I have had a very interesting week in poker. I put in a lot of volume this week mainly due to the weather. Throughout out the week the weather has been wet and I haven't been on the bowling green.
This morning our Club Championship pairs has been called off as the greens have been closed at Club Merrylands due to the rain again. I played about 20 hours of live poker and 15 hours online this week.
Online, I have almost cracked 3000, 18 man Sit & Go's at the $6.50 buy in level. I have been mixing in $16 18 mans and plan to step upto playing 8-12 tables of purely $16 18 mans on Pokerstars very soon. I am averaging an 11% return and you can check my progress on http://www.sharkscope.com/. In the last week I am up about 400 usd.
Live, I played mostly NL Holdem but I finished the week trying my hand at Pot Limit Omaha and got PLOwned but have a new view on live PLO. Firstly, with the NL at Star City. I mostly play 200NL and my friend Rhys was on the tables. I sat at the other table as it looked like there were reasonable players on the table which Rhys sat.
I sat folding for the first 20 mins when i picked up JJ and with the blinds being at 5-5 we start with only 40 big blinds. I raised to 25 and the small blind minimum raised me to 50, the big blind called (which I thought was odd) and I moved in for just under 200. The small blind called with A K and strangely the under the gun limper also called with K 10 of diamonds. This was a pretty good result considering. The board ran out all low and I tripled up.
Soon after Kidwell from the South Sydney Rabbitohs joins the table and shows some game. We play a multiway pot where I limp after 2 others with 45 clubs. All together we have 8 people in the pot and I begin to wonder if any one else has clubs when this flop comes out. 8c 9c 6c should be a good flop for me right, unless someone has a higher flush and I am dead.
An active player who limped before me bets $40 into a $40 pot, I think about it and would usually raise here but with so many after me and a couple of players behind me with deep stacks $800-900 and myself with close to $750 I elect to call and see a turn and see the action proceeding me to give an indication of where my small flush is at. Many players bet or raise to see where they are at. I think that in deep stacked cash games sometimes you can let others do the betting for you. If I only had 200 in front of me with 5-5 blinds I would definitely be raising and getting it in on the flop. This is mainly due to any turn or river card being a club equalling my hand dead or any set or straight without a club giving me no action. I also rarely would be playing 4c 5c mid position with only 40bb.
Back to the action, a fiery North Korean guy flat calls for 40 on the all club flop. This probably indicates an Ace of clubs. Now on the button Kidwell puts in a substantial raise to 200. It folds around to UTG limper and he thinks and thinks then folds. I wonder whether he had a set, 2 pair, I think a set calls but he folds. Action is back to me and with all the information and deep stacks decide to fold. It isn't an easy decision but a) I didn't want to be dead for my whole stack b) North Korean behind me who is tight c) I am out of position and feel that Kidwell will fire another bullet on the turn. I basically put him on J 10 or QJ of clubs. A made nut flush (A high) would just call or build a pot in Kidwell's spot. His bet is either a super sick bluff or a mid range flush.
After the hand Kidwell takes down, I get to talking. North Korean says, 'Of course I had the A of Clubs what do you think I had!?'. I find this guy gets really irritated by little things and I may use it to test him later. The guy to my right says he has the K of Clubs. This makes me feel like I made the right decision when Kidwell says, 'I wanted to make the Ace of clubs pay' which translated means I had the King high flush (which I think is not true) as the player to my right said he had the K. All this makes me feel like a made the right fold as Kidwell is telling a half truth i.e. he did not have the nuts or k-high but probably did have a q- high or jack high flush.
Later, In a multi way limped pot I hold 7h 8h on the button and the flop comes 7 7 9. An early position and straight forward weak tight player bets half the pot and I raise. Turn k, player lifts his cards to show Kidwell and Kidwell gives a stunned/bemused look to me. I take this as the guy has nothing or a monster. Guy bets the turn about half pot again. Ok, I call thinking that this guy is going to bet the river again and I have him crushed or he has me crushed. On the river he bets again, I think about raising but just call $100 on the river total pot about 450 now. He flips K 7 for a full house and I am glad I didn't get it in there. I was very close to but was put off by a few things.
