The Grand Slam of Poker

2 cashes in 4 days.

2006-09-28T15:42:00.000-04:00

Short blog. I haven't posted one in a while. Won $40 finishing 5th playing $5 Pot Limit Holdem Tournament and another $8.60 playin $5 HORSE. Haven't cashed in a while so It's nice to get 2 under my belt in a short timespan. Playing really well. For the week I'm up like $120 so not shabby. Cashed some out so now I'm playing the profits only. Took $100 off the table so my $70 deposit + $30 extra and I still have plenty of dough to play around with. My goal is to build a $500 roll by the end of the year. Wish me luck.

2006-09-05T12:44:00.001-04:00

High Stakes Poker

OUCH!!

$1 MTT Strategy Part 4

2006-07-29T21:31:00.001-04:00

We've entered the final table. Now just 9 players are left all contesting the first place money. Here's a breakdown of the structure.

1st place wins $95
2nd place $60
3rd place $45
9th place $8

Huge difference between finishing 9th and 1st. Really the big dollars interest me the most. I don't want to finish in 6th-9th. 5th is at least $25. Therefore I'm not going to open my aggression again until we get short-handed. Here I've played with every player on previous tables with the exception of Donovon whom I've never played with yet. I don't know how he plays. Here's how the table lineup looks.

Seat 1: dollarmtn (46,759)
Seat 2: ytownst (31,514)
Seat 3: Donovon1677 (37,428)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (20,084)
Seat 5: tardawduke (129,895)
Seat 6: CottonPatch (62,795)
Seat 7: gitana333 (26,034)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (142,029)
Seat 9: toollman (71,962)

I'm going to copy Rule of Quarters Razz here. Remember how I spoke of gambling with Skins and Spider. How I didn't want to rumble with Katokat and Bruinwoud without hands. Same applies here and multiplied. That was limit and I didn't want to go hard. This is No Limit and suppose I get involved in the first deal with Tard and double him up. I go all the way from a very comfortable 142,000 all the way down to 12,000. I'm almost sure I go broke in 9th place unless I either pick up a rush or just fold every single hand. I want this victory, so I'm going to play for first place, but not be stupid.

Prime example the first deal.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609511392: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 1200/2400 Ante 300 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:29:12 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: dollarmtn (46,759)
Seat 2: ytownst (31,514)
Seat 3: Donovon1677 (37,428)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (20,084)
Seat 5: tardawduke (129,895)
Seat 6: CottonPatch (62,795)
Seat 7: gitana333 (26,034)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (142,029)
Seat 9: toollman (71,962)
dollarmtn antes 300
ytownst antes 300
Donovon1677 antes 300
Jayel316 antes 300
tardawduke antes 300
CottonPatch antes 300
gitana333 antes 300
Bender2006 antes 300
toollman antes 300
ytownst posts the small blind of 1,200
Donovon1677 posts the big blind of 2,400
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Kc Ac]
Jayel316 folds
tardawduke calls 2,400
Bender2006: congrats everyone and best of luck
CottonPatch folds
CottonPatch is feeling happy
neb44 (Observer): Ya made it Jay!
gitana333 folds
Bender2006 raises to 10,000(Ace King suited is an extremely strong hand. I make a raise. Anyone but tard goes in over the top I call instantly. Tard comes in and I think hard about it. Even toollman I'd give some action too.
toollman folds
gitana333: ty
dollarmtn folds
gitana333: u2
ytownst folds
ytownst: hey bender u dog
Bender2006: sup
ytownst: wtg
dollarmtn: GL all
Donovon1677 has 15 seconds left to act
Donovon1677 calls 7,600
tardawduke calls 7,600(Two callers, not exactly what I want to see)
hotrodlincoln (Observer): way to go pop
*** FLOP *** [Qc 5c 7h]
Jayel316: gl
dollarmtn: wish me luck neb
Donovon1677 checks
CottonPatch: ty
tardawduke: ty
ytownst is feeling normal
hotrodlincoln (Observer): gl
tardawduke checks
Bender2006 checks(I elect to check here. I could lead out, but it opens the possibility of a check-raise. I want to just take off a freecard. I want to hit a club, maybe an ace or a king. I would feel much more comfortable since I make the absolute nuts.)
*** TURN *** [Qc 5c 7h] [7d]
neb44 (Observer): GO$$$$......
gitana333: tard is still being a nuisance i see lol
Donovon1677 checks
clasielady (Observer): hang in there babe
dollarmtn: :)
neb44 (Observer): remember if you sit they will come
tardawduke bets 33,900
Bender2006 folds(I really can't call here. If the board didn't pair, and I felt that any club, ace, or king would result in a win for me it would still be a close call. Since I could already be drawing dead and It's a large bet I fold)
neb44 (Observer): Im the bald guy right in back of your
Donovon1677 folds
Uncalled bet of 33,900 returned to tardawduke
tardawduke mucks
tardawduke wins the pot (33,900)
Bender2006: AKs
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 33,900 | Rake 0
Board: [Qc 5c 7h 7d]
Seat 1: dollarmtn (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 2: ytownst (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 3: Donovon1677 (big blind) folded on the Turn
Seat 4: Jayel316 folded before the Flop
Seat 5: tardawduke collected (33,900), mucked
Seat 6: CottonPatch folded before the Flop
Seat 7: gitana333 folded before the Flop
Seat 8: Bender2006 folded on the Turn
Seat 9: toollman folded before the Flop

Here I decide not to get involved. Even though I could potentially break tard on this hand, I can't get involved. I don't know where I stand here. I won't play a huge pot against Tard without a giant hand. I may have the best hand, but Tard could have a 7. Suppose that a club flush would guarntee me the pot, I'm not getting enough odds to call it. Gotta lay it down and wait for a better spot. Tard becomes the new chip leader.

2 hands later.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609517454: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 1200/2400 Ante 300 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:31:40 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: dollarmtn (46,159)
Seat 2: ytownst (29,714)
Seat 3: Donovon1677 (25,628)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (17,084)
Seat 5: tardawduke (159,495)
Seat 6: CottonPatch (62,195)
Seat 7: gitana333 (25,434)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (131,429)
Seat 9: toollman (71,362)
dollarmtn antes 300
ytownst antes 300
Donovon1677 antes 300
Jayel316 antes 300
tardawduke antes 300
CottonPatch antes 300
gitana333 antes 300
Bender2006 antes 300
toollman antes 300
Jayel316 posts the small blind of 1,200
tardawduke posts the big blind of 2,400
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Ad Td]
ytownst: cost u still around
gitana333: great in between two dogs things are looking sideways
gitana333: lol
CottonPatch calls 2,400
gitana333 folds
Bender2006 calls 2,400 (I elect to just limp and see a flop, ATs is a good hand, but I don't want to get overly involved. I want to see a flop, hopefully make a nice hand, and take down a decent pot)
toollman folds
dollarmtn folds
ytownst folds
Donovon1677 folds
Jayel316 calls 1,200
tardawduke checks
neb44 (Observer): lol
*** FLOP *** [Ac 3s Qc]
Jayel316 checks
tardawduke checks
neb44 (Observer): dogs rule on this table
CottonPatch bets 12,300(I think cotton is making a play on this pot. I make him for Ace Small)
Bender2006 raises to 128,729, and is all in(I elect to put in a very big raise. I don't think Jayel or tard has a hand that's really going to contest an all in. Remember how I said that you shouldn't play big pots without big hands, the reverse happens too. If you become the aggressor, they won't play at you without big hands. tard limped in, so I doubt he had AT beat from the get go.)
Jayel316 folds
tardawduke folds
ytownst: get in the water lol
gitana333: acction
gitana333: lol
ytownst is feeling happy
CottonPatch has 15 seconds left to act(I think I've got the best hand. If he had a set or AQ, he would be in the pot right now, He either has a flush draw or a small ace)
CottonPatch calls 47,195, and is all in
Bender2006 shows [Ad Td]
CottonPatch shows [Ks Kc](Yes!!! He's drawing to 2 outs and I'm a 90% favorite)
Uncalled bet of 69,234 returned to Bender2006
*** TURN *** [Ac 3s Qc] [6c]
gitana333: oh no
*** RIVER *** [Ac 3s Qc 6c] [Js]
Bender2006 shows a pair of Aces
CottonPatch shows a pair of Kings
Bender2006 wins the pot (131,290) with a pair of Aces
CottonPatch stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 131,290 | Rake 0
Board: [Ac 3s Qc 6c Js]
Seat 1: dollarmtn folded before the Flop
Seat 2: ytownst folded before the Flop
Seat 3: Donovon1677 (button) folded before the Flop

Here I elect to move in as I highly felt ATs was the best hand. In my mind I think that cotton raises with AJ, AQ, or AK. Certainly AA. In this case he had KK and limped. Depending on the amount of the raise, I may have dropped ATs. I misread Cotton's hand, but by applying maximum pressure he had a very difficult call. It almost looks like a bluff at the pot. Cotton knows I play aggressive. If he calls and he's right he's a big favorite. I take a huge pot and it's 8 players left. CottonPatch becomes the 11th knockout of the tournament. Very good player, just ran unlucky at the worst time. His only mistake is allowing 3 other players into the pot when he had KK. Like I said if he bets it big, he takes a reasonable profit and more importantly stays alive. He is a very good player though and I was lucky to win. I'm now at about 200,000 which is slightly more than a third of all money in play.

The next action hand.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609522039: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 1200/2400 Ante 300 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:33:30 ET - 2006/05/02
CottonPatch (Observer): good luck all. ty
Seat 1: dollarmtn (45,259)
Seat 2: ytownst (28,814)
Seat 3: Donovon1677 (24,728)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (13,784)
Seat 5: tardawduke (154,995)
Seat 7: gitana333 (26,934)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (203,524)
Seat 9: toollman (70,462)
dollarmtn antes 300
ytownst antes 300
Donovon1677 antes 300
Jayel316 antes 300
tardawduke antes 300
gitana333 antes 300
Bender2006 antes 300
toollman antes 300
Bender2006 posts the small blind of 1,200
toollman posts the big blind of 2,400
Bender2006: and I had the best of it
The button is in seat #7
gitana333: yep
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [9s Ac]
dollarmtn folds
Bender2006: gg cotton
Bender2006: played great
ytownst: i gave bender his first double up !!!!!!! :)
gitana333: hard to fold KK there
ytownst raises to 10,800
gitana333: then you have to go
Donovon1677 folds
Jayel316 folds
tardawduke folds
gitana333 folds
Bender2006 raises to 19,200(I try to push ytownst. I pretty much commit him to the pot without risking all my money should toollman wake up with a hand. It's just enough to make ytownst pot committed without risking dumping 70k to toollman.
gitana333: look at what you started
toollman folds
gitana333: :)
ytownst calls 8,400(He just calls, but likely will go all in on the flop)
*** FLOP *** [Ts As Kd]
Bender2006 bets 184,024, and is all in(I've spiked an ace and decide to just go in with it. It's only a meager 9,000 more and ytownst is probably going to go all in anyway)
ytownst calls 9,314, and is all in
Bender2006 shows [9s Ac]
ytownst shows [Ks 5s](Got em)
gitana333: ouch
Uncalled bet of 174,710 returned to Bender2006
*** TURN *** [Ts As Kd] [5d](Ouch)
*** RIVER *** [Ts As Kd 5d] [6d]
Bender2006 shows a pair of Aces
ytownst shows two pair, Kings and Fives
ytownst wins the pot (61,828) with two pair, Kings and Fives
neb44 (Observer): wow
Bender2006: there ya go
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 61,828 | Rake 0
Board: [Ts As Kd 5d 6d]
Seat 1: dollarmtn folded before the Flop
Seat 2: ytownst showed [Ks 5s] and won (61,828) with two pair, Kings and Fives
Seat 3: Donovon1677 folded before the Flop
Seat 4: Jayel316 folded before the Flop
Seat 5: tardawduke folded before the Flop
Seat 7: gitana333 (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: Bender2006 (small blind) showed [9s Ac] and lost with a pair of Aces
Seat 9: toollman (big blind) folded before the Flop

This is the first real bad beat I take. I got in ahead with a pair of aces and in order to lose I had to avoid just 5 outs. It's not damaging to my total stack, but it is a setback. ytownst probably should have just raised all his chips and hoped for the best in case a king doesn't come off. You don't want to fold and leave yourself with just 9,000 there. He made a play, I picked up an above average hand and contested but didn't hold.

A couple hands later

Full Tilt Poker Game #609525200: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 1200/2400 Ante 300 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:34:46 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: dollarmtn (42,259)
Seat 2: ytownst (61,528)
Seat 3: Donovon1677 (24,128)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (13,184)
Seat 5: tardawduke (154,395)
Seat 7: gitana333 (26,334)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (172,010)
Seat 9: toollman (74,662)
dollarmtn antes 300
ytownst antes 300
Donovon1677 antes 300
Jayel316 antes 300
tardawduke antes 300
gitana333 antes 300
Bender2006 antes 300
toollman antes 300
gitana333: lmao
dollarmtn posts the small blind of 1,200
ytownst posts the big blind of 2,400
The button is in seat #9
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [As 4h]
Donovon1677 calls 2,400
Jayel316 folds
ytownst: ok i owe u a little .... he he
tardawduke folds
gitana333 folds
Bender2006 calls 2,400(I like limping with ace small. I don't want to go overboard with this hand but certainly fine to try and take a cheap flop)
toollman folds
dollarmtn calls 1,200
gitana333: you can give it to me i'm good for it
Bender2006: lol
ytownst checks
*** FLOP *** [Td 4d Ah](Gin)
gitana333: slam
gitana333: good lop
dollarmtn checks
gitana333: flop
ytownst checks
gitana333: who's got it
gitana333: whos' got 44
Donovon1677 bets 7,200
Bender2006 raises to 30,000(I put in enough to put donovan to the test. I think he's got an ace an will go all the way. I have aces up which is ahead but vulnarable.)
dollarmtn folds
ytownst folds
gitana333: the aggression is just coming out now eh
Donovon1677 has 15 seconds left to act(He has a hard call)
Bender2006: u fold and I will show(I do what I can to entice a call. Since he hasn't called by now I'm sure I'm out in front)
neb44 (Observer): grrrrrrrrrr
gitana333: you don't have nothin
Donovon1677 calls 14,228, and is all in(He calls...reluctantly)
Bender2006 shows [As 4h]
Donovon1677 shows [Ac 8s](This time my read was right)
gitana333: lol
Uncalled bet of 8,572 returned to Bender2006
*** TURN *** [Td 4d Ah] [Qd]
*** RIVER *** [Td 4d Ah Qd] [2d]
Bender2006 shows two pair, Aces and Fours(My hand holds and I get one step closer to winning)
Donovon1677 shows a pair of Aces
Bender2006 wins the pot (54,856) with two pair, Aces and Fours
gitana333: nh
Donovon1677 stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 54,856 | Rake 0
Board: [Td 4d Ah Qd 2d]
Seat 1: dollarmtn (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 2: ytownst (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 3: Donovon1677 showed [Ac 8s] and lost with a pair of Aces
Seat 4: Jayel316 folded before the Flop
Seat 5: tardawduke folded before the Flop
Seat 7: gitana333 folded before the Flop
Seat 8: Bender2006 showed [As 4h] and won (54,856) with two pair, Aces and Fours
Seat 9: toollman (button) folded before the Flop

Here my read was right on Donovan having an ace and going against aces up. Here I caught a very good flop and won for the second time coming from behind. Donovon has no reason to believe his hand isn't any good. I'm playing bully here, and right now I'm the most aggressive player at the table. In most spots with what I would play, his A-8 would be best. He just ran into the wrong cards at the wrong time. I take back what I lost and Donovon leaves in 8th place and is my 12th knockout.

Another nice pot for me.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609532147: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 1200/2400 Ante 300 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:37:32 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: dollarmtn (38,659)
Seat 2: ytownst (56,728)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (8,384)
Seat 5: tardawduke (155,295)
Seat 7: gitana333 (28,434)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (199,438)
Seat 9: toollman (81,562)
dollarmtn antes 300
ytownst antes 300
Jayel316 antes 300
tardawduke antes 300
gitana333 antes 300
Bender2006 antes 300
toollman antes 300
gitana333: are you kidding me
gitana333 posts the small blind of 1,200
Bender2006 posts the big blind of 2,400
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Js 9d]
toollman folds
dollarmtn folds
gitana333: that's just wrong
ytownst raises to 4,800
Bender2006: know too well about that
neb44 (Observer): the smelt it...lol
Jayel316 folds
tardawduke folds
gitana333 folds
Bender2006 calls 2,400(It's a smallish raise and I'm getting enough odds to play)
*** FLOP *** [9c 4d Jh]
Bender2006 checks
ytownst bets 7,200
Bender2006 calls 7,200(I smooth call. Top Two is probably the best hand and I want him to bluff off his money to me if he has a single large pocket pair or just jacks.)
*** TURN *** [9c 4d Jh] [Th]
Bender2006 checks
gitana333: you guys do it to me as well when i have AA in the bb
ytownst checks(He doesn't oblige me)
*** RIVER *** [9c 4d Jh Th] [As]
Bender2006 checks
gitana333: it's all wrong
ytownst bets 27,300(He makes a strong play at this pot, he could have aces up here, maybe a straight or set)
Bender2006 calls 27,300(This is a questionable call, but I decide to make it. Even if all I could beat is a bluff, bluff is possible here)
*** SHOW DOWN ***
ytownst shows [5s Ac] (a pair of Aces)
gitana333: watch out
Bender2006 shows [Js 9d] (two pair, Jacks and Nines)(Phew)
Bender2006 wins the pot (81,900) with two pair, Jacks and Nines
ytownst: nh
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 81,900 | Rake 0
Board: [9c 4d Jh Th As]
Seat 1: dollarmtn folded before the Flop
Seat 2: ytownst showed [5s Ac] and lost with a pair of Aces
Seat 4: Jayel316 folded before the Flop
Seat 5: tardawduke (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 7: gitana333 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: Bender2006 (big blind) showed [Js 9d] and won (81,900) with two pair, Jacks and Nines
Seat 9: toollman folded before the Flop

Here ytownst read me for probably just a pair of jacks or nines, but not 2 pair. He hitting an ace worsened the situation. I played the hand slow the whole way through. I did leave myself vulnerable to aces up or a straight. ytownst played the hand better than I did, even though I had the stronger cards. It was hard enough to call that bet with two pair and if he was bluffing me, he could have gotten me off one pair for sure. Thankfully I had a strong enough hand and take a very nice pot.

Here I dump it all right back

Full Tilt Poker Game #609533809: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 1200/2400 Ante 300 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:38:12 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: dollarmtn (38,359)
Seat 2: ytownst (17,128)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (8,084)
Seat 5: tardawduke (154,995)
Seat 7: gitana333 (26,934)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (241,738)
Seat 9: toollman (81,262)
dollarmtn antes 300
ytownst antes 300
Jayel316 antes 300
tardawduke antes 300
gitana333 antes 300
Bender2006 antes 300
toollman antes 300
Bender2006 posts the small blind of 1,200
toollman posts the big blind of 2,400
The button is in seat #7
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Js Kd]
gitana333: nh
dollarmtn calls 2,400
Bender2006: ty
ytownst folds
Jayel316 folds
tardawduke folds
gitana333 folds
Bender2006 raises to 10,000(I play my very aggressive style. This time I've made 10k my open.)
toollman folds
gitana333: what did you do to the dealer bender
dollarmtn calls 7,600
*** FLOP *** [Qh Kc As]
Bender2006 bets 24,500(Again I put the pressure on, this time with just a gutshot and middle pair)
gitana333: haha
gitana333: not this time
Bender2006: gave him $2
dollarmtn has 15 seconds left to act
dollarmtn: gg all
gitana333: 2 was all it took
dollarmtn raises to 28,059, and is all in(He thinks hard as I've shown big strength thus far in these spots)
Bender2006 calls 3,559
dollarmtn shows [Ah Jc](He had a big enough ace and I'm drawing very thin. 2 kings to win, 4 tens to chop it)
Bender2006 shows [Js Kd]
*** TURN *** [Qh Kc As] [4c]
*** RIVER *** [Qh Kc As 4c] [8s]
ytownst: prob humped his leg
dollarmtn shows a pair of Aces
Bender2006 shows a pair of Kings
dollarmtn wins the pot (80,618) with a pair of Aces
Bender2006: nh
The blinds are now 1,500/3,000 with an ante of 400
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 80,618 | Rake 0
Board: [Qh Kc As 4c 8s]
Seat 1: dollarmtn showed [Ah Jc] and won (80,618) with a pair of Aces
Seat 2: ytownst folded before the Flop
Seat 4: Jayel316 folded before the Flop
Seat 5: tardawduke folded before the Flop
Seat 7: gitana333 (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: Bender2006 (small blind) showed [Js Kd] and lost with a pair of Kings
Seat 9: toollman (big blind) folded before the Flop

I throw a lot of chips to dollarmtn. I played the hand overagressive which may or may not be a bad thing. I don't think many people are going to try and bluff me since I'm going to give them action. However it was a reckless play. This time dollarmtn made a tough call and was right. He may have had just 9-9 so I don't think it was a complete maniac play, but a little on the reckless side.

