 6s ah] UTG3 T1,940 30/60
Up to a full table at this point, which means that at least every other round everyone has to pay the big blind (so long as the table stays full). I call, along with CO and SB. The flop is [ad jd 5d]. I got no diamonds, but I do have aces. CO bets 120 with and I come along with the top set. We check a [3d] turn. [5c] on the river, and he bets 480. There’s no possible low, I have the second nuts, and I shove. He calls with the third nuts ([ks jh jc 8c]) and he’s out.

Hand 19 [3h 3d ac td] UTG T3,500 30/60
I have the diamonds this time. Four players get to the flop of [7d 8d 9d] and I bet pot to clear the field.

Hand 20 [6d 4c 2d 5h] SB T3,680 30/60
BB skips over me again. This low wrap looks pretty nice. I call 120 from UTG after a [3d kc 7s] flop, then we check the [jd] turn and [th] river. I’m bailing on any bet. At showdown he has [4h ah 9d 2s] and ace high takes it.

Hand 22 [3s 5d as 3h] UTG T3,500 30/60
I limp in along with UTG1 and SB, then BB raises to 300 with [4s ah 8d ts]. Not a strategy I’d recommend with a not-particularly-good low, no nut flush draw, and not a lot of straight possibilities. I called, along with UTG1 ([ac 7c js ks]. SB bowed out. The flop was [9s 2s 2h]. BB bet 480, with 540 behind. I potted to 2,400 and UTG1 dropped out. BB called (I don’t know why), and the board ran out with [6c qs]. I had the nut flush for the high and took the hand.

Hand 28 [4c ac 3s 5d] UTG2 T5,070 40/80
Wow! Six PLO8 hands without playing! It’s like a record. Five of eight players to the flop. [4d 7s qc] on the flop. I called a bet of 240 from HJ and we saw [ks] on the turn HU, then I folded to another bet.

Hand 29 [ac as qc ah] UTG T4,750 40/80
Not a hand I’d normally play in PLO8, but it was worth the price of admission to see the flop of [7h td 8h]. I folded to a bet from BB, who ended up knocking out two players after top set on the flop turned into a flush.

Hand 30 [6d 2s 5h qh] SB T4,670 40/80
I’m one of the chip leaders in the tournament, if not the chip leader, and I’m ahead of the rest of my table by more than a thousand. Big blind skips over me again. UTG and BTN limp in, I call, and the flop is [5c 8h 7c]. I’m open-ended but just check and everyone follows along to the [jd] turn. UTG1 opens for 160 and the other three of us call. [qs] on the river, UTG1 bets just 80 holding [ac kh kc kd] (i.e. just the pair in his hand). Everyone calls, I take the high with two paid and BTN’s [4c ks jc ad] does the low honors.

Hand 32 [4d ad 6s 3d] UTG T4,990 40/80
Suited ace and four cards six and under rates a limp from me, with UTG1 and SB calling. Everyone checks through to the river, with the board running out [3s 8d kh kd js]. UTG1 has [jd qs ts 5s] and his jack makes a better second pair to the kings than my three. He scoops.

Hand 33 [jc 8c 9h ah] SB T4,910 40/80
No big blind again. Seven players and all but UTG and BTN limp in. We all check the flop, the board reads [td jd 3c 8s] on the turn, and I open to 200, getting calls from BB and CO. I have two pair, open-ended with no low and no flush draws. I bet 200. BB holds [ac 2c 5h 9d], with a good shot at the low if it comes, and not much else. CO’s got [4d 3h 6d 8d], with a flush he may not be too proud of and an unimpressive low. They both call. The river is [ks], everyone checks, and my two pair is good for 720 profit.

Hand 35 [2c qd ah 8d] UTG1 T5,630 50/100
It seemed like a good hand. I limped into the pot HU with BB, got [6s ad 6c] on the flop, [jc] on the turn, and folded to a bet of 250. BB had [4d 2h 5c tc] for a good low draw and club flush draw.