Towards the end of the night I am 5 buy ins up and am ready to leave. A top pair any kicker guy tries to bluff a guy who is sitting there with quad aces by betting 350 into a 150 pot on the river. Two days later I run into the same guy and decide to play a medium strength hand agressively.
Mid position raises to $15 and there are 6 callers and I call in the bb with 66. The quad bluffer is on the button and the flop comes 9 5 4 with a diamond flush draw. Before the hand a fun/solid Scottish guy tells me not to give away his game by saying that he is limping with a small pair to try and flop a set. When the flop comes I saw wow, nice flop for a small pair. My end of the table hears this, the other end doesn't. Checks around to the button who is the guy who I know likes to steal/bluff quads. I check raise for my 200 and Scottish guy folds his flush and two over cards J 10 diamonds and the guy on the button calls with his flush draw. I double and move to a 100NL table where a guy guy greets me with his foul odour. I decided to move to this table as a Chinese guy called Kenny has 800 in front of him and he loves to give me his money.
I am seriously 10 from 10 against this guy and he knows it. Kenny raises $7 UTG and gets 6 callers. I have 4s 4c in the cut off and flop comes out 2 3 5 spades. I flop a straight flush draw and a pair. Kenny checks as does everyone, I bet $30 into $35 and Kenny calls, sweet:) I love playing pots with Kenny! Turn is a K of diamonds and he is capable of calling with over cards. I put him on something like AK with one spade so obviously this card could put him in front. Kenny checks, I decide to check to trap and take my free card because if he has the K of spades and the Ace drops I have the nuts (straight flush) and also the K could have him in front anyway. The river is an Ace (non spade) still however a brilliant card as Kenny bets $35 and I move in for $135 with my straight and he calls. Kenny mucks.
Again with comb over Kenny, I raise 10 UTG and Kenny calls in the SB, BB decides to do me a favour and raise to 25 (thank you), I re-raise, Kenny moves in with AQ diamonds and BB decides to fold after raising. My Kings hold up and I am on a 12 and 0 run with Kenny. He decides to take a meal break and says he can never get me, he is nice about it and I ask if he is coming back to which he doesn't answer.
Kenny returns, same night. Kenny limps, tight guy raises to $7, I sense some weakness and raise on button to $24. Kenny is all for limp calling large raises and the tight straight forward raiser calls (he rarely traps so calling means he doesn't have a monster). They both check the flop which is 4 9 9 with two hearts. In this hand I happen to have 8 4 off. I bet 40 and Kenny calls (have I mentioned how I love Kenny?) K-man has about 70 behind and once again he checks the turn. The turn is a 3 non heart, which is great as I think Kenny has a flush draw. I move in for $70, he calls, I ask if he has a 4 he says, 'no, I have a flush and 2 overs KQ hearts.' River comes a black 8, and I reflect upon how badly he played this hand. If he check raised my flop bet with his strong hand, I would have had to of folded with my weak 4. I am continuation betting frequently as well.
Tip for Kenny, play stronger, raise instead of limping, stop limping and then calling and play more in position against weak players. He complains how he never gets there and against me he is unlucky. I empathise with the K-man re-itterating how strong KQ of hearts is on that flop. He tops up and decides to sit right next to me.
My last sentence has so much potential. However, it was getting late and the table breaks. I decide to take my $500 and rest up.
Earlier that night I attended a Co-Op Programs Alumni meeting at UWS Parramatta. The event was a networking and information night. The topic was graduate employment. The speaker was Ben Reeves who is the Chief Executive of the Australian Association of Graduate Emplyers Ltd.
The talk was interesting and I got to meet up with some amazing people. Ania Aquino from ABS-CBN (Filipino news channel) who conducted an news item about my ANZPT Sydney adventures was there as well as Kathryn Collins who works at Deloitte. Kathryn went to London for her Co Op international program at the same time as I went to The Philippines to do my marketing project for World Scouts. I also met a guy from junior bowls who is now an engineer.
