Blue streak
Finally monied in an online multi-table tourney this morning/afternoon, finishing 21st in a 958-person $5.50 on Stars. For those of you keeping score at home, it breaks an 0-for-18 MTT moneyless streak. Yet, in Woody Allen-esque fashion, I'm not all that happy about it. Twenty-first is fine. And I think I played my B+ game. (My voyage into the semi-deep got started during the first hour when I cracked limped aces with the mighty 6-5 sooooted on my BB.)
Stars' 20% payout for the event and the puny buy-in meant minimal profits. That's fine. It's not about the money, right now. It's about making final tables. It's about top 3 finishes. Accomplish that, and the money takes care of itself.
Part of my angst is derived, once again, from a couple of classic wimp-outs that fly in the face of my alleged newfound aggression. At 25K and blinds 1,000/2,000/100, I folded A-Jo UTG, fearing what the hyper-aggressive big stack might do. I would have won handily. Earlier, I folded pocket 4s from EP to a 3,200-chip min-raise. He got a caller, a 4 flopped and the river queen would have given me a boat against his flush. Those were two hands that would have chipped me up nicely, and there's abso-fucking-lutely no reason why I shouldn't have played them.
Got knocked out with slick unsuited. With blinds at 2,000/4,000/150 and me sitting on 35K, my high-water mark, I raise to 12K and the chip leader calls. I push my remaining 22K on a ragged flop and he calls with queens. No cavalry arrives to save me and I'm done.
I know the mantra on slick: "You've got to win with it, you've got to beat it." I've been making decisions on a case-by-case basis with that hand when I fail to hit a pair or a respectable draw on the flop. Up against big or bigger stacks and first to act, I've been frequently checking, hoping to see a free/cheap turn. It's worked successfully. Against smallish stacks, I always push. Today, I pushed with a less-than-pot-sized bet and it didn't work out. No problem.
That aside, I'm not going to claim seats at final tables until I learn to make the correct decision each and every time. It's the only way I'll ever pull me and my game up to that next level.
Stars' 20% payout for the event and the puny buy-in meant minimal profits. That's fine. It's not about the money, right now. It's about making final tables. It's about top 3 finishes. Accomplish that, and the money takes care of itself.
Part of my angst is derived, once again, from a couple of classic wimp-outs that fly in the face of my alleged newfound aggression. At 25K and blinds 1,000/2,000/100, I folded A-Jo UTG, fearing what the hyper-aggressive big stack might do. I would have won handily. Earlier, I folded pocket 4s from EP to a 3,200-chip min-raise. He got a caller, a 4 flopped and the river queen would have given me a boat against his flush. Those were two hands that would have chipped me up nicely, and there's abso-fucking-lutely no reason why I shouldn't have played them.
Got knocked out with slick unsuited. With blinds at 2,000/4,000/150 and me sitting on 35K, my high-water mark, I raise to 12K and the chip leader calls. I push my remaining 22K on a ragged flop and he calls with queens. No cavalry arrives to save me and I'm done.
I know the mantra on slick: "You've got to win with it, you've got to beat it." I've been making decisions on a case-by-case basis with that hand when I fail to hit a pair or a respectable draw on the flop. Up against big or bigger stacks and first to act, I've been frequently checking, hoping to see a free/cheap turn. It's worked successfully. Against smallish stacks, I always push. Today, I pushed with a less-than-pot-sized bet and it didn't work out. No problem.
That aside, I'm not going to claim seats at final tables until I learn to make the correct decision each and every time. It's the only way I'll ever pull me and my game up to that next level.
posted by Poker Jones at 1:19 PM
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