Hand 36 [5d qc kd 9d] BB T5,530 50/100
At last a big blind! UTG and BTN limped in, [8d 6s 2c] hit the flop, and UTG bet 175 holding [3s jh ts tc] with just an over pair. BTN called with [3c 5h 3d jh] and the gut shot straight draw, and I had my own straight draw so I called. An [8s] on the river got a bet of 437 from UTG, and a fold from the rest of us.

Hand 37 [ts 7h qs jh] BTN T5,255 50/100
Eight players and only one of us doesn’t limp into the pot. [4s 4h 6s] on the flop. UTG2 opens up for 350 with [5s 8d 4c 6d] for a full house and everyone folds but BB, who goes all in with [qh 8s 3s ac] and second nut low draw. [2d kd] on the turn and river, and they chop the pot up.

Hand 38 [qs ts 5c 5d] HJ T5,155 50/100
Everyone but UTG limps in. [qd 7h ks] for the flop, and I have bottom two. SB bets 700 and everyone folds except UTG1, who raises to 2,800. SB goes all in with his last 215 chips. The rest of the board is [kd 2s] and both players (SB: [jd kh qc as], UTG1: [7d 6c 7s 6d]) make full houses. SB sucks out on UTG1 with the running kings.

Hand 39 [ad 5s qs 2s] UTG2 T5,055 50/100
It’s UTG, me, UTG3, CO, BTN, SB and BB to the flop. [qd 3d 6c]. Nobody bets. [5d] on the turn makes my low and I bet pot, nobody calls (maybe because I’ve got the [ad]).

Hand 41 [9s 5d jh ah] SB T5,655 50/100
BB skips over me again. It’s really punishing to the players it hits every round. Four limpers and BB to the flop. It’s [ad 3c 2h]. I check. BB with [js 6h ac 8d]—also known as not a whole lot—bets 200 and gets calls from three players, including me. The turn is [th] and I’ve got a flush draw now. I check again. BB bets 300. UTG1 calls with [qs as kc 5c] (Broadway draw, 2nd nut low draw), and UTG3 has [5h 8s tc 2s] (just second pair and second low draw). The [7h] river completes my flush and I pot to 2,500, getting folds from BB and UTG1. UTG3 calls all in for  with the same low everyone had and gets quartered when I take the high. He does come out ahead of where he’d have been if he folded, but he loses nearly a third of his starting-sized stack in the process.

Hand 42 [kc 6c 3h 6s] CO T7,380 50/100
Eight players at the table. Everyone but HJ to the flop. [3d 8c 5c]. UTG1 leads for 700 with [9c 4s kd 2d] and gets called by three players, gets an all in for less from SB ([2c ad 2h ks], with a legitimate hand), and folds from BB and UTG. The [ac] on the turn gives me the nut flush, and when UTG1 goes all in for 275 (now holding the nut low), he gets called by UTG2 ([3s ah qc 8h]) who has only 225 to back up his two pair and bad low draw. I pot for 5,248, BTN is all in to call with [2s jc as ts] and another bad low, then UTG2 goes all in. The river is [9s], there’s no more action since everyone in the hand is all in except for me. I take the high from the main pot and three sides, BTN gets the second and third side lows (losing about 1,000 chips overall), UTG1 gets the main and first side low (gaining 1,500). SB and UTG2 are gone, I win about 1,700.

Hand 46 [6h as 2d 4s] HJ T8,922 60/120
In a quadruple up, in a pot limit game with no antes, and nearly six times the starting stack, I shouldn’t really do anything. But I called an UTG ([kc ac tc js]) raise to 360 with my low cards and spade draw, and BB ([7d 2h 5d 6s]) came along. The flop was pretty good: [4c 3s 7s]. BB had the straight and bet pot (1,140). UTG folded his high  cards, I potted, BB was all in to call, and [9d 8h] came out to give us a small high/low chop.

