The Ultimate Bet Online Championship commenced last night with a $200 6-max tournament. The great structure and the 6-max format meant there was a lot of room for post-flop maneuvering, and I felt I played very well for most of the tournament. We started with a little over 600 players, and from about 150 on, I was in the top 3 spots. Unfortunately I made a few questionable plays that cost me my lead, then lost some coin flips to bust just inside of the money. Here are some of the more interesting hands I played:
Top Pair = Nuts
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Seat 0: chicagocards1 ($3155)
Seat 1: Beaver Fever ($1340)
Seat 2: GambleAB ($3805) – 
Seat 3: Johnnnny5 ($4130) – 
Seat 4: urbandb888 ($3590) – 
Seat 5: wwhitmore ($1790)
PRE-FLOP:
Johnnnny5 posts small blind $20
urbandb888 posts BIG blind $40
Dealt To: urbandb888
FOLD wwhitmore
FOLD chicagocards1
RAISE Beaver Fever ($100)
CALL GambleAB ($100)
FOLD Johnnnny5
CALL urbandb888 ($100)
FLOP:
Pot: $360
CHECK urbandb888
CHECK Beaver Fever
CHECK GambleAB
TURN:
Pot: $360 
BET urbandb888 ($240)
RAISE Beaver Fever ($1240)
FOLD GambleAB
CALL urbandb888 ($1240)
RIVER:
Pot: $3080 
SHOWDOWN:
Beaver Fever:
urbandb888:
urbandb888 collected $2800 from main pot with three jacks
SUMMARY:
Total pot: $2800 No rake is taken for this hand.
Even getting 4:1, my pre-flop call is kind of close since QJ is such a reverse implied odds hand. If Beaver had bet the flop, it would have been a tough decision for me. As played, though, I couldn’t figure out what he would have slowplayed against two people on a kind of drawy flop and then made a big shove with on the turn. It seemed like he was trying to get in the last bet, which made me think he was on a semi-bluff.
I really think he should have just bet the flop here, especially since the other players in the pot were both strong and able to make a call like this one if he took a more unconventional line. Even though it doesn’t let him make the last bet, a flop bet more convincingly represents top pair or better, and this isn’t the easiest board in the world for either Aaron or myself to hit hard. Plus his equity versus the hands that will give him action goes way down on a blank turn.
Go Away!
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Seat 0: bambam419 ($1495) –
Seat 1: buckaroo930 ($1820)
Seat 2: Da Rake ($14395)
Seat 3: redfeather50p ($6100)
Seat 4: urbandb888 ($4380) –
Seat 5: jerkstore_ ($9475) –
PRE-FLOP:
jerkstore_ posts small blind $30
bambam419 posts BIG blind $60
Dealt To: urbandb888
FOLD buckaroo930
CALL Da Rake ($60)
FOLD redfeather50p
RAISE urbandb888 ($280)
FOLD jerkstore_
FOLD bambam419
CALL Da Rake ($280)
FLOP:
Pot: $710
CHECK Da Rake
BET urbandb888 ($400)
CALL Da Rake ($400)
TURN:
Pot: $1510 
CHECK Da Rake
BET urbandb888 ($1200)
CALL Da Rake ($1200)
RIVER:
Pot: $3910 
CHECK Da Rake
RAISE urbandb888 ($2500)
FOLD Da Rake
UNCALLED urbandb888 ($2500)
urbandb888 collected $3850 from main pot
SUMMARY:
Total pot: $3850 No rake is taken for this hand.
Flop is just a standard c-bet, then I pick up 8 outs on the turn, then I hit a good bluff card on the river (assuming he doesn’t have better than one pair, which he probably doesn’t, given that he hasn’t raised.) Easy game.
LOL Misclickaments
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Seat 0: bambam419 ($1315) –
Seat 1: buckaroo930 ($1520)
Seat 2: Da Rake ($12445)
Seat 3: redfeather50p ($5880)
Seat 4: urbandb888 ($6410) –
Seat 5: jerkstore_ ($10095) –
PRE-FLOP:
jerkstore_ posts small blind $30
bambam419 posts BIG blind $60
Dealt To: urbandb888 
FOLD buckaroo930
FOLD Da Rake
RAISE redfeather50p ($1600)
RAISE urbandb888 ($6410)
FOLD jerkstore_
FOLD bambam419
FOLD redfeather50p
UNCALLED urbandb888 ($4810)
urbandb888 collected $3290 from main pot
SUMMARY:
Total pot: $3290 No rake is taken for this hand.
Does everyone see what happened here?