Here is a desperation play.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609539118: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 1500/3000 Ante 400 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:40:17 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: dollarmtn (73,818)
Seat 2: ytownst (37,856)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (6,984)
Seat 5: tardawduke (137,867)
Seat 7: gitana333 (25,834)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (202,579)
Seat 9: toollman (83,562)
dollarmtn antes 400
ytownst antes 400
Jayel316 antes 400
tardawduke antes 400
gitana333 antes 400
Bender2006 antes 400
toollman antes 400
ytownst posts the small blind of 1,500
Jayel316 posts the big blind of 3,000
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Ts 2d]
ytownst: another ....whew
tardawduke folds
neb44 (Observer): lol
gitana333 calls 3,000
Bender2006 folds
toollman folds
dollarmtn folds
ytownst is feeling confused
neb44 (Observer): livin on the edge
ytownst folds
Jayel316 raises to 6,584, and is all in(Here Jayel has to pick up a reasonable hand and hope for the best. The BB is on him and he has almost no choice but to move in here. Half his money is already there)
gitana333 calls 3,584(Gitana calls a very slight raise gleefully with a pocket pair)
Jayel316 shows [9d Th]
gitana333 shows [2h 2s]
*** FLOP *** [8s Qh Qc]
*** TURN *** [8s Qh Qc] [Ad]
*** RIVER *** [8s Qh Qc Ad] [9c]
Jayel316 shows two pair, Queens and Nines
gitana333 shows two pair, Queens and Twos
Jayel316 wins the pot (17,468) with two pair, Queens and Nines
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 17,468 | Rake 0
Board: [8s Qh Qc Ad 9c]
Seat 1: dollarmtn (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 2: ytownst (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: Jayel316 (big blind) showed [9d Th] and won (17,468) with two pair, Queens and Nines
Seat 5: tardawduke folded before the Flop
Seat 7: gitana333 showed [2h 2s] and lost with two pair, Queens and Twos
Seat 8: Bender2006 folded before the Flop
Seat 9: toollman folded before the Flop

This goes to show how much each pot is really worth with increased blinds and antes. Jayel started with just about 7,000 which puts him with an M of just under 1. He gets in and his cards hold and now he has more than doubled, nearly tripled up. His M is now 2.5. Still very low and desprate but not in critical care.

Here is a clash between both aggressive players. A ton of action here.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609544532: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 1500/3000 Ante 400 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:42:26 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: dollarmtn (84,418)
Seat 2: ytownst (35,156)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (15,168)
Seat 5: tardawduke (127,667)
Seat 7: gitana333 (15,050)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (201,379)
Seat 9: toollman (89,662)
dollarmtn antes 400
ytownst antes 400
Jayel316 antes 400
tardawduke antes 400
gitana333 antes 400
Bender2006 antes 400
toollman antes 400
gitana333 posts the small blind of 1,500
Bender2006 posts the big blind of 3,000
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Kc As]
neb44 (Observer): $$$$$$
toollman raises to 21,000(Toollman has been more aggressive than I have. I'm out of position on him. He's been making a lot of plays on me)
dollarmtn folds
ytownst folds
Jayel316 folds
tardawduke folds
gitana333 folds
Bender2006 raises to 200,979, and is all in(I elect to play back at him. He doesn't necessarily have to have an amazing hand and I feel my AK is probably best here)
toollman calls 68,262, and is all in(Here we go!!)
Bender2006 shows [Kc As]
toollman shows [Kh Ac](And it's the same bloody hand)
dollarmtn: I have me mojo here neb
gitana333: damn
Uncalled bet of 111,717 returned to Bender2006
*** FLOP *** [4s Kd 8h]
gitana333: oh sure
gitana333: flush
*** TURN *** [4s Kd 8h] [9d]
toollman: figures
gitana333: nope
*** RIVER *** [4s Kd 8h 9d] [5d]
Bender2006 shows a pair of Kings
toollman shows a pair of Kings
Bender2006 ties for the pot (91,412) with a pair of Kings
toollman ties for the pot (91,412) with a pair of Kings
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 182,824 | Rake 0
Board: [4s Kd 8h 9d 5d]
Seat 1: dollarmtn folded before the Flop
Seat 2: ytownst folded before the Flop
Seat 4: Jayel316 folded before the Flop
Seat 5: tardawduke (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 7: gitana333 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: Bender2006 (big blind) showed [Kc As] and won (91,412) with a pair of Kings
Seat 9: toollman showed [Kh Ac] and won (91,412) with a pair of Kings

Here I show toollman that I'm going to come back over the top and I don't want him screwing around with me. AK I believed was the best hand and most times it is. Chopping yielded the slightest of profits. However I showed toollman the message that I am capable of coming back over the top of him. Big drama before the flop, but unless a freaky 4 card flush came almost an afterthought.

Jayel Doubles again.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609551700: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 1500/3000 Ante 400 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:45:19 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: dollarmtn (77,518)
Seat 2: ytownst (42,856)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (8,268)
Seat 5: tardawduke (122,267)
Seat 7: gitana333 (11,150)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (215,729)
Seat 9: toollman (90,712)
dollarmtn antes 400
ytownst antes 400
Jayel316 antes 400
tardawduke antes 400
gitana333 antes 400
Bender2006 antes 400
toollman antes 400
tardawduke posts the small blind of 1,500
gitana333 posts the big blind of 3,000
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [5s Td]
tardawduke: 23
Bender2006 folds
gitana333: cry me a river with your stack
ytownst: bought time
toollman raises to 21,000
dollarmtn folds
ytownst folds
Jayel316 calls 7,868, and is all in(Jayel knows how aggressive Toollman has been. He moves in on pocket Jacks)
tardawduke: i eartned it
gitana333: calllllll
tardawduke: earnd
tardawduke has 15 seconds left to act
tardawduke folds
gitana333 folds
toollman shows [Kc Tc]
Jayel316 shows [Js Jd]
Uncalled bet of 13,132 returned to toollman
*** FLOP *** [As Ad 9h]
*** TURN *** [As Ad 9h] [3h]
*** RIVER *** [As Ad 9h 3h] [6c]
gitana333: nh
toollman shows a pair of Aces
Jayel316 shows two pair, Aces and Jacks
Jayel316 wins the pot (23,036) with two pair, Aces and Jacks
ytownst: nh
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 23,036 | Rake 0
Board: [As Ad 9h 3h 6c]
Seat 1: dollarmtn folded before the Flop
Seat 2: ytownst folded before the Flop
Seat 4: Jayel316 (button) showed [Js Jd] and won (23,036) with two pair, Aces and Jacks
Seat 5: tardawduke (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 7: gitana333 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: Bender2006 folded before the Flop
Seat 9: toollman showed [Kc Tc] and lost with a pair of Aces

Jayel doesn't screw around. He knows that his Jacks are likely out in front plus almost has no choice but to play this pot. Everyone is noticing how aggressive toollman has been playing and now that the table has seen that he doesn't always have tier one hands. Here I'm waiting for a big hand and hopefully trap toollman for all his chips. You like to trap the aggressors, not check call, or bluff them.

Here starts the downfall of Tard and the rise of ytownst.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609554624: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 1500/3000 Ante 400 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:46:31 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: dollarmtn (76,718)
Seat 2: ytownst (42,056)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (22,636)
Seat 5: tardawduke (119,967)
Seat 7: gitana333 (5,850)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (219,229)
Seat 9: toollman (82,044)
dollarmtn antes 400
ytownst antes 400
Jayel316 antes 400
tardawduke antes 400
gitana333 antes 400
Bender2006 antes 400
toollman antes 400
Bender2006 posts the small blind of 1,500
toollman posts the big blind of 3,000
The button is in seat #7
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [9h 4h](junk)
Bender2006: i was gonna call an all in
Bender2006: or put u in
dollarmtn calls 3,000
gitana333: welli had 2 4 off lol
ytownst calls 3,000
Jayel316 folds
tardawduke calls 3,000
gitana333 folds
Bender2006 folds
toollman checks
*** FLOP *** [Jd Ah Qc]
toollman checks
dollarmtn checks
ytownst bets 16,300(He is likely representing an ace here. He's put a lot of money into this pot)
tardawduke calls 16,300(calls, this could get interesting)
toollman folds
gitana333: uh oh
dollarmtn folds
*** TURN *** [Jd Ah Qc] [Jh]
gitana333: fireworks
ytownst bets 22,356, and is all in(For sure has an ace, possibly a jack, but most likely an ace)
tardawduke calls 22,356
ytownst shows [As Ts]
tardawduke shows [Kc Qd](This is just too loose a call)
*** RIVER *** [Jd Ah Qc Jh] [Js]
ytownst shows a full house, Jacks full of Aces
tardawduke shows a full house, Jacks full of Queens
ytownst wins the pot (93,612) with a full house, Jacks full of Aces
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 93,612 | Rake 0
Board: [Jd Ah Qc Jh Js]
Seat 1: dollarmtn folded on the Flop
Seat 2: ytownst showed [As Ts] and won (93,612) with a full house, Jacks full of Aces
Seat 4: Jayel316 folded before the Flop
Seat 5: tardawduke showed [Kc Qd] and lost with a full house, Jacks full of Queens
Seat 7: gitana333 (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: Bender2006 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 9: toollman (big blind) folded on the Flop

The call on KQ here is just too loose. KQ doesn't beat much and ytownst hasn't really played that bad. The only time he shown a hand behind so far is where he had K-5 against my A-9 but committed himself to the pot before the flop. He made a play, I caught it but he made the winner anyway. Tard gets too reckless here and thus starts a bad downward spiral. View the very next hand.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609556849: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 1500/3000 Ante 400 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:47:25 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: dollarmtn (73,318)
Seat 2: ytownst (93,612)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (22,236)
Seat 5: tardawduke (77,911)
Seat 7: gitana333 (5,450)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (217,329)
Seat 9: toollman (78,644)
dollarmtn antes 400
ytownst antes 400
Jayel316 antes 400
tardawduke antes 400
gitana333 antes 400
Bender2006 antes 400
toollman antes 400
toollman posts the small blind of 1,500
dollarmtn posts the big blind of 3,000
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Kd 7h]
ytownst raises to 13,300(ytownst pops in a reasonable open. The limits have just been raised)
Jayel316 folds
tardawduke raises to 77,511, and is all in(Pops in a very large and risky all in)
gitana333 folds
Bender2006 folds
toollman folds
Bender2006: wow
gitana333: i swear this seat sucks
dollarmtn folds
ytownst calls 64,211(must have a big hand)
tardawduke shows [4h 4d]
ytownst shows [Kc As](race)
*** FLOP *** [2d 9h 8h]
gitana333: i dont' know how i made it this far the way this tourney went
*** TURN *** [2d 9h 8h] [Ks]
*** RIVER *** [2d 9h 8h Ks] [2h]
tardawduke shows two pair, Fours and Twos
ytownst shows two pair, Kings and Twos
ytownst wins the pot (162,322) with two pair, Kings and Twos
neb44 (Observer): wow
tardawduke stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 162,322 | Rake 0
Board: [2d 9h 8h Ks 2h]
Seat 1: dollarmtn (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 2: ytownst showed [Kc As] and won (162,322) with two pair, Kings and Twos
Seat 4: Jayel316 folded before the Flop
Seat 5: tardawduke showed [4h 4d] and lost with two pair, Fours and Twos
Seat 7: gitana333 folded before the Flop
Seat 8: Bender2006 (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 9: toollman (small blind) folded before the Flop

This goes to show how no lead is ever ever ever safe, and how you're never out of it. Look at it this way. Jayel is at 22,000 from a meager 7000 and is on the rise. 2 hands ago tard was comfortably in second place. He had over 110k in chips and would be close to a lock for the top 3 spots. 2 hands and 2 extremely risky plays later tard is now eliminated in 7th place. You must have aggression but not suicidal aggression. 6 handed.

Jayel finds another hand and moves in again. He's by far the tightest player at this table.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609560912: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 2000/4000 Ante 500 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:49:06 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: dollarmtn (68,018)
Seat 2: ytownst (194,523)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (21,436)
Seat 7: gitana333 (4,650)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (203,529)
Seat 9: toollman (76,344)
dollarmtn antes 500
ytownst antes 500
Jayel316 antes 500
gitana333 antes 500
Bender2006 antes 500
toollman antes 500
ytownst posts the small blind of 2,000
Jayel316 posts the big blind of 4,000
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [8h 2c]
gitana333: that would have been bad
ytownst: gc
Bender2006: A-T
gitana333 folds
Bender2006 folds
toollman folds
dollarmtn folds
ytownst calls 2,000
gitana333: ok dealer i need a bb special next
Jayel316 checks(Elects to just see a flop)
*** FLOP *** [5h Ts 9s]
ytownst bets 11,000
dollarmtn: gl gitana
Jayel316 raises to 16,936, and is all in
gitana333: give me 23 and flop me quads
ytownst calls 5,936
Jayel316 shows [Qc Td](Moved in on top pair here)
ytownst shows [2h Js]
gitana333: ty
gitana333: i'll need it
*** TURN *** [5h Ts 9s] [5d]
*** RIVER *** [5h Ts 9s 5d] [Kd]
Jayel316 shows two pair, Tens and Fives
ytownst shows a pair of Fives
Jayel316 wins the pot (44,872) with two pair, Tens and Fives
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 44,872 | Rake 0
Board: [5h Ts 9s 5d Kd]
Seat 1: dollarmtn (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 2: ytownst (small blind) showed [2h Js] and lost with a pair of Fives
Seat 4: Jayel316 (big blind) showed [Qc Td] and won (44,872) with two pair, Tens and Fives
Seat 7: gitana333 folded before the Flop
Seat 8: Bender2006 folded before the Flop
Seat 9: toollman folded before the Flop

Here Jayel catches ytownst bluffing and doubles again. Pretty much the other 5 of us are looking to crush each other. Jayel has been picking his spots carefully and been the benefactor of an action table. He has come pretty much from the dead and will become a threat if he can get to 100k in chips.

At this point here is the listing of the 6 players left from tightest to most aggressive.

Jayel is the tightest, then Gitana, then dollarmtn, then ytownst, than me, and toollman is the most aggressive.

Jayel collects another pot and is catching his rush.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609562588: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 2000/4000 Ante 500 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:49:48 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: dollarmtn (67,518)
Seat 2: ytownst (173,087)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (44,872)
Seat 7: gitana333 (4,150)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (203,029)
Seat 9: toollman (75,844)
dollarmtn antes 500
ytownst antes 500
Jayel316 antes 500
gitana333 antes 500
Bender2006 antes 500
toollman antes 500
Jayel316 posts the small blind of 2,000
gitana333 posts the big blind of 3,650, and is all in
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Ah 5h]
neb44 (Observer): GO JAY
Bender2006 calls 4,000(here I elect to limp with Ace-x suited. I'm looking to catch a big flop and trap a play for all their money)
toollman folds
gitana333: guess what i have
dollarmtn folds
ytownst folds
Jayel316: go me
neb44 (Observer): 23
Jayel316 calls 2,000
dmbfan41cn (Observer): JJ
*** FLOP *** [4h 2s Th](This is a good flop for me. I've picked up the nut flush draw and a wheel draw)
gitana333: lol
Jayel316 checks
Bender2006 checks(I elect to just check it and see if I make either draw)
*** TURN *** [4h 2s Th] [9c]
dollarmtn: AA
gitana333: nope
Jayel316 checks
Bender2006 checks(I missed, and I want another free card. I also don't want to take Jayel out of the pot if I can't beat gitana, but Jayel could)
*** RIVER *** [4h 2s Th 9c] [Ts]
gitana333: close
Jayel316 checks
Bender2006 checks(My hand is no good)
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Jayel316 shows [9h Ad] (two pair, Tens and Nines)
Bender2006 mucks
Jayel316 wins the side pot (700) with two pair, Tens and Nines
gitana333 shows [As Ks] (a pair of Tens)
Jayel316 wins the main pot (13,950) with two pair, Tens and Nines
gitana333 stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 14,650 Main pot 13,950. Side pot 700. | Rake 0
Board: [4h 2s Th 9c Ts]
Seat 1: dollarmtn folded before the Flop
Seat 2: ytownst (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: Jayel316 (small blind) showed [9h Ad] and won (14,650) with two pair, Tens and Nines
Seat 7: gitana333 (big blind) showed [As Ks] and lost with a pair of Tens
Seat 8: Bender2006 mucked [Ah 5h] - a pair of Tens
Seat 9: toollman folded before the Flop

Here Jayel caught a 9 but didn't bet into me. We both kind of aggreed not to take on each other and rather get to 5 handed. Jayel wins again, continues his rush and is now up to 55,000. He is still the lowest stack of the 5 left, but is moving in the right direction.

Nearly entering the 4th hour of play I get more information on toollman.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609572663: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 2000/4000 Ante 500 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:53:50 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: dollarmtn (45,518)
Seat 2: ytownst (200,087)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (42,022)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (204,029)
Seat 9: toollman (76,844)
dollarmtn antes 500
ytownst antes 500
Jayel316 antes 500
Bender2006 antes 500
toollman antes 500
toollman posts the small blind of 2,000
dollarmtn posts the big blind of 4,000
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Jh 7s]
ytownst folds
Jayel316 folds
Bender2006 calls 4,000
toollman raises to 24,000(He has been opening a lot of pots especially when I limp.)
dollarmtn has 15 seconds left to act
dollarmtn raises to 45,018, and is all in(Dollarmtn is probably sick of it and takes him on)
Bender2006 folds
toollman calls 21,018
dollarmtn shows [9s 9d]
toollman shows [Ah 7d]
*** FLOP *** [Qc 7c Td]
*** TURN *** [Qc 7c Td] [Qh]
*** RIVER *** [Qc 7c Td Qh] [3c]
dollarmtn shows two pair, Queens and Nines
toollman shows two pair, Queens and Sevens
dollarmtn wins the pot (96,536) with two pair, Queens and Nines
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 96,536 | Rake 0
Board: [Qc 7c Td Qh 3c]
Seat 1: dollarmtn (big blind) showed [9s 9d] and won (96,536) with two pair, Queens and Nines
Seat 2: ytownst folded before the Flop
Seat 4: Jayel316 folded before the Flop
Seat 8: Bender2006 (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 9: toollman (small blind) showed [Ah 7d] and lost with two pair, Queens and Sevens

This reinforces that toollman is the most aggressive by far, but can run up against a brick wall. He does not always carry pocket aces. The rest of this table has noticed it. A-7 is nice to open with and likely he was correct to call there to dollar's all in. However we've all picked up that he doesn't necessairly have the goods every hand.

Because of this This hand came up

Full Tilt Poker Game #609576759: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 2000/4000 Ante 500 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:55:27 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: dollarmtn (93,536)
Seat 2: ytownst (201,087)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (36,522)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (207,029)
Seat 9: toollman (30,326)
dollarmtn antes 500
ytownst antes 500
Jayel316 antes 500
Bender2006 antes 500
toollman antes 500
Jayel316 posts the small blind of 2,000
Bender2006 posts the big blind of 4,000
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Qd Ts]
toollman raises to 29,826, and is all in
dollarmtn folds
ytownst folds
Jayel316 folds
Bender2006 calls 25,826(I call here for 2 reasons, I don't think I'm very very far behind, and I still have a lot of chips if I don't win. It's my chance to knock him out before he becomes a big threat again)
toollman shows [7h As]
Bender2006 shows [Qd Ts](It turns out I have two live cards and I'm not that far behind in the hand)
*** FLOP *** [Ad Ah 9c]
*** TURN *** [Ad Ah 9c] [8c]
Bender2006: lol
*** RIVER *** [Ad Ah 9c 8c] [Ac]
toollman shows four of a kind, Aces
Bender2006 shows three of a kind, Aces
toollman wins the pot (64,152) with four of a kind, Aces
Bender2006: jesus
ytownst: vnh
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 64,152 | Rake 0
Board: [Ad Ah 9c 8c Ac]
Seat 1: dollarmtn folded before the Flop
Seat 2: ytownst (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: Jayel316 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: Bender2006 (big blind) showed [Qd Ts] and lost with three of a kind, Aces
Seat 9: toollman showed [7h As] and won (64,152) with four of a kind, Aces

Toollman made quads. Nothing I could do here, this is just mercy of the deck. I can play looser vs. toollman. I don't know Id call say Jayel in the same spot with those cards. I didn't get in bad, but quad aces sting a little.
He also moved all in the next 3 hands. I had 3 junk hands so I couldn't contest.