Hand 48 [8d 4s jh js] BB T9,132 60/120
I’m no longer even chip leader at the table, as the player in BTN has more then 10K. Three of the seven players have less than starting stacks, though. I’m in seat 1, and seat three has been tanking every single hand before folding, even though we’re a long way from the chop. The shortest stack at the table, with less than 900 chips, CO limps in with [9c 5h ac 6h]. The flop is good to him: [9h 2c 3h], I check, he bets 240, I call just to see what happens. [3s] on the turn, he shoves, I call, [7h] river and he scoops. That’s what happens on the rare occasion when I have to play BB.

Hand 50 [6c 2c 4c 3d] HJ T8,248 80/160
I limp in, CO raises to 720, everyone else folds, and I try to knock out another short stack by calling. The flop is [qd 9h 4h], not the best hand for a bunch of low cards, and I fold when he puts in his last 500 chips. He has [ah tc 5h as].

Hand 51 [ah 3h ac th] UTG1 T7,528 80/160
Despite what the guy with the short stack had last hand, rolled-up aces are not a particularly strong hand in PLO8. I limp in, as does UTG2 and SB. The [tc 2s 5d] flop gives me hope, I pot to 640 and at the turn I’m HU with SB ([4d td 3s 4s]). The [as] on the turn isn’t actually very good for me, but I pot after the SB checks, he’s all in to call, and [js] on the river fails to connect up a full house for me. He has a flush and a wheel, and I’d dropping like a rock, losing 4K over four hands.

Hand 52 [9c 8c jd 5c] BB T5,820 80/160
am still near the 4x threshold for making the chop. But there’s something about actually having to pay the big blind. CO raises to 480 with [qs qd 2h kh] and I call. The flop of [kd ad 2s] isn’t good for my middle, clubby cards, and I fold to a bet of 480.

Hand 55 [2h as 2c tc] UTG1 T5,340 80/160
I limp in with UTG2 and SB. The flop gives me a low set with [2s kd 4c]. We all check and [7d] makes a possible low. BB bets minimum with [th 6d 5h 3d] a lot of scoop prospects, and everyone calls. [jc] for the river and BB bets small again. I raise to 600, and only UTG2  ([[qh 3s ad 4s]) with his nut low calls. We split the pot.

Hand 56 [as 5d 8d 2d] BB T5,740 80/160
Two limpers. No bets until the river when the board reads [4d jh 7c 9d 8h]. I bet 560 on the low, CO calls. He has [3d 6s 9s ac] for a pair of nines and second low, I win the low and my pair of eights lose the high.

Hand 58 [ac qd 2s 8s] HJ T5,860 100/200
I limp. HU with BB holding [2d 3c 2h qh]. Flop [ad as 5s], he check-calls my 500 bet. We check [5c] and [kd] to the river, no low comes for him and my trips win the pot.

Hand 59 [as qd 6d 7s] UTG1 T6,660 100/200
Four of us go to the flop. [4s 3c 2s] gives me the nut flush draw and some straight possibilities, so when SB bets 600 I call. We see the [4c] on the turn HU. SB has the straight with [6s 5h 7d 5c] and bets 1,000. I follow along and get the flush on the [ks] river. He bets another 1,000 and I call. My flush takes the high and he’s screwed on the low without an ace, losing three quarters of his stack in the hand.

Hand 60 [jd 7h 6s qc] BB T9,860 100/200
Three limpers and BB to the flop. [qd 8c jc] and I bet pot on my top two pair. Everyone folds except for the guy I beat in the last hand, who’s all in for 1,100 with [ac 3c 8h 9d]. Lots  of straight draws and the nut flush. None of them get there with the [9h 2h] by the river, though, and my queens and jacks are better than his nines and eights.

Hand 64 [2s as 7h ac] SB T11,656 125/250
A decent starting hand. Only six players at the table. CO limps, I call, and three of us get a [3c qh 9d] flop. No low, but I bet 750 on my aces and everyone folds.

Hand 69 [qs 7h ah js] CO T12,031 125/250
I’m taking my own advice and mostly sitting back to let people chew each other up at this point. I limp with UTG1, flop a good flush draw and top two pair with [4s qd as]. It’s checked to the [5h] turn, I bet 875 with both the flush draws, and everyone folds.