Slowplayed Overpair
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Seat 0: bambam419 ($1225) –
Seat 1: buckaroo930 ($2180)
Seat 2: Da Rake ($13195)
Seat 3: redfeather50p ($3860)
Seat 4: urbandb888 ($7870) –
Seat 5: jerkstore_ ($9335) –
PRE-FLOP:
jerkstore_ posts small blind $50
bambam419 posts BIG blind $100
Dealt To: urbandb888 
FOLD buckaroo930
FOLD Da Rake
FOLD redfeather50p
RAISE urbandb888 ($270)
RAISE jerkstore_ ($910)
FOLD bambam419
CALL urbandb888 ($910)
FLOP:
Pot: $2190
BET jerkstore_ ($1300)
CALL urbandb888 ($1300)
TURN:
Pot: $4790 
CHECK jerkstore_
CHECK urbandb888
RIVER:
Pot: $4790 
CHECK jerkstore_
BET urbandb888 ($2660)
FOLD jerkstore_
UNCALLED urbandb888 ($2660)
urbandb888 collected $4520 from main pot
SUMMARY:
Total pot: $4520 No rake is taken for this hand.
I definitely blow him off of too much if I 4-bet pre-flop. I could maybe raise flop to represent something like a semi-bluff with the Ac, but for all I know he’s got nothing, and on a lot of turns I can probably still get action from the stronger part of his range that I beat (KK, AQ, etc.).
Obviously not the best turn card in the world, and I think checking and either improving to beat trips or enticing a worse pair to call a blank river is best. Plus he might have the Kc and be willing to put in another bet on a club river.
Don’t Call My Reraise With AJ
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Seat 1: urbandb888 ($13200) –
Seat 2: TheMasterJ33 ($4320) –
Seat 3: scarface_79 ($8950) –
Seat 4: ROUNDERS76 ($33005)
Seat 5: Pill-pusher ($12375)
PRE-FLOP:
TheMasterJ33 posts small blind $150
scarface_79 posts BIG blind $300
Dealt To: urbandb888
FOLD ROUNDERS76
RAISE Pill-pusher ($900)
RAISE urbandb888 ($2700)
FOLD TheMasterJ33
FOLD scarface_79
CALL Pill-pusher ($2700)
FLOP:
Pot: $6750
CHECK Pill-pusher
CHECK urbandb888
TURN:
Pot: $6750
CHECK Pill-pusher
BET urbandb888 ($3000)
RAISE Pill-pusher ($9675)
CALL urbandb888 ($9675)
RIVER:
Pot: $29100
SHOWDOWN:
urbandb888:
Pill-pusher:
urbandb888 collected $25200 from main pot with two pair, aces and tens
The Good Turning Point
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Seat 0: Rounder333 ($6765)
Seat 1: coloradoelk ($16450) –
Seat 2: urbandb888 ($29050) –
Seat 3: BigKrem ($7600) –
Seat 4: atazahn ($18500)
Seat 5: harold57 ($13305)
PRE-FLOP:
urbandb888 posts small blind $150
BigKrem posts BIG blind $300
Dealt To: urbandb888
FOLD atazahn
RAISE harold57 ($800)
FOLD Rounder333
FOLD coloradoelk
CALL urbandb888 ($800)
FOLD BigKrem
FLOP:
Pot: $2050 
CHECK urbandb888
BET harold57 ($1200)
RAISE urbandb888 ($3750)
RAISE harold57 ($12505)
CALL urbandb888 ($12505)
TURN:
Pot: $30810
RIVER:
Pot: $30810
SHOWDOWN:
urbandb888:
harold57:
urbandb888 collected $26910 from main pot with a pair of aces
If I weren’t suited, I’d be more inclined to 3-bet or fold when out of position. By just calling, I can keep dominated hands in his range and conceal my hand strength a bit. Having done that, I need to stack off on this flop. It’s not a great spot, but he can have worse Aces and semi-bluffs like this one.
Bully This
This guy had recently complained that I was bullying the table. Still, he seemed to be playing kind of scared. Guys who think you are bullying will usually try to trap or at least check-raise you with their strongest hands, so when he pots into me, I’m not particularly concerned, and with all my outs, it’s an easy semi-bluff raise.
