TR - Home Tourney - Range of hands - Calling Station - Mr. Luck Box

[pismeyer]

Just another Friday night Turbo Tourney at my house. Eight Players with such a wide varity of calling ranges made for a fun night playing cards.

- NL Texas Hold'em
- $15 buy-in = T800 chips
- No Re-buys or add-ons (voted by consensus)
- 10 minute Blinds ( Crazy Fun )

1 5/10
2 10/20
3 15/30
Break - remove $5 chips
4 25/50
5 50/100
Break - remove $25 chips
6 100/200
7 150/300
8 200/400
9 300/600
10 400/800
11 500/1000

We managed to play four games total in about a 6.5 to 7 hour time frame. None of games lasted past level 7 blinds where it was usually heads-up. Top three were paid out in the first two games, and top two were paid in the last two games because we lost one player which made us play 7 handed the remainder of the night.

One of the things I noticed about playing a tournament this way (Quickly or Turbo) is that your range of hands must change as the field of play narrows. I finally managed a first place in the third game we played only because I opened my range of raising hands and calling hands a little more and was able to take down some nice pots towards the end of the tournament.

Mr. Luck Box plays in our tournament all the time. He has the uncanny ability to suck-out on the river knowing fair well he's beaten badly preflop, but always makes his hand and always has a large amount of chips towards the end of a tournament. He plays "any two cards". He cracked KK once, and flushed or made a straight on the river atleast 4 other times. Two-pair was his money hands all night. Here's a hand that I was feeling comfortable with until his turn bet:

I'm on he button with A [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]J [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. Blinds are 25/50.

UTG folds
MP1 folds
Luck box calls
Folds around to me, I make it T200.
Blinds fold and Luck Box calls.

Flop is: 3 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] J [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 8 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

Luck box bets out T400.

I tank and decide to fold face up. He chuckles and turns over an 8d 3s. I only folded because he bet into me, and he knows I play big hands. His bet size of about half the pot led me to believe he had a set. It was a big lay-down for me because I eventually trapped him on a hand heads-up where I flopped a boat and he had a big pair. But watching him play "any two" was a sight to behold.

I had pocket AA once all night, and a few other good hands that I raised from the button and would get two to three callers every hand. One player never raised preflop but made quite a few incredible hands during showdown, and he would never raise. He made quads twice, and would stimey us when turning over the nut flush. He would say, "You guys just keep raising, and I'll keep raking" - He cashed twice this night (1st & 2nd).

Most memorable hand of the evening:

Four players in the hand. I had just knocked Mr Luck Box out on the previous hand.

I'm in the BB and I'm 2nd in chips and I'm dealt Q [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]J [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. Blinds are 25/50.

Folds around to button, he raises and makes it T100.

SB calls another T75

I call another T50.

Flop is:

K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 10 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 9 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

SB thinks for a few and announces "All-in".

I think for a millisec and announce I raise "All-in".

Button announces "I call".

Button and SB have about T600 in chips each and I have a little over T1400.

BB has Q [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]10 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]
I have Q [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]J [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]
Button has Q [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]J [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

Turn card is: A [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]
River is: 2 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

Button makes his flush and triples up.

Anyhow, I played better and learned a little something about "range of hands". I was just glad to finally win one of the games. I had been in a dry spell for quite some time.

If anyone could recommend a good poker book that explains different ways to play different ranges of hands I'd be greatly appreciative. I was called out last night as being "way tight" and would like to develope my game some more. Playing TAG against calling stations and luck boxes is fun, but I'm missing something and I'm pretty sure it has to do with my post flop play, especially when I'm up against a "solid" player.

Hope you enjoyed and Good Luck!

P [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Lottery Larry]

[ QUOTE ]
- 10 minute Blinds ( Crazy Fun )

[/ QUOTE ]

You're getting about 2/3's a circuit per level? Fast tourney... and I loved the min-raise in that format (idiot player)


[ QUOTE ]
One of the things I noticed about playing a tournament this way (Quickly or Turbo) is that your range of hands must change as the field of play narrows. I finally managed a first place in the third game we played only because I opened my range of raising hands and calling hands a little more and was able to take down some nice pots towards the end of the tournament.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think this may apply even before the field narrows, as you move to short-stack status pretty quickly with 10-minute rounds.

[ QUOTE ]
K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 10 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 9 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

SB thinks for a few and announces "All-in".

I think for a millisec and announce I raise "All-in".

[/ QUOTE ]

I think I would have thought for a little more than a millisecond, but I don't see how you could do much else, especially since you have some damage room.

Keep the reports coming and good luck.

[Befolder]

Nice report.