Hand 73 [9c ks 5d 4s] BTN T12,406 150/300
Action folds to me. We’re close to the chop and since both of the players in the blinds (including the habitual tanker in BB) have less than three big blinds left, I min-raise. SB is (I think) legitimately disconnected, and his [ad 6s as jc] is folded. BB tanks, time banks, then folds [4c ts kd td].

Hand 76 [ts 2s 2d 6d] UTG T12,856 150/300
I limp in with my deuces, wait until I have the flush on the [4d 6c 9d td qh] board, bet 300 on the turn and get a call from BB, then scoop against two pair.

Hand 77 [4s 8d kd 3d] SB T13,606 150/300
I didn’t enter the pot, but I deliberately folded my blind to BB, the shorter of the two stacks on my left, just to punish the UTG tanker as we were within a couple bustouts of the chop. One of the other players messaged “wtf?” but I got a couple of acknowledgements after aI explained what I’d done.

Hand 78 [8s 4h kc 4s] CO T13,456 150/300
Even though he wasn’t in the hot seat, the tanker couldn’t really wait much longer. He was on SB with just 450 chips left; only one blind if he folded. I limped in, SB called (when he should have just shoved) and the flop was [7d ts jh]. SB checked, BB bet 300, I folded, and SB had to go all in or only have 150 left. BB won the hand and SB went out on the bubble after tanking every hand for an hour.

Hand 81 [qh kd js td] BB T12,856 200/400
CO was in the hand to the flop of [qc ad 8h], I checked, he checked, I hit the straight and nut flush draw on the [9d] turn and he folded [7h 2d ah 6s] to a bet.

Hand 86 [5c 4c js 5d] BTN T13,656 200/400
The short stack in SB was starting with less than one blind so he was very lucky the blinds were skipping positions. The next player out would get the overage of $15 instead of a full $20. I called just to keep him honest and he folded. BB and I checked it to the river: [6h ks 4h 8d as]. We chopped the small blind, with me taking the low.

Hand 87 [as 4h kh ah] HJ T13,576 200/400
I limped in HU with BB, bet 1,000 on the [2s 6h 7h] flop, and he folded [kc td 7d 3h].

Hand 90 [9d 9c 5c 7s] BTN T14,556 200/400
Not a hand I’d normally play, but the short stack was in all in for just 170. I limped in with two other players and everyone checked it to the river: [6s 9h 8d 2s ks]. The short stack lost the hand (though he tripled his money), we all collected our chop. and that was it.

I don’t know that I’ve ever looked at my VPIP in PLO8. A full 50% in this tournament. I won at least a portion of the pot in 27 hands, 60% of the hands I played and a full 30% of the hands in the entire tournament. 21 of my played hands went to showdown (47%). I won a portion of the pot in 17 of the 21 showdowns (81%). Eight of the 17 showdown wins were scoops (47%), I took 3/4 of the pot in one showdown, and the other eight showdowns won were split evenly between high and low pots.

90 hands. Two hours and fifteen minutes. ROI: 264% including fees.

Doing the Minimum

Bovada $7,500 NLHE 10K Chips, 10-Minute Levels

A longish streak of non-cashes in live games drove me back into Bovada’s arms for the night, which resulted in a cash (at last!) but one that was a bit unsatisfying.

Hand 12 [ah th] UTG3 T9,910 20/40
UTG1 limped in and I raised to 240. He called with [6c 5s], we both checked through to the river as the board ran out [8d 8c 2h 4s as] and I bet 250 on the ace to take the pot.

Hand 15 [9h 9d] UTG T10,170 30/60
I raised to 180 and everyone folded.

Hand 40 [jc as] UTG2 T9,900 75/150
I waited quite a bit for a hand like this to show up. Raised to 450, got a call from UTG3 ([ad 7d]) and SB ([ah 3h]), bet 500 on a [qc 2h 2s] flop getting a fold from UTG3, then 1,200 on the [ts] turn and took the pot with the best ace.

Hand 44 [tc 9c] SB T11,300 75/150
I limped into the pot with UTG ([8s dh]), CO ([td ad]), and BB ([4s td]). The [as kh 3d] did nothing for me and with just a gutshot straight draw after the [js] flop, I laid it down to a bet from CO.

