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LA Poker Open: $400 Omaha 8 or Better (Live Updates)

November 4, 2019

I’ll make stack updates in this post.

Some notes so far:

-cards are almost in the air and there are currently 17 players registered

-there is no re-entry for any event in this series

-last year this same event had 55 total entrants

-I am 1 for 8 in tourneys at Commerce this year and my one cash was for a net loss because I was in two bullets

-I final tabled my first ever tourney at Commerce, finishing 4th of 188 for $5600 in a $350 O8 at the 2017 LAPC

-Since then, I am 0 for 16 (cashing for a profit)

-Commerce is my worst casino since July 2014

Tourney Notes: $400 Buy In, 15k starting stack, 8-handed tables, blinds starting at 50-100 and going up every 30 minutes, 12.5% of the field cash

First Break

Only one notable hand during this stretch as I’ve mostly been folding and bricking when I play. I open with AQT3 single suited in clubs at 100/200 blinds and four players call. I bet on T62hhc when they check to me, two players call in position, a super active player in the small blind check raises, and the big blind calls two bets cold.

Alrighty…

This would be an amazing board if I were heads up, but it’s hard to imagine I have a big equity edge in any direction with five players still in. I just call and so do the two other players.

The turn is a queen and the small blind still leads out, the big calls, and now I raise because top two and the nut low draw seems pretty good, and everyone still calls.

Yikes.

The river is a jack and the small blind bets out again.

Super yikes.

The big blind folds and the SB is playing every hand and has the least amount of credibility at the table, so I’m not folding to him, but I also don’t expect to be winning very often and I will definitely be folding if someone raises behind me. Fortunately, they both fold and he can only turn over tens and deuces and I scoop a big pot.

But I did a good job of whiffing every other pot and I am going to start level 5 (200/400 blinds) with 15.2k in chips.

We are now up to 71 entrants.

Second Break

Once again, I played almost no hands and folded my way down to about 9k before playing my only pot of note.

I open with A833 single suited and only the big blind calls. He check-calls a bet on T93dd and then check-raises me on Ax turn. I feel like I probably have the best hand here but there aren’t many river cards I’m in love with. I have no low draw and I’m vulnerable to straight and flush draws, plus any board pair (that doesn’t give me quads) could improve two pair hands I’m currently beating. Not to mention he can have a set. I just call.

The river is an offsuit jack and he checks to me. I feel like I could possibly be taking myself to Value Town here, but I fire a bet and he calls and can’t beat my set.

I have 16k after 8 levels, coming back to blinds of 500/1000.

A little momentum would be appreciated.

Registration is closed after this break and we are currently at 84 entrants and the board says 58 remain.

Third Break

Finally some momentum! I got my stack up over 40k and then this hand came up:

Someone raises and there are multiple callers. I call with AJ93 with hearts and six of us see a flop of 932 with two hearts. I have a sketchy two pair and the nut flush draw but with two low cards on board and no low draw myself, I’m playing defense with this hand. It still manages to go off for three bets five ways with one player all in.

The turn is a jack. Very nice! I decide to check and the loosest player at the table bets and everyone else calls. I definitely like my hand but there are going to be a lot of river cards I won’t like, so I just call, and it’s not like I can knock anyone out.

The river is a black ten. I check-call the super loose player when the other two guys fold and he shows me QJ98 for a rivered straight. The player that check-raised the flop and got all in has… Q877. Not sure wha that’s all about, but he’s getting half of the main pot and I’m getting none of any of it.

A short while later I open AA32 with one suit and the maniac calls on the button and both blinds defend.

The flop is AQJ and everyone check-calls me.

That makes me think my set is good plus I can stand a raise on the 7 turn so I fire anyway and they all just call again.

The river pairs the 7 and I get paid off by the big blind only and he shows two jacks.

Sitting on 62.5k coming back to blinds of 1500/2500. 30 players remain and 11 of us will cash. 11th is $790 and there is $8.6k up top for 1st place.

Fourth Break

Opened AAJ7 double suited hand before break and made a running flush on 966d5dJd vs the big blind’s A872.

Peaking at 91k with blinds now at 3000/5000.

17 players are left and average stack is 74k.

Fifth Break

The bubble was pretty excruciating. We played at least one full level with 12 players remaining.

I finally put the kibosh on that nonsense when I opened AK53 and barreled off on AJ324 and the big blind called me down, crippling himself and busting on the next hand.

Prize pool info:

I have 145k, so I am in decent shape.

Update

Folds to small blind and he raises. I defend with AKK7 suited king. I call a bet on 965 and then raise him when he bets 6 turn. I figure to be way ahead of his range and he’s been playing overly aggro. He calls. River pairs the 5 and he checks. I expect to be winning most of the time but I only have one big bet left, so I check back and he shows… T872.

Sigh.

That left me crippled but I doubled and managed to squeak my way to the final table with 2 bigs and then surprisingly tripled up with AKJ3 vs AAT8 and an unknown hand on a board of K92hh3hQ.

So I now have 7 bigs with the blinds going through me next hand.

Busted 6th for $1435

Had a couple of good chances to double. I got AQJ2 in against A642 and got the AQT flop but he backdoored a low for half.

My bust hand I had AAJJ and put my last bet in on T74. Hmmm opponent called with 9732 and rivered a 2 for two pair to bust me.

I guess I’ll take it? After that T872 debacle, I nursed a short stack from 11th all the way up to 6th and made an extra $600.

Not a bad start, but I want MORE.

$400 Stud 8 at 1 PM tomorrow.

Posted in poker | Tagged gambling, gambling for a living, limit hold em, omaha, poker, poker strategy, Poker Tournaments, professional gambling, professional poker, texas hold em | Leave a Comment »

WSOP 2019: $470 O.E. @ Aria

June 6, 2019

Nope. Not a WSOP event. This is the loser’s bracket.

Joker, Ducky, and Sandman all moved on to Day 2 of the $1500 HORSE and I’m pretty jealous about it, but I’ll be cheering them on from afar and I’ll post updates here if they give me any. They are still 150 spots off the money and all three of them are barely average, or worse.

This tournament I’m playing is half Omaha 8 and half Stud 8. 25k starting stacks with 30 minute levels, so quite a bit of play, but it is a one day tournament.

Someone from Muckleshoot is on my immediate right and I saw the player from Palace that was at my HORSE table yesterday in the field also. Billy Dubz (and Mrs. Dubz) is in here too. So far there are 106 entrants.

Stud 8 hand, my board runs out A3-2sAs7s5-8 and have to chop with 9s and 7s when he has no open pair. Kinda sucks because it seems like I should be scooping that pot at a very high frequency.

Stack updates here on breaks and maybe some hands throughout this one.

Break #1: 30,500

One limper and I defend a raise with A872hhh. The flop is A65 rainbow and I check-call when the limper donks the flop and the other player calls. My hand is not great here; I have good high potential and a very weak low, but it’s enough to see turns and rivers.

The turn is a king that doesn’t open up a flush draw, so I check-overcall again and the river is gin: a 4! I’m looking to check-raise both players here but the preflop raiser folds when the other one bets. I check-raise and wind up scooping the pot with the nut high and a live deuce. I didn’t get a good look at her hand.

Here’s how you know your table is good: I have two pair and a flush draw on 6th street in Stud 8. One of my opponents has two kings showing and bets dark after we both call. The third player looks like he has a low draw and winds up raising on 7th street. I brick everything and the player that raised on 7th scoops the pot with a ten high straight and no low. Pretty sick that it can be bet and raised to me on 7th when I have up to 13 outs to scoop both of them.

Quarter a player with AAK2ss vs AQT2hh on 876h8h9x and then scoop the same player on the next hand with AQT9 on J93A5.

Cards are back in the air for HORSE Day 2.

Break #2: 34,500

Joker has busted the HORSE, short of the money.

Same with Ducky.

Not sure what Sandman is doing but he had the shortest stack of the three so he’s probably on his way to the final table.

Open AAT9ss and three players call, including both blinds. I c-bet KJ6ssd flop and two players call. The turn is the ten of diamonds. I wind up checking, but I should probably bet since I have two aces blocking the nuts, plus I have the nut flush draw. It checks around though and then it checks around again on the 3c river and the big blind scoops with AK3x. He turned a diamond draw so my turn check did not cost me the pot, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have bet.

7 up opens in Stud 8, I call with 75-8 with two hearts. There were no sixes or hearts dead, plus all the low cards are super live. The bring in 3-bets with the 7 of clubs and we both call. The three sevens in play are the only low cards that were out.

On 4th, the bring in has 7c2s, the other player bricks, and I catch a 3. We both call a bet from the bring in.

On 5th, the bring in pairs the 2, the other guy bricks and I catch a 9. She bets and we both call again.

On 6th, she has 7228, the other guy catches a low card and I get a 4 to make an 87543 low. She bets, he calls, and I call also. It’s not too hard for my low to be beat here.

On 7th, I catch a 6 to make a straight and a 76 low. I has monster! They check to me and the bring in calls and I scoop a big one.

I had a little rush right before the break but otherwise I was mostly card dead these last four levels.

Sandman is still in the $1500 HORSE. He has 30k with 168 players left. 113 cash and average stack is 45k.

Break #3: 16,500

Registration is closed. 165 runners with 23 of us getting paid and nearly $17k up top for 1st.

Every pot is pretty critical right now. I just defended in o8 and flopped the nuts with 753x on 864hh with no backup in a 3-way pot. I check-called flop and turn but the river was another heart and when it went bet and call in front of me, I decided to fold and the bettor had A73x with hearts.

And just like that I’m down to 28.6k and 1/6 of my stack is gone.

And Sandman just busted the HORSE shy of the money.

Just dipped below starting stack for the first time since the first level. My third nut flush loses to second nut flush and lows brick out.

I’m so card dead. Finally get the 8s7s-2s and bring it in. Someone completes and there are five of us in and no spades dead. I call and get the 9h on 4th and it’s bet and raised to me and that’s the end of this hand.

I’ve had a couple good starters in o8 but I’ve chopped with both of them and I was lucky to do that as I caught a “fuck you” card on the turn both times.

Just got moved off a pretty good table and my new table looks way more competent.

I’ll be coming back from break with 8.5 bigs.

4th Break

Got it all in by river with AAT2hh on KT2h3h7h and had to chop with AK96.

Seems unlucky. I haven’t won anything resembling a pot in over two hours now.