Jayel Doubles up yet again.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609594212: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 2500/5000 Ante 600 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:02:26 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: dollarmtn (85,836)
Seat 2: ytownst (180,887)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (31,822)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (154,003)
Seat 9: toollman (115,952)
dollarmtn antes 600
ytownst antes 600
Jayel316 antes 600
Bender2006 antes 600
toollman antes 600
Bender2006: nh
Jayel316 posts the small blind of 2,500
Bender2006 posts the big blind of 5,000
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [9s Tc]
toollman raises to 25,000
dollarmtn folds
ytownst: l
ytownst raises to 45,000
Jayel316 calls 28,722, and is all in
Bender2006 folds
toollman calls 20,000
*** FLOP *** [2s Ts 6c]
toollman checks
Bender2006: holy crap
ytownst bets 135,287, and is all in
toollman folds
ytownst shows [As Qd]
neb44 (Observer): lol
Jayel316 shows [Th Td]
Uncalled bet of 135,287 returned to ytownst
*** TURN *** [2s Ts 6c] [8s]
*** RIVER *** [2s Ts 6c 8s] [Jc]
ytownst wins the side pot (27,556)
ytownst shows Ace Queen high
Jayel316 shows three of a kind, Tens
Jayel316 wins the main pot (101,666) with three of a kind, Tens
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 129,222 Main pot 101,666. Side pot 27,556. | Rake 0
Board: [2s Ts 6c 8s Jc]
Seat 1: dollarmtn folded before the Flop
Seat 2: ytownst (button) showed [As Qd] and won (27,556) with Ace Queen high
Seat 4: Jayel316 (small blind) showed [Th Td] and won (101,666) with three of a kind, Tens
Seat 8: Bender2006 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 9: toollman folded on the Flop

Here Jayel Scoops a huge pot. He has been picking his spots and moving his money all in generally with good hands. Here it's a race situation. Toollman sweetens the pot. Jayel spikes trip tens and now has over 100k in chips. He's a serious threat now.

Lets do a chip count

Full Tilt Poker Game #609595958: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 2500/5000 Ante 600 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:03:09 ET - 2006/05/02

Seat 1: dollarmtn (85,236)
Seat 2: ytownst (162,843)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (101,666)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (148,403)
Seat 9: toollman (70,352)

It's still anyone's game. ytownst is still the chip leader, I'm not far back, and Jayel is now a serious contender. His next double gives him the lead.

A few hands later I make my first real huge move on a pot in a while. I've kind of hung back. It's still an action table.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609606652: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 2500/5000 Ante 600 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:07:20 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: dollarmtn (64,836)
Seat 2: ytownst (194,443)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (94,266)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (123,503)
Seat 9: toollman (91,452)
dollarmtn antes 600
ytownst antes 600
Jayel316 antes 600
Bender2006 antes 600
toollman antes 600
Jayel316 posts the small blind of 2,500
Bender2006 posts the big blind of 5,000
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Qs Kc]
toollman folds
dollarmtn folds
ytownst: u need a mini r
ytownst folds
Jayel316 calls 2,500
ytownst is feeling happy
Bender2006 raises to 25,000(I make an unusually large raise here)
Jayel316 calls 20,000
*** FLOP *** [Jd Qc 7h]
ytownst: gimme
Jayel316 checks
Bender2006 bets 97,903, and is all in(I likely have the best hand, but don't want Jayel hitting a draw. I apply maximum pressure. I really play to end the hand right here.)
ytownst: he he
Jayel316 folds
Uncalled bet of 97,903 returned to Bender2006
Bender2006 shows [Qs Kc] (a pair of Queens)(I show I bring the goods when I play. I don't want everyone contesting me in pots. This gets me back in the right direction.)
Bender2006 wins the pot (53,000)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 53,000 | Rake 0
Board: [Jd Qc 7h]
Seat 1: dollarmtn folded before the Flop
Seat 2: ytownst (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: Jayel316 (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 8: Bender2006 (big blind) collected (53,000)
Seat 9: toollman folded before the Flop

Playing a bigger limit now.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609615207: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 3000/6000 Ante 750 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:10:43 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: dollarmtn (40,936)
Seat 2: ytownst (221,293)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (74,366)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (139,103)
Seat 9: toollman (92,802)
dollarmtn antes 750
ytownst antes 750
Jayel316 antes 750
Bender2006 antes 750
toollman antes 750
Bender2006 posts the small blind of 3,000
toollman posts the big blind of 6,000
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [8h Ah]
dollarmtn folds
ytownst folds
Jayel316 folds
dollarmtn is feeling angry
Bender2006 calls 3,000(I limp hoping toollman comes at me. I believe A8s to be the best hand here)
toollman raises to 30,000
Bender2006 raises to 138,353, and is all in(I take my stand and make a huge play back at him)
toollman folds(He folded nearly instantly)
Uncalled bet of 108,353 returned to Bender2006
Bender2006 mucks
Bender2006 wins the pot (63,750)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 63,750 | Rake 0
Seat 1: dollarmtn folded before the Flop
Seat 2: ytownst folded before the Flop
Seat 4: Jayel316 (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: Bender2006 (small blind) collected (63,750), mucked
Seat 9: toollman (big blind) folded before the Flop

Here I had planned once I saw A8s that no matter what I would limp and if toollman made his standard raise I would come back over the top of him for all his chips. A8s vs this player and only this player is likely ahead. I believe he's trying to bully and I show him he better not. I've switched gears and reflected tight play. This time I take a nice pot and show toollman that I'm not to be played with.

Dollarmtn eliminated in 5th

Full Tilt Poker Game #609616663: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 3000/6000 Ante 750 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:11:18 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: dollarmtn (46,186)
Seat 2: ytownst (219,793)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (72,866)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (171,353)
Seat 9: toollman (58,302)
dollarmtn antes 750
ytownst antes 750
Jayel316 antes 750
Bender2006 antes 750
toollman antes 750
dollarmtn posts the small blind of 3,000
ytownst posts the big blind of 6,000
The button is in seat #9
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Td 5s]
Jayel316 folds
Bender2006 folds
toollman folds
dollarmtn calls 3,000
ytownst raises to 12,000(Here ytownst makes a play on a pot. He hasn't splashed too much and likely has at least some hand)
dollarmtn calls 6,000
*** FLOP *** [Ah 8s Kc]
dollarmtn checks
ytownst checks(this flop may have hit both or missed both. it is unclear)
*** TURN *** [Ah 8s Kc] [Jh]
dollarmtn bets 33,436, and is all in(He doesn't have many chips left and elects to bet it all)
ytownst calls 33,436
dollarmtn shows [8c 7c]
ytownst shows [Kh Jd]
dollarmtn: gg
*** RIVER *** [Ah 8s Kc Jh] [5c]
dollarmtn shows a pair of Eights
ytownst shows two pair, Kings and Jacks
ytownst wins the pot (94,622) with two pair, Kings and Jacks
neb44 (Observer): gg amn
dollarmtn stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 94,622 | Rake 0
Board: [Ah 8s Kc Jh 5c]
Seat 1: dollarmtn (small blind) showed [8c 7c] and lost with a pair of Eights
Seat 2: ytownst (big blind) showed [Kh Jd] and won (94,622) with two pair, Kings and Jacks
Seat 4: Jayel316 folded before the Flop
Seat 8: Bender2006 folded before the Flop
Seat 9: toollman (button) folded before the Flop

Here dollarmtn thought ytownst was weak and decided to play for all his chips. I don't think this is a bad play. It's possible that this board didn't hit ytownst that strong especially with his check on the flop. As it turned out ytownst may have legitamatly been afraid of that ace, but after making kings up will gleefully call. This is the first knockout in a while. We are 4 handed and starting to see the significant payouts. Not a bad showing for dollarmtn, just happened to run into too strong a hand and mistimed it.

The next hand

Full Tilt Poker Game #609619247: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 3000/6000 Ante 750 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:12:19 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 2: ytownst (268,229)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (72,116)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (170,603)
Seat 9: toollman (57,552)
ytownst antes 750
Jayel316 antes 750
Bender2006 antes 750
toollman antes 750
ytownst posts the small blind of 3,000
Jayel316 posts the big blind of 6,000
Bender2006: gg dollar
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Ts 8s]
Bender2006 calls 6,000(Here I limp in with suited one gapper I want to take a flop and see where I go with it)
Jayel316: gg
ytownst: vgg
toollman raises to 56,802, and is all in(Here we go again)
ytownst folds
Jayel316 folds
Bender2006 calls 50,802(This time I call him. I'll explain in detail later)
toollman shows [8d Ah]
Bender2006 shows [Ts 8s]
*** FLOP *** [Tc 3d Qs](Wow very lucky flop)
*** TURN *** [Tc 3d Qs] [6c]
*** RIVER *** [Tc 3d Qs 6c] [2c]
toollman shows Ace Queen high
Bender2006 shows a pair of Tens
Bender2006 wins the pot (125,604) with a pair of Tens
Bender2006: wow
toollman stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 125,604 | Rake 0
Board: [Tc 3d Qs 6c 2c]
Seat 2: ytownst (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: Jayel316 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: Bender2006 showed [Ts 8s] and won (125,604) with a pair of Tens
Seat 9: toollman showed [8d Ah] and lost with Ace Queen high

Okay you're probably thinking I made a stupid play. Why do you think I've been talking so much the last few hands about toollman and made him my prime focus. I'll break this down in big detail. First off toollman has been by far the biggest raiser at the table. However the hands he has shown down have not all been great. Most of them have been middle aces such as this one. In this spot it looks like I made an idiodic call. I am dominated 3:1 and it's the first time I've put my money in significantly as a big dog. However I believed both of my cards to be live. I believed he was running a play and I wanted to take a shot at him. I still have over 100k in chips if I don't win the pot. I get tired of his aggressive play and can play looser against him than any other player. If Jayel or ytownst had made the same amount of raise I quickly fold it. But because I'm dealing with an ultra aggressive player I decide to call it. It's loose but you can open up more against these type of players because a fair portion of the time my T8s isn't dominated heavily. This time it was, but I got away with one. Toollman becomes the 13th player I knockout. I go up to 238k and can start contesting with ytownst.

A couple hands later I hit my rush.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609620969: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 3000/6000 Ante 750 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:12:58 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 2: ytownst (263,729)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (61,616)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (243,155)
ytownst antes 750
Jayel316 antes 750
Bender2006 antes 750
Bender2006 posts the small blind of 3,000
ytownst posts the big blind of 6,000
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Jh Jd]
Jayel316 folds
Bender2006: also i got tired of the aggression
Bender2006 raises to 20,000( I make a nice open with J-J)
ytownst calls 14,000
*** FLOP *** [Qh 5c 6s]
Bender2006 checks(I probably should probe bet here, but I just check. I believe my jacks are probably good)
ytownst bets 42,250
Bender2006 calls 42,250(Unless he has a queen here I'm ahead. ytownst is capable of making a play. I just call here thinking I'm good)
*** TURN *** [Qh 5c 6s] [Js](Very lucky break)
Bender2006 checks(I want to portray a draw here)
ytownst checks
*** RIVER *** [Qh 5c 6s Js] [3d]
Bender2006 bets 60,000(I make a sneaky fishy looking bet. I know I'm good here.)
ytownst folds
Uncalled bet of 60,000 returned to Bender2006
Bender2006 shows [Jh Jd] (three of a kind, Jacks)
Bender2006 wins the pot (126,750)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 126,750 | Rake 0
Board: [Qh 5c 6s Js 3d]
Seat 2: ytownst (big blind) folded on the River
Seat 4: Jayel316 (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: Bender2006 (small blind) collected (126,750)

I made a couple small errors here. I probably should get some knowledge on the flop. I catch a great break on the turn and the other mistake is betting a little too large. Still I made a couple errors, but wind up winning a big pot. I still believe just a pair of Jacks here were good. If ytownst did have a big queen, he probably would pay me off. Small errors, but this takes me to 300k. I've regained the chip lead.

The largest pot of the tournament coming up.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609623500: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 3000/6000 Ante 750 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:13:58 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 2: ytownst (208,229)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (54,116)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (306,155)
ytownst antes 750
Jayel316 antes 750
Bender2006 antes 750
Jayel316 posts the small blind of 3,000
Bender2006 posts the big blind of 6,000
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Ah Jh]
ytownst raises to 23,250
Jayel316 folds
Bender2006 calls 17,250(Ace Jack suited in a 3 handed game is a big hand. I elect to call and take a flop)
*** FLOP *** [Qh Kh 4h](I hit an amazing flop. I make the stone cold nuts)
Bender2006 checks(I've made the nuts but want my opponent to catch up a little)
ytownst bets 184,229, and is all in(Never mind, he wants to get it on and so I'll oblige)
Bender2006 calls 184,229(On my way to a huge pot)
ytownst shows [Js Jd]
Bender2006 shows [Ah Jh]
*** TURN *** [Qh Kh 4h] [6h]
*** RIVER *** [Qh Kh 4h 6h] [8s]
ytownst shows a pair of Jacks
Bender2006 shows a flush, Ace high
Bender2006 wins the pot (420,208) with a flush, Ace high
ytownst: vnh
Bender2006: gg
neb44 (Observer): wow
ytownst stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 420,208 | Rake 0
Board: [Qh Kh 4h 6h 8s]
Seat 2: ytownst (button) showed [Js Jd] and lost with a pair of Jacks
Seat 4: Jayel316 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: Bender2006 (big blind) showed [Ah Jh] and won (420,208) with a flush, Ace high

I'm a little suprised ytownst would move in for all his money on this flop with Jayel sitting on just 50k. Odds were that play would slow down until we knock out Jayel in 3rd and then ytownst and I would play heads up for the title with about even stacks. It reminds me of a hand that occured at the 1993 WSOP. This is the only hand in this little guide that did not take place in this tournament. I saw this on ESPN Classic so that's how I can recall it.

Jim Bechtel: Appx 1.1 Million (6-6)
Glen Cozen: Appx 120,000 (5-5)
John Bonetti Appz 1 Million. (A-K)

The suits are irrelevant.

I'm not sure what limits these guys were playing but Bonetti opened the button for around 45,000. Bechtel Called and Cozen checked. The board came out K-6-x. Bechtel checked his set of sixes, Cozen checked and Bonetti bet around 70,000. Bechtel called and Cozen after some thought folded. The turn came the Jack of Clubs and Bonetti moved all in. Bechtel called, flipped up a set and Bonetti was drawing dead. Bonetti very easily could have waited for Cozen to get knocked out and play Bechtel for a shot at the title.

Here I think ytownst is playing for 1st, not to get into a heads up duel, at least not with some ammo. Here he makes a very daring raise, but can't always give credit for me flopping the nut flush. I would fold pretty much everything except the flush, a set, and A-K containing the Ace of Hearts. He just had bad timing for making this play. ytownst played an amazing game and all credit to his skill. He is the 14th player I knock out and now we're going to heads up. The chip count.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609624633: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 3000/6000 Ante 750 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:14:25 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 4: Jayel316 (50,366)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (518,134)
Jayel316 antes 750
Bender2006 antes 750
Bender2006 posts the small blind of 3,000
Jayel316 posts the big blind of 6,000
Jayel316: gg
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Qc As]
ytownst (Observer): gla
Bender2006 raises to 19,500
crunchh (Observer): wow
Jayel316 folds
Uncalled bet of 13,500 returned to Bender2006
Bender2006 mucks
Bender2006 wins the pot (13,500)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 13,500 | Rake 0
Seat 4: Jayel316 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: Bender2006 (small blind) collected (13,500), mucked

Basically I'm going to try and Tap Jayel. Unless my hand completely sucks I'm going to force him to play for all of it. I have over a 9:1 chip lead. If he moves in, I'm probably going to call with almost any holding.

Here I've played highly aggressive and whittled Jayel down to just 30,000 left.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609627324: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 3000/6000 Ante 750 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:15:27 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 4: Jayel316 (33,866)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (534,634)
Jayel316 antes 750
Bender2006 antes 750
Bender2006 posts the small blind of 3,000
Jayel316 posts the big blind of 6,000
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [9s 7s]
Bender2006 calls 3,000
Jayel316 raises to 33,116, and is all in
Bender2006 calls 27,116(I elect to call here. First off I'm getting reasonable pot odds. 1.8:1. More importantly though I have over 15 times Jayel's stack. Unless my hand is absolutly worthless I'm going to call with just about any holding.)
Jayel316 shows [Qd Ad]
Bender2006 shows [9s 7s](This is what I wanted to see, anything other than a pocket 7's or better, I can end the tournament here if I win this hand)
*** FLOP *** [9c 4s 2c](Great flop, now I'm 75% to win the tournament right now)
*** TURN *** [9c 4s 2c] [6s](Extremely great turn card. I kill two of his outs. I'm now 90% to win this tournament. Jayel has only 4 card remaining to stay alive)
*** RIVER *** [9c 4s 2c 6s] [Qc](Ouch, Jayel stays alive and the tournament continues.)
Jayel316 shows a pair of Queens
Bender2006 shows a pair of Nines
Jayel316 wins the pot (67,732) with a pair of Queens
Bender2006: nh
neb44 (Observer): whew
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 67,732 | Rake 0
Board: [9c 4s 2c 6s Qc]
Seat 4: Jayel316 (big blind) showed [Qd Ad] and won (67,732) with a pair of Queens
Seat 8: Bender2006 (small blind) showed [9s 7s] and lost with a pair of Nines

Here it looks like a loose call, but I refer back to Harrington's Rule of Ten. Where If a call costs you less than 10% of your total stack, and you have better than an absolutly hopeless hand, make the call, and get it on. Here I was about a 2:1 dog, but came within 1 card of winning it right here. I'm here to play aggressive and force Jayel to decisions for all his money. I'm still gonna come at him. This double up doesn't hurt me very much as I still have over half a million in chips.

I whittle him down again and Jayel makes another move

Full Tilt Poker Game #609631790: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 3000/6000 Ante 750 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:17:11 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 4: Jayel316 (41,482)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (527,018)
Jayel316 antes 750
Bender2006 antes 750
Bender2006 posts the small blind of 3,000
Jayel316 posts the big blind of 6,000
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [9c Jh]
Bender2006 calls 3,000
Jayel316 raises to 40,732, and is all in
Bender2006 calls 34,732(Again basing my call on Harrington's Rule of Ten)
Jayel316 shows [6h 6d]
Bender2006 shows [9c Jh](In this spot it's a race. If I lose it doesn't damage me, If I win I'm the champion)
*** FLOP *** [9h 6c Qs](Done before it starts)
*** TURN *** [9h 6c Qs] [Jd](4 outs to the championship)
*** RIVER *** [9h 6c Qs Jd] [Ad]
Jayel316 shows three of a kind, Sixes
Bender2006 shows two pair, Jacks and Nines
Jayel316 wins the pot (82,964) with three of a kind, Sixes
neb44 (Observer): gh
Bender2006: gh
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 82,964 | Rake 0
Board: [9h 6c Qs Jd Ad]
Seat 4: Jayel316 (big blind) showed [6h 6d] and won (82,964) with three of a kind, Sixes
Seat 8: Bender2006 (small blind) showed [9c Jh] and lost with two pair, Jacks and Nines

Here Jayel is correct to put all his money in the middle with 6-6. He knows he has to take a stand against me and a pocket pair in heads up especially against an aggressive player is probably good. Here I have 2 larger unpaired cards, make another loose call trying to win it all. You can't be afraid of either spot. Either taking a stand all in on a hand like 6-6 against a big stack, or risking 40,000 here to end the tournament if you catch well. We both played the hand correctly, Jayel hit a set, and continues on with 80,000 to work with. I can't continue making these extremely loose calls. Maybe one more if conditions are favorable, but he's gaining ground.

