ZZZ
03-28-2005, 03:44 PM
I've felt a little burnt out on ring game play lately, so I decided to try some SNGs. Thrown in there was about 6 or 7 Step 1s (limit) just to mix things up.
All but 2 entries fizzle in Step 1 or Step 2. One of the Step 3s takes me on little ride up and down for awhile, but eventually fizzles as well. But I win an entry to Step 4 in the other Step 3.
I try for a few days to get a limit Step 4 started, but it never seems to happen, even on Saturday. It strikes me that I can probably play no limit with my Step 4 entry. I check, and lo and behold, I can use it. Well, I'm not a great no limit player (as you will probably see from the hands below!), but I tell my self that it was just a small investment and take the plunge.
1st through 4th plays gives a Step 5 entry, so survival is the name of the game apparently, and everyone is playing tight. I don't really get any good hands, but I pick up the occasional pot that nobody seems to want, and steal the blinds a few times and eventually we're down to 5 with me second to last in chips with about 1000. Happily the short stack with about 700 is a bit push happy and busts out quicky, so here we go!
Refill the drink, and Step 5. Wow, that tournament got started quick, it's like night and day compared to limit.
Nothing much happing through the first round and half, everybody playing tight with quick spurts of aggression, so I'm not getting great reads on anybody.
Hand 1: I have about 1050 chips in the CO in Round 2 when I pick up A/images/graemlins/diamond.gifA/images/graemlins/heart.gif. A player with about 900 chips in EP limps, and I raise 4xBB. He calls, heads up to the flop of A/images/graemlins/club.gifJ/images/graemlins/heart.gif7/images/graemlins/spade.gif. He checks I bet about 3/4 of the pot, and he puts out a pot sized raise.
I figure if he has a set, the money is going to go in anyways, so I will try to maximize against an Ace, while risking getting drawn out on if he is testing me with a gutshot. So I will call the checkraise and check behind on the turn if he checks to try to get him to commit some chips on the river. Good plan? Anyways, the turn comes a Q and he goes all in with AQ and I'm the chip leader!
Hand 2: A couple hands later I open raise 2.5BB with A/images/graemlins/spade.gifJ/images/graemlins/diamond.gif and get called by the CO. Hmm, mid pair maybe. He has 1400 chips. CO seems a little loose a little aggro, he might be quite solid from what I've seen, but then again, what do I know? Flop comes 3/images/graemlins/spade.gif3/images/graemlins/diamond.gif2/images/graemlins/club.gif and I put out a 3/4 pot sized bet. He calls. Really feels like a mid pair. Turn comes an 8/images/graemlins/diamond.gif. I think I can get him off his pair with a big bet here. So I think and ... check. He bets a little less than the pot (400). I really think I can get him off his pair with a push here, so What if he has 88 or 22 or was slowplaying KK, or won't lay down 99 ... I fold.
Hand 3: I pretty much fold till the 50/100 blinds. About 8 people left, I'm in the SB with 1700 chips with some trashy gappy suited hand 7/images/graemlins/diamond.gif4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif or something. CO (aggressive blind stealer with 1100 chips) open raises 3xBB, and I push! I thought he'd fold a large majority of hands to the push. Strong? moronic? OK? Anyways he thinks and thinks and thinks and folds. What a rush! I haven't felt nervous playing poker for a long time, I sort of missed the feeling.
I hang on and make the money and we're down to 3. First pays 4500, second 2500, third 1800, and fourth paid 1200.
Everyone is pushing or folding preflop. Everyone is pretty close in chips throughout this 3 handed battle, which lasted quite a long time. Player 1 is playing quite tight, only stealing and defending with legit hands. Player 2 is pushing quite aggressively, I'm somewhere in between.
Whenever I have the BB, Player 1 would fold, Player 2 would push and I would fold. This happened like 5 times in a row, and I kept getting nothing but trash. Around the 3rd time, I decided I would defend with 22+, K2+, Q8+, something like that, sounds reasonable? Finally I defend with K4, he has K7, but luckily enough high cards came and we split.
I managed to stay afloat by stealing from Player 1 mostly (who stayed alive from winning a pot or two from Player 2). Eventually, I'm the short stack (by a little) and push on the button with 99, get called by Player 1 in the SB with A4. I'm real happy until an Ace turns and leave a little disappointed but $1800 richer.