3-bet an all in with split tens and get two hitchhikers with low cards.

They both catch big cards on 4th. Yay! I bet and they both call. Come on.

I bet 5th and only one of them calls and I’m all in against him on 6th. The all in player has open jacks and I have improved at all so I’m losing to him but the side pot is way bigger.

I’m up against 23-5K49 and he catches… a 9! I’m almost double but still pretty damn short.

7c6c-8c goes brick brick and I’m back to 15k.

Three more suited babies brick and down to 7.5k.

Triple up with split queens when I make a boat and neither of my opponents make a low. 25k.

Defend 6543 in a 3-way pot with bets going in on every street on an AQ725 board. Holy shit, I have 59k! Peaking for the first time in about six levels and that puts me right around average stack.

Crazy!

4th Break: 59k

Every pot is hypercritical. I went from roughly two big blinds to 3rd of 8 at my table in about an orbit.

And players are dropping pretty fast since we restarted. We’ve lost almost a player a minute so far. There are 58 left and 23 cash.

I’m peaking around 75k right now in Level 15, which is the first time I’ve been above average since Level 8.

Blind vs blind, complete A743 badugi and he checks. I bet AJ3 rainbow and he calls. Turn pairs the jack and I bet again. He calls. Not a fan of that development but he could have a low draw. River is a 9 and I check. He bets. This is a critical pot and my hand doesn’t seem strong but it would be brutal to get bluffed here and can have a busted low, so I put the call out and scoop the pot vs the bluff.

Then I scooped Barbara Enright in a 3-bet pot and suddenly I have 113k. Average stack is 76k and there are now 54 left.

Limped pot and my AJ52ss from small blind gets scooped by limper’s KQJJ on JT2s4sK. At least I got a free showdown.

Down to 73k and back to below average.

Start with 42-3 and it gets completed and 3-bet and I get the 42-323Q-7 run out but somehow find a way to scoop

Peaking at 123k.

5th Break: 93k

39 players left. I’m 0-4 in Aria tournaments (since 2014) so it would be cool to get on the board here. Also, Aria is my third worst location (since 2014) and a whiff here will make it my 2nd worst (Commerce is #1), so, uh, how about we clutch up and get a cash one time?

Billy Dubz has been at my table for a little bit and he just got crippled when his K9xx lost to Barbara Enright’s AAT8 on K922x.

Billy Dubz busts and I lose half my stack in the same hand. Down to 43k ten spots of the money.

Don’t do it to me, please.

Sigh. Complete bring in with 8s5s-2s and shorter stack gets all in with split jacks and I catch a 3d on 4th but can’t make a low or anything else and I have crumbs now.

I think that makes me 0 for 5 today with three suited babies, although I do think I had an 8 in my hand every time.

And I bust in 31st place.

Goddammit. There is literally nothing worse than wasting an entire day to fucking bubble a tournament. It’s 9 PM and I have NO mental energy left to try to jump in a cash game.

Posted in poker | Tagged Aria, gambling, gambling for a living, omaha, poker, poker strategy, professional gambling, professional poker, Stud 8 | 2 Comments »

LAPC $350 H.O.R.S.E. @ Commerce (Stack Updates)

January 31, 2019

12.5k to start with 100/200 betting limits.

Yesterday sucked. I woke up at 4 AM to catch an 8 AM flight and I was in the $350 limit Hold’em at Commerce by 1:22 PM.

I never had any momentum and I think my stack peaked around 15k (from 12.5k starting). I managed to expertly bust out on the last hand before registration closed (for the second time this series in four events) to ensure that I got minimum value out of my second bullet.

I had 13.5k with blinds at 1000/1500 when I picked up KK under the gun. I jacked it up and got callers from the button and the big blind.

The flop was a very sexy KJ4 rainbow. I bet and only the button called.

The turn was a 9 and the button called again.

I’m not sure why, but when the button called on the turn, I had a bad feeling. Maybe there was a change in the way he put his chips in the pot or in his appearance that my subconscious was picking up on. Maybe it was just a case of MUBS (Monsters Under the Bed Syndrome).

Whatever it was, it was strong enough that I was seriously considering checking when the river bricked off. I had two big bets left. If I check-called and lost I’d still be in the tournament (albeit with one big bet left), but if I bet and called with the worst hand, I’d be out. But then I thought about how ridiculous it would be if I check and called with top set and it was good or if it checked around when I desperately need chips. It’s not like there was a front door flush draw this guy could bluff with and I can’t remember if the turn badugi’d or not.

So I bet. And then I called. And then I walked my ass right out of the casino and checked into my AirBnB where I was asleep for the night by 10:30 PM – one of the 4-5 times a year I fall asleep before midnight.

Oh. Yeah. He had QT for a straight.

I was back in Washington for roughly five full days and I only played ~5.5 hours of poker on Friday night, posting a -$142 in $15/$30 at Palace.

Saturday was spent fixing up our old house so we could put it on the market by Monday and we were so wiped we just stayed in and relaxed all night.

Sunday we hiked up the Little Si trail in North Bend and our little Pomeranians continue to be hiking superstars. Who’d a thunk?

Monday and Tuesday were more relaxing days before a long trip back to L.A. and we had at least three different parties walk through our old house and by Tuesday night we received three offers! And we reached mutual acceptance on one of them!

🤯

I really thought we might have to endure two months or so with our house on the market and we sold it in less than 48 hours. I am honestly stunned. I am not a religious or spiritual person by any means, but sometimes I really do feel like we are blessed.

Then again, here I am sitting with 10k in level 3 of this HORSE tournament wondering how the hell you win a pot in one of these things.

I had a decent Stud round but I’m right back to running like crap in LHE.

I open TT and QJo cold calls next in and gets the QQ4 flop and then JTss whiffs the AQ9 one spade flop.

Momentum! One time please!

First Break: 9.7k

Second Break: 19.8k

Got over 20k and then Hold’em happened again.

I got a free flop from the big with A8 vs one limper and the small blind and we saw the A73 flop and the limper had A7. Then I lost with TT to KQ in a 3-bet pot when they turned a king. Then I had 66 vs AQ in a 4-bet pot (yes, he put a lid on it with AQ out of position) and gave up on Q98Q. Then I defended 22 on the last hand and check-folded KT8.

Good God. There are only 8 hands of Hold’em and I played half of them, losing half of my stack.

This is my best game… and I’m just hemorrhaging in it.

I was all the way down to 10k or so when I decided to call a raise on the button in O8 in a multi-way pot with AKJ7 double suited. Pretty questionable but it looks like it will go 6-ways and I have a decent high only hand.

Fortunately the flop is T83 giving me the nut flush. It checks to me and I get two callers. Turn is a queen and I am now heads up. A low gets there on the river and my opponent check-calls and somehow I am scooping this pot still (I do have an A7 for low).

Some more good news: registration is closed. I won’t have to fire two bullets today!

5:25 PM: Things have been uneventful. I just wanted to say I’m starting limit Hold’em with 19k. Let’s see if I can avoid getting tortured this time.

5:42 PM: I did it! 24.4k after 8 hands of Hold’em!

Third Break: 18.8k

Betting limits will be 1200/2400 after the break.

166 entrants. 21 cash. ~112 left. Average stack size is ~18.5k. Number of players left could be way off though.

$11.8k up top for 1st place.

BUSTED

Slow, steady drip with basically no hands of note. Just blinding and anteing out and immediately bricking any hand I did play.

I’m short in Razz. There’s a raise and call. I defend A2-K as the bring in with only two cards lower than a ten up. I’m super live.

I catch a 5 on 4th and am now heads up against two medium up cards. If I catch good on 5th, I’m raising to get all in.

But I pair the 2 and the guy fucking knows it. He has three medium cards up now and I’m two streets behind now. Probably. I fold.

My bust hand is bizarro world. I bring it in with a jack up and three people limp.

So I get to see 4th street at no extra charge. They all catch a king or queen. Jesus. I’m in the lead. I’m not far ahead though, so maybe this is a spot to check since I have very few chips and bricking on 5th could be devastating. But I bet.

I got called in two spots.

On 5th street I improve to 86-J35 and I’m facing boards of 6J6 and 4QA. I bet and am all in and I know the 4QA is calling but I’m shocked to see the 6J6 also continue on the big bet street. Unreal.

I make an 8 on 6th by catching a 2 and the J6 improves and the A4 catches a 9. I have the best hand. I just need to dodge…

… the J6 bricks, but the A94 improves to an 85. I have an 86. I need to catch a small card and I do!

But it’s another 2, pairing me, and I’m out with about 50 players left.

Razz is impossible. Poker is hard.

I hate this spot. I’ve already been playing poker for 7 hours today and I don’t typically start cash game sessions this late. But I also don’t really have anything to do tomorrow. I’m not playing the short deck tournament at 1, even though it sounds fun. There’s a T.O.E. (2-7 Triple Draw, Omaha 8, Stud 8) tournament at 5 PM, but I’m not sure how wise it is to lock up my Friday night playing a $350 tournament when going deep would also require me to come back for a Day 2 on Saturday.

I’m on the fence about tomorrow. I’ll probably just play cash games.

For studying purposes:

There is 3200 (two small bets) in antes plus 4500 (five small bets) from the three players involved on 3rd. Two players left on 4th and one big bet on 5th makes the pot 4.5 bigs bets. I’m getting 4.5 to 1 to continue, so I need about 18% equity to call here.

Basically, if he made an 8, I’m smashed. If he has a pair, a king, or a queen, I should call. I can call profitably if he showed me a made jack but not a made ten.

Here’s how bad that 5th street is for me. If I catch a good card, let’s say a 3, I’m 42% to scoop even if he has a made 8. That’s a sick swing there.

Ah well.

I decided to sit in a $40/$80 game, looking to avoid disaster and hoping to smash their faces in. My table is so juicy I have Barry Greenstein sitting at it!

I’m not going to blog hands though. I’m going to give this game my 110% attention.

10:52 PM: This $40/$80 game I’m in is amazing. Barry moved on to the next game and I’ve seen four different players in my current lineup open-limp! That’s something you mostly stop seeing at the $20/$40 level. It’s one thing to see one player at this level do it, but four?!?!

My mind is honestly blown.

I saw one guy open-limp the button and show 88. The next hand he open-raised the cutoff and showed A4.

I don’t even know what that means. He’s playing like 70% of the hands.

