Poker Nightmare

Last night I had my first poker nightmare...

I'm in a tournament and just as I'm trying to look at my cards, the guy to my left raises out of turn. As the dealer is pushing his bet back because I haven't acted yet, I see AA. Of course, I limp. Guy on my left follows through and raises, and gets called in a couple places. I shove. Guy to my left calls, as does others. I see him turn up pocket 77's and I turn up my cards and see... pocket 77's. Huh?!?! I see someone else across the table has my AA! Then I also see that a 3rd person that called AI with... 77. Fouled deck. Redo. I was still wondering how my AA's got into someone else's hand when Felicia woke me up. Thank goodness, just a dream!

This was probably born out of the nightmare of a tournament that I played last night.

Early on, I limp in the CO w/ T9s after a few others, and the BB decides to raise. It's the first level at 25/50 and he makes it 250. He gets FIVE callers before it gets to me, so I go ahead and call too. Flop is T-high and he bets 500...? There's a possible straight and flush draw, and he's betting 1/6th of the pot? Sounds like he missed. It gets folded to me, so I make it 1500. BB just calls. On the turn is an offsuit 3 and he bets 1500. We started with 3000, so this puts me all-in. Now I'm thinking that he really had an overpair, but I still have my rebuy chip and figured that I might have 5 outs and that I'll call with all the money in the pot. Five outs? No, three. He had tried to steal the bringins, I'm guessing, with ATo and just got lucky. No 9 on the river and I do the rebuy.

This is where trying to put people on a hand in these small tourneys is really insane. All those draws out there and he bets so small with a relative monster of Top Pair Top Kicker. Then he does a small bet on such a vunerable flop. Too bad I was the only one that had anything, I would have folded my TP.

Later on, I flop a set of 4's on a board of 3c4h6h. It's 50/100 now and a middle position player bets 500 (there were 6 players to the flop). I make it 1000 and I get cold-called by the button and the SB, folded to the middle position who mucks (? I think he took a stab at the pot, and since he knows me, folded, probably any pair). Turn card is a death card: 7h. SB pushes in. I can either call all my remaining chips and hope to fill with only one card to come, or wait. I chose to wait.

Before the break, it's 100/200 and I have just under 4000 chips. So, my M (see Harrington's books) is > 10, but with the blinds about to double, I shove with AKs. Carl, a local that I've played with many times before, thinks he's making a loose call with... AKs. We both make K's full of A's and chop the pot. I made a whopping 100 from chopping the BB (Carl was the SB).

Very next hand, someone raises in front of me and I find KK. "Let's try this again", I said, and shove. BB moves AI (he covers me and the original raiser) and the original raiser goes AI and shows 88. BB shows AK. As I'm thinking "no ace, no ace", the dealer flops AA7, and I'm drawing dead. Ugh! I head to the cash game.

On a brighter note, I did chop the tournament at the Riverside the previous night. Combination of good play and good cards that mostly held up.

In the beginning of that tournament, I had to rebuy early (again) because my AK ran into the powerhouse of A6s (UTG) that choose to call my heafty preflop raise. Then he check-raised me and I called, getting about 2-1 on my money. He had flopped 2 pair and it held up. AK another time did NOT hold up and I thought I was doomed for the tournament. Before the break, I had AK yet again and was able to survive this time.

After the break, I choose my spots and shoved at times that I felt were either good timing or good hands. Once I got lucky to have A9o vs A8o and kicker played and I doubled. Made it to the final table, but only 4 paid on the relatively low turnout.
I had some really passive players, unfortunately to my right. However I did get lucky that one of the heathier stacks was directly to my left. Once or twice I stole from him because I knew that he didn't want to jepordize his chip position before the money (once it was him in the BB and passed to me in SB and I raised with 97o cause I just knew he would fold.. and he did).

The kid to my right was way too tight. Once he limp-opened [LO] the SB, and I found A4o in the BB. I shoved and he folded. To really show how tight he was, it happened again later in the tournament. He LO'd the SB and this time I found AA. Since I had done it once before, I was hoping that he might have something if I went ahead and shoved again. He folded ATo face up! He was even short stacked! I would have insta-called. (Really, I would have shoved pre given his chips stack; if I was up against AA, so be it.) Then, I showed him my AA to enforce his tightness -grin-.

I was lucky enough to have AA early against an early raiser, whom ended up calling my AI with KJs(?). Guy is even a dealer there and should have known to lay it down. I think he figured he had raised too much and felt he had pot odds and would try to out draw me. Once we were 5 handed, I managed to capture the chip lead. First from the AA vs KJ hand, then with QQ vs another early raiser with JJ. I had probably twice the chips of anyone. I'd have played the bully, but 2 of the other stacks were desperate and would call me with anything, probably, in order to double up. So, I just waited. Soon the bubble finally burst when it was short stack vs short stack in the blinds. Then the kid with the ATo busted himself as well and we were 3 handed.

Local guy [LG] to my left asked about chopping. I still had 1/2 the chips at the table, so I repectfully declined. Very next hand UTG/button limps. He's an older guy [OG] that has been playing well and I see him kind of like keeping his head down and I'm thinking he has a good hand. I only have 23 in the SB, but it's soooted, so call, hoping to bust OG slowplaying something with 2pr or straight. LG checks.

Flop comes down 764 giving me a gutshot, but no clubs (my suit) and I check. LG shoves and OG shoves. I turbo-muck and sit back to watch. LG has K5o for open-ended straight draw, and OG has 77 for top set. Set held up and OG had him slightly covered. With blinds at 400/800, and OG having only 20k less, we ended up chopping. With only 80$ difference between chopping and first, I figured it was best to chop.

Felicia brought up a good point after, however. I should have agreed to a chop of most the prize pool, but put aside like $50 or so and to play it out for that extra amount. Get some HU experience.

Next time, definitely!

Posted by Glenn