2 hands later

Full Tilt Poker Game #609634110: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 3000/6000 Ante 750 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:18:04 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 4: Jayel316 (95,714)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (472,786)
Jayel316 antes 750
Bender2006 antes 750
Bender2006 posts the small blind of 3,000
Jayel316 posts the big blind of 6,000
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Qs Ts]
Bender2006 raises to 19,500(Here I raise a suited one gapper. Heads up this hand's not too bad and I gleefully stick in a raise.
Jayel316 calls 13,500
*** FLOP *** [8s Ks Jc]
Jayel316 bets 15,000(Here he bets but doesn't go all in. The previous 2 times he put all his money in response to a raise. I really don't think he's got an overly huge hand. He probably doesn't have AK, or any king for that matter because his money would already be in the center. I say Jacks or 8's)
Bender2006 raises to 452,536, and is all in(Now looking at my hand, I don't have anything yet, but I have a very large draw. I have an open ended straight draw, flush draw, and I believe a Queen will also win me the pot. I elect to put Jayel to a decision for all his money)
Jayel316 calls 60,464, and is all in
Bender2006 shows [Qs Ts]
Jayel316 shows [8c 9s](He had 8's. I have a massive draw and although Jayel has a better hand than me at this point, I'm the favorite. I can win on 3 T's, 3 Q's, 3 A's, 2 9's and 8 remaining spades. Be sure not to count As twice. I have 19 outs twice.)
Uncalled bet of 377,072 returned to Bender2006
*** TURN *** [8s Ks Jc] [Jh](Here I pick up 3 more outs but lose the Js as an out. Another King would give us the same two pair but I would have a bigger kicker. It's about even at this point.)
*** RIVER *** [8s Ks Jc Jh] [Js](Cruelty)
Bender2006 shows a flush, King high
Jayel316 shows a full house, Jacks full of Eights
Jayel316 wins the pot (191,428) with a full house, Jacks full of Eights
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 191,428 | Rake 0
Board: [8s Ks Jc Jh Js]
Seat 4: Jayel316 (big blind) showed [8c 9s] and won (191,428) with a full house, Jacks full of Eights
Seat 8: Bender2006 (small blind) showed [Qs Ts] and lost with a flush, King high

Here Jayel is playing me as he played toollman, less credit for a hand. Here I make a move with a huge draw. These kind of hands where you have multiple draws are favorites. Even if he flopped a set of Kings here, I wouldn't be that huge of an underdog. Here I did end up making a flush, but it was the one spade card that would not win me the pot as it filled up Jayel. Now I have to play a little closer to the vest. Jayel Doubles a third time and now has 190k against my 377k.

A couple hands later I get some of that money back

Full Tilt Poker Game #609636702: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 4000/8000 Ante 1000 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:19:04 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 4: Jayel316 (198,178)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (370,322)
Jayel316 antes 1,000
Bender2006 antes 1,000
Bender2006 posts the small blind of 4,000
Jayel316 posts the big blind of 8,000
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Ts 8s]
Bender2006: either way, this has been a hell of a game
Bender2006 calls 4,000
Jayel316 checks
*** FLOP *** [Qh Jh 6s]
Jayel316 bets 8,000
Bender2006 calls 8,000(Here he bets only the minimum. He either has an extremely strong hand or is hesitant to bet say 6's. I call here with the intent on taking the pot later or if I hit a 9 I'm in great shape. Also look at the pot odds. Better than 3:1 if he does have the 6)
*** TURN *** [Qh Jh 6s] [9s](Jackpot and double jackpot. I now have a straight along with a flush draw. I'm positive I have the best hand)
Jayel316 bets 8,000
Bender2006 raises to 35,000(I likely would have bet this amount whether I hit or not, but with the straight I want to see if Jayel will come back over the top if he had AQ or AJ or so.
Jayel316 calls 27,000
*** RIVER *** [Qh Jh 6s 9s] [5c](Blank on the river. I'm sure that I've got this won. If he had K-T the only hand that beats me he would have come over the top of the 35,000 for all his chips.
Jayel316 bets 20,000(Looks like a steal to try and take this pot down)
Bender2006 raises to 318,322, and is all in(I elect to force Jayel All in. If he does have a good hand he may pay me off here. I've played aggressive and he might just pay me off giving me the tournament.)
Jayel316 folds
Uncalled bet of 298,322 returned to Bender2006
Bender2006 shows [Ts 8s] (a straight, Queen high)
Bender2006 wins the pot (144,000)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 144,000 | Rake 0
Board: [Qh Jh 6s 9s 5c]
Seat 4: Jayel316 (big blind) folded on the River
Seat 8: Bender2006 (small blind) collected (144,000)

Jayel said he had 5-5 here. Pocket 5's do fit in with the betting. He was hesitant to bet, probing for information. He then bet the turn probing again then didn't go overboard. Here he hits a set and makes a larger bet after I've already fired 35k in the pot. I move in over the top of him. If he did have 5-5 I'm suprised he didn't call and he made an amazing laydown. I'm not sure what kind of hand he had, but I'm thinking more along the lines of A-6 or A-J. Here I gain back a lot of chips. and want to go back to whittling him down again.

Here comes the final hand of the tournament

Full Tilt Poker Game #609643688: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 4000/8000 Ante 1000 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:21:43 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 4: Jayel316 (127,178)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (441,322)
Jayel316 antes 1,000
Bender2006 antes 1,000
Bender2006 posts the small blind of 4,000
Jayel316 posts the big blind of 8,000
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Jc As]
Bender2006 raises to 26,000(Ace-Jack heads up is a good hand. I elect to come in for about 3x BB)
Jayel316 calls 18,000(He's got some chips so he plays)
*** FLOP *** [Js 5d 3s]
Jayel316 bets 8,000
Bender2006 raises to 78,000(I'm sure I have the best hand here. I have to protect the hand from draws so I raise pot. I can't let him draw at spades. A straight I'm not that worried about since he would have to have 4-2 or 6-4.)
Jayel316 calls 70,000
*** TURN *** [Js 5d 3s] [Ac]
Jayel316 bets 22,178, and is all in(He makes a bet here. I think he's got some kind of ace. I have Aces and Jacks and believe my hand is best. This is my chance to end the tournament. I cannot fold)
Bender2006 calls 22,178
Jayel316 shows [Kh 3d](He was making a play with bottom pair, The ace kills 3 outs. Jayel is down to 5%. As long as any card other than a 3 comes up I've won the tournament)
Bender2006 shows [Jc As]
*** RIVER *** [Js 5d 3s Ac] [7d](YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! I Take the whole tournament!!!!!!!!)
Jayel316 shows a pair of Threes
Bender2006 shows two pair, Aces and Jacks
neb44 (Observer): gg
Bender2006 wins the pot (254,356) with two pair, Aces and Jacks
Jayel316 stands up
Bender2006 stands up
crunchh (Observer): gg
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 254,356 | Rake 0
Board: [Js 5d 3s Ac 7d]
Seat 4: Jayel316 (big blind) showed [Kh 3d] and lost with a pair of Threes
Seat 8: Bender2006 (small blind) showed [Jc As] and won (254,356) with two pair, Aces and Jacks

Here this is a pair vs pair on the flop. I can't flat call the 8,000 with a hand as strong as A-J. Pairs are good in heads up and it was a borderline decision for Jayel to call 70,000 more on 3's. Yes I've been more aggressive, but I can pick up hands too. I haven't gotten in on Jayel yet drawing extremely thin. When he moves all in his hope is that he can represent an ace, I was bluffing or holding some kind of drawing hand, and I'd fold. He knows if he gets called he's beat. My hand was just too strong along with the chance of winning before he builds momentum. If I lose I still have the chip lead but barely. But I make top 2 pair and the river wasn't a 3 so Jayel316 is the 15th and final player I knockout. I survive 378 other players to win the $95. Jayel316 is a hell of a player and made a hell of a comeback. It looked like he was dead in the water with 7,000 left at one point at the final table, but played well, picked good spots and became a very serious contender and well deserving of 2nd place.

Final Notes:

So that's it. I've presented a very wide array of hands, not just my own, but from other players. I doubled early, lost a fair portion, played all in or fold, won some big pots picking good spots, then became table bully, sat back in the finals, caught my rush, and won the tournament. I think there is a lot of great strategy here. This was a tricky final table. You could put say 1,000 play money players in a tournament, by the time you reach the final table, you're sure to see some very good players. Just because the stakes aren't large doesn't mean the competiton isn't. Very much it took skill. Here are some technical notes I saw.

1. I did not for the 4 hour 20 minute duration of the tournament see Pocket Aces once. I only saw Kings twice and Queens once.

2. Until the final table I really didn't take or give any significant bad beats. The only big bad beat I gave was T8 v. A8 with Toollman. The only big bad beat I took was when ytownst made Kings up to beat my aces. My money usually went in good.

3. After winning the pot with interrante with about 50 players left, I never was in a hand where everything I had was in the center. I never had to win a pot to remain alive in the tournament.

4. I won a significant portion of races.

5. At the final table my chipstack never went under 100,000.

I hope that this strategy has helped you as it has helped me. I like reviewing hand histories to get a feel for what I'm doing and how my opponents are succeeding and/or failing. It was a great victory for me. If you still aren't convinced, try a dollar game for yourself. It took about 15 tries before I won it. I had previously made 2 other final tables finishing 5th and 8th. If you're a better player than me, you should easily win and take down a very nice investment. Good luck and see ya at the tables.

$1 MTT Strategy part 3

2006-07-29T21:31:00.000-04:00

$1 MTT Strategy part 3.

Welcome back. After suffering a low M stretch and not many playable hands, we picked up a lot of momentum through doubling up a few times. First to 3k through A-8, to 8k by hitting a straight, 15k by going in on A-J and picking off a bluff, 22k by hitting a flush, 45k by winning a hand on Ace-King, and 60k through another straight. I've really only ran one risky bluff. Here we get to my favorite part of the tournament, the big collection phase. Think of the game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire. You see players burn up all their lifelines, take some risks, do anything they can to answer the $32,000 Question. This way they are guarnteed to walk with at least that and freeroll for $64,000 and up. I view making the money as that part of the game. Generally after the bubble breaks, you start seeing a lot of people who barely survived to get in get knocked out because they are now out of juice. At this point I have the chip lead. I'm gonna start getting aggressive because 1. I can afford to, and 2. It's more profitable and I've established a tight solid image. The only really bad hands I've shown down was J-6 offsuit and J-2 offsuit, Both times by the river I've held a good hand with it. Here are the standings.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609382518: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 19 - 400/800 Ante 100 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:38:02 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: Hey_Eng (32,095)
Seat 2: Gear (16,190)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (60,378)
Seat 4: Spankuatpoker (18,320)
Seat 5: dollarmtn (30,146)
Seat 6: CottonPatch (12,621)
Seat 7: mikebagadonuts (5,720)
Seat 8: efskydive (10,552)
Seat 9: hellacious (4,800)

I've got a big chipstack and my biggest competition right now looks like Hey-Eng and dollarmtn. They are a double up away from getting to where I'm at.

The first big hand I've played in this new stage of the game.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609386258: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 19 - 400/800 Ante 100 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:39:30 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: Hey_Eng (31,995)
Seat 2: Gear (15,690)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (59,478)
Seat 4: Spankuatpoker (14,220)
Seat 5: dollarmtn (30,046)
Seat 6: CottonPatch (18,621)
Seat 7: mikebagadonuts (5,620)
Seat 8: efskydive (10,452)
Seat 9: hellacious (4,700)
Hey_Eng antes 100
Gear antes 100
Bender2006 antes 100
Spankuatpoker antes 100
dollarmtn antes 100
CottonPatch antes 100
mikebagadonuts antes 100
efskydive antes 100
hellacious antes 100
Bender2006 posts the small blind of 400
Spankuatpoker posts the big blind of 800
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Ks Kc](I have a giant hand. Only the second time in the tournament I've picked up AA, KK, or QQ)
dollarmtn: ?
dollarmtn calls 800
Spankuatpoker: I had A_J
CottonPatch folds
mikebagadonuts folds
efskydive folds
hellacious raises to 4,600, and is all in(He may be making a desparation raise. I really hope I don't run into AA again like the first time I had KK)
Hey_Eng folds
Gear folds
Bender2006 raises to 59,378, and is all in(I make a huge raise over the top. In order for anyone to contest me in this pot, they are going to have to play for all their money and then beat pocket kings)
Spankuatpoker folds
dollarmtn: grrrr(Clearly would have played for the 5,000 but doesn't want to risk his entire stack)
dollarmtn folds
Bender2006 shows [Ks Kc]
Spankuatpoker: he reraised my raise
CottonPatch: J's
hellacious shows [Kh Js](Was getting desprate and is drawing 10% before the flop)
Uncalled bet of 54,778 returned to Bender2006
*** FLOP *** [8h 3c Ts]
*** TURN *** [8h 3c Ts] [Th]
*** RIVER *** [8h 3c Ts Th] [Ac]
Bender2006 shows two pair, Kings and Tens
hellacious shows a pair of Tens
Bender2006 wins the pot (11,700) with two pair, Kings and Tens
hellacious stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 11,700 | Rake 0
Board: [8h 3c Ts Th Ac]
Seat 1: Hey_Eng folded before the Flop
Seat 2: Gear (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 3: Bender2006 (small blind) showed [Ks Kc] and won (11,700) with two pair, Kings and Tens
Seat 4: Spankuatpoker (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: dollarmtn folded before the Flop
Seat 6: CottonPatch folded before the Flop
Seat 7: mikebagadonuts folded before the Flop
Seat 8: efskydive folded before the Flop
Seat 9: hellacious showed [Kh Js] and lost with a pair of Tens

Hands like this I like to let the agression run. Dollarmtn disclosed he had 8-8 and had I let him in cheaply I likely would have doubled him up. I wanted to isolate that pot against one player, take him out and collect well rather than leave the door open. It also says to the other players don't screw with me. I will come over the top and make you play for all of it. This is a new table, I want to change gears here from someone who plays tight and close to the vest to a highly aggressive chip building machine. hellacious becomes victim #5. 35 players left.

Another nice pot where I made a great catch.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609391669: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 19 - 400/800 Ante 100 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:41:38 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: Hey_Eng (30,995)
Seat 2: Gear (15,490)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (66,378)
Seat 4: Spankuatpoker (12,820)
Seat 5: dollarmtn (31,046)
Seat 6: CottonPatch (18,421)
Seat 7: mikebagadonuts (5,420)
Seat 8: efskydive (10,252)
Hey_Eng antes 100
Gear antes 100
Bender2006 antes 100
Spankuatpoker antes 100
dollarmtn antes 100
CottonPatch antes 100
mikebagadonuts antes 100
efskydive antes 100
dollarmtn posts the small blind of 400
CottonPatch posts the big blind of 800
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Ad Jc]
mikebagadonuts folds
efskydive folds
Hey_Eng raises to 1,600
Gear folds
Bender2006 calls 1,600(Now I can afford to call and take flops with hands like A-J. I don't need to just shove all my money in and pray to God)
Spankuatpoker folds
dollarmtn folds
CottonPatch folds
*** FLOP *** [Ah Ac Jh](Absolute Nuts!!!)
Hey_Eng checks
Bender2006 checks(Here I elect to slowplay. I have to since the deck is likely killed. If he does have the remaining ace, I collect all his money, otherwise I have to allow him to catch up or make him think that flop missed me)
*** TURN *** [Ah Ac Jh] [Th]
Hey_Eng checks
Bender2006 bets 800(I put out a little tickler trying to see where I'm at)
Hey_Eng calls 800
*** RIVER *** [Ah Ac Jh Th] [2c]
Hey_Eng checks
Bender2006 bets 4,495(Now this looks more like a sneaky raise. I want to represent I've hit a pair of tens. That I had gotten in cheap on T9s or so and buy this pot. Little does he know I've got the nuts)
Hey_Eng calls 4,495
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Bender2006 shows [Ad Jc] (a full house, Aces full of Jacks)
Hey_Eng mucks
Bender2006 wins the pot (15,790) with a full house, Aces full of Jacks
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 15,790 | Rake 0
Board: [Ah Ac Jh Th 2c]
Seat 1: Hey_Eng mucked [Qc Qd] - two pair, Aces and Queens
Seat 2: Gear folded before the Flop
Seat 3: Bender2006 showed [Ad Jc] and won (15,790) with a full house, Aces full of Jacks
Seat 4: Spankuatpoker (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: dollarmtn (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 6: CottonPatch (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 7: mikebagadonuts folded before the Flop
Seat 8: efskydive folded before the Flop

Hey_Eng needs to do more than min raise a premium hand. I probably would still call up to about 4,000 with A-J. As we see through me I haven't had AA or QQ yet, KK twice, and AK twice. We are 2 hours 41 minutes into this tournament and I've seen group one hands just 4 times. When these hands come, make the most of them. Jam it up and make pay a lot to see a flop. Don't let me in cheap. Suppose I had a hand I was less sure of like A-3. I call for 1600 more, but certainly not 5000 more.

The next hand

Full Tilt Poker Game #609394956: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 19 - 400/800 Ante 100 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:42:57 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: Hey_Eng (24,000)
Seat 2: Gear (15,390)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (75,173)
Seat 4: Spankuatpoker (12,720)
Seat 5: dollarmtn (30,546)
Seat 6: CottonPatch (17,521)
Seat 7: mikebagadonuts (5,320)
Seat 8: efskydive (10,152)
Hey_Eng antes 100
Gear antes 100
Bender2006 antes 100
Spankuatpoker antes 100
dollarmtn antes 100
CottonPatch antes 100
mikebagadonuts antes 100
efskydive antes 100
CottonPatch posts the small blind of 400
mikebagadonuts posts the big blind of 800
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [8s 8d]
efskydive calls 800
Hey_Eng folds
Gear folds
Bender2006 raises to 3,500(I'm playing more aggressive now. I'm going to push pocket pairs, good aces, and KQs)
Spankuatpoker folds
dollarmtn folds
CottonPatch folds
mikebagadonuts folds
efskydive raises to 10,052, and is all in(He raises for all in)
Bender2006 calls 6,552(Now that we are deeper into the tournament, coinflips are now much more common. 8-8 is a good hand and I elect to take it on. My only concern is a larger pocket pair.)
efskydive shows [Ad 9c]
Bender2006 shows [8s 8d]
*** FLOP *** [7c Td 7s](Good flop for me, 2 cards to go)
*** TURN *** [7c Td 7s] [9s](ef takes the lead, however I pick up 8 more outs for 10 total. 8 fills me up, Jack or six for a straight)
*** RIVER *** [7c Td 7s 9s] [6h](I hit the straight and knock out a player)
efskydive shows two pair, Nines and Sevens
Bender2006 shows a straight, Ten high
Bender2006 wins the pot (22,104) with a straight, Ten high
Bender2006: ouch
efskydive stands up
The blinds are now 500/1,000 with an ante of 125
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 22,104 | Rake 0
Board: [7c Td 7s 9s 6h]
Seat 1: Hey_Eng folded before the Flop
Seat 2: Gear folded before the Flop
Seat 3: Bender2006 showed [8s 8d] and won (22,104) with a straight, Ten high
Seat 4: Spankuatpoker folded before the Flop
Seat 5: dollarmtn (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 6: CottonPatch (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 7: mikebagadonuts (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: efskydive showed [Ad 9c] and lost with two pair, Nines and Sevens

Basically the cards played this one out. I certainly feel correct to raise with 8-8. efskydive made a play at the pot. You could argue he could have waited but I don't fault him for taking a stand with an Ace-Nine. If I had had my tight image from the other table than yes, but I've switched to an aggressive brand of poker and a lot of my bluffs would be for the same amount. After the money goes in and the cards get flipped up it's all luck. Total mercy of the deck. I don't like racing until about this stage in the tournament. Middle Stacks shouldn't race. Big stacks because they can afford it and because they taste blood and want to go in for a kill. Low stacks because those may be the best odds they can get. This is where you wanna race. efskydive becomes #6 on the knockout chart. I'm up to 87k going into 3 table play. I have a huge chipstack. Going into my new table.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609401069: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 32 - 500/1000 Ante 125 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:45:25 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: Bender2006 (86,875)
Seat 2: roooy1 (16,311)
Seat 3: stbr0403 (3,440)
Seat 5: Jayel316 (19,690)
Seat 6: ERROR12 (9,235)
Seat 7: DJ Bminus (5,983)
Seat 8: jagerbomb34 (2,134)
Seat 9: tardawduke (60,702)

Here I have an extremely favorable table lineup. Only one player is within 65,000 of me(Yay me :), and even better I hold favorable position. As long as tarda folds, I'm going to storm this table in an attempt to run it over.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609402111: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 32 - 500/1000 Ante 125 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:45:50 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: Bender2006 (86,750)
Seat 2: roooy1 (16,186)
Seat 3: stbr0403 (2,815)
Seat 5: Jayel316 (18,565)
Seat 6: ERROR12 (11,610)
Seat 7: DJ Bminus (5,858)
Seat 8: jagerbomb34 (2,009)
Seat 9: tardawduke (60,577)
Bender2006 antes 125
roooy1 antes 125
stbr0403 antes 125
Jayel316 antes 125
ERROR12 antes 125
DJ Bminus antes 125
jagerbomb34 antes 125
tardawduke antes 125
Jayel316 posts the small blind of 500
ERROR12 posts the big blind of 1,000
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [7c Kd]
DJ Bminus folds
jagerbomb34 folds
tardawduke folds(The key point in what I'm going to do in the hand)
Bender2006 raises to 3,500
roooy1 folds
stbr0403 folds
Jayel316 folds
ERROR12 folds
Uncalled bet of 2,500 returned to Bender2006
Bender2006 mucks
Bender2006 wins the pot (3,500)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 3,500 | Rake 0
Seat 1: Bender2006 collected (3,500), mucked
Seat 2: roooy1 folded before the Flop
Seat 3: stbr0403 (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: Jayel316 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 6: ERROR12 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 7: DJ Bminus folded before the Flop
Seat 8: jagerbomb34 folded before the Flop
Seat 9: tardawduke folded before the Flop

I start playing an extremely aggressive brand of poker. Here I'm trying to thieve a bunch of pots. Think of what the 3500 means to me and the other players. Jayel has the most chips of the players left contesting the pot. This bet represents 20% of his stack. For me this bet represents 4% of my stack. I'm not sure whether or not I'd give action to a player who moved over the top of me, but I continue building up. Can't rest on your laurels. You can't win a tournament until you have all the chips in play. Changing gears works so well here. You randomize. Sometimes you go bluff, bluff, monster, bluff, monster, monster, bluff. Keep them guessing. There's no better feeling than getting a player who can't stand it anymore, takes a stand on a hand like K-T and you turn over pocket aces to beat them.

