View Single Post
  #1  
Old 04-09-2002, 11:57 PM
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default From 20-40 to 2-4, part 1 of 2 (long)



Saturday was one heck of a day. But it all started so innocent like.


The girlfriends daughter is at the ex’s for the day and I get the girlfriend for the whole day. All to myself. Sweet.


Wait.


Puppy class at 2pm for her new Yorkie. Love the dog, hate the lessons. At least, I hate the time the lessons take. Point being. I don’t get her for the whole day. By the time classes are done and she gets ready to go out, it’ll be something like 5ish.


What to do, what to do.


OK. Honey, don’t eat lunch, we’ll do an early dinner. Meet me at the Mirage when you are done. Deal? Deal.


I get to the Mirage at like 2:15pm. 10-20 list is deep and the “Jeff & Jimmy� show is playing at one of the tables. 10-20 no goot. 6-12 table is beatable but tough. The best game in the house is 20-40. Never played it though. Don’t have the bankroll for it actually. Heck, never played 15-30, even though I’ve played predominantly 10-20 for a month now.


D. Andrew suggests getting into the easy 20-40 game (there are two going). Note that this is the same game that Pokerbabe is in. Good game selection by her, or is there some cause and effect going on here? Haha, kidding. Of course the Babe is going to take the exercise good game selection.


Long story short, D. Andrew and myself go halves on the 20-40. He chickens out, but I keep his $500 buckeroos. Haha, sucker! Your money is going into the game.


But not the easy game.


Nope, Clarky gets seated in the hard game. The game with the regulars. The toughies. The professional brutes.


The game was fabulous.


So good that Clark declines his table change when it comes up.


Did I mention that it was my first time playing above 10-20? At least they’ll raise my cutoff post and I can fold, relax and burn the nerves off before getting to play a hand, right? Ummm, OK, I check the option with my 9-7o. 5 to the flop, OK, I’ve done this before. Checked to me on a Q-9-5 rainbow flop? Ummmm, I guess I bet. My hand is shaking as I put the chips out. Literally shaking.


They all fold. Clark is up $80 and racks up a winner for the day with a career 20-40 win rate of an astounding $2400/hr.


Just kidding. I kept playing. I fold for the rest of the round. Fold my blinds to 3-bets, and fold for most of the next round. Most of it.


Clark’s first hand in 20-40 while voluntarily entering a pot is……


American Airlines.


Oh boy. This has no chance of winning does it? Put yourself in my shoes and ask if this is the way you want your first real hand of 20-40 to go:


Clark: Raise, 3-bet, cold call, cold call, cold call, sb fold, BB call, Clark 4-bet, called aound.


Like I said. No chance. After going 4 bets on the flop on an uncoordinated board and wiping out the stragglers, I call down a set of queens headsup.


Welcome to the game Mr. Clarkmeister. Would you like some cheese to go with that whine?


Ummmm, honey, is the puppy done with class yet?


A few hands later in my blind, I value bet a one card 8 high flush and get called by a one card 7 high flush on the river. QJs misses the flop, AQ runs into AK, I fold pocket 99 to 3 cold, and AK wins headsup after I 3-bet a tight UTG raiser.


Grand total: $-221


As I walk up to D. Andrew’s table he looks up hopefully. You know how puppies look up when they think they might get a treat? That kind of look.


I give him a concerned look and ask: “Did you hear that loud snapping sound a little bit ago?� He shakes his head, clearly a bit bemused. “Well, that was the sound of our pocket aces getting snappppppppppppppped off against 5 opponents for 4 bets preflop.�


The first three words out of his mouth were “I hate you.�


Hey, at least he got $390 change.


Observations: I was informed that this was a tough 20-40 table. If so, then I need to get my bankroll up fast. The action on my AA hand was typical. The one thing that really surprised me was just how much these players loved the “3-bet to isolate preflop with any pocket pair� play. The more I move up, the primary difference between the fish at the lower limits and the fish in the higher limits is just the level of aggression.


Oh well, minor loss and a good experience. And here comes the girlfriend right on time. Time for a nice relaxing night away from poker.


Ummmm, sorta……..


Part 2 coming soon


Reply With Quote