I’m admittedly running pretty good. Even after managing to lose with AJ of spades heads up on an A98 two spade flop (JT turned a straight) and QJdd to 98 after a AQJ flop, I’m still up $1400.

Here’s a fun hand: I open cutoff with 77 and the small blind 3-bets.

Flop is 653 with two hearts and that’s definitely a good flop for my hand. I jack her c-bet up and she just calls.

Turn is a queen and I check-back because I have zero interest in bet-calling here and I have to see a river.

River is an ace and she checks to me again. That’s weird. I’d basically be bluffing if I bet here. She’s definitely not going to fold a better hand here. I’m pretty happy to show down for free, so that’s what I do.

She tables QQ!

Sometimes you feel like you won even when you lost.

$40/$80 Final Score: +$1235 in 5.5 hours

Posted in poker | Tagged 2019 LAPC, 7 Card Stud, Commerce casino, gambling, gambling for a living, horse, LAPC, limit hold em, omaha, poker, poker strategy, Poker Tournaments, professional gambling, professional poker, Razz, texas hold em | Leave a Comment »

LAPC – $350 Omaha 8/B (Stack Updates)

January 21, 2019

I’ll be posting stack updates here.

First night in L.A. was decent. Radio Mike and I put in a $20/$40 session together and I won my first hand to draw live at The Coast-to-Coast Challenge but then Radio Mike ruined my chances by opening with A3ss when I had AA and got the 7645x board. Losing that pot put me in the danger zone and I didn’t recover.

Radio Mike went on to beat me in every notable pot we played together and I found myself stuck $1000 at one point but somehow made a late session rally and booked a +$135 for the night.

My most notable pot was when I opened 98 of spades and got heads up against the big blind. He check-raised me on a T92 one spade flop and I raised him on a 4 of spades turn – not because I thought I had the best hand but I thought it would be unlikely for him to 3-bet and since I’m calling turn and river (most of the time), raising the turn allows me to collect an extra big bet when I improve. River was a queen of spades and he donked into me, so I raised it up and got two big bets on the river also, plus my line in the hand had the affect of riling up half the table for some reason.

Cards will be in the air in about 15 minutes. Surprisingly, both Frankenstein and Radio Mike are playing this event with me. I will post stack updates for all three of us here throughout the day and maybe some of my more interesting or notable pots.

Specifics

12,500 starting stack, one re-entry until 5:30 PM, 30 minute levels, with blinds starting at 50/100

Amazingly, Radio Mike is seated on my immediate left. I love it. This is Radio Mike’s second ever Omaha 8 tournament and his first was a freeroll at Palace against a field that almost never plays with four cards in their hand. I’m excited for him! And I get a front row seat for it all!

Our table is currently 6-handed and I don’t recognize anyone else at out table.

Notables in the Field

Ron Ware (WSOP bracelet winner, $655k)

Miami John Cernuto (3x bracelet winner, $5.8M)

James Woods (2x Oscar nominee, $307k)

Shirley Rosario ($537k)

Frankie O’Dell (2x bracelet winner, $2.4M)

2:23 PM: First stupid pot of the tournament:

Two limpers from late position, small blind calls, and I check with AAQJ single suited. No sense in raising since I’m out of position against half the field with a one way hand.

Flop is very good though: AJ9 with two clubs. I bet and only the small blind calls.

Turn is a ten and now my opponent check-raises me. Wtf. Obviously KQ, Q8, and 87 got there and he’s not raising the turn without a straight unless he’s a total dingus, so I just call.

River bricks out and I call again and this guy shows me KQ77 with no clubs in his hand.

To recap, the pot had five small bets in it when he called on the flop and he had four total outs and 25% of them complete a flush. 👍🏻

I’m kind of shellshocked after seeing that flop peel, but God bless him.

First Break

Dark Knight 9500

Radio Mike 12,100

Frankenstein 10,300

Not a great start. I was pretty active the first 15 minutes I played but I’ve played almost no hands the last three levels and my one good board connection fell victim to a nasty reversal.

But our table is really good. The two players on my immediate right are both playing way too loose. One of them hit that straight on me and I just saw the other guy play four hands in a row before the break, calling a raise in three of them, and the only time I saw his cards he has QT87.

So… rough start but lots of potential for good things to happen if the cards will cooperate.

3:38 PM: Spewer on my right opens, I call with A722 suited ace and three of us see a J73 flop. Checks to me and I bet. Both call.

Turn pairs the 3 and the donk on my right bets out. Annoying. I was checking back on that card. I call and other guy folds.

River is a king and I fold to a bet. He flashes a 3 and then a king.

Solid. I go from good chance of scooping to having to fold on the river. Another solid reversal.

The four guys on my right are playing almost every hand and I have half the starting stack somehow.

Injustice tilt. Entitlement tilt.

Check. Check.

4:28 PM: Double suited aces with a king and an 8 in my big blind. I check after two limpers.

Flop is AK5 rainbow and I raise after the small blind bets. Limper calls and so does SB.

2 on turn. Sigh. No waiting. I check-call the limper and do so again on an 8 river and he has 6543 which means he drilled his only scoop card. Dude calls two bets cold on the flop in this dinky pot and he’s not even drawing to the nut low.

Sheesh.

This is dumb. Down to 4600 with a 600 big blind. There is one re-entry until 5:30 PM though and I’ll probably fire a second bullet if I bust in the next hour.

It would be hard to imagine getting a better table draw than this one.

4:48 PM: The blaster on my right is busted and I have a third of the chips I started with. Seems likely. I have 5.5 big blinds and 40 minutes left to re-enter.

Second Break

Dark Knight BUSTED

Radio Mike 9500

Frankenstein BUSTED

I couldn’t find a good hand to go with when I had 5.5 bigs, so I ended up betting flop and turn with top pair and a flush draw in a 3-way pot but the river brought in a running flush and the limper bet and the small blind called, so I folded with less than a big bet behind (and zero chance to win the pot) and sure enough he had the flush.

Then I got all in on the last hand before registration closed with QJ42 suited queen from my small blind in a 5-way pot and I made the third nuts and that was good for a trip to the registration window for a last second re-entry.

Sitting with a fresh 12.5k to start the 500/1000 blind level. $350 for 12.5 bigs and 6 big bets. Lol.

5:32 PM: Comical. I went from maybe the best table in the tournament to the worst. Frankie O’Dell, Ron Ware, and Barbara Enright are all at my table. Plus, 3 of the other 4 guys have the superficial appearance of being competent.

5:43 PM:

Radio Mike BUSTED

5:55 PM: Poker is fun. Multiple limpers and I have A2T8 suited ace in the small blind.

Flop is QJ9 two tone and I start with a check and it goes bet and two calls back to me. Kind of funky. I don’t love it, but I do have the AT redraw for backup. I call.

Turn is a 6 that opens up a second flush draw. It checks around.

River is a 7 that doesn’t complete a flush. It seems like I have the nuts here. I bet, two players fold, and the button raises me.

What.

The.

Fuck.

Not sure how this guy can ever have the nuts here. Calling the flop is weird enough, but checking back the turn when everyone has checked to you? How?

The problem is… I’m kind of buying it. What else can he raise here? The same hand I have. At worst. You’d think.

I call and he does have KT.

I don’t get it. Maybe this is some advanced level tournament chip conservation strategy I’m not savvy to yet. Two flush draws on board? Can’t value bet a straight with no low draw possible when the whole field checks to you.

I don’t know. Pretty annoying though.

6:09 PM: Oh my! Button opens and I look down at AA32 with a suit in the small blind. I raise. He calls.

Flop is QQT. I bet and he calls. I have less than two big bets left and I’m pretty sure this is it for me.

Turn is an 8. I bet and…

…he folds!

Trust me. We did not want a call there.

6:17 PM: Woah. Huge turn of events. I went from under the gun at my lethal table but it broke and I got moved back to the exact same seat I started the tournament in – and I’m in the cutoff.

Sick.

Peaking at 18.5k and I got three splashers on my right again.

Third Break

Dark Knight 24k

66 left. 24 cash. Average is 35k. Work to do.

7:45 PM: Peaking! Down to a little over four bigs so I 3-bet the AK93 with a suited king and get two callers. They both call again on T54 with one diamond (my suit). Turn is an 8 of diamonds and they both call my micro bet. River is the queen of diamonds giving me the second nuts both ways and that’s good for a scooper!

Just won another pot after that.

Sitting on 60k all the sudden. I’m above average for the first time all tournament.

50 players left.

Fourth Break

64k coming back to 5000 big blind. I’m still slightly above average with players left.

I need to finish top 14 to get a positive ROI on my two bullets.

$13k up top.

9:27 PM: I open AKK6 double suited and it folds to Mark Gregorich’s (O8 legend, $1.8M in cashes) big blind. He goes all in for a little less than three bigs. I call.

He shows AA37. He has me crushed. Bigger pair, better low possibility, and has one of my suits covered. I need spades or a king.

Board: Q84ss8sJh

Woah.

I scoop and bust the best player left in the tournament.

Peaking at 107k with 27 left.

10:10 PM: Rebate! I’ve been on a slight drip since making the money. 21 left now. Still haven’t made money.

10:22 PM: Someone opens and I 3-bet AAT9 with a suit. I get a Q87 rainbow with one of my suits and get a check-call. Decent flop for me. Hard to get scooped. Turn pairs the queen and puts a second club on board (I have spades). My opponent check-calls again. River is the 6 of clubs and he donks out. I have just over one big bet left so I’m not folding. I did make a straight on that card, but backdoor clubs got there.

I call and he shows AKK2 with clubs.

Crippled.

I had 3000 left after the hand and that’s good for 3/8 of a big blind. I get that in with ATT3 double suited and quadruple up with that. Then I fold to my big blind and get my last 12k in without looking and have AK75 double suited against KK88. I make two pair and double up.

Currently sitting on break with a measly three big blinds, but that’s better than 3/8 of a big blind! There are 20 players left and I am guaranteed $580, which is still a $120 loss.

It would be a pretty epic story if I somehow turned less than half a blind into a big score.

Stay tuned.

10:47 PM: Folds to cutoff and he opens. I look down at AKJ9 with a suit. I have 2.5 bigs. I’d prefer to have some low possibilities but I think I have to go for it here. I stick it in and unfortunately run into AAxx. I make two pair but that doesn’t do much good against top set. I bust 18th for $580 (a small loss), but at least I got some Mix Game Player of the Series points.