We played an ice breaker game that helped us to meet new people (not that I need such a game). Amro Said helped to dress Kathryn for our mock job interview. I felt he did a great job of explaning how 'check-out' chick Kathryn solved a difficult situation during Christmas eve when her cash register went on the blink. It is a shame however that he did not demonstrate his/her skills by backing up his performance by singing a Christmas carol.
Back to bowls. I recently went out to Dubbo for the Master Pairs with Ian McRae from Valentine BC. He has a great place up in Newcastle on the lake which he is renovating. He has been so kind as to let me stay when I have played for Valentine in the XXXX Challenge competition. His lovely partner Gai is his greatest supporter. I see Ian and Gai all over the state at various bowls tournaments and will hopefully catch up with them at Park Beach, Coffs Harbour for the Ford Open Singles tournament. Last year I was defeated in the Quarter Finals by Steve Glasson who went on to play local hero John Bain in the final and win the title.
Recently the Port Singles was completed and Shannon Gittoes won the title. This is the first time in a few years I have missed this event due to study commitments. David Holt gave it a shake as did Rocky Stone and I am looking forward to the Master Pairs tournament at Westport Bowling Club. I will be leading it up for Andrew Waddell our club coach at Club Merrylands who is in the final of the Major Pairs at the Club. Huge 66k prize pool, one time Ducky:)
At the Dubbo Master pairs I ended up playing against Bruce Anderson (bowler from Westport) in the afternoon bowls game, he convinced me to stay and play the APL $10 rebuy poker tournament. I have to thank Bruce for his entertaining company on the greens and on the poker table. I ended up winning the tournament for $700. When we got to the final 4 I decided not to chop as I had the chip lead and play in these high blind situations so often. Good decision. I met the sponsored APL guy there Bazza88 who I had recognised online as there are very few players from Dubbo. Super nice guy and great player.
Interestingly this week, I played on SNG tables online with Bazza88. I mostly see him playing tournaments online. I met him whilst in Dubbo for the Prestige Pairs Bowls tournament. I pushed in the small blind with J10 and he called in BB with aces. On another table 5 mins later he pushed with J10 and I had aces!!! We happened to register for $16 18 man SNG's on mutiple tables simultaneously. I would prefer not to play on tables that he plays. Table selection is an important element of profitability in the long run.
Cheers,
The Mac
This morning our Club Championship pairs has been called off as the greens have been closed at Club Merrylands due to the rain again. I played about 20 hours of live poker and 15 hours online this week.
Online, I have almost cracked 3000, 18 man Sit & Go's at the $6.50 buy in level. I have been mixing in $16 18 mans and plan to step upto playing 8-12 tables of purely $16 18 mans on Pokerstars very soon. I am averaging an 11% return and you can check my progress on http://www.sharkscope.com/. In the last week I am up about 400 usd.
Live, I played mostly NL Holdem but I finished the week trying my hand at Pot Limit Omaha and got PLOwned but have a new view on live PLO. Firstly, with the NL at Star City. I mostly play 200NL and my friend Rhys was on the tables. I sat at the other table as it looked like there were reasonable players on the table which Rhys sat.
I sat folding for the first 20 mins when i picked up JJ and with the blinds being at 5-5 we start with only 40 big blinds. I raised to 25 and the small blind minimum raised me to 50, the big blind called (which I thought was odd) and I moved in for just under 200. The small blind called with A K and strangely the under the gun limper also called with K 10 of diamonds. This was a pretty good result considering. The board ran out all low and I tripled up.
Soon after Kidwell from the South Sydney Rabbitohs joins the table and shows some game. We play a multiway pot where I limp after 2 others with 45 clubs. All together we have 8 people in the pot and I begin to wonder if any one else has clubs when this flop comes out. 8c 9c 6c should be a good flop for me right, unless someone has a higher flush and I am dead.
An active player who limped before me bets $40 into a $40 pot, I think about it and would usually raise here but with so many after me and a couple of players behind me with deep stacks $800-900 and myself with close to $750 I elect to call and see a turn and see the action proceeding me to give an indication of where my small flush is at. Many players bet or raise to see where they are at. I think that in deep stacked cash games sometimes you can let others do the betting for you. If I only had 200 in front of me with 5-5 blinds I would definitely be raising and getting it in on the flop. This is mainly due to any turn or river card being a club equalling my hand dead or any set or straight without a club giving me no action. I also rarely would be playing 4c 5c mid position with only 40bb.