However you can't let aggression lead to suicide. Controlled aggression is amazing poker. Maniac aggression will only lead to disaster.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609407457: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 32 - 500/1000 Ante 125 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:47:52 ET - 2006/05/02
DJ Bminus: ty
Seat 1: Bender2006 (88,875)
Seat 2: roooy1 (13,246)
Seat 3: ddt7132 (40,867)
Seat 5: Jayel316 (13,207)
Seat 6: ERROR12 (17,365)
Seat 7: DJ Bminus (10,966)
Seat 8: jagerbomb34 (634)
Seat 9: tardawduke (60,202)
Bender2006 antes 125
roooy1 antes 125
ddt7132 antes 125
Jayel316 antes 125
ERROR12 antes 125
DJ Bminus antes 125
jagerbomb34 antes 125
tardawduke antes 125
jagerbomb34 posts the small blind of 500
tardawduke posts the big blind of 1,000
The button is in seat #7
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Ac 8h]
tardawduke: nh
Bender2006 raises to 4,000(Here I elect to pump the pot woth 4k. As I said Aces, Pairs, and KQs and I'm coming)
roooy1 folds
ddt7132 folds
Jayel316 folds
ERROR12 folds
DJ Bminus folds
jagerbomb34 calls 9, and is all in
tardawduke calls 3,000(Here's where my aggression has to get controlled. tarda has 60k in chips and can really wallop me a pot. Remember Big pots with big players only with big hands)
*** FLOP *** [3c 9d 3d]
tardawduke checks
Bender2006 checks(I hit nothing here. It's possible that it also missed tarda, but I don't know that)
*** TURN *** [3c 9d 3d] [4c]
tardawduke bets 9,509
Bender2006 folds(I cant call here. I have no pair no draw and I don't want reraised if I raise and I have no idea where I stand. See ya)
tardawduke shows [3h Jh]
jagerbomb34 shows [Jc 4h]
Uncalled bet of 9,509 returned to tardawduke
*** RIVER *** [3c 9d 3d 4c] [6c]
tardawduke wins the side pot (6,982)
tardawduke shows three of a kind, Threes
jagerbomb34 shows two pair, Fours and Threes
tardawduke wins the main pot (2,527) with three of a kind, Threes
Bender2006: nh
jagerbomb34 stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 9,509 Main pot 2,527. Side pot 6,982. | Rake 0
Board: [3c 9d 3d 4c 6c]
Seat 1: Bender2006 folded on the Turn
Seat 2: roooy1 folded before the Flop
Seat 3: ddt7132 folded before the Flop
Seat 5: Jayel316 folded before the Flop
Seat 6: ERROR12 folded before the Flop
Seat 7: DJ Bminus (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: jagerbomb34 (small blind) showed [Jc 4h] and lost with two pair, Fours and Threes
Seat 9: tardawduke (big blind) showed [3h Jh] and won (9,509) with three of a kind, Threes

As it turns out tarda made a loose call with J-3(Could afford to) and nailed a monster. If I had a hand like KK I would be in huge trouble. Here Tarda made a call with the intent of making something huge and trapping me for all my money. My A-8 was worth a 4,000 shot but not any more. I fold. Even though I'm wanting to break from the pack, I can't contest the other large stacks without a huge hand. It may be okay to bluff, but I definitly don't want to do it in the event they pull the ultimate trump card, the all in.

Here's where I can play an A-8

Full Tilt Poker Game #609428896: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 32 - 600/1200 Ante 150 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:56:03 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: Bender2006 (88,425)
Seat 3: ddt7132 (34,996)
Seat 5: Jayel316 (16,282)
Seat 6: ERROR12 (10,540)
Seat 7: DJ Bminus (12,241)
Seat 9: tardawduke (82,878)
Bender2006 antes 150
ddt7132 antes 150
Jayel316 antes 150
ERROR12 antes 150
DJ Bminus antes 150
tardawduke antes 150
Jayel316 posts the small blind of 600
ERROR12 posts the big blind of 1,200
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [8s Ad]
DJ Bminus folds
ddt7132: ty
tardawduke folds
Bender2006 raises to 4,000(Again I've kinda made 4,000 my standard raise for bluffs and legit hands. Here I have kind of a borderline hand, but not terrible. Remember Aggression!!)
ddt7132 folds
Jayel316 folds
ERROR12 raises to 10,390, and is all in(Here he's fed up with me and is probably taking a stand.)
Bender2006 calls 6,390(This is a pot odds decision. I've got to call 6400 to win a pot of 16,700. I'm getting 2.5:1 on my money plus the damage if I lose isn't bad. This is a call)
ERROR12 shows [5c 5d]
Bender2006 shows [8s Ad]
*** FLOP *** [6c 8d As]
*** TURN *** [6c 8d As] [9d]
*** RIVER *** [6c 8d As 9d] [6s]
ERROR12 shows two pair, Sixes and Fives
Bender2006 shows two pair, Aces and
Bender2006 wins the pot (22,280) with two pair, Aces and Eights
ERROR12 stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 22,280 | Rake 0
Board: [6c 8d As 9d 6s]
Seat 1: Bender2006 showed [8s Ad] and won (22,280) with two pair, Aces and Eights
Seat 3: ddt7132 (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: Jayel316 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 6: ERROR12 (big blind) showed [5c 5d] and lost with two pair, Sixes and Fives
Seat 7: DJ Bminus folded before the Flop
Seat 9: tardawduke folded before the Flop

I won the race and an extra 12k to my stack. I also have probably gained the reputation of an action giver. I don't think many of the shorter stacks are going to want to contest me after I've made a few calls when players move in. Again I can play these races because I can afford to, but even if he turned A-K in that spot I wouldn't be making that bad a call. Continue to build by playing aggressive. This is the mantra of tournament play is changing gears. ERROR12 is the 7th player I knockout and he goes out in 19th place. 2 tables and 18 players remain. The second bubble of trying to reach the final table and the larger payouts will lead to tighter play. I'm going to turn up the aggression even higher. I control the chip lead at over 100,000 or just a little under 20% of all the money in play, and I've got an action image. Perfect for when big hands come.

Heading into 2 tables of play.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609432931: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 33 - 600/1200 Ante 150 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:57:37 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: Hey_Eng (17,675)
Seat 2: jspeed99 (9,301), is sitting out
Seat 3: ddt7132 (34,846)
Seat 4: T-N-T 113 (19,154)
Seat 5: JonnyP910 (9,520)
Seat 6: Bender2006 (100,165)
Seat 7: CottonPatch (19,649)
Seat 8: toollman (55,993)
Seat 9: gitana333 (6,771)
Hey_Eng antes 150
jspeed99 antes 150
ddt7132 antes 150
T-N-T 113 antes 150
JonnyP910 antes 150
Bender2006 antes 150
CottonPatch antes 150
toollman antes 150
gitana333 antes 150
toollman posts the small blind of 600
gitana333 posts the big blind of 1,200
The button is in seat #7
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Tc Ts](I've picked up a nice large pocket pair. Probably one of the 5 largest I've seen in the tournament)
Bender2006: had to gamble with ya, wasn't a whole lot more
Hey_Eng calls 1,200
jspeed99 folds
ddt7132 calls 1,200
gadzooks64 (Observer): damn I missed it
T-N-T 113 calls 1,200
ERROR12 (Observer): I understand
JonnyP910 folds
Bender2006 raises to 7,500(I make a bigger than normal raise here I don't want stragglers)
CottonPatch folds
JonnyP910: nh tool
toollman raises to 13,800(Uh-Oh, probably what I didn't want to see. A reraise)
toollman: nice lay down had a 7
gitana333 folds
Hey_Eng calls 12,600
ERROR12 (Observer): I dont blame your call...even though I was expecting a hand more like AK or AQ
ddt7132 folds
T-N-T 113 folds
Bender2006 calls 6,300(Must call it)
*** FLOP *** [Js 9h 2d]
toollman bets 3,725(This is kind of an odd raise. It's just enough to put eng in but no more. He must want him to go all in, but not get raised back)
Hey_Eng calls 3,725, and is all in(He moves in with the tremendous odds)
Bender2006 calls 3,725(I call with my tremendous odds)
*** TURN *** [Js 9h 2d] [7d]
toollman checks
Bender2006 checks(I think we just check it down and try and bust eng)
*** RIVER *** [Js 9h 2d 7d] [Jh]
toollman checks
Bender2006 checks(I don't have a jack, I check and hope that we knockout one more guy. There is no sidepot so there is no reason to bet out here.)
*** SHOW DOWN ***
toollman shows [Kd Ac] (a pair of Jacks)
Hey_Eng shows [Kc Ah] (a pair of Jacks)
Bender2006 shows [Tc Ts] (two pair, Jacks and Tens)(2 players both had AK and my tens hold to win a very large pot.)
Bender2006 wins the pot (57,525) with two pair, Jacks and Tens
Hey_Eng stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 57,525 | Rake 0
Board: [Js 9h 2d 7d Jh]
Seat 1: Hey_Eng showed [Kc Ah] and lost with a pair of Jacks
Seat 2: jspeed99 folded before the Flop
Seat 3: ddt7132 folded before the Flop
Seat 4: T-N-T 113 folded before the Flop
Seat 5: JonnyP910 folded before the Flop
Seat 6: Bender2006 showed [Tc Ts] and won (57,525) with two pair, Jacks and Tens
Seat 7: CottonPatch (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: toollman (small blind) showed [Kd Ac] and lost with a pair of Jacks
Seat 9: gitana333 (big blind) folded before the Flop

Here I find Toollman is probably more aggressive than me. Up until this point the only real re-raises I've seen were from players taking a shot at me. Here a player with a lot of chips is committing a lot to the pot. Eng kinda sweetens it. I'm suprised two tens were the best hand here. This was the best spot where two players had AK and I only had to worry about 4 cards coming against 6. I knockout hey_eng in 18th place, the 8th person I've busted. Here Eng should have just put all his money in the middle preflop. No point in leaving 3,000 to put in on the flop. Toollman looks to be a tough customer, but this big pot I took should take the wind out of his sails at least for the time being.

Here starts a little downswing.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609438740: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 33 - 600/1200 Ante 150 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:59:51 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 2: jspeed99 (7,801), is sitting out
Seat 3: ddt7132 (32,146)
Seat 4: T-N-T 113 (17,654)
Seat 5: JonnyP910 (17,120)
Seat 6: Bender2006 (136,165)
Seat 7: CottonPatch (19,349)
Seat 8: toollman (38,168)
Seat 9: gitana333 (4,671)
jspeed99 antes 150
ddt7132 antes 150
T-N-T 113 antes 150
JonnyP910 antes 150
Bender2006 antes 150
CottonPatch antes 150
toollman antes 150
gitana333 antes 150
Bender2006: flush draw
jspeed99 posts the small blind of 600
ddt7132 posts the big blind of 1,200
The button is in seat #9
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Qc As]
T-N-T 113 folds
JonnyP910 calls 1,200
Bender2006 raises to 7,500(I've selected 7500 as my open. Here I have a big hand, A-Q.)
CottonPatch folds
toollman raises to 38,018, and is all in
gitana333 folds
jspeed99 folds
gitana333: who paid the dealer to slap me with this crap
ddt7132 folds
JonnyP910 folds
Bender2006 calls 30,518(I elect to call here. Winning the huge pot earlier along with knocking out my biggest competion is just too irresistable to lay AQ down here.
toollman shows [4h 4d](Good he doesn't have me dominated)
Bender2006 shows [Qc As]
*** FLOP *** [7h 7c 9h]
*** TURN *** [7h 7c 9h] [2h]
*** RIVER *** [7h 7c 9h 2h] [3c]
toollman shows two pair, Sevens and Fours
Bender2006 shows a pair of Sevens
toollman wins the pot (80,236) with two pair, Sevens and Fours
Bender2006: gh tool
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 80,236 | Rake 0
Board: [7h 7c 9h 2h 3c]
Seat 2: jspeed99 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 3: ddt7132 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: T-N-T 113 folded before the Flop
Seat 5: JonnyP910 folded before the Flop
Seat 6: Bender2006 showed [Qc As] and lost with a pair of Sevens
Seat 7: CottonPatch folded before the Flop
Seat 8: toollman showed [4h 4d] and won (80,236) with two pair, Sevens and Fours
Seat 9: gitana333 (button) folded before the Flop

I risked a fair amount of chips here, but didn't poorly get my money in. Here I don't mind taking out my largest threats. I can't take another shot here against Toollman with this same spot, but I've reinforced the image of don't mess with me, because I will call you. Bring the goods.

Another misstep here

Full Tilt Poker Game #609459411: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 33 - 800/1600 Ante 200 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:08:05 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 2: jspeed99 (3,001), is sitting out
Seat 3: ddt7132 (36,375)
Seat 4: T-N-T 113 (12,454)
Seat 5: JonnyP910 (6,920)
Seat 6: Bender2006 (98,347)
Seat 7: CottonPatch (11,949)
Seat 8: toollman (92,786)
Seat 9: gitana333 (11,242)
jspeed99 antes 200
ddt7132 antes 200
T-N-T 113 antes 200
JonnyP910 antes 200
Bender2006 antes 200
CottonPatch antes 200
toollman antes 200
gitana333 antes 200
T-N-T 113 posts the small blind of 800
JonnyP910 posts the big blind of 1,600
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [8d Ah]
Bender2006 raises to 4,500
CottonPatch raises to 11,749, and is all in(I imagine it's another typical race spot)
toollman folds
gitana333 folds
jspeed99 folds
ddt7132 folds
T-N-T 113 folds
JonnyP910 folds
Bender2006 calls 7,249(I think I have to call here. 7,000 more or so to win a pot with 20,000 in the middle. Just about 3:1 on my money so I take a shot)
CottonPatch shows [Jd Jc](whoops was not a race)
Bender2006 shows [8d Ah]
*** FLOP *** [5s 5h 7h]
*** TURN *** [5s 5h 7h] [Ks]
*** RIVER *** [5s 5h 7h Ks] [8h]
CottonPatch shows two pair, Jacks and Fives
Bender2006 shows two pair, Eights and Fives
CottonPatch wins the pot (27,498) with two pair, Jacks and Fives
Bender2006: nh
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 27,498 | Rake 0
Board: [5s 5h 7h Ks 8h]
Seat 2: jspeed99 folded before the Flop
Seat 3: ddt7132 (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: T-N-T 113 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: JonnyP910 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 6: Bender2006 showed [8d Ah] and lost with two pair, Eights and Fives
Seat 7: CottonPatch showed [Jd Jc] and won (27,498) with two pair, Jacks and Fives
Seat 8: toollman folded before the Flop
Seat 9: gitana333 folded before the Flop

Here I made a basic pot odds decision, and that's what I base most of these preflop all in's on. Unless the player has like 2,000 I won't call on just any two cards. Here cotton was observent, but brought a big hand to the table and his Jacks hold against my A8o. A little misstep, but I still have a ton of chips. I slip to 3rd place over all.

Lets take a little break from our own cards and focus on the other players.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609460842: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 33 - 800/1600 Ante 200 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:08:39 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 2: jspeed99 (2,801), is sitting out
Seat 3: ddt7132 (36,175)
Seat 4: T-N-T 113 (11,454)
Seat 5: JonnyP910 (5,120)
Seat 6: Bender2006 (86,398)
Seat 7: CottonPatch (27,498)
Seat 8: toollman (92,586)
Seat 9: gitana333 (11,042)
jspeed99 antes 200
ddt7132 antes 200
T-N-T 113 antes 200
JonnyP910 antes 200
Bender2006 antes 200
CottonPatch antes 200
toollman antes 200
gitana333 antes 200
JonnyP910 posts the small blind of 800
Bender2006 posts the big blind of 1,600
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [3c 4s]
Bender2006: no more doubling people up
CottonPatch: ty
CottonPatch folds
toollman raises to 8,000
gitana333 folds
jspeed99 folds
ddt7132 folds
T-N-T 113 folds
JonnyP910 calls 4,120, and is all in
Bender2006 folds(Good a garbage fold and an open, I can fold)
toollman shows [Tc Qc]
JonnyP910 shows [Ks Qh](Has jonny dominated)
Uncalled bet of 3,080 returned to toollman
gitana333: come on you can give me let's say 30 k
*** FLOP *** [Th Qd As](Ouch!)
*** TURN *** [Th Qd As] [7h]
*** RIVER *** [Th Qd As 7h] [6d]
toollman shows two pair, Queens and Tens
JonnyP910 shows a pair of Queens
toollman wins the pot (13,040) with two pair, Queens and Tens
JonnyP910 stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 13,040 | Rake 0
Board: [Th Qd As 7h 6d]
Seat 2: jspeed99 folded before the Flop
Seat 3: ddt7132 folded before the Flop
Seat 4: T-N-T 113 (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: JonnyP910 (small blind) showed [Ks Qh] and lost with a pair of Queens
Seat 6: Bender2006 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 7: CottonPatch folded before the Flop
Seat 8: toollman showed [Tc Qc] and won (13,040) with two pair, Queens and Tens
Seat 9: gitana333 folded before the Flop

Okay we observe from toollman that he's a very aggressive player, but doesn't always have aces. He makes a lot of plays with less than top tier hands. Lets remember this time for next time. Jonnyp910 busts in 15th and now just 14 players remain with a shot at this tournament.