Comments/critisms on hands appreciated.
ZZZ
All but 2 entries fizzle in Step 1 or Step 2. One of the Step 3s takes me on little ride up and down for awhile, but eventually fizzles as well. But I win an entry to Step 4 in the other Step 3.
I try for a few days to get a limit Step 4 started, but it never seems to happen, even on Saturday. It strikes me that I can probably play no limit with my Step 4 entry. I check, and lo and behold, I can use it. Well, I'm not a great no limit player (as you will probably see from the hands below!), but I tell my self that it was just a small investment and take the plunge.
1st through 4th plays gives a Step 5 entry, so survival is the name of the game apparently, and everyone is playing tight. I don't really get any good hands, but I pick up the occasional pot that nobody seems to want, and steal the blinds a few times and eventually we're down to 5 with me second to last in chips with about 1000. Happily the short stack with about 700 is a bit push happy and busts out quicky, so here we go!
Refill the drink, and Step 5. Wow, that tournament got started quick, it's like night and day compared to limit.
Nothing much happing through the first round and half, everybody playing tight with quick spurts of aggression, so I'm not getting great reads on anybody.
Hand 1: I have about 1050 chips in the CO in Round 2 when I pick up A/images/graemlins/diamond.gifA/images/graemlins/heart.gif. A player with about 900 chips in EP limps, and I raise 4xBB. He calls, heads up to the flop of A/images/graemlins/club.gifJ/images/graemlins/heart.gif7/images/graemlins/spade.gif. He checks I bet about 3/4 of the pot, and he puts out a pot sized raise.
I figure if he has a set, the money is going to go in anyways, so I will try to maximize against an Ace, while risking getting drawn out on if he is testing me with a gutshot. So I will call the checkraise and check behind on the turn if he checks to try to get him to commit some chips on the river. Good plan? Anyways, the turn comes a Q and he goes all in with AQ and I'm the chip leader!
Hand 2: A couple hands later I open raise 2.5BB with A/images/graemlins/spade.gifJ/images/graemlins/diamond.gif and get called by the CO. Hmm, mid pair maybe. He has 1400 chips. CO seems a little loose a little aggro, he might be quite solid from what I've seen, but then again, what do I know? Flop comes 3/images/graemlins/spade.gif3/images/graemlins/diamond.gif2/images/graemlins/club.gif and I put out a 3/4 pot sized bet. He calls. Really feels like a mid pair. Turn comes an 8/images/graemlins/diamond.gif. I think I can get him off his pair with a big bet here. So I think and ... check. He bets a little less than the pot (400). I really think I can get him off his pair with a push here, so What if he has 88 or 22 or was slowplaying KK, or won't lay down 99 ... I fold.
Hand 3: I pretty much fold till the 50/100 blinds. About 8 people left, I'm in the SB with 1700 chips with some trashy gappy suited hand 7/images/graemlins/diamond.gif4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif or something. CO (aggressive blind stealer with 1100 chips) open raises 3xBB, and I push! I thought he'd fold a large majority of hands to the push. Strong? moronic? OK? Anyways he thinks and thinks and thinks and folds. What a rush! I haven't felt nervous playing poker for a long time, I sort of missed the feeling.
I hang on and make the money and we're down to 3. First pays 4500, second 2500, third 1800, and fourth paid 1200.
Everyone is pushing or folding preflop. Everyone is pretty close in chips throughout this 3 handed battle, which lasted quite a long time. Player 1 is playing quite tight, only stealing and defending with legit hands. Player 2 is pushing quite aggressively, I'm somewhere in between.
Whenever I have the BB, Player 1 would fold, Player 2 would push and I would fold. This happened like 5 times in a row, and I kept getting nothing but trash. Around the 3rd time, I decided I would defend with 22+, K2+, Q8+, something like that, sounds reasonable? Finally I defend with K4, he has K7, but luckily enough high cards came and we split.
I managed to stay afloat by stealing from Player 1 mostly (who stayed alive from winning a pot or two from Player 2). Eventually, I'm the short stack (by a little) and push on the button with 99, get called by Player 1 in the SB with A4. I'm real happy until an Ace turns and leave a little disappointed but $1800 richer.
Comments/critisms on hands appreciated.
ZZZ