Not looking to hop in a live game right now but if Radio Mike wants to keep playing I may go donk around in something small until he’s ready.

$350 Triple Stud (Stud, Stud 8, and Razz) tomorrow at 1 PM.

Posted in poker | Tagged Commerce casino, gambling, gambling for a living, LAPC, LAPC 2019, omaha, poker, poker strategy, Poker Tournaments, professional gambling, professional poker | Leave a Comment »

WSOPc $400 HORSE @ The Bike – LET’S GET A RANG (Stack Updates)

December 5, 2018

2:41 PM: Ubering to The Bike right now with an ETA of 3:02 PM, so I’ll be just in time for a slightly late start.

Yesterday that $400 Monster Stack had a brutal $70 admin fee. 17.5% taken out is always lovely. It is the same today.

Looks like we will be starting with 15k in chips and blinds at an odd 50/75 for the flop games and 25 ante for the Stud games. Betting limits will be 75/150 in the first level and levels are 30 minutes long.

This is supposed to be a two day event and we are playing up to 20 levels today, but the structure sheet only has 14 listed levels so maybe it is really a single day tournament. 20 levels would take us to about 2 AM tonight. Not really sure what to expect as far as that goes. If we reach a final table at 11 PM, I would definitely not want to come back the next day to play it.

Of course I have to get there first.

There is unlimited re-entry through the first 12 levels and, unlike yesterday, I will be firing multiple bullets if I’m unlucky enough to bust early in a limit structure.

I will post stack updates here, for sure, and maybe the occasional notable hand, but I want to focus more on my table than on writing, so don’t expect many hands, but check back for progress updates!

3:09 PM: Everyone standing in line with me to register is at my starting table, including two ladies that have 50% of each other (as heard as they were standing in line). One of them is Carol Fuchs, an accomplished mixed games player with over $520k in lifetime tournament cashes. I’ve played HORSE with Carol before.

I actually recognize a lot of the players in this field. Other notables: Miami John Cernuto, Allen Kessler, Frankie O’Dell, and Wendy Freedman – all with over a million in tourney cashes. Plus Wayne ‘Kevin’ LaMonica, a total maniac that took 2nd in the $1500 HORSE when I finished 5th at the 2017 WSOP. Also, one of the players from the 30/60 mix just sat down in the field.

My starting table seems reg heavy, but so does the whole field really.

3:47 PM: I mention that I’m not supposed to recognize half the field when I come from out of state and Carol asks me where I’m from and I say, “Washington.”

She says, “you don’t say…” and I realize I have been trolled because…

UW vs #1 Gonzaga in Spokane at 8 PM (Pacific) tonight on ESPN. My boys are 15.5 point DAWGS so not a lot of hope here but still… a very exciting game for my alma mater tonight.

5:00 PM: Just above starting stack after four levels and coming back to betting limits of 250/500.

I won a good multi-way Stud pot and scooped a heads up pot, blind vs blind, in O8 with AQ83 on Q72J8.

That’s pretty much the extent of my excitement so far.

7:10 PM: 26.5k after 8 levels coming back to betting limits of 600/1200.

Most notable hand last four levels: Stud Hi, guy on my right completes with a 6 up and I raise with A4-4 with two clubs and all my cards live. This clears the rest of the field.

He is pretty early so I think he is more likely to have a big pair in the hole than split sixes and the fact I have an ace is a big factor here.

So when he pairs his 6 on 4th and puts a 1000 chip in the pot, I put a 500 chip in to call. Technically he can bet 1000 here because he has an open pair on 4th but he didn’t say anything and I’m guessing a single over-sized chip defers to the normal limit. The dealer gives him change and he starts to protest but quickly realizes he has no argument and we got to 5th street…

…where I catch a 4 and make trips. He still bets and while I do think I’m leading here a lot against two pair, I decide that I’m going to call down unimproved and save a couple bets when he actually does have trips.

I do brick out and he fires 5th, 6th, and on 7th he bets without even looking at his card. Eek. I never improve but I call and I’m good against KK66x.

9:21 PM: It looked like I was going to fizzle right out of this thing but the last two levels were a heat stroke for me.

57k after 12 levels. Registration will be closed after this break. We are coming back to betting limits of 1500/3000.

11 PM: 76k after 15 levels coming back to 3000/6000 betting limits.

Board says there are 30 players left. I think it said 12 cash with $9600 up top for 1st. Average stack is 48.5k.

Frankie O’dell is at my table now. It’s my first time I’ve ever played with him.

Here are some highlights:

“I’m on the Mount Rushmore of that shit.” – in reference to Omaha 8 or better.

“People don’t go five bets with me, bro.” – after he gets in a cut off vs big blind raising war holding AA33 and busts a short stack that had QQ32.

Hopefully there is more to come.

12:05 AM: There is no better feeling than the swift death. I came back from break and played the first three hands of Omaha. And lost all of them. Just like that I went from 76k to 43.5k and was suddenly below average for the first time in many levels. Maybe ever.

Then I defended in Stud 8 with 54-2 and caught an ace on 4th but my board ran out 254 while he was showing xx-6K6K on 6th.

That hand left me crippled and with three small bets left, I got it in with 75-A in Stud 8, got three callers, caught a jack on 4th and got isolated by a guy with 75-63 and he immediately drilled the 4 on 5th.

That busted me in 22nd, ten spots off the money.

It’s the best. Playing all day and busting just shy of the money. I love it.

That’s it for me tonight and since I can’t play a day 2 in the Omaha 8 tournament, I will not be winning a WSOPc ring this trip.

Most likely I will be playing cash all day tomorrow then flying back on Friday in time for the (hopefully) resurrection of the 15/30 game at Palace at 4 PM.

Posted in poker | Tagged 7 Card Stud, gambling, gambling for a living, horse, limit hold em, omaha, poker, poker strategy, Poker Tournaments, professional gambling, professional poker, Razz, The bicycle casino, world series of poker, WSOPc | Leave a Comment »

PLO @ The Palace (11/28/18)

November 29, 2018

I’ve come to the decision to stop live blogging my PLO sessions. Interesting situations just don’t come up often enough. Most hands are pretty cut and dry. There’s a preflop raise and then there’s a flop bet and the hand is over.

Last night was a prime example of why I quit writing during PLO sessions. The game lasted a whopping 3.5 hours and I only played three pots that I thought worthy of jotting down.

I’m surprised the game broke so early in the night considering it started out full and strong enough. Starting lineup featured Part-Time, Charlie Hustle, Twinkie, Lee Markholt, one other PLO regular, and three randoms… plus a list.

Later in the night, Kate Hoang made an appearance in the game. That’s notable because we suddenly had a combined 11 World Series of Poker final tables in the game – and that’s just the ones I know about: Lee has 6, Kate has 3, and I have 2. I’m not positive about this, but I’m guessing that’s a Palace record for a single game.

Anyways, here are the only interesting hands I played on Wednesday:

Lee limps in, I make it $20 with AKQ3 single suited, a regular calls and so does Lee. I’m not stoked about isolating Lee with this hand, but it’s definitely a hand I’m trying to play with a suited ace and I don’t really think I should be limping it.

Flop is A64 rainbow, I bet $35 and only the regular calls.

Turn is a ten and my opponent is pretty sticky. My hand isn’t all that great, but I do have a gutshot to the nuts, so I go ahead and take a free card.

The river is a jack, giving me the nuts, and he checks again. There’s like $130 in the pot and he doesn’t seem strong at all, so I bet $25, hoping to either get paid off by a weak hand or maybe even induce a raise. He just calls though and I win the pot.

Yes, that was one of the three most interesting hands I played all night.

This is the very next hand and I open to $15 with KQJ5 double suited, there’s a call, and the regular from the last hand is on the button and quickly makes it $60. My hand doesn’t qualify for Tommy Angelo’s Waiting for Straighters strategy, but I decide to call anyway because I didn’t read that article until after I got home. The other player calls as well.

Flop is QJ7 with two diamonds which are not one of my suits. I do have a backdoor flush draw though. I also have top two. I’m honestly not sure what my plan is when I check on the flop. The player in between donks out for the full pot of $185 and the regular on the button folds. I have to admit I was pretty lost here. I think I had about $625 behind and I believe he had me covered. I suspected I probably didn’t have any fold equity and it was pretty brutal not having any diamonds in my hand, but I did have a king for a straight blocker at least. Holding top two, it was pretty unlikely I was up against one of the big sets and I saw this player check-min-raise with middle set earlier, so I felt like I probably had the best hand. The question was, did I want to play a $1400+ pot with a naked top two on a super wet board? Honestly… not really. I tanked for quite a long time, but ultimately I decided I had to go with and made it $485, leaving myself with around $140 behind. I’m still not sure about it, but apparently it was the right decision at this exact moment because something really unexpected happened: he folded.

This is a 3-bet pot to $60 preflop and I have double suited KKJ5 in the small blind. Five of us see the flop so there is $300 in the middle when the A42 with two clubs board rolls off. The ace of clubs is on board, so I have the nut flush draw here. I’m in the worst position and I’m deep with some of the remaining players, so I start by checking, the next player pots for $300 and Kate goes all-in for around $225. It folds back to me. The other player has around $100 behind, so this is just a math problem. I tanked for some time at the table trying to figure it out.

There was $300 in the middle before the flop and the flop action added another $525. It costs me $300 to continue in a pot of $825, but technically, if I’m going to continue with the hand, I’m going to put the other player all-in since I’m never folding on the turn, so my actual pot odds are $400 to win $925, or roughly 2.3 to 1. That means I need to win around 30% of the time to break even here. For the sake of simplicity – especially at the table – I use the method of multiplying the number of outs I have on the flop by four to determine how often I improve my hand. This isn’t exact, but it’s close enough. For example, if I have nine outs to a flush, I’m going to improve to a flush by the river roughly (9×4) 36% of the time. That would make this a clear call. Unfortunately, things aren’t that clear. It’s probably safe to assume that I don’t have the best made hand at the moment. The real questions are, how live are my set outs and how likely is it that at least one of my opponents has a flush draw? Since neither of these players 4-bet before the flop, I think it’s safe to assume a set of aces is not out there. I’ve never seen Kate play PLO so I don’t really know what her range looks like, but I think the other player can show up with the small sets here and maybe even a straight. He seems loose enough to put $60 in preflop with those hands. If I had to guess what I’m up against exactly though, I would guess someone usually has aces up and someone has a flush draw, possibly with a little extra equity. If that’s true, my kings are live, but I could be missing up to three flush outs. That would give me around eight outs twice and a roughly 32% chance of improving to a set of kings or a flush by the river. Add in the fact that I’m going to backdoor a straight some percentage of the time and I think I’m supposed to call here, but it’s very close. If a straight and a flush draw are out, it’s arguably a fold, but my backdoor Broadway and full house draws make it pretty close.