Hand 45 [9d td] BTN T11,150 75/150
I raised over a limp by HJ (holding [3d ac]), and he and the BB ([7s qs]) were in with me. I folded after a bet on the turn with the board reading [as 4s kh 6h]. Nothing for me there.

Hand 47 [6s 6d] HJ T10,800  100/200
Limped in along with the SB. He and the BB checked all the way to the river on a [as 8c 7s qh 4h] board and my fifth pair was good against [jd ts] and [3d 9h].

Hand 51 [js ks] UTG T11,200 100/200
I opened to 600 and got a single call from CO. We both checked the [5s 5c 3c] flop and by the [2d] river he figured his [qh as] was good and bet me off.

Hand 70 [ad 5d] SB T9,215 150/300/30
No action from me for more than a level. Action folded to me, I raised to 900, and BB folded his [6s 3d]. Woo hoo!

Hand 80 [kd 9d] BTN T8,785 200/400/40
I open to 1,200 and get folds from the blinds.

Hand 89 [jd jc] CO T8,515 250/500/50
Many sphincters close shut on this hand. UTG opens for 500 with [kc qc] (with 10.2K behind), getting a call from UTG1’s [ac kd] (15.8K left). I shove for 9BB with my jacks, BTN goes all in with [td ks] and just 4.3K, SB (with 20.2K left) folds [tc as], BB folds [qd ts], UTG dumps his clubs, and UTG1 makes the call. The runout is all low: [7d 4c 2d 3s 3d] and I take both pots to bump up to 22.8K.

Hand 92 [kc ks] UTG1 T22,712 250/500/50
I make a horrible fold here after raising an UTG limp to 1,500. SB calls with [8h 9h], and UTG completes holding [jh ts]. The flop is the usual for pocket kings, [8c js as] and SB goes all in for 5.7K with his bottom pair. UTG calls with middle pair and 50K behind and, thinking I’m saving myself chips I just won, I fold. [7s] on the turn, [5d] on the river. Putz.

Hand 95 [6d ad] BB T21,042 300/600/60
UTG raised to 1,800 with [tc ah] and I was the only caller, out-flopping him with [kc js 6s]. I followed along on his c-bet of 2,160 and the last two cards were [5c 7c], with no betting by either of us, so my kicker took the pot.

Hand 113 [9d kd] CO T23,432 500/1,000/100
Another level had passed without anything happening to me. There were a couple of stacks about three times my size one seat to my right and two seats to my left, but we were six-handed for the moment and I was in a slim third place at the table. I open to 3,000 and get called by BTN with [as 6s]. The blinds fold. The flop’s pretty good: [8h jd kh], I bet 4,000 and win

Hand 126 [qs kh] UTG T25,562 800/1,600/160
I open to 4,500 getting called by BB with [ac tc]. He check-raises me all in after I c-bet the [kd 3h ad] flop for 5,000 and I fold.

Hand 127 [9c ad] BB T15,742 800/1,600/160
Everyone folds to SB, who raises me to 4,800 with 30K behind. I shove, presuming a standard bullying move from the SB big stack. He calls with [qh qs], but my ace catches on the flop’s [ks 7s ah] and the turn and river are [7d 9c].

Hand 133 [ks ah] UTG2 T31,084 1,000/2,000/200
UTG1 shoves almost 25K and I reraise all in. Action folds to BTN who goes all in for 22,3K with [qd qs]. The board runs out [2s 7d 4c 2c jc] and the main pot of 73K goes to BTN, with UTG1 getting the side pot of 4.3K.

Hand 134 [tc ts] UTG1 T5,986  1,000/2,000/200
Sooooo, after busting down to less than 3BB, what do you do? UTG, the winner of the small side pot in the previous hand, shoves for 2BB, I reshove my tens, BTN, with 40K behind, calls, and the blinds fold. Nothing over a 6 on the board by the river and I triple up and then some.