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Seat 0: Rounder333 ($6565) –
Seat 1: coloradoelk ($26145) –
Seat 2: urbandb888 ($45235)
Seat 3: BigKrem ($6500)
Seat 4: atazahn ($16500)
Seat 5: cdbr3799 ($15775) –
PRE-FLOP:
Rounder333 posts small blind $150
coloradoelk posts BIG blind $300
Dealt To: urbandb888
ANTE Rounder333 ($25)
ANTE coloradoelk ($25)
ANTE urbandb888 ($25)
ANTE BigKrem ($25)
ANTE atazahn ($25)
ANTE cdbr3799 ($25)
RAISE urbandb888 ($760)
FOLD BigKrem
FOLD atazahn
FOLD cdbr3799
FOLD Rounder333
CALL coloradoelk ($760)
FLOP:
Pot: $2120
BET coloradoelk ($1820)
RAISE urbandb888 ($7280)
FOLD coloradoelk
UNCALLED urbandb888 ($5460)
urbandb888 collected $5460 from main pot
Yup
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Seat 0: shotskee ($21245) –
Seat 1: coloradoelk ($33780) –
Seat 2: urbandb888 ($51400)
Seat 3: BigKrem ($8775)
Seat 4: atazahn ($21615)
Seat 5: AWO ($9115) –
PRE-FLOP:
shotskee posts small blind $200
coloradoelk posts BIG blind $400
Dealt To: urbandb888
ANTE shotskee ($50)
ANTE coloradoelk ($50)
ANTE urbandb888 ($50)
ANTE BigKrem ($50)
ANTE atazahn ($50)
ANTE AWO ($50)
RAISE urbandb888 ($1050)
FOLD BigKrem
FOLD atazahn
FOLD AWO
FOLD shotskee
CALL coloradoelk ($1050)
FLOP:
Pot: $3000 
CHECK coloradoelk
CHECK urbandb888
TURN:
Pot: $3000 
BET coloradoelk ($2600)
CALL urbandb888 ($2600)
RIVER:
Pot: $8200
BET coloradoelk ($7800)
CALL urbandb888 ($7800)
SHOWDOWN:
coloradoelk:
MUCK urbandb888
coloradoelk collected $23400 from main pot with straight, six high
Same guy from before who was whining about my bullying. After the pot, he typed “yup” into the chat box. I wanted to punch him in his e-face.
@#$% You, Min-Raiser
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Seat 0: shotskee ($19670)
Seat 1: coloradoelk ($37555) –
Seat 2: urbandb888 ($39650) –
Seat 3: BigKrem ($9050) –
Seat 4: atazahn ($32065)
Seat 5: AWO ($7940)
PRE-FLOP:
urbandb888 posts small blind $300
BigKrem posts BIG blind $600
Dealt To: urbandb888
ANTE shotskee ($75)
ANTE coloradoelk ($75)
ANTE urbandb888 ($75)
ANTE BigKrem ($75)
ANTE atazahn ($75)
ANTE AWO ($75)
FOLD atazahn
FOLD AWO
FOLD shotskee
FOLD coloradoelk
CALL urbandb888 ($600)
CHECK BigKrem
FLOP:
Pot: $1950 
BET urbandb888 ($975)
CALL BigKrem ($975)
TURN:
Pot: $3900
BET urbandb888 ($2000)
RAISE BigKrem ($4000)
CALL urbandb888 ($4000)
RIVER:
Pot: $13900
CHECK urbandb888
RAISE BigKrem ($3400)
CALL urbandb888 ($3400)
SHOWDOWN:
urbandb888:
BigKrem:
BigKrem collected $18400 from main pot with three kings
Couple things here: I’ve been aggressive, it’s a blind battle, and he should be raising a lot of his Kings pre-flop. Still, checking either flop or turn is probably better than betting twice, and once I do bet twice, I probably can fold to this shady-ass min-raise, even though I was planning to call a push.
River Check-Raise Bluff
For some reason the HH is missing some of the details for this one, but I’ll try to fill them in.
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Seat 0: shotskee ($20645) –
Seat 1: coloradoelk ($38830) –
Seat 2: urbandb888 ($31650) –
Seat 3: BigKrem ($17800)
Seat 4: atazahn ($32140)
Seat 5: AWO ($4865)
PRE-FLOP:
coloradoelk posts small blind $300
urbandb888 posts BIG blind $600
Dealt To: urbandb888
ANTE shotskee ($75)
ANTE coloradoelk ($75)
ANTE urbandb888 ($75)
ANTE BigKrem ($75)
ANTE atazahn ($75)
ANTE AWO ($75)
I was BB in this hand. The button raised to 1500, and I called.
FLOP:
Pot: $1350 
We both checked. On a board this draw-heavy, I didn’t think he’d be checking a pair, and most players will bet a draw as well, though this is a good spot to check back with one.
TURN:
Pot: $1350
I bet. Given my flop analysis, I could have the best hand, and I could also get him to fold bad pairs.
RIVER:
Pot: $1350
A lot of draws missed, but he could have something like Adx and still be ahead of me. Unless I checked a draw on the flop, I don’t think he can have more than one pair, possibly something like AQ that turned top pair. I checked, and he bet $3500, less than half the pot. It felt like a thinnish value bet from something like top pair, and I guess there’s some chance he thinks he’s bluffing with AT. So I check-raised him all in. After some thought, he called with JT for a turned straight.
In retrospect, I don’t like my play here. The turn bet is too thin, his river bet is too small to be a bluff, and most players in a tournament like this don’t make thin value bets nearly often enough for my check-raise to work.
This was a really critical error on my part that probably cost me a deep finish in this tournament. Afterwards, I never got up much of a stack. I won one post-flop coin flip, then lost three flips pre-flop to bust just inside the money.
There’s a $100 rebuy and I think a PLO UBOC event today, and I’ll probably be playing both.