In the moment, I decided that I needed to improve and that I was almost certainly missing flush outs and thought I might not be getting the right price, so I folded. The board ran out with two clubs that didn’t pair the board and Kate won with a jack high flush holding JT86. I never got to see what the other player had.

I would love to see someone actually figure this spot out, but now I’m guessing it’s probably a call – and not just because I got there.

That would have been a nice $925 extra to cash out at the end of the night, but for a 3.5 hour session, I wasn’t mad about finishing at +$527 considering I had very few favorable situations and no big confrontations.

My current plan is to combine both PLO sessions on Wednesday and Thursday into one post, but I’m not optimistic the game is going to go tonight so I’m just going to go ahead and publish now. There are currently three names on the list and I heard one of those players say he was going to Muckleshoot tonight. Plus the PLO game hasn’t gone for the last three Thursdays. I thought it was a stretch to try and spread this game twice a week and my intuition looks spot on. It definitely hasn’t helped that The Crypt Keeper has been in Vietnam for the last several weeks, especially since a couple of his friends also stopped showing up when he left. I think PLO can flourish spreading it once a week, but starts to get spread thin if you try to do it more than that. Lakewood just doesn’t have the player pool for it and while the game has drawn in a decent amount of outside players, I don’t think there is enough interest to spread it multiple days a week.

Just look at the 15/30 game. It started off super strong, going once a week on Mondays, then we started expanding it to the point where it was running almost every day… and now it has reached a point where it is reliably running zero times a week. It is dead. With that said, there was discussion with The Man last night about trying to revive it, with the plan of spreading it on Friday nights starting at 4 PM. That makes a lot of sense to me. I think it would do well there as a once a week game.

It’s looking like this will be the fourth straight Thursday that the PLO game doesn’t run, so I might need to find a new option for this night of the week. I can’t really justify waiting around until 6 PM to see if the game is going to go or not. I think Thursday nights are usually good at Fortune, but I also might opt to stay home and play online… what I’m going to try not to do is play 8/16 when I know I really don’t want to.

Note: Just to be clear, I’m still going to blog about my PLO sessions, I’m just not going to do it while I’m playing like I do with Hold’em. I will take notes and write about it later like I have been doing for the past couple of weeks.

Posted in poker | Tagged gambling, gambling for a living, omaha, palace poker room, poker, poker strategy, pot limit omaha, professional gambling, professional poker | Leave a Comment »

$160 Big O @ Chinook Winds (Stack Updates)

October 25, 2018

First Big O tournament of my life. I’m excited! It should be fun and different. I will be surprised if I only fire one bullet in this thing. The $600 NL bounty is still open for 1.75 more hours so there’s some chance if I bust quickly in this I will hop in that.

Starting stacks are 12k with 30 minute levels and blinds starting at 25/50.

I have never cashed a tournament at Chinook Winds so it would be cool to break that streak sometime this trip.

With my phone records dating back to August of 2014, Chinook Winds is my 4th worse location and bricking every tournament here would make it my all-time worst. Only places I’ve lost more money at during that span are Commerce, Tulalip, and Aria.

Commerce is my worst during that stretch which is crazy considering I have a $5000+ cash there. Yikes.

1:00 PM: Cards are in the air!

1:55 PM: I see a flop of J65ss with AsQsJ92 with 5500 in the middle already and a player all in. I bet 3500 and one player on the side calls.

Turn is the ten of spades, giving me the nut flush and I still have the nut low draw. I go all in for 6800 and my remaining opponent tanks for a bit before calling it off with…

AQT32 with no spades. Lol. What a torch.

River is a 4 and he escapes with a quarter of the pot. Other player busts.

Up to 19k.

2:33 PM: Last hand before break:

Open to 425 at 75/150 with AK442 double suited and torcher from last hand is my only caller.

Flop is 854 rainbow and I bet 1k and he calls again.

Turn is a king that completes the badugi on board and he folds when I bet 3k.

That puts me at 22k during first break.

3:24 PM: Pretty sick one here:

I look down at AA83 and only sweat the suit of my fifth card. It is a diamond, which gives me a suited ace and weak hearts. There is an open to 600 at 100/200 and I make it 2250 and I still haven’t looked at my last card. He calls, leaving himself with over 12k behind.

Flop is J44 rainbow and he checks to me. I bet 4k and he jams on me. Uh. Guess I better look at that last card.

It’s the 4 of diamonds. Wow. I snap.

He has AAK73.

The turn is a king for a minor sweat, but I fill up with an 8 on the river to scoop the pot.

It really makes me wonder what I would have done if I didn’t look down at a 4. I would probably be inclined to put him on a 4 or jacks full. But before looking, my initial thought was that I probably have to go with it anyway so I think I wind up calling. But what a sick Sarge* card!

*Sarge card is a term coined after a famous PNW local Omaha player that routinely doesn’t look at his last card until he absolutely has to. In this case, I had a premium hand w/out even looking at my fifth card so it didn’t affect any of my decisions until I got jammed on.

I have just under 50k now. Next biggest stack at my table is 23k.

4:02 PM: Eek. 3-bet with AT532 double suited to 3k and big blind and original raiser call.

Flop is J64 rainbow and they both go all in in front of me; one for 9k and the other for 9600. Easy call here.

Board runs out J6479 and my opponents’ hands are A6442 and AK852, so I end up getting 1/6 of the pot while the guy with the worst equity on the flop gets 2/3.

Just got to second break with 51.8k and paid $80 for another 10k, so I will be over 60k coming back to 300/600 blinds.

4:35 PM: Last hand before the break is worth mentioning. There are two limpers at 200/400 and the button pots it for 2200 and she has less than 1500 behind, so when I look down at AJT32 I make it 5000 to isolate and see all five board cards, but the second limper ends up calling!

We check it down on 852QQ and he shows… 86542, which blew my mind. I got half of the whole pot with the nut low and the all in had a queen for half of the main pot.

But wow at that call. 🤯

5:03 PM: Registration is closed.

154 entrants

74 add-ons

~84 left

$26,656 prize pool

27k avg stack

I have 84.6k

Not sure how many cash, as the prizes haven’t been posted yet.

5:17 PM: I lead 2k from small blind on AQ7cc flop with AQ852 and a torcher calls

Turn pairs the queen and I bet the full pot. He snap calls again.

River is the 8 of clubs. I put him all in and he calls with KJ532.

They are trying to punt hard in this thing.

6:09 PM: Third break: 82.7k

Twinkie is busted.

7:05 PM: I bet 6000 on the flop with AKQT9 double suited on a flop of K92 with two clubs, giving me top two, the nut flush draw and a gut shot. The lone limper in the hand calls and the other blind jams for 11,800, leaving me with an option to call only, so that’s what I do. Other guy tries to jam but is told he can only call.

Turn is an ace and since I’m never folding here and the other guy only has about 30k left, I go ahead and lead pot, putting him all in, because if he folds here I will be happy about it.

He tanks forever and does fold.

The all in has a set of deuces and a low draw but the river pairs the 9, giving me a boat and a monster scooper!

Sick thing is if I sized slightly less on the flop this lot would have been 60k bigger.

Short while later, I end up getting all in 3-ways on 864 with AT973 vs A7544 and A883x…. and the board runs out ten and jack and I get 3/4 of another monster pot.

114.7k

48 players are left and average stack is 47.5k. $6864 up top for 1st and 18 players will cash.

7:53 PM: 121k on dinner break. 42 left. 54.3k is average.

9:13 PM: Yuck. I just got switched from a soft table where I had a dominating chip lead to a table where I’m third in chips and have the only WSOP bracelet winner in the building on my direct left.

Chip lead at my table has like 350k! 😮

I have 127.5k with 33 left. Average stack is 69k.

9:29 PM: Busted someone. 178.5k with 25 players left.

TORMUND SIGHTING!

9:47 PM: 20 players left with 18 cashing and someone just folded AQ532 with a suited ace to an open because “I’m not going out in 19th or 20th.”

10:08 PM: We are hand-for-hand now and the floor gets done saying that anyone that gets up and watches another table gets a one round penalty and as soon as the first hand is done two players at another table get up to spectate and are given a one round penalty. 😂

10:39 PM: Cashed it! 17 players left. Everyone gets at least $350.

11:32 PM: Busted someone. 12 left. 161k. Average is 215k. GTD $498.

11:45 PM: Peaking at 221k with 11 left.

11:53 PM: Stacked another player. My AQ932 double suited makes a wheel vs his AAQJ9 double suited.

Peaking at 312k with 9 left.

12:14 AM: It’s official! I have final tabled the first Big O tournament I’ve ever played!

Peaking at 330k and GTD at least $914 now and get this gem:

Looks like I’m tied for 3rd in chips. Unfortunately I have the chip leader (and best player as far as I can tell) on my immediate left.

Note: I’m slightly above average with 16 bigs, but the stacks smaller than me all have between 8 and 12 bigs, so it’s not like I’m at a big advantage right now. I could easily be the next player out.

12:33 AM: I don’t blame the staff for having a tip box by the payouts but… I imagine most players did the $10 dealer appreciation (6.25% of the initial buy-in) plus they are taking out an additional 3% for the staff from the prize pool.

That means that if no one leaves an extra dollar, the staff will be well compensated anyway… more so than your typical big field tourney staff.

1:10 AM: Players are busting in SICK fashion. There are 5 left. I am second shortest. $1716 GTD now.

1:25 AM: Sick double. I defend a min-raise with Q5532 with spades and three of us see the Q83 two spade flop. I only have 135k so I jam it in with my two pair, queen high flush, and bad low draw. I get called by a player with A64 with nut spades, so I’m in pretty rough shape but somehow the board runs out A and 4 and I scoop with a wheel.

So sick!

Just busted another player when my AQ762 makes queens up and nut low to crack his AAxxx hand.

