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Old 12-16-2005, 03:01 AM
Blair Blair is offline
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Default Bellagio WPT Part 2 by Blair Rodman

After laying down the set of threes, I went on a little rush. I picked up a few pots, then this hand came up. I called a small raise in late position with Th7h. Four players took the flop, which came Tc-7c-5c. The raiser bet 1100, and both players in front of me called, as did I. I didn’t want to raise and get re-raised off the hand. If someone was slowplaying a flush, maybe I could hit my hand and win a big pot. Bingo—ten of spades on the turn. The raiser and first caller checked, and the player in the 10 seat bet 5k. I had some choices here. He’s got about 17k after the 5k bet. I can make a small raise to 10 or 11k, and hope to get him for the rest on the river, or I can just call and hope one of the other two players trails in or raises. I felt someone could have the nut flush or an underset, and I didn’t want to spook him. I just called, but the two others folded. The 10-seat checked on the river. I bet 12k. He thought for about ten minutes before folding. I might have been able to sell this for a smaller bet, but I thought there was a reasonable chance he had a smaller full and that he’d call 12k.

I started raising a bunch of hands and picked up a lot of chips without any showdowns. I raised in the cutoff with 6c3c, got two callers, and flopped 5c-4c-Qh. They checked, and I bet about 2/3 of the pot. I was hoping someone would put me on a continuation steal, and raise, in which case I was going to move in. But they both folded, so I showed the 63. I want to be able to pick up pots pre-flop once the blinds and antes start. Keeping up the appearance of being tricky and unpredictable may help ward off unwanted callers in the future.

The next hand Br raised from the 1-hole and Mark called on his left. I called on the button with Ac3c. The flop came Kc-Qc-4h. They both checked and I bet at it. They both folded. I looked at them and said, “jacks and tens?” Mark looked at Br and said “I had the tens”. Br said ‘I had the jacks.”

In a 4-way limped pot, I had Ah5h in the BB. The flop came 8s-6s-4h. I bet 400 into an 800 pot, trying to pick it up by representing a little trap bet. Robert called. The turn came the Jh. I know that Robert is capable of calling on the flop with little or nothing to try to take it away on the turn. So, I checked, he bet 1500, and I raised to 4500. He thought a bit, then called. I put him on a hand something like mine, only with the spade draw. The river came the 3d. I bet 5500. He thought long and hard, then called, showing Js5c. Damn. Great read.

After the last hand I told Robert he was on my ‘don’t bluff’ list. Then I tried to bluff him again. I raised up front to 700 with 66 and had one caller. Robert re-raised from the BB to 3000. I know Robert is capable of making a move to pick up the pot here without a big pair, plus we both had big stacks and I could win a big pot if I flopped a set. I called and the other player folded. The flop came Kc-Qc-9s. He checked and I took a stab at it, betting 5k. He raised and I had to fold. Bad bet on my part.

John Phan replaced the player in the six-seat. John was in second place in the Cardplayer ‘Player of the Year’ race. I knew I could use this against him. He raised up front and I called in late position with 7c5c. The flop came Jc-Tc-6s. He bet 2000 and I just called. I was prepared to make a move at it unless something really scary came on the turn. Instead it came the 7h, a great card for me. John bet 3000, and I moved in. He had about 11k left, and I knew he couldn’t call without a big hand. I’m pretty sure he had me beat at that point, but I could almost feel his pain as he envisioned that award slipping away if he called. After a good 5 minutes, he folded. A few hands later, his pre-flop raise got called by Mike Gracz. On a flop of Q-9-5, John made a little bet and Mike moved in. After much thought, John called with TT. Mike showed QJ. John called the wrong guy. After leading the race for almost the entire year, John was relegated to second by Men Nuygen.

Shortly after, our table broke and I got moved to another table for the last level. Little went right there, and I ended the day with 34k.

