After bubbling the final table of the $300 2x Chance, I took the rest of Tuesday off, choosing Boardwalk Empire and the last of my Quebecois microbrews over the $1K NLHE. So, I woke up refreshed and ready for a long day on Wednesday, which is what I got even though I didn’t cash anything.
First up was the PLO8. I got a stack gifted to me almost immediately:
PokerStars Omaha Tournament, 15/30 Blinds (8 handed) – PokerStars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
MP1 (t4606)
MP2 (t4319)
Hero (CO) (t4540)
Button (t4697)
SB (t7821)
BB (t3708)
UTG (t4310)
UTG+1 (t4599)
Hero’s M: 100.89
Preflop: Hero is CO with 9♦, A♠, 10♠, 5♦
1 fold, UTG+1 calls t30, MP1 calls t30, 1 fold, Hero calls t30, Button calls t30, SB calls t15, BB checks
Flop: (t180) 8♣, J♠, 7♠ (6 players)
SB checks, BB checks, UTG+1 checks, MP1 checks, Hero bets t180, Button calls t180, 4 folds
Turn: (t540) 3♦ (2 players)
Hero bets t540, Button calls t540
River: (t1620) A♦ (2 players)
Hero bets t1620, Button raises to t3947 (All-In), Hero calls t2170 (All-In)
Total pot: t9200
Results:
Button had 3♠, J♣, J♥, 3♥ (three of a kind, Jacks).
Hero had 9♦, A♠, 10♠, 5♦ (straight, Jack high).
Outcome: Hero won t9200
Slowplaying isn’t often correct in this game since a single card can dramatically decrease your equity in almost any given situation, but here it’s hard for Villain to have much, so I’d like to underrepresent my hand. Once a low draw appears on the turn it’s time to start betting, even though I have the nut low draw. I like potting the river because it’s possible (though unlikely) for better lows to fold and worse highs to call, and in any even I’m guaranteed at least half the pot:
PokerStars Omaha Tournament, 30/60 Blinds (9 handed) – PokerStars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
SB (t4319)
BB (t3455)
Hero (UTG) (t9334)
UTG+1 (t5174)
MP1 (t5224)
MP2 (t5142)
MP3 (t6021)
CO (t7828)
Button (t3260)
Hero’s M: 103.71
Preflop: Hero is UTG with 2♣, 6♥, A♣, 3♠
Hero calls t60, UTG+1 calls t60, 3 folds, CO calls t60, Button calls t60, SB calls t30, BB checks
Flop: (t360) K♣, 7♣, J♣ (6 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero checks, UTG+1 checks, CO checks, Button bets t300, 2 folds, Hero calls t300, 2 folds
Turn: (t960) A♥ (2 players)
Hero bets t666, Button calls t666
River: (t2292) 3♥ (2 players)
Hero bets t2292, 1 fold
Total pot: t2292
Results:
Hero didn’t show 2♣, 6♥, A♣, 3♠ (nothing).
Outcome: Hero won t2292
I got off to a great start, then got blinded down for a while and ended up playing too big of a pot with too marginal of a hand. In my defense, though, this player was extremely aggressive on his button, so it was unlucky for me to run into a hand that had me so smashed:
PokerStars Omaha Tournament, 125/250 Blinds (8 handed) – PokerStars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
Button (t9022)
SB (t8725)
Hero (BB) (t12020)
UTG (t19654)
UTG+1 (t30877)
MP1 (t10834)
MP2 (t10662)
CO (t22702)
Hero’s M: 32.05
Preflop: Hero is BB with 8♠, 9♥, 4♥, A♠
4 folds, CO bets t500, 2 folds, Hero calls t250
Flop: (t1125) 2♣, 9♠, A♦ (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets t750, Hero raises to t3375, CO raises to t11250, Hero raises to t11520 (All-In), CO calls t270
Turn: (t24165) K♣ (2 players, 1 all-in)
River: (t24165) 5♥ (2 players, 1 all-in)
Total pot: t24165
Results:
Hero had 8♠, 9♥, 4♥, A♠ (two pair, Aces and nines).