We are currently looking at ICM chop and I have the most chips at the moment.

Nope. Game on!

I could have locked up $4900 if everyone agreed there, but someone decided to play.

4th is currently $2290.

1:43 AM: ICM chopping 3-ways and I have the chip lead. I’m taking $4999 for my efforts today.

We reassembled my piece of cheese game changer, but I can assure you I did not have four spades in my hand!

Leggo!

Posted in poker | Tagged big o, gambling, gambling for a living, omaha, poker, poker strategy, Poker Tournaments, pot limit omaha, professional gambling, professional poker | 2 Comments »

$160 Omaha 8/B @ Chinook Winds in Lincoln City, Oregon (Stack Updates)

October 24, 2018

Cards will be in the air at noon. $160 gets you a 12k starting stack, with blinds starting at 25/50 and 30 minute levels. They are guaranteeing a $15,000 prize pool, so they need 94 entrants to avoid an overlay and this event has no re-entry. Looks like 100 have already registered though.

Twinkie drove down here with me, so he’s playing this event today. I’m sure there will be a couple others I recognize.

I was welcomed by a sore throat this morning so looks like I’m developing a cold just in time for me to kick off this series.

👍🏻

I will be posting stack updates here and maybe some hands here and there if they are interesting enough.

Leggo.

12:02 PM: First hand is notable because on a final board of Q6294 and four hearts on the board, a player check-raises the river with a naked two pair. Uh. He got scooped. I’m honestly not sure if he did it on purpose or not. TBD…

12:16 PM: Solomon Grundy sighting!

Oh man. Guy on my right is a motormouth. He hasn’t stopped talking for 20 straight minutes and he keeps looking at me for interaction. He’s a nice, happy dude just trying to have fun playing the great game of poker, but… I can’t handle all that.

Headphones going in.

Just saw QQxx vs 88xx on Q98Q8 and the river only went two bets. What in the world?

And now that I have my headphones in dude on my right is touching me when he’s talking.

Please make it stop.

12:32 PM: This is brutal. This guy literally just introduced himself, mentioned my headphones and basically said, as politely and non-passive aggressively as possible, that he “talks a lot” and that my headphones aren’t going to save me.

12:45 PM: And now he found a commonality. He asked where I’m from and I said Bremerton and then he asked me about Chips Casino, which is basically where I started my path toward playing poker full-time. Then he mentions Palace in Lakewood and that he helped run it in 2012, and that Big Daddy used to work for him, and that he’s responsible for getting Freddie’s closed and starting High Hands in Pierce County.

So now we actually have something to talk about.

Wonderful.

Gosh dammit.

12:53 PM: Things have been going well so far, so I have little to complain about, but here’s my first annoying runout:

I raise a bunch of limpers with A42x with a suited ace (haven’t looked at my last card) on the button and bet the Q87ss flop when I flop the nut flush draw and nut low draw with backup. I get three callers on the flop.

The turn is a jack and I decide to keep firing because I don’t think I’m likely to get check-raised and I don’t mind continuing to build the pot with my draw. Plus, I might have a pair! I only get one caller now.

River is an offsuit king and I can tell he’s prepared to call the river, so I look down hoping to see a ten, as any one pair hand is probably too weak to value bet here, but I have a 7 and check back.

He wins with KK96ss.

Looks like a pretty good flop for his hand, yeah? How about no?

1:14 PM: Radio Mike just messaged me saying he hopes the guy on my right and I both make deep runs to the final table “connected at the hip like Siamese twins.”

What a jerk.

1:31 PM: First Break:

Dark Knight 12.2k

Twinkie 12.275k

1:53 PM: Here’s a spot that I think should be standard but I’m sure a lot of people routinely botch:

There are some limpers and I check Q977 in the big blind.

Flop is 762 with two clubs. I have top set. The small blind checks, I check, and it checks around.

The turn is the 8 of clubs. The small blind bets and I fold.

Good riddance.

2:05 PM: Guy on my right is embarrassing me now. There’s a discussion going on with the dealer about poker players being optimistic.

Dealer: Of course poker players are optimistic; you all think you are going to win this tournament.

Guy on my right: None of us think we are going to win this tournament.

Guy on my right: You know who’s going to win this tournament? This guy (points to me). He’s the best player at this table and I could tell that after 45 seconds.

Me: Uhhh….

Guy on my right: I’ll tell you this much: I’d swap 10% of me for 5% of you (and he has more chips). That’s how confident I am about that.

Me: Uhm.

I mean, that’s nice of him and all, but it is embarrassing. I don’t want that kind of attention and it’s a little disrespectful to the other players at the table.

3:18 PM: No super interesting hands these last three levels but I suppose it was slightly profitable for me.

Stacks at second break:

Dark Knight 14.5k

Twinkie 15.9k

Solomon Grundy 7.5k

Also, there has been a Flexxx sighting, I don’t know his stack size.

3:28 PM: Cool thing about playing in Lincoln City is that this is what your breaks can look like:

3:48 PM: What the hell is going on here?

Two limps, I complete with K652 double suited from the small, big blind checks.

Flop is K63 all hearts, I check, the other blind bets, and the limpers both call. My hand looks like it has potential, but all of it is super marginal and the pot is pretty small, so I fold.

Turn pairs the 6 and now I’m wishing I had my hand back. The big blind still bets, which is kind of weird, there’s a call and the next player raises. Now the big blind 3-bets, the middle player calls, and the other guy is all in for just under three big bets.

I have no clue what’s going on.

River is a queen and it goes bet and call.

Before the big blind turns over his hand, I say, “wow, I had K6 here.”

Big blind rolls 33xx, next guy rolls Q6xx, and the last guy has KKxx.

Holy shit! What a sick connection. And how credible does my hand sound after everyone shows? Lol.

4:14 PM: Open cutoff with AKJT double suited, hoping to just steal the blinds. The small blind calls and the big blind 3-bets, leaving himself with one small bet behind. No sense in 4-betting it since the small is clearly not folding, so I call and then the small blind 4-bets! Well, this got ugly real fast. Now the big is all in and I’ve been stair-stepped into a 4-bet pot with a hand that is barely worth one bet. I call again.

Flop is 533 with two clubs. Small blind leads out, the big is already all in and neither of my suits are clubs, so I just fold?

Sigh.

The small blind ends up showing 6432 which is a little weird and the big blind was on a total punt with KQJ4. Turn is a 6 and that ends the hand but it does cost me 2400 in chips in rather bizarre fashion.

4:21 PM: Mercy! My table broke and I no longer have the chatterbox on my direct right. I can now listen to music in peace and mind my own business.

I do have Flexxx at my new table though.

4:43 PM: 3-bets four ways before the flop and I have A862 with a suited ace and I get a pretty good flop for the situation with the board coming J86 rainbow, giving me the but low draw, bottom two, and the backdoor nut flush draw. The big blind donks, the original PFR folds, I raise, the small blind calls two bets cold, and the big flats.

Turn is a queen and they both check to me. I have less than two big bets left and I’m not sure I have the best high hand here, so I check back.

River comes a fucking ace. So now my low is nonexistent, plus clubs backdoored (not my suit). The small blind leads out, the big folds, and it feels like a pretty easy fold, but I start looking at the size of the pot and reluctantly toss out the call. He has A632 and my high is good.

Sigh. Seems like a good result but I lost half the pot on the river.

Then a series of suited A2xx and A34x hands got scooped and I was left with crumbs.

I make it 1600 from the small after one limp with AAQT, leaving myself with 75 behind. The big blind and limper both call.

The flop is an absolutely beautiful AJJ but the limper goes runner runner for a low with QJ32 and I have to settle for half of the main pot.

That leaves me with 2500 on third break and I will be coming back to a stack of 2.5 big blinds on the button.

5:11 PM:

Dark Knight 2500

Twinkie 24.8k

Flexxx 30k+

Solomon Grundy 15k

I will be all in sometime this next orbit.

5:45 PM: And I’m out. My all in gets scooped because someone had to limp the J532 from middle position and got the A33 flop.

Looks like 152 entered and I managed to bust in the first 33% so pretty good read from that dude calling my shot to win the tournament.

My health is less than 80% and likely to get worse, so I’m going to head back to my AirBnB and watch the World Series (and probably fall asleep) for a little bit. Maybe I’ll go play some live later if I’m feeling better.

Twinkie is still in with 21.4k. I’ll post his status if he sends me updates.

Solomon Grundy busted just before me and Flexxx was healthy at my table when I left.

6:50 PM: Twinkie sitting on 38k at dinner Break with less than 80 players left.

Posted in poker | Tagged Chinook Winds, gambling, gambling for a living, Lincoln City, omaha, Omaha 8 or better, Omaha hi-lo split, poker, poker strategy, Poker Tournaments, professional gambling, professional poker | 1 Comment »

Muck Fall Classic – $200 Omaha 8/Better (Live Blog)

September 27, 2018

Cards in the air. Updates here.

Vitals: 10k starting stacks, blinds currently at 75/150 in L3, levels are 30 minutes.

I recognize all but one player at my table. Two of them are nitty Palace O8 regs, one is a Palace floor, and the rest I’ve just seen around. I would probably rate my starting table as below average. I would prefer to play the early levels against a bunch of loose players.

I’m not really planning to post every little hand I play, but I will definitely at least post stack updates on the breaks.

Notables: Flipper, Blackjack, Muck dealer 😀, KIRBY PUCKETT (!), local legend Adam Coates, and three Palace employees

No Flexxx, no Bill W, no Tormund, no Joker.

Wtf?

No Sandman? No Fanboy?

11:49 AM: Fun chop spot. I raise limpers with AA63 double suited and have to chop with a middle position limp of K992ddd after a flop of T52 with two clubs. CLUBS. I mean, not that it matters, but what in the actual fuck?

POKER IS ALIVE!

11:56 AM: Player on my right just got his hand killed because he was on his phone and told me afterwards that it’s because he was reading my blog. That is the ultimate.

12:00 PM: Riddler in the field now. I have 12k on first break. I’ve been by far the most active and aggressive player at my table so far and my stack has fluctuated quite a lot. I’ve increased it by 20% but I feel like I have run below average over the first four levels. The AA63 vs K992 on T52 is a good example of a spot I should always be scooping and instead I’m bet-calling the turn and needing to escape for half.

Absurd.