Hand 140 [9d jh] BB T19,714 1,250/2,500/250
Hardly out of danger territory at this point. So I’m glad nobody has much of a hand. Aside from the [ac 3c] for UTG1, I actually have more all-in pre-flop equity than anyone else. I get a walk.

Hand 141 [qh kd] SB T22,964 1,250/2,500/250
I fold this otherwise playable hand to a raise from HJ and 20BB shove from CO. BB call ed, with less than 4BB total, and it was a 3-way battle with 2 players  all in after HJ put in his 16BB. BB’s [td jd] tripped on the turn to triple him up. I could have gained a few chips from a side pot if I’d called with a king on the river, but I was okay with it. The bulk of the pot went to HJ’s [8h 8d] and the first shover ([ac 5c]) was down to 8.9K.

Hand 144 [qd kd] HJ T20,964 1,250/2,500/250
They come back around if you wait three hands. I opened to 7,500 and everyone folded.

Hand 157 [9d td] UTG T18,614 1,500/3,000/300
Down to 6BB. It’s shoving time. Nobody calls.

Hand 168 [as tc] SB T13,164 2,000/4,000/400
Seven-handed. There are three stacks on my right (UTG2, HJ, and CO) with 175K, 135K, and 166K, respectively, and I’m the short stack by far at this point. HJ opens for 8.6K, I shove my last chips in, BB gets out, and HJ calls with [5s ah]. I pair the ten on the flop, he gets a five on the river, and I do better than double.

Hand 175 [as 8s] UTG1 T29,728 2,500/5,000/500
Eight-handed after a table change. Two stacks my size, One with 140K in BB, and an array between 40K and 90K. UTG opens for 5K, UTG3 goes all in for 25K, HJ calls for less than a third his stack, action folds around to me and I pitch it to watch UTG3’s [9h 9d] beat [7d 7h].

Hand 176 [th ah] UTG T24,228 2,500/5,000/500
Seven-handed after the loser of the HU is moved away. I go all in. UTG1 tosses the Mutant Jack, even with 40K behind!

Hand 181 [qs qc] HJ T25,628 3,000/6,000/600
UTG folds a Mutant Jack, I open-shove my queens and nobody has anything to call with.

Hand 194 [5s as] BB T22,628 3,000/6,000/600
SB limps in after everyone else folds and I jam for about a third of his stack. He gives it up.

Hand 197 [jh ks] BTN T28,528 3,500/7,000/700
“Not enuf chip syndrome” is what you call this. I shove after action folds to me, BB has 360K and [5c 9c]. He hits the nine on the flop and just like that, four hours of careful work are undone and I get a min-cash.

VPIP: 13%. Pre-Flop Raise: 11%. Pre-Flop 3-Bet: 6.5%. Went to Showdown: 42% Won at Showdown: 75%. Won When Saw Flop: 47%.

197 hands. Four hours. ROI: 104%.

November (No) Round Up

A variety of other commitments kept me from getting to any of the events on the Pacific Northwest Tournament Calendar this month. I was tied up in a project during the Lake Tahoe stop for the WSOP Circuit, still tied up the first weekend of the Wildhorse Fall Poker Round Up, then unseasonably cold and icy conditions kept me from getting to Pendleton during the middle of the week. I didn’t feel like going out for just the main event; I even skipped the $35K guarantee at Encore Club that Saturday. The WSOP stop at the Stratosphere is running this week, and I’m not going there even though I’ll be in Las Vegas overnight during the main event there. Just whiffing everything.

The interview on the Limon show was a train wreck, the audio on my end kept cutting out, I couldn’t hear half of what the questions were, and I ended up just sitting back and not saying anything because I couldn’t follow along. Got roasted in comments. I did actually work as a radio dj long, long ago….

I’ve played a lot more cash games the past month than I have historically. That may be because of a 21-game losing streak in tournaments (which just ended with an 82nd place min-cash in a 1,000+ player tournament), or it may be contributing to the streak. I’ll have to figure that one out.

I’ve continued to write a bit for PokerNews.com. My latest is a look at the final table all in hands of WSOP Main Event Champion Martin Jacobson. Last month was the simulation of depletion and replenishment in tournament economies. If anyone needs numbers crunched or hands written about, you know where to find me.