Another really huge hand late in the touranment

Full Tilt Poker Game #609468849: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 33 - 800/1600 Ante 200 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:11:49 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 2: jspeed99 (201), is sitting out
Seat 3: ddt7132 (29,075)
Seat 4: T-N-T 113 (10,454)
Seat 6: Bender2006 (98,898)
Seat 7: CottonPatch (24,098)
Seat 8: toollman (97,306)
Seat 9: gitana333 (13,042)
jspeed99 antes 200
ddt7132 antes 200
T-N-T 113 antes 200
Bender2006 antes 200
CottonPatch antes 200
toollman antes 200
gitana333 antes 200
jspeed99 posts the small blind of 1, and is all in
ddt7132 posts the big blind of 1,600
The button is in seat #9
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [7c 6d]
T-N-T 113 folds
Bender2006 folds(No reason for me to get aggreaive in EP with just 7 high. Still trying to go back to basics. I want the next big raise I do to be me holding a big hand)
CottonPatch calls 1,600
toollman raises to 8,000(By far the most active player at the table. If I hold a big holding I'm going to probably take a lot off of him. Just like the TT hand.
gitana333 folds
ddt7132 calls 6,400
CottonPatch raises to 23,898, and is all in(Running a squeeze play. Probably has a huge hand)
toollman calls 15,898(Calls, he has a lot of chips to make this play happen though)
ddt7132 calls 15,898(Pot sweetener)
*** FLOP *** [Jc Td 8h]
ddt7132 checks
toollman checks
*** TURN *** [Jc Td 8h] [6c]
ddt7132 checks
toollman checks
*** RIVER *** [Jc Td 8h 6c] [3h](Basically they check it down to see if one of them can knock out the low guy. Again no sidepot, so no reason to knock anyone out. Unless someone makes a huge hand like flopping a straight, there is no reason to bet here.)
ddt7132 checks
toollman checks
*** SHOW DOWN ***
CottonPatch shows [Kh Kd] (a pair of Kings)(Shows a huge hand)
toollman mucks
ddt7132 mucks
CottonPatch wins the side pot (71,691) with a pair of Kings
jspeed99 mucks
CottonPatch wins the main pot (1,404) with a pair of Kings
jspeed99 stands up (Busted in 14th place)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 73,095 Main pot 1,404. Side pot 71,691. | Rake 0
Board: [Jc Td 8h 6c 3h]
Seat 2: jspeed99 (small blind) mucked [Js 4c] - a pair of Jacks
Seat 3: ddt7132 (big blind) mucked [Ks 9s] - King Jack high
Seat 4: T-N-T 113 folded before the Flop
Seat 6: Bender2006 folded before the Flop
Seat 7: CottonPatch showed [Kh Kd] and won (73,095) with a pair of Kings
Seat 8: toollman mucked [Kc As] - Ace King high
Seat 9: gitana333 (button) folded before the Flop

Here it goes to show how you should only play the big pots with big hands. Cotton picked up kings, waited for the right spot and was able to get his money all in the pot. Toollman is correct to call here with AK. DDT made too loose a call with K9s. Even though it's King-Ning of Spades and that's my favorite hand, I'd have to say no thanks and put it down. Someone has a huge hand and K9 can't take that kind of heat. Even though it looks enticing, it's too much to risk and you won't win often enough to compensate. 13 players left. It's nitty gritty to the final 9.

The next hand

Full Tilt Poker Game #609471665: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 33 - 800/1600 Ante 200 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:12:55 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 3: ddt7132 (4,977)
Seat 4: T-N-T 113 (10,254)
Seat 6: Bender2006 (98,698)
Seat 7: CottonPatch (73,095)
Seat 8: toollman (73,208)
Seat 9: gitana333 (12,842)
ddt7132 antes 200
T-N-T 113 antes 200
Bender2006 antes 200
CottonPatch antes 200
toollman antes 200
gitana333 antes 200
ddt7132 posts the small blind of 800
T-N-T 113 posts the big blind of 1,600
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [9d Ks]
Bender2006 calls 1,600 I limp with my K9o
CottonPatch calls 1,600 Cotton just calls
toollman folds
gitana333 folds
ddt7132 folds
Bender2006: why did i have to double u up cotton
T-N-T 113 has 15 seconds left to act
T-N-T 113 raises to 10,054, and is all in(I suspect hree TNT is making a play. He hasn't seen much and with the warfare he just wants to play a pot.)
Bender2006 calls 8,454(Pot odds are laying me 2:1. I go ahead and call because a loss doesn't hurt that much.)
gitana333: lol
CottonPatch folds
T-N-T 113 shows [7h 7d]
Bender2006 shows [9d Ks]
*** FLOP *** [As Kd 5s]
*** TURN *** [As Kd 5s] [6d]
*** RIVER *** [As Kd 5s 6d] [Jh]
T-N-T 113 shows a pair of Sevens
Bender2006 shows a pair of Kings
Bender2006 wins the pot (23,708) with a pair of Kings
Bender2006: gg tnt
T-N-T 113 stands up
press 48 sits down
press 48 adds 29,746
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 23,708 | Rake 0
Board: [As Kd 5s 6d Jh]
Seat 3: ddt7132 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: T-N-T 113 (big blind) showed [7h 7d] and lost with a pair of Sevens
Seat 6: Bender2006 showed [9d Ks] and won (23,708) with a pair of Kings
Seat 7: CottonPatch folded before the Flop
Seat 8: toollman folded before the Flop
Seat 9: gitana333 folded before the Flop

It turns out to be a race situation and my K-9 comes from behind to win. TNT goes out in 13th place. He's the 9th player I eliminate. Again Pot Odds controlled this whole decision. On the other table Jerm Warrior goes out in 12th place. 11 players and just 2 players left before Final Table.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609487673: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 33 - 1000/2000 Ante 250 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:19:28 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 3: ddt7132 (8,954)
Seat 5: press 48 (25,769)
Seat 6: Bender2006 (111,902)
Seat 7: CottonPatch (71,045)
Seat 8: toollman (72,758)
Seat 9: gitana333 (12,392)
ddt7132 antes 250
press 48 antes 250
Bender2006 antes 250
CottonPatch antes 250
toollman antes 250
gitana333 antes 250
press 48 posts the small blind of 1,000
Bender2006 posts the big blind of 2,000
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Qh Qs](Here we go, finally another big pair)
gitana333: AA on the button rotten dealer
gitana333: lol
gitana333: nh
CottonPatch folds
toollman folds
ddt7132: ty
gitana333 folds
ddt7132 folds
press 48 calls 1,000
Bender2006 raises to 8,000(I pop in 4xBB.)
press 48 folds
Uncalled bet of 6,000 returned to Bender2006
Bender2006 shows [Qh Qs] (a pair of Queens)(I show the hand to try and look like I'm back to tight, grind to the final table style)
Bender2006 wins the pot (5,500)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 5,500 | Rake 0
Seat 3: ddt7132 folded before the Flop
Seat 5: press 48 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 6: Bender2006 (big blind) collected (5,500)
Seat 7: CottonPatch folded before the Flop
Seat 8: toollman folded before the Flop
Seat 9: gitana333 folded before the Flop

I want to look like one of the guys just cruising, I've picked up QQ, and that's about the range I'll play. It's not true, but getting my opponents to think that helps.

Okay here is the second stupid gamble I made in the tournament

Full Tilt Poker Game #609495416: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 33 - 1000/2000 Ante 250 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:22:42 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 3: ddt7132 (4,454)
Seat 5: press 48 (26,769)
Seat 6: Bender2006 (117,402)
Seat 7: CottonPatch (69,045)
Seat 8: toollman (72,758)
Seat 9: gitana333 (12,392)
ddt7132 antes 250
press 48 antes 250
Bender2006 antes 250
CottonPatch antes 250
toollman antes 250
gitana333 antes 250
press 48 posts the small blind of 1,000
Bender2006 posts the big blind of 2,000
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [4h Kc]
CottonPatch folds
toollman folds
gitana333 raises to 12,142, and is all in(Gitana has been pushing all her money in the middle. I have 2k in there already so only 10k more to call. A loss isn't bad, but not the smartest gamble)
ddt7132 folds
press 48 folds
Bender2006 calls 10,142(I go ahead and call thinking I've got 2 live cards. If I do it's one step closer to the final table.)
gitana333 shows [Ac Ks](I don't have 2 live cards. Drawing to a 4 or a bunch of hearts.)
Bender2006 shows [4h Kc]
*** FLOP *** [2h Ad Tc]
gitana333: oh no
*** TURN *** [2h Ad Tc] [Js]
gitana333: 4
gitana333: 4
*** RIVER *** [2h Ad Tc Js] [6c]
gitana333 shows a pair of Aces
Bender2006 shows Ace King high
gitana333 wins the pot (26,784) with a pair of Aces
Bender2006: nh
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 26,784 | Rake 0
Board: [2h Ad Tc Js 6c]
Seat 3: ddt7132 (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: press 48 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 6: Bender2006 (big blind) showed [4h Kc] and lost with Ace King high
Seat 7: CottonPatch folded before the Flop
Seat 8: toollman folded before the Flop
Seat 9: gitana333 showed [Ac Ks] and won (26,784) with a pair of Aces

Here I got careless. You can't think that you'll win with any 2 cards. You're a poker player, not a psychic. Just because I have a large stack doesn't mean I can will a K-4 off to victory. Bad play on my part but at least it's a lesson learned.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609501653: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 33 - 1000/2000 Ante 250 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:25:13 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 3: ddt7132 (3,454)
Seat 5: press 48 (31,269)
Seat 6: Bender2006 (105,760)
Seat 7: CottonPatch (63,045)
Seat 8: toollman (68,758)
Seat 9: gitana333 (30,534)
ddt7132 antes 250
press 48 antes 250
Bender2006 antes 250
CottonPatch antes 250
toollman antes 250
gitana333 antes 250
gitana333 posts the small blind of 1,000
ddt7132 posts the big blind of 2,000
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Th Qh]
Bender2006: i was just gambling it up
gitana333: lol
press 48 folds
Bender2006 calls 2,000
CottonPatch folds
toollman raises to 18,000
gitana333 folds
ddt7132 calls 1,204, and is all in
Bender2006 folds
toollman shows [Ac Jc]
ddt7132 shows [9s As]
Uncalled bet of 14,796 returned to toollman
*** FLOP *** [2d Qd 4d]
gitana333: i woudl have gone bananas if you had outdrawn or drawn to a split
*** TURN *** [2d Qd 4d] [6h]
*** RIVER *** [2d Qd 4d 6h] [Tc]
toollman shows Ace Queen high
ddt7132 shows Ace Queen high
toollman wins the pot (10,908) with Ace Queen high
gitana333: gg
ddt7132 stands up
Bender2006: nothin wrong w/ a split
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 10,908 | Rake 0
Board: [2d Qd 4d 6h Tc]
Seat 3: ddt7132 (big blind) showed [9s As] and lost with Ace Queen high
Seat 5: press 48 folded before the Flop
Seat 6: Bender2006 folded before the Flop
Seat 7: CottonPatch folded before the Flop
Seat 8: toollman (button) showed [Ac Jc] and won (10,908) with Ace Queen high
Seat 9: gitana333 (small blind) folded before the Flop

Here ddt gets very low and makes a play. Toollman picks up a hand. Nothing really either man can do. ddt goes broke in 11th place.

The player who ends up going broke in 10th place just one hand short of the final table is Press 48. We end up going in after the board comes K-J-2. He has J-8, I've got 2-2 and flop a set. I don't have a hand history. So we go to the final nine players. Press 48 becomes the 10th player I bust. Great accomplishment and I've got the chip lead. Nice accomplishment but 8 players separate me from the win so I gotta separate them from their chips. Here are the standings.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609511392: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 22 - 1200/2400 Ante 300 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:29:12 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: dollarmtn (46,759)
Seat 2: ytownst (31,514)
Seat 3: Donovon1677 (37,428)
Seat 4: Jayel316 (20,084)
Seat 5: tardawduke (129,895)
Seat 6: CottonPatch (62,795)
Seat 7: gitana333 (26,034)
Seat 8: Bender2006 (142,029)
Seat 9: toollman (71,962)

$1 MTT Strategy Part 2

2006-07-29T21:29:00.000-04:00

$1 MTT strategy part 2

Welcome back. This section of notes is what led me from 150 players(appx.) to the 36 who make the money. In this section I want to go over some more hands. Here I show a little volatility. The aggression factor for me goes up a little bit. Here's how we look after an hour of play

Full Tilt Poker Game #609178988: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 11 - 60/120 - No Limit Hold'em - 18:07:36 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: RMoC (5,560)
Seat 2: Casey Finn (7,060)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (4,070)
Seat 4: Crazy Jimmy 24 (2,028)
Seat 5: drewkinga (10,060)
Seat 6: rwestover (2,810)
Seat 8: ytownst (3,930)
Seat 9: matisse (2,150)

We still haven't hit the antes yet. When the antes start coming into play I tend to play more aggressively as there is more money to be made. No sense risking a good part of your stack to gain 180 chips here in just the blinds. Lets go into the action.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609195925: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 11 - 60/120 - No Limit Hold'em - 18:15:26 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: RMoC (5,380)
Seat 2: Casey Finn (7,360)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (3,890)
Seat 4: Crazy Jimmy 24 (1,188)
Seat 5: drewkinga (10,660)
Seat 6: rwestover (3,050)
Seat 7: nikipg (6,180)
Seat 8: ytownst (4,410)
Seat 9: matisse (1,970)
rwestover posts the small blind of 60
nikipg posts the big blind of 120
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Ks Qc](Here I have a nice hand in middle position. KQs is very much playable)
ytownst calls 120
matisse folds
RMoC folds
Casey Finn folds
Bender2006 raises to 400(I elect to raise a little more than 3xBB, I really want to end the hand here, but a call would give me a shot. A raise and I dump)
Crazy Jimmy 24 folds
drewkinga folds
rwestover folds
nikipg calls 280
ytownst folds
*** FLOP *** [Jh 8c 7s](This board missed me but I elect to play it aggressive)
nikipg checks
Bender2006 bets 1,000
nikipg calls 1,000(He calls, however I suspect he has a drawing hand or small pair)
*** TURN *** [Jh 8c 7s] [4d]
nikipg checks
Bender2006 bets 2,490, and is all in(I elect to get really risky. I don't think he's going to put in his entire stack on a small pair after I made 3 raises on him. He may even throw away Jacks here)
nikipg folds
Uncalled bet of 2,490 returned to Bender2006
Bender2006 mucks
Bender2006 wins the pot (2,980)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2,980 | Rake 0
Board: [Jh 8c 7s 4d]
Seat 1: RMoC didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: Casey Finn didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: Bender2006 collected (2,980), mucked
Seat 4: Crazy Jimmy 24 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: drewkinga (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: rwestover (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 7: nikipg (big blind) folded on the Turn
Seat 8: ytownst folded before the Flop
Seat 9: matisse didn't bet (folded)

Here is where playing tight pays off. I hadn't played that hardcore on anyone yet. It gave me the ability make a move on this pot. My read was that he had a drawing hand most likely a Weak Ace with a pair. It takes a lot of courage to fire 3 consecutive shells here. If I get called I'm beat, but this is the key to tight play. This can lead to aggression later. It's a very risky move especially when all your money goes into the center, but I felt that I could execute this bluff based on my tight play.

Okay here's where I was wrong. First off I lost a few pots when I played a few hands I missed. Hands like A-T, K-J that kind of deal. Not overly in trouble, but starting to slide.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609218483: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 11 - 80/160 - No Limit Hold'em - 18:26:02 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: RMoC (5,140)
Seat 2: Casey Finn (7,680)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (3,300)
Seat 4: Crazy Jimmy 24 (1,816)
Seat 5: drewkinga (10,702)
Seat 6: rwestover (3,010)
Seat 7: nikipg (5,360)
Seat 8: ytownst (6,250)
Seat 9: twosmallpair (8,500)
ytownst posts the small blind of 80
twosmallpair posts the big blind of 160
The button is in seat #7
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Qc Jc]
RMoC folds
Casey Finn folds
Bender2006 raises to 400(I've started to change gears and played more aggressive)
Crazy Jimmy 24 raises to 1,816, and is all in
drewkinga folds
rwestover folds
nikipg folds
ytownst folds
twosmallpair folds
Bender2006 calls 1,416(Here I should have folded. At best I'm in a race. Tilt factor has set in though and I make too loose a call.)
Crazy Jimmy 24 shows [Jh Js](I'm a 2:1 Dog)
Bender2006 shows [Qc Jc]
*** FLOP *** [7s 7h 6h]
*** TURN *** [7s 7h 6h] [8s]
*** RIVER *** [7s 7h 6h 8s] [2h]
Crazy Jimmy 24 shows two pair, Jacks and Sevens
Bender2006 shows a pair of Sevens
Crazy Jimmy 24 wins the pot (3,872) with two pair, Jacks and Sevens
Bender2006: nh
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 3,872 | Rake 0
Board: [7s 7h 6h 8s 2h]
Seat 1: RMoC didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: Casey Finn didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: Bender2006 showed [Qc Jc] and lost with a pair of Sevens
Seat 4: Crazy Jimmy 24 showed [Jh Js] and won (3,872) with two pair, Jacks and Sevens
Seat 5: drewkinga didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: rwestover didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: nikipg (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: ytownst (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 9: twosmallpair (big blind) folded before the Flop

I made a mistake in this pot. QJs isn't a horrible hand, but I shouldn't have charged. I needed to play this like 76s and taken a cheap flop. If I got raised I was beat and should have dumped. While I felt that Crazy Jimmy could have been in desprate mode and pushed on 5-5, it's too big a risk. I misplayed this hand and now I'm beginning to get low. Not a good spot with the increasing chip stacks and levels. Even if a player is getting low and feeling desprate, you must exercise caution. If you have a huge chipstack at this point say 15k-20k calling here isn't bad, but since I've got 3k, I made a poor play.

Later on in the tournament after I took that blow. Basically my strategy now with the blinds the way they are is to find some kind of hand and move all in before the flop. This is the only solution since right now my M(Refer to harrington on holdem) is only 4 at best. This puts me into the red zone. I want that first in vigorish that could win me the blinds or double up. I'm not going to commit suicide and move in on a random holding, but right now just about any ace, any pocket pair, and KQ I would be willing to move in on. This hand I fold my K-3 but goes to show another point about tournament play.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609231911: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 11 - 100/200 - No Limit Hold'em - 18:32:16 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: RMoC (6,900)
Seat 2: Casey Finn (6,940)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (1,184)
Seat 4: supdanno (5,945)
Seat 5: drewkinga (8,722)
Seat 6: rwestover (2,310)
Seat 7: nikipg (5,360)
Seat 8: ytownst (9,282)
Seat 9: twosmallpair (11,060)
rwestover posts the small blind of 100
nikipg posts the big blind of 200
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Ks 3h]
drewkinga: good hand
ytownst calls 200
twosmallpair: thanx guess i have your number lately
twosmallpair folds
RMoC folds
Casey Finn folds
Bender2006 folds
supdanno folds
drewkinga calls 200
rwestover calls 100
nikipg checks
*** FLOP *** [Ts 5d Ad]
rwestover checks
nikipg checks
drewkinga: you have been killing me lately
drewkinga: nice job
Bender2006: this whole table has been killing me
ytownst bets 800(This is an unusally big raise for this pot. Probably a defensive bet of an ace)
drewkinga calls 800(Might have the flush draw)
rwestover folds
nikipg folds
*** TURN *** [Ts 5d Ad] [4d]
ytownst checks(I would probe bet here and find out where I stand if I have an ace.)
drewkinga bets 1,500(Good bet here, most of the time this will take the pot down)
ytownst calls 1,500(Risky call. Unless there is a read you may still be ahead)
*** RIVER *** [Ts 5d Ad 4d] [Qs]
ytownst bets 2,800(This is a very tricky raise. Could ytownst have semi-bluffed a flush, made it and is now forcing drew to a decision_
drewkinga raises to 6,222, and is all in(Extremly risky bluff, if drew doesn't have a flush, he's certainly beaten but it's a bold play)
ytownst calls 3,422(Likely has to call as long as he doesn't believe drew has an flush)
*** SHOW DOWN ***
drewkinga shows [Qh Kh] (a pair of Queens)
ytownst shows [As 2h] (a pair of Aces)(Very gutsy play)
ytownst wins the pot (17,844) with a pair of Aces
drewkinga stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 17,844 | Rake 0
Board: [Ts 5d Ad 4d Qs]
Seat 1: RMoC didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: Casey Finn didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: Bender2006 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: supdanno didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: drewkinga (button) showed [Qh Kh] and lost with a pair of Queens
Seat 6: rwestover (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 7: nikipg (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 8: ytownst showed [As 2h] and won (17,844) with a pair of Aces
Seat 9: twosmallpair didn't bet (folded)

ytownst and drew went pretty hard at this pot. It was filled with a very big drama and very risky plays. I think the main reason ytownst believed his aces were the best hand was drew's table image. drew was the most aggressive player at the table making a lot of plays. The key mistake was drew moving in on his KQ. ytownst may have made his flush already or what he represented up front a pair of aces. He could have called it and saved a few chips. I don't take on a big stack here without a big hand. Drew probably should have dumped his hand on the flop as he had a gutshot only. Aces make sense here. If he was going to setup ytownst he should have bet larger say 4,000. ytownst has been playing aggressive too but not stupid. He probably would fold the way the cards lied. The moral of the story, don't run up against large stacked opponents, even if you have a lot of ammo, without the goods.