In other news, I forgot to mention last night but The Man has decided to spread the PLO game at Palace on Thursdays at 6 PM as well. My goodness I hope that becomes a thing. Playing in that game two days a week would be HUGE. My results in that game in the 1.5 years it has been spread are so good they can’t possibly be real and yet… here we are.

12:25 PM: Blinds are now 200/400 and it feels like a good level to start exploiting my table’s overall nittiness by ramping up the aggression.

1:22 PM: 18.3k on second break. Some good things definitely happened those last two levels.

Registration is now closed so I’ll post prize pool and entrant numbers when they are available.

2:09 PM: Table change. Somehow I know zero players at my new table by name and I only recognize one of them. My last table was pretty tight and lame, so this should be better by default.

2 of 3 Palace dealers BUSTED

Blackjack BUSTED

Flipper All In

Remaining Palace Dealer 6k

Riddler All In

Kirby Puckett 8k

😀 8k

Sandman in the field

2:21 PM:

Adam Coats 20k

Riddler 3400

Flipper BUSTED

Sandman BUSTED

Dark Knight 21.6k

Peaking after opening button with AAsKs5s and getting called down by small blind on QsTs24J.

2:39 PM: 18.1k on third break coming back to what I imagine will be 600/1200 blinds.

3:01 PM:

Riddler BUSTED

140 entrants. ~61 left. Average stack is 23k.

1st is $4700.

Total prize pool is $22.4k. Total rake is $5600, or 20%.

3:06 PM: I just had a little rush of good hands where I opened four times in a row and got to showdown every time… for a net profit of exactly 0 chips.

👍🏻

3:12 PM: Just heard a story about a player checking back river with A234 on 24954 and then saying after the hand that he didn’t want to bust his opponent.

No worries.

But touching your phone while the dealer is pitching cards? PENALTY!

3:22 PM: Yay. The slow dwindle… down to 12.4k starting 800/1600 blinds.

3:29 PM: Gift shop is open.

Two limpers. I raise AA54 with clubs on button and 5 of us see K64cc flop. I get one check-caller and he puts me all in (for ~2.5 big bets) on the 8c turn with… KQc2c2.

KQ22.

Wow.

Very next hand, I open the cutoff with A986 double suited and the big blind calls flop and river (after turn checks through) on a board of AK338 with QJJ2.

QJJ2.

Amazing.

Just won another pot with AAQ2 double suited. Heater is on.

49.6k

3:41 PM: More heat. I have Ad73d2 on a final board of AT6dKd7d against another 32 (that leads river!) and QJ. So bets go in on every street and everyone puts two big bets in on the river and I get 3/4 of it all.

Palace Dealer 23k

Kirby Puckett 12k

Adam Coats 25k

Dark Knight 56.8k

47 left.

3:59 PM: Table change. Down to 45 players. 21 spots pay. Three players from original table are at this one. 👎🏻

4:17 PM: 🔥🔥🔥

84.3k

4:20 PM:

Kirby Puckett BUSTED

😀 BUSTED

4:31 PM: Open cut with A4cc76hh and get scooped by small blind on T85cc2T runout with bets going in on every street. He fires turn and river wirh AK32. So sick.

63.5k

5:00 PM: I got scooped in a large blind vs blind pot where I have AK64 vs KJJ2 on J85K8 and then I won a 3-bet pot with a c-bet and after all that smoke I head to dinner break with… 63.5k. Same as my last update.

33 left. Average stack is 42.4k.

Cards back in the air in 66 minutes!

5:34 PM: Ugh. I don’t expect most readers to understand coding, but for some reason my blog is formatting every time I press return to create a space as a new bullet point in a list. I noticed this when I checked the blog in my browser. It’s pretty tilting for me. So tilting, I logged on to the WordPress site via my browser and manually deleted every single list code. There were LOTS of them. And then I updated and they were gone.

And now they are back.

So… I guess this is just how it’s going to be today.

🤷🏻‍♂️

5:48 PM: Interesting note about the prize pool: once we are in the money every single place has a money bump.

They are only $25 and $50 bumps until 8 left, but still… pretty interesting.

6:07 PM: Back in business. 28 players left, officially.

6:14 PM: Brutal, brutal hand. I might have to blog it later, but I have 30k now.

Ugh. Here it is. I defend SB open in Big with KJ75 and call a bet on JT4.

Turn is a 5 and he checks to me… and raises. Huh? That’s super weird, but I call.

River is a 2. So the lows all got there and so did backdoor spades. He bets and I go into a long tank and eventually decide I can’t possibly be good for any of it here. I fold.

He shows AA63 (no spades).

Then I lost another blind vs blind spot on the next hand.

Then I opened JJ54 on button and gave up after the flop and checked down on AT53T vs an Ax hand.

Can I not have a total collapse on the bubble, please?

Is that too much to ask?

6:47 PM: So. Much. Pain.

Defend Ac3cTh6h and get a flop of Q64cc.

I get scooped.

Down to 16.5k at 2000/4000 and 24 left.

Aiming for max pain here.

6:55 PM: All in with A743 double suited on Q73ss against KTs5s2. He check-raises the third player out and gives me a huge chance to double. Unfortunately the river is the 8 of spades and I have to split with this hand for some reason.

7:08 PM: Chipped up a tiny bit and then doubled!

53k

A little below average with 23 left.

7:19 PM: I am not going to lose money in this poker tournament today. I have snuck my way into the money. 21 left now. I am a bit below average still. Locked up $350 so far!

Time to spin it up!

Adam Coats and one of the Palace dealers also in the money. The Palace dealer plays in the PLO game at Palace sometimes so maybe I should give him a name but I haven’t had a stroke of genius yet.

7:34 PM: There are a couple limps and I call SB with AJT9 badugi and the big checks.

Flop is KQ6 with two spades. I have a wrap and the ace of spades in my hand so I lead and only the big calls.

Turn is a 3 and he calls again.

River pairs the 6 and I fire 10k, leaving myself with 3k behind…

and…

….he folds!

So close to punting my way out of here.

17 left.

8:17 PM: No love. Let the blinds go through me a few times before finally finding a hand I can open: AKK4 with a nut suit. I get three callers and wind up check-folding the A97 flop.

On another break. I’m down to 24k, blinds are going up to 4k/8k, and there are 13 left.

Danger! Need some run good. Soon.

8:32 PM: Busted in 13th for $650. Blind vs blind. My AJT4 one nut suit gets scooped by 9554.

Riiiiigght.

Palace dealer has 130k or so with 11 left. Adam Coats with like 150k.

Not gonna stick around. I’m in contact with the dealer from Palace so maybe he’ll keep me updated.

Oh well. Player of the Series points! $10k up top for that now.

Update: Adam Coats chops it heads up I hear. Palace dealer finishes in 9th.

I am planning to do zero blogging tomorrow and any blogging I will do during the Main is going to be stack updates on breaks only.

Focus.

Posted in poker | Tagged gambling, gambling for a living, omaha, poker, poker strategy, professional gambling, professional poker | Leave a Comment »

Muckleshoot $20/$40 Omaha 8 (Live Blog)

September 1, 2018

3:32 PM: Not sure if this is going to happen or not. Last time I was here Bill W told me they try to start this game at 3 PM every Saturday and he’s not even here right now.

Big Daddy is going around trying to get the game off the ground short-handed, but one of the players is trying to block the game start.

In all likelihood, if this doesn’t go, I’ll head to Fortune to play 20/40.

3:42 PM: Today was Cold Shower Challenge Day #4. Yesterday felt a little cheap also because we went on a 7+ mile hike to the top of Tolmie Peak near Mt. Rainier and it was freezing at the top and I wanted to soak in a hot bath when I got home… and then I took a cold shower. It was easier than usual.

Today I spent the most time under cold water yet. It’s a good way to be jolted awake but I’m still not finding any joy in the process and I still can’t stand under the stream for the whole duration… but I’m plugging along.

So yes… yesterday’s hike:

And some pics:

3:55 PM: Still waiting for O8 to start and to get into the 1/3 spread game.

After hiking last night, I tried to take a nap after showering but it wasn’t happening. I gave up and headed to the Palace and got in an 8/16 game at 9:30 PM.

I had what felt like my first ever successful 4/8 O8 warmup at Palace and then spent most of the night running like garbage in 8/16 until it got 4-handed and all my opponents decided they wanted to play 20/40 Overs with me and I climbed all the way back to even and then some, finishing with a +$165 for the day.

That closed out August of 2018, which ended up being my fourth best month of the year after a strong finish this past week. It was my fourth month of +$5000 or better this year but it was also the first month I played more 8/16 than 15/30. Ick. Speaking of which, the 15/30 didn’t go last night… on a Friday. Not good. But when you factor in PLO and 20/40, I still spent the majority of my live hours in bigger games.

September marks tournament season again. Next week I’ll be playing in 2-3 events in the South Sound Championship at Little Creek. The Muckleshoot Fall Classic is the last two weekends of September. I’ll be missing the first few events because we will still be on our New Orleans-Houston-Dallas vacation but I’ll be playing all the rest. Then there’s the Fall Poker Classic at Chinook Winds in Lincoln City, Oregon the last week of October. I’ll be playing the last few events of that series but I haven’t even looked into booking a place to stay yet so there’s still some potential for flakiness there.

4:17 PM: Just sat down in the 1/3 NL game with $300 and another $500 in my pocket.

4:31 PM: 20/40 O8 has cards in the air finally. I played less than one orbit in the NL game and it was eventful. I won a decent pot with AJ in my big blind and then I really tried to take my lone opponent to value town with QQ on a 99793 board by betting $10, $25 and then $100 on the river but he folded.

Then I raised one limper to $12 with the K7ss from the cutoff and the button, small blind, and limper call.

The flop is 764 with one spade and two clubs. The small blind jams for $38, I call, and so does the button.

The turn is the 8 of spades. I check and the button bets $100. That’s a bit less than 2/3 pot and I decide to call with over $200 behind.

River bricks and I check-fold to multiple green chips.

All in shows 53 of clubs and button has A5 of spades. Nice dodge.

Finish that micro-session at -$39.

4:55 PM: 20/40 O8 started 8-handed. There are two players I don’t know but recognize from last time, two players I don’t know at all, Bill W, a low limit player I know from Palace, and the higher stakes guy that plays PLO at Palace… time for a nickname!