CO had 9♦, 4♠, 3♦, A♥ (straight, five high).
Outcome: CO won t24165
These hands from the 1R1A highlight some of the changes I talked about making to my game after a poor performance on Sunday. Here’s a big laydown that I’m still pretty happy with:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, 215 Tournament, 75/150 Blinds 20 Ante (9 handed) – PokerStars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
MP1 (t3877)
MP2 (t21924)
MP3 (t4825)
CO (t7510)
Hero (Button) (t14490)
SB (t26039)
BB (t13930)
UTG (t11442)
UTG+1 (t14810)
Hero’s M: 35.78
Preflop: Hero is Button with J♠, K♦
4 folds, MP3 calls t150, 1 fold, Hero bets t450, 2 folds, MP3 calls t300
Flop: (t1305) J♣, 9♠, 9♥ (2 players)
MP3 checks, Hero checks
Turn: (t1305) 9♦ (2 players)
MP3 bets t300, Hero calls t300
River: (t1905) 5♥ (2 players)
MP3 checks, Hero bets t1350, MP3 raises to t4055 (All-In), Hero folds
Total pot: t4605
Results:
MP3 didn’t show
Outcome: MP3 won t4605
This one, on the other hand, now looks like a mistake to me. I was planning to make fewer “representational” bluffs where I’m relying on some hand reading from my opponent to get a fold, but this is still probably worth a bet:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, 215 Tournament, 150/300 Blinds 40 Ante (9 handed) – PokerStars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
UTG+1 (t13149)
MP1 (t33184)
Hero (MP2) (t12122)
MP3 (t28282)
CO (t13986)
Button (t8237)
SB (t26467)
BB (t14761)
UTG (t22179)
Hero’s M: 14.97
Preflop: Hero is MP2 with 10♥, K♣
UTG calls t300, 2 folds, Hero bets t900, 4 folds, BB calls t600, UTG calls t600
Flop: (t3210) 6♥, Q♥, A♥ (3 players)
BB checks, UTG checks, Hero bets t1467, 1 fold, UTG calls t1467
Turn: (t6144) 2♣ (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero checks
River: (t6144) 8♣ (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero checks
Total pot: t6144
Results:
UTG had Q♠, K♥ (one pair, Queens).
Hero mucked 10♥, K♣ (high card, Ace).
Outcome: UTG won t6144
If I told you any more about this tournament or the Big Ante, I’d just be whining about coolers, so I’ll spare you and stop here 🙂
1st 1R1A hand, that is an amazing laydown. I don’t think I would. 9x, AA, KK, QQ, JJ are the only hands that beat you. For the big pairs, not likely because of the preflop limp/call. Leaving only 9x. How likely is that? Thinking of the 9 as no more likely than other cards, given this action, that gives him a 2/45 = 4.4% chance of having the other 9. It’s a huge bet, but I think you have to call. He could have a pair under your jacks, betting for value, or a huge bluff. There are just too many ways for you to win. Also, what about his check on the flop and tiny bet on the turn? Don’t those both tend to show weakness. Then the crazy large river bet. Not sure.
Did you have a particular read on this villain that he might overbet with a big hand. Thinking about it further, this is consistent with an attempted slow play and then changing course once you did not bite.
(pokerodox, formerly The Huff and huff)
Yes, it is a big laydown. I don’t think you can say that a 9 is no more likely than other cards, though. I agree that Villain will rarely have JJ-AA, so I’m mostly folding for fear of quads. Then again, I expect to see a bluff very rarely, and something less than a J going for value exactly never. So the real question is whether I chop with another J often enough to make up for the times he has quads. There are twice as many Js as 9s left in the deck, so if we think he’s equally likely to show up with either, and we mix in small possibility of a bluff, then it’s a call. Though I certainly wouldn’t rule it out, this felt a lot less like a J than a 9 to me. It was a spidey sense thing, and yes it did have a lot to do with the check-small bet-check-shove line feeling like a slowplayed monster.