Back to the action, a fiery North Korean guy flat calls for 40 on the all club flop. This probably indicates an Ace of clubs. Now on the button Kidwell puts in a substantial raise to 200. It folds around to UTG limper and he thinks and thinks then folds. I wonder whether he had a set, 2 pair, I think a set calls but he folds. Action is back to me and with all the information and deep stacks decide to fold. It isn't an easy decision but a) I didn't want to be dead for my whole stack b) North Korean behind me who is tight c) I am out of position and feel that Kidwell will fire another bullet on the turn. I basically put him on J 10 or QJ of clubs. A made nut flush (A high) would just call or build a pot in Kidwell's spot. His bet is either a super sick bluff or a mid range flush.
After the hand Kidwell takes down, I get to talking. North Korean says, 'Of course I had the A of Clubs what do you think I had!?'. I find this guy gets really irritated by little things and I may use it to test him later. The guy to my right says he has the K of Clubs. This makes me feel like I made the right decision when Kidwell says, 'I wanted to make the Ace of clubs pay' which translated means I had the King high flush (which I think is not true) as the player to my right said he had the K. All this makes me feel like a made the right fold as Kidwell is telling a half truth i.e. he did not have the nuts or k-high but probably did have a q- high or jack high flush.
Later, In a multi way limped pot I hold 7h 8h on the button and the flop comes 7 7 9. An early position and straight forward weak tight player bets half the pot and I raise. Turn k, player lifts his cards to show Kidwell and Kidwell gives a stunned/bemused look to me. I take this as the guy has nothing or a monster. Guy bets the turn about half pot again. Ok, I call thinking that this guy is going to bet the river again and I have him crushed or he has me crushed. On the river he bets again, I think about raising but just call $100 on the river total pot about 450 now. He flips K 7 for a full house and I am glad I didn't get it in there. I was very close to but was put off by a few things.
Towards the end of the night I am 5 buy ins up and am ready to leave. A top pair any kicker guy tries to bluff a guy who is sitting there with quad aces by betting 350 into a 150 pot on the river. Two days later I run into the same guy and decide to play a medium strength hand agressively.
Mid position raises to $15 and there are 6 callers and I call in the bb with 66. The quad bluffer is on the button and the flop comes 9 5 4 with a diamond flush draw. Before the hand a fun/solid Scottish guy tells me not to give away his game by saying that he is limping with a small pair to try and flop a set. When the flop comes I saw wow, nice flop for a small pair. My end of the table hears this, the other end doesn't. Checks around to the button who is the guy who I know likes to steal/bluff quads. I check raise for my 200 and Scottish guy folds his flush and two over cards J 10 diamonds and the guy on the button calls with his flush draw. I double and move to a 100NL table where a guy guy greets me with his foul odour. I decided to move to this table as a Chinese guy called Kenny has 800 in front of him and he loves to give me his money.
I am seriously 10 from 10 against this guy and he knows it. Kenny raises $7 UTG and gets 6 callers. I have 4s 4c in the cut off and flop comes out 2 3 5 spades. I flop a straight flush draw and a pair. Kenny checks as does everyone, I bet $30 into $35 and Kenny calls, sweet:) I love playing pots with Kenny! Turn is a K of diamonds and he is capable of calling with over cards. I put him on something like AK with one spade so obviously this card could put him in front. Kenny checks, I decide to check to trap and take my free card because if he has the K of spades and the Ace drops I have the nuts (straight flush) and also the K could have him in front anyway. The river is an Ace (non spade) still however a brilliant card as Kenny bets $35 and I move in for $135 with my straight and he calls. Kenny mucks.
Again with comb over Kenny, I raise 10 UTG and Kenny calls in the SB, BB decides to do me a favour and raise to 25 (thank you), I re-raise, Kenny moves in with AQ diamonds and BB decides to fold after raising. My Kings hold up and I am on a 12 and 0 run with Kenny. He decides to take a meal break and says he can never get me, he is nice about it and I ask if he is coming back to which he doesn't answer.