I gave my good friend the nickname The Crypt Keeper because he is into crypto currencies… but he basically never plays poker and this dude is way more deserving of being The Crypt Keeper because they have the same haircut:

Not my first nickname transfer and it won’t be my last.

5:05 PM: Bill W is on the button with the kill and checks when it folds to him. I have AJ33 with no suits in the small blind and decide to just call.

Three of us see the K72 rainbow flop and I bet out. The low stakes Palace player calls from the big blind and Bill W folds.

Turn pairs the king and I bet out, expecting the big blind to fold all of his naked low draws and a decent amount of his 7s and 2s with little low backup. He calls though.

River is a queen and I think it’s close between checking and betting. I think he can fold a 7 here and maybe even pairs bigger than 7s and smaller than Qs, but I also might be “bluffing” with the best hand. I decide to bet and he rather reluctantly calls me which is hilarious because he turns over the AQ83… so he snap-calls $60 on the turn in this tiny pot hoping to win half with the nut low draw, but when he makes a big pair and the low bricks, he’s suddenly hesitant to put chips in. That’s a pretty solid understanding of Omaha 8 or better right there. 👍🏻

Oh. If it wasn’t clear, I got scooped.

5:26 PM: Limp UTG with A652 and bad spades. I think one other limps behind and it’s four of us to the 755 two club one heart flop. I bet and the small blind check-calls.

Turn is the ten of hearts. I bet and he check-calls.

River is the 9 of hearts. I consider checking back because this is one of those spots where my hand seems strong but there probably isn’t a lot of value in betting. However, I don’t know my opponent at all and I can only assume he’s terrible and since my hand is reasonably strong I bet it and he calls with… AQJJ with the AJ of hearts… for a flush.

5:32 PM: Limp along in a kill pot on the button with AQ88 double suited. Not a good hand but I think good things can happen and it should be easy to navigate with.

Flop is JT7 with two clubs and one spade. It checks to Bill W in the cutoff and he bets. I have three nut outs, three nines that might be good, and a backdoor flush draw. I’m not sure what my best play is here. It seems like I have a decent amount going for me, but I only have three nut cards and even that hand is vulnerable to flush redraws, my 9 might make KQ a straight and my backdoor flush draw is to the third nuts. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s best to fold here but I call.

Four of us see the turn and it’s a red 9. Bill W stays in the lead and I debate raising here but I’m not sure how great that is. I settle on call and the other two players fold.

River is a red low card and now Bill W checks. I bet and he folds QJJ4 with clubs face up.

6:48 PM: This is going great. The last hour has been filled with multiple premium hands and basically zero pieces of a pot.

A couple of the more comical ones:

I opened the AQ52 with spades and got the Q83 with one spade flop… and got scooped.

Just now I was able to limp from the small blind with AAQd9d and got the AdKd8 flop. I don’t expect to scoop very often after this flop, but it does seem like I should have the high pretty much locked up. I have top set and the nut flush draw and the premium low draws can’t make a straight to beat me.

The turn is a seven. I bet and they both call.

River is a jack and it feels safe to bet my high still, so I do, and I get called and then raised. We both call. The guy on my left has the low and the other dude… QTJ6. He doesn’t have any flush draws, not that it matters much. His hand is worthless after the turn. I honestly can’t even comprehend it. But here he is… helping scoop me.

I am now sitting on a little over $1100 after starting with $1700+.

The good news is… I’m still playing poker with that guy.

7:12 PM: Bill W opens from the cut off and I 3-bet the button with AJT5 with A5 of diamonds. That’s an important distinction because…

The flop is 632 with the 32 of diamonds. He check-calls me.

Turn is a 4 and he check-calls.

River is the 4 of diamonds and he check-calls and I have the pleasure of saying, “I have the nut high and the nut low.”

Bill W raises the next three hands in a row also and I 3-bet him every time.

First one he scoops me with TT64.

The second one he says, “what you think I’m raising light?” And then we chop on AK866 when I have AJ63 and he has K975 badugi. 👀

The next hand I 3-bet AAQ6 with nut diamonds and this time we get multiple hitchhikers.

Flop is J62 with one diamond. It checks to the button and he bets. Everyone calls. I would fold here without the backdoor flush draw.

Turn is the 8 of diamonds and the first player leads out. I’m only drawing to half but it’s to the nuts and this pot is huge. I call and so does everyone else.

River is a queen and The Crypt Keeper leads again, Bill W calls and since it’s obvious The Crypt Keeper is low, I think calling here with Q6 is reasonable so I do but Bill W has QJ8x in his hand for bigger two pair.

Very next hand I open under the gun with AAT4 and nut spades and get lots of action again because I’m sure my image is super splashy now.

Flop is 844 with two hearts. I lead, someone raises, and I 3-bet. 70 players call. Maybe I shouldn’t be playing offense so aggressively. It’s not like I’m not vulnerable to lows and flushes here, plus I’m blocking my own full house draws by having two aces in my hand.

Turn is the 7 of clubs, so I check and now the Palace reg bets and a few of us call.

River king and same action. Seems like he has A2 and he does… but he also has 65 for a straight and I get scooped again.

Pretty fun stretch. Taking a break now and checking out the new taco truck in the non-smoking section.

7:47 PM: Just realized it might not be clear who I named The Crypt Keeper… it’s the higher stakes dude that plays PLO at Palace and the bigger games at Muck. I’ve also seen him play 15/30 at Palace a few times. He’s definitely distinct and frequent enough at this point that he’s deserving of a nickname.

8:52 PM: I scooped the first hand I had when I came back from my break but I’ve been ice cold since then.

I just had the pleasure of having it folded to me in the cutoff in a kill pot while holding the AA55 with one suit. I jack it up and both blinds call.

Flop is T32 and I get quartered by AQ75 because… I’m running pretty good tonight.

9:09 PM: I raise one limper with AQJ4 and nut hearts, both blinds, and the limper call.

Flop is QQ8 rainbow. Small blind donks, big calls, limper folds and I call, planning to raise the turn.

Turn is a 7 and now it checks to me. Well damn. I bet and they both call.

River is a 3 and I bet and they both call again.

I scoop! I didn’t maximize but I’m happy to scoop a damn pot.

10:03 PM: Took another break and as I’m coming back they call a seat for…

SANDMAN!

I post behind the button, Bill W limps, Sandman raises, and I 3-bet with A532 double suited. Sandman caps and it’s the three of us to the flop.

It’s very, very good for me: J99. Bill W donks and Sandman calls. I do have one of each of my suit and while Bill W can have full houses or 9s here, Sandman probably doesn’t. I decide to take a card off.

Turn is the jack of spades, double pairing the board and giving me a micro flush draw. Bill W checks now and Sandman bets. That’s kind of weird. I’m not really sure what to do here. Pot is huge but it’s not hard for Sandman to have both a jack and a better flush draw. Not sure about it but I folded and so did Bill W.

10:28 PM: Sigh. This is fun. Limpers in front of me in kill pot and I call with AKKT with nut diamonds. The kill raises his option and six of us go to the flop for two bets.

Board comes QT9 rainbow and with two blockers to the nuts, a gut shot, and a backdoor nut flush draw, I go ahead and stab at this high card board with my high card hand and everybody folds except the small blind.

Turn is the king of clubs, putting another flush draw on board, giving me top set, but making a lot of straights for any holding with a jack in it. He leads out and I call.

River is the 2 of clubs, completing a running flush and giving me a free showdown vs his AJ62.

To recap, I whittle the field down to one opponent on the flop and he has two total outs to beat me and if he hits it on the turn I have a 10-our redraw to scoop him.

What. The. Hell.

Currently down over $800 and sort of in disbelief.

10:55 PM: Can’t even run good when I run good. I have 6332 with hearts and spades in a raised multiway kill pot on A74h-5h and have to split with Bill W’s AhThJ3 when the river is the 4h. Goddamn.

11:24 PM: It’s all bad. After losing back-to-back big pots – one to the 8652 powerhouse cold-calling next to act after I raise – I open in a kill with A652 and get the 877 flop. Someone donks into me and I raise and then hopelessly barrel off when the board runs out 877KJ. I table my hand and he makes the whole table look at it for 30 seconds like “what’s he got?” before turning over A72x. I thought it was a good flop for me but he flopped a monster. I’m sure if he had the A652 and me the A72x the board would have run out 877K9.

I started with $1800. I have less than $400 now.

11:36 PM: Reloaded $1500. I’m in this game $3300 now. 👍🏻

11:44 PM: In an ironic twist, my buddy I used to refer to as The Crypt Keeper just showed up at Muckleshoot to play some poker. I told him I stripped him of his nickname and gave it to someone else and he asked me what I was calling him now and I said, “I dunno… a non-playing housewife?”

12:29 AM: Limpers, Sandman raises, I cold call with 5432 one suit, other callers.

Checks to me on T43 rainbow and next player raises. Two players call and I 3-bet. They all call.

Turn pairs the 3. I bet and only the flop raiser calls.

Can the low ever brick here so I can scoop a damn pot? No. No it cannot. Not only does it not brick, but it comes with a 2, so I don’t even have a low. I check and he checks back.

This dude raised me on the T43 rainbow flop in a 6-way raised pot with… AK95.

But I’m getting crushed in this game. 🤷🏻‍♂️

12:47 AM: Bill W cashing out heaps. One of the fishies just colored up and is probably leaving soon. I’m starting to get tired and the game is deteriorating. Probably will be calling to soon.

1:25 AM: A bad player cashed out and the worst player was felted and MIA. I was bout to leave… and then that player sat back down with $2000. Ugh. Pretty close to being out of here but I’m curious to see how splashy these chips are going to be. We are 7-handed now and I’ve gone ice cold.

1:30 AM: I don’t get it. I open button with A882 with diamonds. Both blinds call.

Flop is JT2 rainbow with one diamond. I bet and only the big calls. Not a good flop for me at all, but that’s beside the point.

The board runs out JT238. I checked the turn but I obviously bet the river. He calls me on the flop and river with K754.

My brain can’t compute any of it.

1:42 AM: Raise one dipshit limper with AQ83 double suited from the small blind and double barrel 965ssK board with both players calling. I have second nut low draw and nut flush draw, so of course I get popped on the turn and the river is a red ten.

Totally over it. This will be my last orbit.

1:57 AM: Great times.

Final Score: -$1976

The most I’ve EVER lost in a limit Omaha 8 game. Wonderful start to the new month.

I won’t be action again until Wednesday.

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