It’s been three years since my original “Road to Prague” attempt and it looks like another Christmas-time EPT will go by without my money and chips. Que sera.

Coming up next is the 2Pair Poker Tour stop in my old home town of Eugene. I haven’t spent much time down there in the past quarter century, and it’s weird to think there’s a poker room practically on top of where I used to elude the cops on foggy mornings as I rode my bicycle to school on the shoulder of Belt Line to avoid the extra seven miles before there was a pedestrian/bike bridge north of Valley River Center, but there it is.

Back In Black (But Not For Long)

Carbon Poker $1K NLHE 6-Max (T3,000)

I hadn’t played on Carbon for a while since it wasn’t particularly easy to get money on there any more, but they sent me a $5.50 tournament coupon to entice me back in at the beginning of their latest tournament series. Since I wasn’t out at Wildhorse for the Poker Round-Up this weekend (and because I was supposed to be finishing up a project tonight instead of out playing poker), I gave it a whirl. It didn’t go so well.

Hand 1 [4s ah] UTG1 20/40 T3,000
I’d come in during the previous hand, when the player now UTG made two two with [ax kx] against [kx kx] and lost most of his stack. He shoved 360 in the pot and I folded; his [tx 9h] was beat by [ks js] making top pair, and he was out. No ace.

Hand 2 [jc 2d] BB 20/40 T3,000
Three 
limpers pre-flop, a raise from SB on [td 8c 4d] and I fold.

Hand 3 [kc jd] SB 20/40 T2,960
UTG limps in, I raise to 120, The flop is [ks 5d ah], I bet 150 and get a call, [8s] turn gets checked, I check [9s] on the river and fold to a bet of 540.

Hand 4 [td kc] BTN 20/40 T2,690
I fold pre-flop. Don’t know why.

Hand 5 [ks 6c] CO 20/40 T2,690
I fold.

Hand 6 [5s 7s] UTG1 20/40 T2,690
UTG limps, I raise to 80, then HJ re-raises to 480 and everyone folds.

Hand 7 [ac ad] UTG 20/40 T2,610
Getting those goosebumps like you’re about to win the big one, yeah? I raise to 120, BB calls, the flop is [6c jd 5h], I get another 120 out of him, then he check-folds to a 300 bet on [9c] on the turn.

Hand 8 [9h 4h] BB 20/40 T2,870
Fold to a pre-flop raise.

Hand 9 [5s 3c] SB 20/40 T2,830
I fold.

Hand 10 [kc ts] BTN 20/40 T2,810
I call a UTG raise to 120, catch my king on the [3h ks 3d] flop, we both check a [5h] turn and I check call 780 after the [jd] flop to lose to [as kh].

Hand 11 [5d kh] CO 30/60 T1,785
Fold.

Hand 12 [2s 7c] UTG1 30/60 T1,785
From best to worst in six hands. Fold.

Hand 13 [kc 9h] UTG 30/60 T1,785
Fold.

Hand 14 [8d 4s] BB 30/60 T1,785
BTN raises and I fold.

Hand 15 [as 4s] SB 30/60 T1,725
The biggest stack at the table in UTG1 limps and I raise to 180. BB folds and UTG1 calls. The flop is [2s 9s 4c], I bet 200 and get called. [qs] on the turn makes my flush, I bet 500 and get a call. The river is [6h,] I put my remaining 845 in and he folds.

Hand 16 [2c 8c] BTN 30/60 T2,665
Fold.

Hand 17 [ad 4d] CO 30/60 T2,665
It worked well once. UTG min-raises and I misclick to just raise another 60 to 180. BB and UTG call. The flop is [9s jd 8d], BB bets 570, UTG folds, and I call with 1,915 behind. [2h] on the turn and UTG shoves with enough to put me all-in twice. I call with my draw and hit it with the one diamond I don’t want to see: [9d]. His full house with [jh 9h] knocks me out.

17 hands, 13 minutes. VPIP 41% on a very small sample size.