Success worth waiting for

[eggzz]

This post is a thank you to those that responded to a post of mine from a week ago. I had expressed frustration and asked for help on how to play against the home player types that are generally ignorant to basic strategy. I got punked in a home game on guys that were seeing 75%+- of the flops, and were sucking out on me left and right with crap starting hands.

I am new to Hold Em, but have been playing recreational poker for a dozen years. I absorbed the advice and utilized it Saturday in a $150 buy in, No Limit HE Tourney held at a friend of a friends home. There were 24 participants.

The blinds started at 5/10 and everyone received $1000 in chips to start. We played at 4 tables of six. The idea was to play until 8 people dropped out, then redraw to three tables. This took the better part of four hours. I kid you not, but for the first 90 minutes, I did not scrape a single pot. Not even ten bucks. I remember one of the tougher beats - I had come in with KQ, flopped top pair and bet it to the river. I ended up losing to two pair, jacks and sixes. Yes, the fellow had come in with J6o, not in either blind. This was happening on every other hand. I had to tighten up even more, but two hours in, I was looking at a $400 stack and starting to worry. I was thinking that I was going to drop out in 21st place, and that would tell me that I really suck.

I stopped the losing streak by flopping a straight from the SB with Q10. I bet out $120 and got one caller. Fourth street was another 9 and I decided to go all in. I was worried about the nine, but felt committed and had to go for it. He called with 2p, Kings and Jacks, and the river didn't boat him. The first hand I won all day doubled me up to back to almost even! I then had the flexibility to get involved in a few more flops, plus at this point, three of the six players were shortstacked, and I, along with the other two players, went after them, and disposed of them in the next hour. This took our table down to three players, and we took a break and redrew. I was at about $1500.

The redraw was nice. It put me at a table of five, and two players were hurting bad, both around $250 total. The other two guys had stacks like mine. I got a good run of cards, including pocket queens twice and busted out the two short stacked players. They then high carded someone off a fuller table and sent him over. At this point, there were 13 people left, and we basically shifted blind money around for the next 45 minutes, before another player dropped.

The next redraw again put me in good shape. I had around $1800 and there were two players with around $700. The two chip leaders were both at the other table. The two short stacks dropped out, and the other table got busted down to 3 people, so we were one person away from the final table, and really, I have done nothing so far. I have been extremely patient, have not gotten in too many confrontations, and have only called down to the river one loser of note. I caught a set of threes on the flop and hit a full house on the river when 7's paired, but lost to pocket 6's that also hit a set on the flop. That cost me about $300 but wasn't too bad considering.

We lost the seventh player when he called an all in bet and lost with an Ace high straight, to a straight flush to the queen. Ouch. I can't believe he called an all in with three hearts on the board, but he had hit his straght on the river, and thought he was golden.

I can't believe that I'm at the final table with slightly less than $2000 in chips. I've just treaded water basically and stayed out of harms way. But now the blinds are $200/400, and it looked like I was going to do fantastic if I could place up to 5th, or even 4th.

I hang around ok for a while, and find myself just getting a good feeling about A2 suited, so I come in. I wasn't afraid of a pre-flop raise, as the blinds were high for everyone, and I think people respected when I came in, since I usually folded so often.

The flop came a beautiful K93, all of diamonds! The better part was that the two blinds checked, and the next player to act went all in with his remaining $1500. I called, and busted his Kings and Nines. The very next hand gave me J10 of spades and I had a good feeling about it and came in again.

The flop, I couldn't believe my good fortune, was 789 with two diamonds. I bet out a strong $1500, as 4 people had seen the flop and I wanted to discourage any flush draws. The chip leader was the only caller. Fourth street turned up a 2 of clubs. Couldn't have asked for a better card. I went all in with my last $2500 or so, and the chip leader called. He had 96 but no diamonds. He was drawing dead, and in two quick hands, all of a sudden I was the chip leader!!

It was really unbelievable. Even thinking back on it now. The former chip leader still had around $3500 but you could tell he was done. That loss, coupled with a bad beat about 6 hands ago by a different player just finished him. With the chip lead I was a totally different player. I used my stack to my advantage, but I didn't get careless. I applied constant pressure, and I finished off one player, and the guy to my left finished off the former chip leader.

We then looked at each other, and saw that we both had about 12,000 in chips. We were using those crappy Bike plastic poker chips, and betting large amounts were very difficult and time consuming. We decided to split the first and second place monies, and just called it right there. I was happy, heck, I was shortstacked the entire tournament, and in less than five minutes, had turned everything around.

I can't stress enough how much the patience that everyone preaches here worked for me. I did not panic when I was down to below $400, although I was depressed that things were going poorly. It seems like you have to tread very carefully in the beginning stages of a tournament when the blinds are low, and people just want to play. I seemed to do much better when "the price of poker went up". When it gets too expensive to chase, you see that the bad players can't adjust to this. They are used to seeing all the flops, and betting every round, and all of a sudden, poof, they are out of money! Not that I am a great player or anything, but I was definitely very observant, I did not drink, and felt that I adjusted to the dynamics of every table I sat at. Sometimes I was extremely tight, sometimes I was extremely aggressive, sometimes a little of both.

Thanks to everyone that posted to my earlier thread, it was a fantastic feeling to come home with over a grand in my wallet. Part of me feels that I got lucky because I flopped the nuts twice in a row in the late stages, but part of me thinks not. I played poker for ten hours straight, and it was my play that put me in the position to see those flops. At least thats how I see it anyway.

[BookOfIcculus]

Congrats!!! It seems like you took everyones advice and used it. Awesome. I did notice one thing that I'd like to say. You said I had a good feeling with A2s. It would be better if you said you called because you sensed weakness, which is probably the real reason why you called anyway.
Best Regards,
Book

[illunious]

Well done eggzz!

[Al_Capone_Junior]

Glad to see you've turned around your cold streak. Good post. One comment tho:

[ QUOTE ]
Part of me feels that I got lucky

[/ QUOTE ]

Well so friggin what? I hit two 3:1 shots in the King of the Zoo when I won it. I apologize for nothing. Just because you get lucky does not imply you played badly. I played well and was very happy with my performance. In both cases where I got lucky in KOTZ I felt I could push my opponent off their hand. I didn't, but I had outs. Other people get lucky on me all the time, but that was my day to get lucky on them.

al

[angry young man]

I remember one of the tougher beats - I had come in with KQ, flopped top pair and bet it to the river. I ended up losing to two pair, jacks and sixes. Yes, the fellow had come in with J6o, not in either blind.

Heavens-to-betsy you lost with top pair against a hand that should've folded preflop! If that doesn't happen to me 30 times in a session I had a very big night. Look you're new to the game and still learning, which is fine but it's important to recognize that you're still learning even if you've read the HEPFAP chapter on preflop play twice. Here's the inside scoop, if you can't beat the fish you're one of them.