I looked up my table draw online before heading to the Bellagio for the second day. Kenna James and Dan Harrington were to my left, but I was happy with the situation. Everyone had about the same-sized stack, we were 9-handed, and were in the main poker room, which is infinitely more comfortable. Then, at the last minute, they put Scotty Lundberg in the ten-seat, directly to my left, and with over 100k. I knew it had been too good to be true.

I started out well, picking up a few pots and getting up to almost 50k. Then I bluffed off about 14k to Kenna. I’d raised and won a pot on a continuation flop bet against Scotty right at the start of the day. I raised again, this time with 66. He called and I bet again on a flop of A-T-T. He moved in. After I folded, he said “You don’t have to bet at every pot, you know.” I had to laugh. Back in 1983, I was living in Lake Tahoe, dealing craps on swing-shift at Caesars. After work I would play poker until dawn. At that time there was a group of 10-20/15-30 limit hold’em players, Scotty among them, who kept the game going strong. One early morning I was playing three or four-handed. Scotty was on my right. I have always been a very aggressive player. And ’ve always remembered him saying to me “You know, you don’t have to bet every time I check!” We’ve come full circle.

The table broke soon after, and the rest of the day I was completely card dead. I did win a race with AK vs 77 to hang in, but it wasn’t to be. I got my little rush too early on the first day, and never got the big hands I needed. In 14 hours of poker I had kings once and tens once, neither of which got action, and AK once, with which I won a race. I bluffed off a bunch of chips in this event, but if I could ever show some real hands, maybe my bluffs would be more effective.

Oh well. Off to the Aussie Millions in Melbourne in January.

Cheers!
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Old 12-16-2005, 03:31 AM
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Default Re: Bellagio WPT Part 2 by Blair Rodman

Thanks a lot for these updates. Really cool.
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Old 12-16-2005, 11:03 AM
emil3000 emil3000 is offline
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Default Re: Bellagio WPT Part 2 by Blair Rodman

Very nice report.
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  #4  
Old 12-16-2005, 11:27 AM
KneeCo KneeCo is offline
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Default Re: Bellagio WPT Part 2 by Blair Rodman

[ QUOTE ]
But they both folded, so I showed the 63. I want to be able to pick up pots pre-flop once the blinds and antes start. Keeping up the appearance of being tricky and unpredictable may help ward off unwanted callers in the future.

[/ QUOTE ]

Could you elaborate on how showing the 63 increases your FE for future pf steals?

Thanks for the great reports, see you in Melbourne. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
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Old 12-16-2005, 03:06 PM
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Default Re: Bellagio WPT Part 2 by Blair Rodman

What are the blinds during some of these hands.. how many left, how many started. Nice report.really enjoyed reading them.
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  #6  
Old 12-16-2005, 06:02 PM
unfrgvn unfrgvn is offline
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Default Re: Bellagio WPT Part 2 by Blair Rodman

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
But they both folded, so I showed the 63. I want to be able to pick up pots pre-flop once the blinds and antes start. Keeping up the appearance of being tricky and unpredictable may help ward off unwanted callers in the future.

[/ QUOTE ]


Could you elaborate on how showing the 63 increases your FE for future pf steals?

Thanks for the great reports, see you in Melbourne. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

I was wondering the same thing, won't they just be encouraged to playback at you preflop?
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  #7  
Old 12-16-2005, 07:04 PM
Stosh Stosh is offline
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Default Re: Bellagio WPT Part 2 by Blair Rodman

Thanks for posting Blair.
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  #8  
Old 12-18-2005, 08:47 PM
Blair Blair is offline
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Default Re: Bellagio WPT Part 2 by Blair Rodman

[Q] Could you elaborate on how showing the 63 increases your FE for future pf steals?

Thanks for the great reports, see you in Melbourne. [Q]

I want the image of unpredictabity. I know that if the situation was reversed and I was faced with a player who's capable of raising, as well as calling a reasonable re-raise, with a wide range of hands from late position, and who plays aggressively and well when having position post-flop, I'm going to lean towards folding a medium holding rather than getting involved. I'd choose to wait for a better spot. I don't raise every time it's passed to me in late position. Against players who do, opponents are more likely to take a stand.
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