You Have to Admire a Mosquitoe's Persistence: Holdem Poker

[bloggerbane1]

I went hunting before the game and got absolutely "Ate Up" by mosquitoes in my deer stand. It was so hot that I couldn't wear my normal camouflage, so about an inch of my neck was exposed and they went crazy on me for about 4 hours. And no, I didn't see anything.

Lately, I've been raising pre-flop, getting called, betting the flop (after missing it most of the time), getting called again, and then checking the turn and then my opponent bets and I run and hide like an Arkansas Grey Squirrel.

This has been my pattern for the past month or two. I thought it was going to be the same crap again after the $10 buy-in was over...

Table Seating...

$10 buy-in

I only picked up 2 really good hands in this one. The first one was in a pot with blinds at 25 and 50 cents. After a couple of limpers I looked down at AA! In my excitement, I knocked over my chip stack trying to just call the blind. Everyone at the table had a comment about that, smooth move. So now, everyone pretty much knows I have a monster but I didn't raise so they call anyways. The flop came J-6-6. I bet out $2 and the Jackal to my left called. The turn was another Jack. Now anyone with half a brain would figure that the Jackal that was in the pot with me had made a boat, but guess what... NOT ME! I fired $3 into the Jackal who once again called me cold. The river brought an 8. Now I was feeling pretty sure that I was beat here but I decided to bet again (for some reason). I bet $3 more to the Jackal. I figured, if I got raised I was folding for sure. To my total surprise, the Jackal just called.

That really made me believe that he didn't have a Jack or a 6 so I proceeded to proudly roll over my Aces. Then the Jackal rolled over Queen Jack! I don't know why he didn't raise me. No really, Why didn’t he raise me? I have no clue... Anyway, I felt like a HUGE donkey for the rest of that tournament and was out a few hands later in 6th place.

$20 buy-in

I took an early chip lead in this one taking down the 1st pot against the 2 Jackals with A4 on a board of 4-7-K-9-4. The Jackal to my left had K8 and the Jackal to my right had 10 4. This was critical for me to get my confidence back up. After that I played much better for the rest of the night. I was "picking my spots" much better than I have been lately. My timing was good and I started running good again for the first time in a while.

It got down to heads up with the Jackal that had crippled me in the first game. He had a 2 to 1 chip advantage on me. After about fifteen hands I was at $47 in chips and he had $53 when this key hand came up. Blinds were at $4 and $8 and I was fist to act. I looked down at 98 offsuit and limped in and the Jackal checked. The flop was 9-7-6 rainbow. I beat out $8 and the Jackal, being his Jackaly self, moved all-in for $37 more. I called. He rolled over 74 of off-suit and the turn and river were blanks. After that hand the Jackal only had $3 in chips left. After two all-ins, with the cards dealt face up, I was victorious and happier than a fat kid on cake.

[Lottery Larry]

It just seems wrong to talk about a tourney and say this
[ QUOTE ]
It got down to heads up with the Jackal that had crippled me in the first game. He had a 2 to 1 chip advantage on me. After about fifteen hands I was at $47 in chips and he had $53 when this key hand came up. Blinds were at $4 and $8

[/ QUOTE ]

Your group from the summer (I presume, given the mosquito comment) REALLY needs to multiply your chip levels in your tourneys. It's just depressing to read about HU play at $4/8 blinds....

[bloggerbane1]

I agree man. The guy that owns the house said that the games were lasting too long, so now he increases the blinds every 15 minutes. You've got to get pretty lucky to win, it sucks.

[Lottery Larry]

[ QUOTE ]
I agree man. The guy that owns the house said that the games were lasting too long, so now he increases the blinds every 15 minutes. You've got to get pretty lucky to win, it sucks.

[/ QUOTE ]

First, the time to play has nothing to do with the starting stacks, as far as what chip values to use.

Second, you ALWAYS have to get lucky to win any tournament.

Third, nature of the beast- you have to be reasonable with end times, or you have no tourneys to play in for lack of players.

[bloggerbane1]

[ QUOTE ]
First, the time to play has nothing to do with the starting stacks, as far as what chip values to use.

[/ QUOTE ]

Time of play has everything to do with how deep your stack is. On average, players in a NLHE tourney are going to have to play longer when blinds are increasing every 30 minutes vs. every 15 minutes, assuming that the starting chip amounts is the same. Of course, every once and a while, you'll have a wild game that'll be over in three hands. See before we were starting with $25 in chips and increasing blinds every thirty minutes.

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Structure
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25 and 50 cents
50 cents and $1
$1 and $2
$2 and $4
$3 and $6
$4 and $8
$5 and $10
$6 and $12

We still have the same structure, but now its every 15 minutes instead. Your right, you DO ALWAYS have to get lucky to win any tournament. All I'm saying is that NOW I have to get even luckier than before.

[Small Fry]

I think Larry just means increasing all the values equally. So instead of starting with $25 an blinds of .25 /.50 you start with 2500 and blinds of 25/50. This way when your heads up the stacks would be like 4700 VS. 5300 and the blinds would be 400/800. It sounds better but it's really the same.

[bustowithnobra]

Can Johhny Hughes stop making accounts

[bloggerbane1]

[ QUOTE ]
Can Johhny Hughes stop making accounts

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't follow?

[mgsimpleton]

please to be giving me a link to your blog for more exciting poker stories.

[bloggerbane1]

I didn't know the rules... no more links. I just thought someone might like to read about a home poker game on the home poker page.