01-23-2002, 04:25 PM
Not really education, just a story, really. Of course, you can comment on my play in any of the hands described.
Tuesday night NL HE tourney at Foxwoods that I've discussed so often. It's the middle rounds, and the blinds are 50-100 with a 10 ante. I'm chip leader at my table, with 5 tables remaining. Final 9 get paid tonight. Player second UTG raises to 235, and I reraise to 665 with 8c8d. He calls, and could have almost anything. Flop is 2c3c5c. He checks, and has about 1100 in his stack now. I bet him all-in, and he gladly calls me with QcTc. Turn 5, river 8, I win.
A few hands later, and we have a new guy in that seat. He starts amassing chips, and seems to be playing well and catching good hands. Blinds are up to 100-200 w/ 20 ante. He raises to 700, and I reraise to 1600 with AA. He calls. Flop is A83 rainbow. He bets all-in, about 3000 more, and since no demons took temporary possession of my body, I called. His JJ is a 990:1 dog, and he doesn't suck out.
Down to 2 tables, 13 players. I have 8,000 and am chip leader at my table, probably for the whole field at this point. Blinds are 200-400 with a 25 ante, and I'm the BB. Guy with 7,000 in chips has button, and raises first-in to 2,000. I find I'm holding 55, and figure he can't call a reraise no matter what I'm holding unless he has AA-QQ, since he's still second in chips if he folds. I reraise all-in. He thinks for awhile and calls. As I table my cards, I say "I guess I don't have the best hand." He says, yes you do, and shows 64o!!! There are screams of collusion, and that he must be dumping chips to me on purpose. He does catch a 4, but nothing else, and I'm a massive chip leader now, holding about 1/4 of the chips. People were discussing his call all night long, and how bad it was. When asked about it at the time, he said "I put him on a resteal." OK. I see.
Blinds are up to 300-600 with a 50 ante. I'm in the big blind with A9o. 6 players at the table, and all but one of them limp in. The guy who limped in UTG is all-in, and only had about 125, so the side pot is pretty substantial. I raise 2500 more, figuring to win the sidepot and freeroll for the main pot. Little hitch in this plan, as the guy who's closest to me in chips, and was the second limper, calls my raise, leaving him with about 4000 more. Now there's a real big sidepot. I don't like my hand at this point, not unless the flop gives me at least two pair, so I check when it comes AJ8 rainbow. If he bets, I want a chance to read him before I commit chips, and if I bet into him, I won't get that chance. He checks behind me, and the same thing occurs when the turn card hits, a 6. River is a T, and I check again. He bets all-in for that 4,000. I stand to win over 11,000 if I call correctly, and to have a stack of 25,000. If I call and lose, I'm down to 10,000, or about 15% of the chips. This isn't factoring into my decision that much, however. I just want to make the correct choice. I finally decide that there's just too much chance that I've induced a bluff with those 3 checks, and I call. He has QTo for a double gutshot straight draw on the flop that only matured into a pair of tens. I'm moribund with chips now.
By the time we start the final table, I've moved up even more to 37,000 in chips, or better than 60% of all the chips in play.
There is talk of a deal, but I don't like what they're offering me, so I decline. Somebody suggests a deal where they add up the money for 9th-4th place, and each of those finishers will all get the same amount, and 1-3 will pay as scheduled. I decline. I want a chance to be the bully, and if nobody is worried about the difference between finishing 9th and 8th, 6th and 5th, etc., my ability to bully them and steal pots will go way down. One of my strengths is knowing who is unwilling to put it all in the middle with a decent but not nut hand, and stealing the pots from them.
We've knocked out 3-4 players, and a guy a couple of spots behind me is second chip leader, though still way behind me. I'm in the BB with 66, and he raises to 5x the BB. I sense a steal attempt, so I reraise him all-in for about 2.5 times his bet. He quickly calls, and I know I'm behind. His KK is a solid favorite, until I flop a 6. Another bad beat doled out tonight. At this point I have something like 50,000 out of about 65,000 in chips.
No more bad beats for me, except as the recipient. When we get to heads-up play, my opponents is outchipped about 5:1. After a couple of no-flop hands, I get him all-in preflop with 99 vs. his Q9. He flops a Q. Darn.
I whittle him down a bit, and then we see a flop with no raise. I flop top pair of kings with a 5 kicker. Flop is KQ8. It all goes in, and he has KJ. Misread on my part, I put him on a Qx.
I whittle him down again, and he finally says he's tired and offers me a deal. The difference between 1st and 2nd is about $600, and his offer is about $50 better than the chip count. I feel I have the advantage over him, because he's letting me steal more than him preflop. However, I figure my edge is about equal to the $50, so I accept. Why embrace variance for no edge, I think.
Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)
Tuesday night NL HE tourney at Foxwoods that I've discussed so often. It's the middle rounds, and the blinds are 50-100 with a 10 ante. I'm chip leader at my table, with 5 tables remaining. Final 9 get paid tonight. Player second UTG raises to 235, and I reraise to 665 with 8c8d. He calls, and could have almost anything. Flop is 2c3c5c. He checks, and has about 1100 in his stack now. I bet him all-in, and he gladly calls me with QcTc. Turn 5, river 8, I win.
A few hands later, and we have a new guy in that seat. He starts amassing chips, and seems to be playing well and catching good hands. Blinds are up to 100-200 w/ 20 ante. He raises to 700, and I reraise to 1600 with AA. He calls. Flop is A83 rainbow. He bets all-in, about 3000 more, and since no demons took temporary possession of my body, I called. His JJ is a 990:1 dog, and he doesn't suck out.
Down to 2 tables, 13 players. I have 8,000 and am chip leader at my table, probably for the whole field at this point. Blinds are 200-400 with a 25 ante, and I'm the BB. Guy with 7,000 in chips has button, and raises first-in to 2,000. I find I'm holding 55, and figure he can't call a reraise no matter what I'm holding unless he has AA-QQ, since he's still second in chips if he folds. I reraise all-in. He thinks for awhile and calls. As I table my cards, I say "I guess I don't have the best hand." He says, yes you do, and shows 64o!!! There are screams of collusion, and that he must be dumping chips to me on purpose. He does catch a 4, but nothing else, and I'm a massive chip leader now, holding about 1/4 of the chips. People were discussing his call all night long, and how bad it was. When asked about it at the time, he said "I put him on a resteal." OK. I see.
Blinds are up to 300-600 with a 50 ante. I'm in the big blind with A9o. 6 players at the table, and all but one of them limp in. The guy who limped in UTG is all-in, and only had about 125, so the side pot is pretty substantial. I raise 2500 more, figuring to win the sidepot and freeroll for the main pot. Little hitch in this plan, as the guy who's closest to me in chips, and was the second limper, calls my raise, leaving him with about 4000 more. Now there's a real big sidepot. I don't like my hand at this point, not unless the flop gives me at least two pair, so I check when it comes AJ8 rainbow. If he bets, I want a chance to read him before I commit chips, and if I bet into him, I won't get that chance. He checks behind me, and the same thing occurs when the turn card hits, a 6. River is a T, and I check again. He bets all-in for that 4,000. I stand to win over 11,000 if I call correctly, and to have a stack of 25,000. If I call and lose, I'm down to 10,000, or about 15% of the chips. This isn't factoring into my decision that much, however. I just want to make the correct choice. I finally decide that there's just too much chance that I've induced a bluff with those 3 checks, and I call. He has QTo for a double gutshot straight draw on the flop that only matured into a pair of tens. I'm moribund with chips now.
By the time we start the final table, I've moved up even more to 37,000 in chips, or better than 60% of all the chips in play.
There is talk of a deal, but I don't like what they're offering me, so I decline. Somebody suggests a deal where they add up the money for 9th-4th place, and each of those finishers will all get the same amount, and 1-3 will pay as scheduled. I decline. I want a chance to be the bully, and if nobody is worried about the difference between finishing 9th and 8th, 6th and 5th, etc., my ability to bully them and steal pots will go way down. One of my strengths is knowing who is unwilling to put it all in the middle with a decent but not nut hand, and stealing the pots from them.
We've knocked out 3-4 players, and a guy a couple of spots behind me is second chip leader, though still way behind me. I'm in the BB with 66, and he raises to 5x the BB. I sense a steal attempt, so I reraise him all-in for about 2.5 times his bet. He quickly calls, and I know I'm behind. His KK is a solid favorite, until I flop a 6. Another bad beat doled out tonight. At this point I have something like 50,000 out of about 65,000 in chips.
No more bad beats for me, except as the recipient. When we get to heads-up play, my opponents is outchipped about 5:1. After a couple of no-flop hands, I get him all-in preflop with 99 vs. his Q9. He flops a Q. Darn.
I whittle him down a bit, and then we see a flop with no raise. I flop top pair of kings with a 5 kicker. Flop is KQ8. It all goes in, and he has KJ. Misread on my part, I put him on a Qx.
I whittle him down again, and he finally says he's tired and offers me a deal. The difference between 1st and 2nd is about $600, and his offer is about $50 better than the chip count. I feel I have the advantage over him, because he's letting me steal more than him preflop. However, I figure my edge is about equal to the $50, so I accept. Why embrace variance for no edge, I think.
Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)