Kenny returns, same night. Kenny limps, tight guy raises to $7, I sense some weakness and raise on button to $24. Kenny is all for limp calling large raises and the tight straight forward raiser calls (he rarely traps so calling means he doesn't have a monster). They both check the flop which is 4 9 9 with two hearts. In this hand I happen to have 8 4 off. I bet 40 and Kenny calls (have I mentioned how I love Kenny?) K-man has about 70 behind and once again he checks the turn. The turn is a 3 non heart, which is great as I think Kenny has a flush draw. I move in for $70, he calls, I ask if he has a 4 he says, 'no, I have a flush and 2 overs KQ hearts.' River comes a black 8, and I reflect upon how badly he played this hand. If he check raised my flop bet with his strong hand, I would have had to of folded with my weak 4. I am continuation betting frequently as well.
Tip for Kenny, play stronger, raise instead of limping, stop limping and then calling and play more in position against weak players. He complains how he never gets there and against me he is unlucky. I empathise with the K-man re-itterating how strong KQ of hearts is on that flop. He tops up and decides to sit right next to me.
My last sentence has so much potential. However, it was getting late and the table breaks. I decide to take my $500 and rest up.
Earlier that night I attended a Co-Op Programs Alumni meeting at UWS Parramatta. The event was a networking and information night. The topic was graduate employment. The speaker was Ben Reeves who is the Chief Executive of the Australian Association of Graduate Emplyers Ltd.
The talk was interesting and I got to meet up with some amazing people. Ania Aquino from ABS-CBN (Filipino news channel) who conducted an news item about my ANZPT Sydney adventures was there as well as Kathryn Collins who works at Deloitte. Kathryn went to London for her Co Op international program at the same time as I went to The Philippines to do my marketing project for World Scouts. I also met a guy from junior bowls who is now an engineer.
We played an ice breaker game that helped us to meet new people (not that I need such a game). Amro Said helped to dress Kathryn for our mock job interview. I felt he did a great job of explaning how 'check-out' chick Kathryn solved a difficult situation during Christmas eve when her cash register went on the blink. It is a shame however that he did not demonstrate his/her skills by backing up his performance by singing a Christmas carol.
Back to bowls. I recently went out to Dubbo for the Master Pairs with Ian McRae from Valentine BC. He has a great place up in Newcastle on the lake which he is renovating. He has been so kind as to let me stay when I have played for Valentine in the XXXX Challenge competition. His lovely partner Gai is his greatest supporter. I see Ian and Gai all over the state at various bowls tournaments and will hopefully catch up with them at Park Beach, Coffs Harbour for the Ford Open Singles tournament. Last year I was defeated in the Quarter Finals by Steve Glasson who went on to play local hero John Bain in the final and win the title.
Recently the Port Singles was completed and Shannon Gittoes won the title. This is the first time in a few years I have missed this event due to study commitments. David Holt gave it a shake as did Rocky Stone and I am looking forward to the Master Pairs tournament at Westport Bowling Club. I will be leading it up for Andrew Waddell our club coach at Club Merrylands who is in the final of the Major Pairs at the Club. Huge 66k prize pool, one time Ducky:)
At the Dubbo Master pairs I ended up playing against Bruce Anderson (bowler from Westport) in the afternoon bowls game, he convinced me to stay and play the APL $10 rebuy poker tournament. I have to thank Bruce for his entertaining company on the greens and on the poker table. I ended up winning the tournament for $700. When we got to the final 4 I decided not to chop as I had the chip lead and play in these high blind situations so often. Good decision. I met the sponsored APL guy there Bazza88 who I had recognised online as there are very few players from Dubbo. Super nice guy and great player.
Interestingly this week, I played on SNG tables online with Bazza88. I mostly see him playing tournaments online. I met him whilst in Dubbo for the Prestige Pairs Bowls tournament. I pushed in the small blind with J10 and he called in BB with aces. On another table 5 mins later he pushed with J10 and I had aces!!! We happened to register for $16 18 man SNG's on mutiple tables simultaneously. I would prefer not to play on tables that he plays. Table selection is an important element of profitability in the long run.
Cheers,
The Mac