The very next hand.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609235485: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 11 - 100/200 - No Limit Hold'em - 18:33:56 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: RMoC (6,900)
Seat 2: Casey Finn (6,940)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (1,184)
Seat 4: supdanno (5,945)
Seat 6: rwestover (2,110)
Seat 7: nikipg (5,160)
Seat 8: ytownst (18,404)
Seat 9: twosmallpair (11,060)
nikipg posts the small blind of 100
ytownst posts the big blind of 200
Bender2006: wow
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [6s Ac]
twosmallpair folds
Bender2006: gg drew
ytownst: knew id get him
RMoC folds
Casey Finn folds
drewkinga (Observer): had to try it one time
Bender2006 raises to 1,184, and is all in
supdanno folds
rwestover folds
drewkinga (Observer): I didn't think you had me covered
roooy1 sits down
roooy1 adds 7,575
Casey Finn: just awfulllllllllllllllllllllllll
nikipg: nh
nikipg folds
ytownst: and very lucky
Casey Finn: but it is the big buck
ytownst folds
Uncalled bet of 984 returned to Bender2006
Bender2006 mucks
Bender2006 wins the pot (500)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 500 | Rake 0
Seat 1: RMoC didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: Casey Finn didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: Bender2006 collected (500), mucked
Seat 4: supdanno didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: rwestover (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: nikipg (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: ytownst (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 9: twosmallpair didn't bet (folded)

I find Ace-Six and move it all in. I'm not going to limp, invite callers, and fold later leaving myself just 600-800 chips left. First in vig is big here. Also I can't get bluffed out of this hand. Here everyone folds. The 300 in blinds is very critical to my stack. I get to buy myself one more round where I may pickup a large hand and double through.

For the last 15 minutes in the game I've played all in or fold. I've picked up a few other pots holding A5s, 66, and ATo I've won them all uncontested.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609269812: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 11 - 150/300 Ante 25 - No Limit Hold'em - 18:49:42 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: RMoC (5,250)
Seat 2: Casey Finn (8,430)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (2,062)
Seat 4: supdanno (7,640)
Seat 5: hellacious (6,015)
Seat 6: ddt7132 (8,820)
Seat 7: nikipg (4,580)
Seat 8: ytownst (19,249)
Seat 9: twosmallpair (9,935)
RMoC antes 25
Casey Finn antes 25
Bender2006 antes 25
supdanno antes 25
hellacious antes 25
ddt7132 antes 25
nikipg antes 25
ytownst antes 25
twosmallpair antes 25
Casey Finn posts the small blind of 150
Bender2006 posts the big blind of 300
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [8s Ah]
supdanno folds
ddt7132: gh
hellacious folds
ddt7132 folds
nikipg calls 300
ytownst raises to 600
twosmallpair folds
RMoC folds
Casey Finn folds
Bender2006 raises to 2,037, and is all in(I elect to put it all in. First in vigorish. With antes I must play some pots for any chance to continue)
nikipg folds
ytownst calls 1,437(He has a large stack. It's costing him less than 10% of his stack and if he's live it's a correct call)
Bender2006 shows [8s Ah]
ytownst shows [Kc 7c](He has 2 live cards and clubs. Here there's nothing left to do here but pray.)
*** FLOP *** [4s 4c 5d]
*** TURN *** [4s 4c 5d] [Jd]
*** RIVER *** [4s 4c 5d Jd] [2s](My ace high held up and I've more than doubled up. Back up to 4700 and a moderate threat again)
Bender2006 shows a pair of Fours
ytownst shows a pair of Fours
Bender2006 wins the pot (4,749) with a pair of Fours
Bender2006: phew
ytownst: nh
Casey Finn: nh
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 4,749 | Rake 0
Board: [4s 4c 5d Jd 2s]
Seat 1: RMoC (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 2: Casey Finn (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 3: Bender2006 (big blind) showed [8s Ah] and won (4,749) with a pair of Fours
Seat 4: supdanno folded before the Flop
Seat 5: hellacious folded before the Flop
Seat 6: ddt7132 folded before the Flop
Seat 7: nikipg folded before the Flop
Seat 8: ytownst showed [Kc 7c] and lost with a pair of Fours
Seat 9: twosmallpair folded before the Flop

Here I was glad that ytownst called and not nikipg. ytownst called a marginal hand, but could more than afford to. nikipg would only like call the 2000 I had left with a hand likely larger than A8o. I have a little more money and can last a little longer. While I can get away from the risky all in or fold I'm still sitting with an M of 7 which makes me in the orange zone. I can't really play tricky poker, just straight forward play. This hand turned the tide in my favor.

Here I notice that the table is becoming much more aggressive. At this point 75 players left or as Squib says "Double the Bubble". Half the players left cash, half won't. Even though in Rounders they say pirhannas don't attack each other, in this case they do.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609275846: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 11 - 150/300 Ante 25 - No Limit Hold'em - 18:52:25 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 2: Casey Finn (8,205)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (4,549)
Seat 4: supdanno (7,115)
Seat 5: hellacious (12,490)
Seat 6: ddt7132 (8,745)
Seat 7: nikipg (5,155)
Seat 8: ytownst (17,137)
Seat 9: twosmallpair (8,585)
Casey Finn antes 25
Bender2006 antes 25
supdanno antes 25
hellacious antes 25
ddt7132 antes 25
nikipg antes 25
ytownst antes 25
twosmallpair antes 25
hellacious posts the small blind of 150
ddt7132 posts the big blind of 300
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [3h 7h]
nikipg folds
ytownst folds
twosmallpair raises to 900(Standard raise 3xBB.)
Casey Finn folds
Bender2006 folds
supdanno folds
hellacious raises to 12,465, and is all in(An overly crazy raise)
ddt7132 folds
twosmallpair calls 7,660, and is all in(A crazy call)
hellacious shows [9s 9c]
twosmallpair shows [Kd Qd]
Uncalled bet of 3,905 returned to hellacious
*** FLOP *** [6c Ad Tc]
*** TURN *** [6c Ad Tc] [2s]
*** RIVER *** [6c Ad Tc 2s] [8s]
hellacious shows a pair of Nines
twosmallpair shows Ace King high
hellacious wins the pot (17,620) with a pair of Nines
twosmallpair stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 17,620 | Rake 0
Board: [6c Ad Tc 2s 8s]
Seat 2: Casey Finn folded before the Flop
Seat 3: Bender2006 folded before the Flop
Seat 4: supdanno (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: hellacious (small blind) showed [9s 9c] and won (17,620) with a pair of Nines
Seat 6: ddt7132 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 7: nikipg folded before the Flop
Seat 8: ytownst folded before the Flop
Seat 9: twosmallpair showed [Kd Qd] and lost with Ace King high

Both players were really looking to gamble. Hell and two played the hand very very crazy. First off I don't really like either play. hell has 9-9 which is more than good enough to call the raise. However with a bet that large, most players won't gamble their entire stack on hands other than say AA, KK, QQ or AK. Though he only has two to deal with, DDT and two basically have the action should they wake up with one of these 4 hands. He's risking more than 8,000 of his stack to pick up a meager 1500. He may pick up the pots most of the time, but when he gets called he's smoked. If he's got a huge hand like that, he's gonna get zero value on it. Two needs to dump here. Two suited paint cards are a good hand, but not worth shoving in when you have only 900 invested. You want to get all your money in on large edges, not risky coinflips. It's not worth risking your life on. As it turns out it was a coinflip and hell won, but both played too insane here. As stated before don't rumble with huge stacks unless you have a large edge in the hand 55% favorite is not good enough. Even though you are ahead slightly, it's not nearly worth it. You aren't here to gamble, you're here to play with the odds in your favor. Save your money, the second 8,000 you gain is not nearly worth the same as the 8,000 total you have now.

Antes and blinds raised. Almost 2 hours in. I revert back to all in or fold.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609294867: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 11 - 200/400 Ante 50 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:01:10 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 2: Casey Finn (7,555)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (4,024)
Seat 4: supdanno (5,298)
Seat 5: hellacious (21,250)
Seat 6: ddt7132 (11,246)
Seat 7: lodoe (6,219)
Seat 8: ytownst (19,075)
Seat 9: MG10 (8,250)
Casey Finn antes 50
Bender2006 antes 50
supdanno antes 50
hellacious antes 50
ddt7132 antes 50
lodoe antes 50
ytownst antes 50
MG10 antes 50
MG10 posts the small blind of 200
Casey Finn posts the big blind of 400
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Ac Kh]
Bender2006 raises to 3,974, and is all in
supdanno folds
Bender2006: saw KK and 99 once, just about it
hellacious has 15 seconds left to act
hellacious folds
ddt7132 folds
lodoe folds
ytownst folds
hellacious: not a pair
MG10 has 15 seconds left to act
MG10 folds
Casey Finn folds
Uncalled bet of 3,574 returned to Bender2006
Bender2006 shows [Ac Kh] (Ace King high)
Bender2006 wins the pot (1,400)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1,400 | Rake 0
Seat 2: Casey Finn (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 3: Bender2006 collected (1,400)
Seat 4: supdanno folded before the Flop
Seat 5: hellacious folded before the Flop
Seat 6: ddt7132 folded before the Flop
Seat 7: lodoe folded before the Flop
Seat 8: ytownst (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 9: MG10 (small blind) folded before the Flop

I havent really gotten dealt that much. AK I want to push in. It's a big hand but drawing. I don't want someone sticking around and me not flopping an Ace or King. First in vig. With the antes on top of the blinds taking a pot down helps much much more to the effort. I take home a 1400 chip pot. I'm actually happier the hand ended there. I add 25% to my stack at no risk if everyone folds. I show the AK to reinforce my tight close to the vest play.

A few hands later I switch gears and actually get a very lucky break

Full Tilt Poker Game #609298475: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 11 - 200/400 Ante 50 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:02:48 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 2: Casey Finn (7,855)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (4,524)
Seat 4: supdanno (5,198)
Seat 5: hellacious (21,150)
Seat 6: ddt7132 (11,146)
Seat 7: lodoe (6,119)
Seat 8: ytownst (18,975)
Seat 9: MG10 (7,950)
Casey Finn antes 50
Bender2006 antes 50
supdanno antes 50
hellacious antes 50
ddt7132 antes 50
lodoe antes 50
ytownst antes 50
MG10 antes 50
Bender2006 posts the small blind of 200
supdanno posts the big blind of 400
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [6c Jh]
hellacious folds
ddt7132 calls 400
lodoe folds
ytownst folds
MG10 folds
Casey Finn folds
Bender2006 calls 200(I'm getting a huge price on this hand. J-6 isn't very strong, but for 200 more I can see a flop, hopefully hit a monster, and gain a lot of chips. If I miss it's an easy fold )
supdanno raises to 800
ddt7132 calls 400
Bender2006 calls 400(It's 400 more to see a pot with 2650 in it. Getting over 6:1 I make the call, the pot odds are just too tempting)
*** FLOP *** [2c 9d 8d](Complete miss any action and I'm done)
Bender2006 checks
supdanno checks
ddt7132 checks
*** TURN *** [2c 9d 8d] [Ts](I've now picked up an open ended straight draw. 8 outs. If someone minimum bets I call. I'm 4:1 against making it but there is a lot of money in this pot.)
Bender2006 checks
supdanno checks
ddt7132 checks
*** RIVER *** [2c 9d 8d Ts] [7d](Another free card. I've caught a great break and made a backdoor straight)
Bender2006 bets 1,500(I bet something I think is gonna get called. I'm positive I have the best hand. Can't go in, but gotta disguise it as a bluff)
supdanno calls 1,500
ddt7132 folds
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Bender2006 shows [6c Jh] (a straight, Jack high)
supdanno mucks
Bender2006 wins the pot (5,800) with a straight, Jack high
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 5,800 | Rake 0
Board: [2c 9d 8d Ts 7d]
Seat 2: Casey Finn (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 3: Bender2006 (small blind) showed [6c Jh] and won (5,800) with a straight, Jack high
Seat 4: supdanno (big blind) mucked [Kc Ah] - Ace King high
Seat 5: hellacious folded before the Flop
Seat 6: ddt7132 folded on the River
Seat 7: lodoe folded before the Flop
Seat 8: ytownst folded before the Flop
Seat 9: MG10 folded before the Flop

Two concepts here. Pot odds and free cards. Danno made a mistake not betting his AK stronger. Yes it may have been answered by a big raise, but his 2 opponents checked the flop twice. Making a nice continuation bet here as this flop is not very likely to hit anyone strongly would knock out me for sure and likely ddt. Also you can afford to loosen up with tremendous pot odds. I like playing hands such as suited connects for good prices. There are very few hands I will fold getting over 6:1 on my call. The risk/reward in that spot was too great. Very lucky break here but could have been avoided by danno.
I'm now up to 8,000 and can contend with some of the other stacks.

Okay there are about 45 players left in the tournament. I have a below average stack at 8k. I'm not desprate and don't need to play all in or fold, but I do need to make something happen before I revert back to that. With antes your stack disapppears more quickly than just blinds.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609327331: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 11 - 250/500 Ante 50 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:15:46 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: Interrante (39,014)
Seat 2: Casey Finn (6,155)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (7,724)
Seat 4: supdanno (2,198)
Seat 5: hellacious (21,850)
Seat 6: ddt7132 (9,246)
Seat 7: lodoe (5,169)
Seat 8: ytownst (16,925)
Seat 9: MG10 (7,150)
Interrante antes 50
Casey Finn antes 50
Bender2006 antes 50
supdanno antes 50
hellacious antes 50
ddt7132 antes 50
lodoe antes 50
ytownst antes 50
MG10 antes 50
MG10 posts the small blind of 250
Interrante posts the big blind of 500
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Js Ad]
Casey Finn folds
Bender2006 raises to 2,500(I raise this hand. Its a fine hand. 2,500 is a bit large but I've started to mix up my play a little)
supdanno folds
hellacious folds
ddt7132 folds
lodoe folds
ytownst folds
Interrante: lets go surfer
MG10 calls 2,250(One caller. Optimal for A-J)
Interrante folds
*** FLOP *** [Jc 9s 7d]
MG10 bets 4,600, and is all in(This really looks like making a play. A pair of 9's or 7's is probably a fold. I have top pair top kicker. MG10 looks like an action guy. I very likely have the best hand here and if he flopped a straight or set then I go crippled)
Interrante: ill let the puppy take u out
Bender2006 calls 4,600
MG10 shows [Qc Ks](He was making a play, I'm a 3:1 Favorite)
Bender2006 shows [Js Ad]
*** TURN *** [Jc 9s 7d] [Jd](Great break. MG10 is drawing dead)
*** RIVER *** [Jc 9s 7d Jd] [2d]
MG10 shows a pair of Jacks
Interrante: smart move
Bender2006 shows three of a kind, Jacks
Bender2006 wins the pot (15,150) with three of a kind, Jacks
MG10 stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 15,150 | Rake 0
Board: [Jc 9s 7d Jd 2d]
Seat 1: Interrante (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 2: Casey Finn folded before the Flop
Seat 3: Bender2006 showed [Js Ad] and won (15,150) with three of a kind, Jacks
Seat 4: supdanno folded before the Flop
Seat 5: hellacious folded before the Flop
Seat 6: ddt7132 folded before the Flop
Seat 7: lodoe folded before the Flop
Seat 8: ytownst (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 9: MG10 (small blind) showed [Qc Ks] and lost with a pair of Jacks

I'm more fearful of small deadly raises for value than those who shove in. Odds are I had the best of it there. I imagine he reraises me with AA, KK, AK. I originally put him on bluff or jack smaller kicker. In this case my hand holds and I knock out a player and pretty much double up to 15k. I can now play poker instead of risking on any one given hand.

Now that I can play poker, I can open up a little more.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609338573: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 11 - 250/500 Ante 50 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:20:22 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: Interrante (44,008)
Seat 2: Casey Finn (5,055)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (14,824)
Seat 5: hellacious (19,250)
Seat 6: ddt7132 (11,796)
Seat 7: lodoe (3,221)
Seat 8: ytownst (17,277)
Interrante antes 50
Casey Finn antes 50
Bender2006 antes 50
hellacious antes 50
ddt7132 antes 50
lodoe antes 50
ytownst antes 50
Bender2006: gg
lodoe posts the small blind of 250
ytownst posts the big blind of 500
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [7s Js]
TheAcademic sits down
TheAcademic adds 6,948
DJ Bminus sits down
DJ Bminus adds 8,010
Interrante folds
Casey Finn folds
Bender2006 calls 500(I limp with 2 suited cards. I hope to hit a monster. My pot odds and postion along with cheapness allow me to play here)
hellacious folds
ddt7132 calls 500
lodoe folds
ytownst checks
*** FLOP *** [5s 4s 8h](I flop a spade draw and a gutshot. A Jack may win me the pot)
ytownst bets 2,100
Bender2006 calls 2,100(I elect to call here, I'm hoping to hit my draw while at the same time ytownst has 2 pair or maybe top pair. I want to win a big pot if I make this draw)
ddt7132 folds
*** TURN *** [5s 4s 8h] [Ks](Bingo, and better yet it's a high spade. I'm pretty sure I have the best hand here)
ytownst bets 1,500
Bender2006 raises to 5,000(I bet out, but not too much. I feel I have the best of this hand. I want this to smell of bluff. Remember the hand between ytownst and drew)
Casey Finn is sitting out
ytownst calls 3,500
Casey Finn has returned
*** RIVER *** [5s 4s 8h Ks] [6s](Now I must play with caution. While it is unlikely that he's got the naked ace or queen of spades and has now outdrawn me, I can't risk the small chance he's got it)
ytownst checks
Bender2006 checks(I check right behind him just in case. If I bet 5,000 and get reraised for my entire stack I probably have to call and likely I go broke)
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Bender2006 shows [7s Js] (a flush, King high)
ytownst mucks
Bender2006 wins the pot (16,300) with a flush, King high
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 16,300 | Rake 0
Board: [5s 4s 8h Ks 6s]
Seat 1: Interrante folded before the Flop
Seat 2: Casey Finn folded before the Flop
Seat 3: Bender2006 showed [7s Js] and won (16,300) with a flush, King high
Seat 5: hellacious folded before the Flop
Seat 6: ddt7132 (button) folded on the Flop
Seat 7: lodoe (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: ytownst (big blind) mucked [3s Ts] - a flush, King high(He ended up semi-bluffing and hit his hand. Unfortunatly he ran into a bigger flush which doesn't really happen that much. I take a nice pot and pump myself up amongst the chip leaders. I've had great momentum in the last 30 minutes.)

Remember how I said don't play huge stacks without huge hands. Here's a good example

Full Tilt Poker Game #609361634: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 11 - 300/600 Ante 75 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:29:38 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: Interrante (37,904)
Seat 2: Casey Finn (2,680)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (22,849)
Seat 4: DJ Bminus (11,108)
Seat 5: hellacious (17,575)
Seat 6: ddt7132 (17,171)
Seat 7: jagerbomb34 (6,659)
Seat 8: ytownst (21,252)
Interrante antes 75
Casey Finn antes 75
Bender2006 antes 75
DJ Bminus antes 75
hellacious antes 75
ddt7132 antes 75
jagerbomb34 antes 75
ytownst antes 75
Casey Finn posts the small blind of 300
Bender2006 posts the big blind of 600
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [As Kh]
Interrante: really
DJ Bminus folds
Casey Finn: yup
Interrante: dont think so
hellacious folds
ddt7132 calls 600
jagerbomb34 folds
ytownst: with them pearly whites ?????
Interrante: ak
ytownst folds
Interrante raises to 3,000(Okay Interrante is the chip leader at this point in the tournament. Right now he's bullying the table)
Casey Finn: sure
Casey Finn calls 2,305, and is all in
Bender2006 calls 2,400(I elect to call. I'm not conserned with casey since his action is over. AK is a great hand, but I don't want to shove in and race this close to a cash. There's about 40 players left. Tight play amongst low stacks and hardcore play amongst large stacks happens_
ddt7132 folds
*** FLOP *** [Ad Qh 9c]
Interrante: tried to show
Bender2006 checks
Casey Finn: sure
Interrante bets 34,829, and is all in(This is a very large bet. He definitly wants me out of the pot. I have a very tough call here. Chances are I have the best hand. He certainly could have A-Q in this spot. QQ is possible, he could also be bullying. I think for a few seconds. Take a deep breath, cross my fingers and call.)
Bender2006 calls 19,774, and is all in
Interrante shows [8s Ac](YES!!! He's got a weaker ace and I'm a big favorite. I just need to hold off an 8 and I'm on my way to the chip lead)
Casey Finn shows [5d 5c]
Bender2006 shows [As Kh]
Uncalled bet of 15,055 returned to Interrante
*** TURN *** [Ad Qh 9c] [2c]
*** RIVER *** [Ad Qh 9c 2c] [3d](My AK holds up and I scoop a massive pot. With this pot I become the chip leader.)
Interrante shows a pair of Aces
Bender2006 shows a pair of Aces
Bender2006 wins the side pot (40,338) with a pair of Aces
Casey Finn shows a pair of Fives(Casey ends up getting knocked out. The 4th victim of this tournament.)
Bender2006 wins the main pot (9,015) with a pair of Aces
ytownst: he can be in one ofthem old pearl drops commercials lol
Casey Finn stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 49,353 Main pot 9,015. Side pot 40,338. | Rake 0
Board: [Ad Qh 9c 2c 3d]
Seat 1: Interrante (button) showed [8s Ac] and lost with a pair of Aces
Seat 2: Casey Finn (small blind) showed [5d 5c] and lost with a pair of Fives
Seat 3: Bender2006 (big blind) showed [As Kh] and won (49,353) with a pair of Aces
Seat 4: DJ Bminus folded before the Flop
Seat 5: hellacious folded before the Flop
Seat 6: ddt7132 folded before the Flop
Seat 7: jagerbomb34 folded before the Flop
Seat 8: ytownst folded before the Flop

I didn't want to race interrante with my AK in the event he had a pocket pair. Casey I wouldn't mind calling his all in at all. I'm risking just a small amount of my stack with my AK in a race. Also if Interrante had a hand weaker than mine I wouldn't get any action on it. As it turns out I used the chip leaders aggression against him and was lucky. It may have looked like an easy call but really wasn't. I'm now 1st overall with almost 50k in chips thanks to a fortunate break.

Now that I have a massive stack I can play poker. I can play many more hands and play tricky poker. Interrante still had about 20k in chips but lost most of them after moving in on a straight on the turn but getting rivered when an opponent hit a full house.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609370043: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 11 - 300/600 Ante 75 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:33:02 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: Interrante (1,109)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (48,228)
Seat 4: DJ Bminus (9,308)
Seat 5: hellacious (16,075)
Seat 6: ddt7132 (36,067)
Seat 7: jagerbomb34 (6,359)
Seat 8: ytownst (20,052)
Interrante antes 75
Bender2006 antes 75
DJ Bminus antes 75
hellacious antes 75
ddt7132 antes 75
jagerbomb34 antes 75
ytownst antes 75
ddt7132 posts the small blind of 300
jagerbomb34 posts the big blind of 600
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Jc Td]
ytownst folds
DJ Bminus: almost in the money
Interrante folds
Bender2006 raises to 1,500( I can now loosen up, play more pots and gamble a little more. I'm going to play table bully now. I still can't commit suicide but I can play aggressive poker, the way I like to)
DJ Bminus folds
Bender2006: 2 more players
hellacious calls 1,500
ddt7132 folds
jagerbomb34 folds
*** FLOP *** [9s 2d 7d]
ytownst: hell u been real quiet ... get ready for the rush lol
Bender2006 checks
hellacious bets 600(Not a big bet, but I call thinking I have 10 outs twice. Also if I hit my hand I can score)
Bender2006 calls 600
*** TURN *** [9s 2d 7d] [8h]
Bender2006 checks
hellacious bets 600
Bender2006 raises to 2,500(Jackpot. I make a value bet. I have the nuts)
hellacious calls 1,900
*** RIVER *** [9s 2d 7d 8h] [Qh]
Bender2006 bets 6,400(I've got the nuts. Another value bet)
hellacious calls 6,400
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Bender2006 shows [Jc Td] (a straight, Queen high)
hellacious mucks
Bender2006 wins the pot (23,425) with a straight, Queen high
The blinds are now 400/800 with an ante of 100
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 23,425 | Rake 0
Board: [9s 2d 7d 8h Qh]
Seat 1: Interrante folded before the Flop
Seat 3: Bender2006 showed [Jc Td] and won (23,425) with a straight, Queen high
Seat 4: DJ Bminus folded before the Flop
Seat 5: hellacious (button) mucked [8d 8s] - three of a kind, Eights
Seat 6: ddt7132 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 7: jagerbomb34 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: ytownst folded before the Flop

Quite suprised hellacious didn't put his entire stack here. With a set the only hand that really beats him is the hand I had J-T. Now that I can play an aggressive brand of poker, I have all options open to me. You can loosen up(Not suicidal), but punish the table a little more. Make them respect you. And for the most part I haven't really shown down a terrible hand yet. Since I have my tight image in place I can now steal more pots, since they are more valuable.

So that about sums up getting to the money. Interrante on the next hand went broke in 37th place thus bursting the bubble. I was able to seize the chip lead by picking good spots, keeping my cool, maintaining a tight image, and catching a few good breaks. After Interrante went broke, the table broke up and I was moved to a new table with some new and old opponents. Here are the standings with 36 players remaining.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609382518: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 19 - 400/800 Ante 100 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:38:02 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: Hey_Eng (32,095)
Seat 2: Gear (16,190)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (60,378)
Seat 4: Spankuatpoker (18,320)
Seat 5: dollarmtn (30,146)
Seat 6: CottonPatch (12,621)
Seat 7: mikebagadonuts (5,720)
Seat 8: efskydive (10,552)
Seat 9: hellacious (4,800)

Part 3 will focus on my favorite part of the tournament, getting from in the money to the final table of nine. Also the knockout count is now 4. The two players I busted earlier in the day with J-2, MG10, and Casey Finn.

$1 MTT hands and Strategies part 1

2006-07-27T18:08:00.000-04:00

$1 Tournament Analysis Part 1.

Hi. I'm writing this partially out of boredom, and partially to go over hands and strategies that led me to my 6th tournament win thus far. In my other 5 wins( 1 NLHE, 1 PL Omaha 8/b, 3 Razz) I have a few notes on
players. I used such notes in hashing out my Razz MTT playbook with my win over Katokat, but this is the first tournament I have almost a full history of hands played. Because this tournament took over four hours to play, I simply can't write about every hand all at once so I'm gonna break it up into 4 parts. This part was my strategy playing in the first hour. A few notes before I get into the meat and potatoes of my play, as well as the key plays of some of my opponents. First off some people shun the notion that a $1 tournament has any value. First off while there is a fair portion of dead money in the tournament, there are also many fine players in these fields. This tournament had 379 players. You can't possibly say that every player in the field is garbage at NLHE. Secondly, the prize money for 1st was $95. Calculate that for a second. 4 hours of play. That's a rate of $23.75 an hour. Considering that's better than 4 times minimum wage, it's not bad. Also getting a 9500% return on your investment can happen here. You will never find that in any stock, bond, or other business venture. While more like a lottery than 100% sound investment, a player using a good strategy can hold several tickets and turn winning into a reality as I did. With that said. I'm going to go right into the beginning. 379 players all started with 1500 in tournament chips. This is the only hand I don't have a history on. The 2nd hand of the game I got very lucky. I held J-2 in the big blind and saw a free flop.
The board came 2-2-4. Someone went all in on A-4, another a flush draw, and I called with my trip deuces. The turn and river were both 6's and I made a full house to knock out two players. This gave me an early lead of around 4,400. I switched between 3 tables for a while before settling on a table that I would stay at for nearly two hours. The hand histories I'm gonna post begin there and will go between that point in time till the end of level 5 and the first break. Enjoy.

The seating and chip counts when I first played at my new table. 11 minutes in and already I'm well ahead of schedule.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609061930: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 11 - 20/40 - No Limit Hold'em - 17:11:25 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: luckyfirefly (665)
Seat 2: AAPocketRockets (1,650)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (4,155)
Seat 4: deneiro973 (1,650)
Seat 5: drewkinga (3,745)
Seat 6: Theophilus5 (1,455)
Seat 7: AAloveME (3,060)
Seat 8: ytownst (1,380)
Seat 9: matisse (1,455)

During much of this stage I played reasonably tight. No need to really get involved. Here's the first action hand.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609067287: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 11 - 20/40 - No Limit Hold'em - 17:14:03 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: luckyfirefly (625)
Seat 2: AAPocketRockets (1,850)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (4,075)
Seat 4: deneiro973 (1,690)
Seat 5: drewkinga (3,745)
Seat 6: Theophilus5 (1,455)
Seat 7: AAloveME (3,020)
Seat 8: ytownst (1,300)
Seat 9: matisse (1,455)
Bender2006 posts the small blind of 20
deneiro973 posts the big blind of 40
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Jc 6s](Unplayable hand)
drewkinga raises to 180(This is a large raise given the stakes. Over 4x BB under the Gun either says one of two things. He either has a hand like QQ, JJ or TT and doesn't want action from many players, or he's a lunatic and is overplaying a hand like 7-6 suited)
Theophilus5 folds
AAloveME folds
ytownst folds
matisse folds
luckyfirefly calls 180
AAPocketRockets calls 180
Bender2006 folds
deneiro973 folds
*** FLOP *** [3s Ad Tc]
drewkinga bets 400(Makes a continuation bet)
luckyfirefly raises to 445, and is all in
AAPocketRockets raises to 800
drewkinga folds(Realizes he is beaten and mucks. a hand like QQ or JJ makes sense)
AAPocketRockets shows [Qd Ac]
luckyfirefly shows [8h 8d]
Uncalled bet of 355 returned to AAPocketRockets
*** TURN *** [3s Ad Tc] [2d]
*** RIVER *** [3s Ad Tc 2d] [9c]
AAPocketRockets shows a pair of Aces
luckyfirefly shows a pair of Eights
AAPocketRockets wins the pot (1,890) with a pair of Aces
Bender2006: gg
luckyfirefly stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1,890 | Rake 0
Board: [3s Ad Tc 2d 9c]
Seat 1: luckyfirefly showed [8h 8d] and lost with a pair of Eights
Seat 2: AAPocketRockets (button) showed [Qd Ac] and won (1,890) with a pair of Aces
Seat 3: Bender2006 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: deneiro973 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: drewkinga folded on the Flop
Seat 6: Theophilus5 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: AAloveME didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: ytownst didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: matisse didn't bet (folded)

I don't like the play with 8-8 out of firefly. He is short-stacked. The best play out of him with 8-8 is probably to just go all-in before the flop or fold. If he thinks that drew is a maniac than 8-8 is a better than average hand and it applies maximum pressure. The other alternative would be to fold. This early in the tournament it's not a bad loss. Playing 20/40 he has a solid 10 rounds in him. He can wait for a better spot than 8-8. Facing 2 players who have called a large raise for the level, one of them surely has them beaten. Aces are the most likely holding a player can have and with 2 players and the action, it's almost certain that one of them has an ace, likely a large one. AA played the hand well getting a value bet in. All in screams of aces and is only going to get called if someone is holding a set maybe 2 pair. Suppose drew did have a hand like J-J he was correct in laying the hand down. A bet of about 100-250 would give drew the same information if someone had an ace. You aren't looking to risk your entire tournament early in the game on a coinflip. You just want to progressivly build your stack through solid play. As a side note drew disclosed he had K-K and made a very good laydown in that spot. I wouldn't have bet out quite so much when a smaller bet would have given him the same information, but a smart instinctive play on his part.

About 8 minutes later. I still haven't played many hands. I won a couple small pots, but no real action. ytownst won a lot of money with flush vs flush busting deniero.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609078939: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 11 - 20/40 - No Limit Hold'em - 17:19:51 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: irishronn (1,545)
Seat 2: AAPocketRockets (1,875)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (4,115)
Seat 5: drewkinga (1,785)
Seat 6: Theophilus5 (1,395)
Seat 7: AAloveME (2,860)
Seat 8: ytownst (5,730)
Seat 9: matisse (1,455)
AAloveME posts the small blind of 20
ytownst posts the big blind of 40
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [3c Ac]
matisse folds
irishronn folds
AAPocketRockets calls 40
Bender2006 calls 40( I like playing cheap flops with suited aces. If there is any big raise you have to put it down, but getting in cheaply with this kind of hand can lead to a big score. If not you're only out a small amount. in this case not even 1% of my stack)
Theophilus5: oh wow 5 6 off-suit....(this guy is on tilt. I imagine before long he's going to make a large raise with a marginal hand)
drewkinga calls 40
Theophilus5 folds
beselkabob sits down
beselkabob adds 1,085
AAloveME folds
ytownst checks
*** FLOP *** [Kh 9h 2h]
ytownst checks
AAPocketRockets checks
Bender2006 checks
drewkinga bets 100
ytownst folds
AAPocketRockets calls 100
Bender2006 folds(This hand has completely missed me. Would have been nice if I had the A-3 of hearts, but since I don't it's a fold)
irishronn: dont tell your hand til hand is over please
*** TURN *** [Kh 9h 2h] [As]
AAPocketRockets checks
drewkinga bets 250(Drew clearly has the betting lead in this hand. He's betting into a obviously dangerous board. Most times this is either a pure bluff or the nuts)
AAPocketRockets calls 250(I don't like this call and will explain later)
*** RIVER *** [Kh 9h 2h As] [Td](This is an action card)
AAPocketRockets bets 880
drewkinga raises to 1,395, and is all in
AAPocketRockets calls 515
*** SHOW DOWN ***
drewkinga shows [Js Qc] (a straight, Ace high)
AAPocketRockets mucks
drewkinga wins the pot (3,670) with a straight, Ace high
The blinds are now 25/50
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 3,670 | Rake 0
Board: [Kh 9h 2h As Td]
Seat 1: irishronn didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: AAPocketRockets mucked [Ts Tc] - three of a kind, Tens
Seat 3: Bender2006 folded on the Flop
Seat 5: drewkinga showed [Js Qc] and won (3,670) with a straight, Ace high
Seat 6: Theophilus5 (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: AAloveME (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: ytownst (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 9: matisse didn't bet (folded)

This hand ended up crippling AA. AA made a few avoidable mistakes in this hand. First off he should have raised. A nice bet of like 120-175 sounds about right. You don't want to be playing pocket Tens against four players. As I said before I like playing hands like A-3 suited for cheap. Suppose the board came clubs. The more players you allow into the pot, the more ways you can lose. A raise of about 120 loses me and likely ytownst as well. Drew may have still called but forcing a fold and just taking a few chips is so much better than just about going broke. The second mistake AA made was flat calling the flop. I would have put in a raise to about 250 to see where my tens stood. Does drew have a king here or a heart draw. If drew were to come over the top it's an easy fold. If drew calls he likely has just a heart draw. It's also possible that he has a 9 or 2 in the hole and will lay it down. Flat calling gives you no information on the hand and puts you into a murkier spot than you could be. You want to put the other guy to a tough decision. The third mistake was calling 250 on the turn. There are many hands drew would have called with that now beat T-T. You pretty much are at the mercy of the deck. You have no clue what he's got. The likely holding is a pair of aces with the Ace of Hearts. This is a killer draw. The river just horrible luck for AA. As the cards came out it would be tough to release T-T if you feel Drew didn't have the flush. Drew bluffed with Q-J(No Hearts), hit his gutshot, and crippled AA. Drew did get extremly lucky in this hand, but AA could have either taken a small profit or lost a lot less. You need to gain more information and thin the fields. Freaky hand, but avoidable.

A little later in the game. Haven't had many playable hands until about now. I'm up 300 or so but really haven't seen many hands until now.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609105047: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 11 - 30/60 - No Limit Hold'em - 17:32:40 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 2: AAPocketRockets (200)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (4,490)
Seat 4: beselkabob (2,400)
Seat 5: drewkinga (2,645)
Seat 6: Theophilus5 (1,990)
Seat 7: AAloveME (3,195)
Seat 8: ytownst (5,570)
Seat 9: matisse (1,355)
ytownst posts the small blind of 30
matisse posts the big blind of 60
The button is in seat #7
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Kc Kd]
AAPocketRockets raises to 200, and is all in
Bender2006 raises to 750 (I've got an absolute huge hand. I definitly want to raise. If not I'm gonna get a lot of callers trying to knock out the short stack)
beselkabob folds
Theophilus5: didn't quite calculate the odds though
drewkinga folds
Theophilus5 folds
AAloveME folds
RMoC sits down
RMoC adds 2,675
ytownst folds
matisse folds
Bender2006 shows [Kc Kd]
AAPocketRockets shows [Ad Ah](He turned the one hand that could beat me)
Uncalled bet of 550 returned to Bender2006
*** FLOP *** [9s 9d 5c]
*** TURN *** [9s 9d 5c] [2d]
*** RIVER *** [9s 9d 5c 2d] [5d]
Bender2006 shows two pair, Kings and Nines
Bender2006: oy
AAPocketRockets shows two pair, Aces and Nines
AAPocketRockets wins the pot (490) with two pair, Aces and Nines
Bender2006: nh
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 490 | Rake 0
Board: [9s 9d 5c 2d 5d]
Seat 2: AAPocketRockets showed [Ad Ah] and won (490) with two pair, Aces and Nines
Seat 3: Bender2006 showed [Kc Kd] and lost with two pair, Kings and Nines
Seat 4: beselkabob didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: drewkinga didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: Theophilus5 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: AAloveME (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: ytownst (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 9: matisse (big blind) folded before the Flop

In about 35 minutes of play this was the first group 1 hand I saw. Keep in mind I have been playing very tight. The only real move I've made to this point was going in on Trip deuces and I only saw the hand because I was Big Blind. The chances that Kings will run up against Aces are very slim. I have to isolate the pot. The raise is right around the amount to get the hand to heads up. Although I lost, there really wasn't any control. Two Kings is a giant hand, but you must raise with it. Suppose ytownst had a hand like A-9 or so and called. I call, he calls getting 2:1. He flops trip nines, I bet, he raises, I call and I'm out of it. Knock out the junk cards that way when the come on the board, you can be pretty sure they missed and your two kings are good.

Still playing tight. Here's a nice change of pace

Full Tilt Poker Game #609119629: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 11 - 30/60 - No Limit Hold'em - 17:39:42 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: RMoC (6,455)
Seat 2: AAPocketRockets (400)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (4,200)
Seat 4: Crazy Jimmy 24 (2,248)
Seat 5: drewkinga (2,585)
Seat 6: Theophilus5 (1,930)
Seat 7: AAloveME (3,135)
Seat 8: ytownst (4,550)
Seat 9: matisse (1,265)
Theophilus5 posts the small blind of 30
AAloveME posts the big blind of 60
The button is in seat #5
ytownst: nh
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [4s 2s]
ytownst folds
RMoC: ty
Bender2006: hopefully I do well, but if not no big loss
matisse folds
RMoC folds
AAPocketRockets folds
Bender2006 raises to 200(It's late position and I've played rocky. Suited gapper is only huge huge dog to a pocket pair)
Crazy Jimmy 24 folds
drewkinga folds
Theophilus5: sorry you are right B..... we should be serious;-) hehehe
Theophilus5 folds
AAloveME folds
Uncalled bet of 140 returned to Bender2006
Bender2006 mucks
Bender2006 wins the pot (150)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 150 | Rake 0
Seat 1: RMoC didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: AAPocketRockets didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: Bender2006 collected (150), mucked
Seat 4: Crazy Jimmy 24 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: drewkinga (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: Theophilus5 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 7: AAloveME (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: ytownst didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: matisse didn't bet (folded)

Okay no real action, but if it's late postion you can steal every now and again. Don't overdo it, but pick up some dead money if you can. Tight play will help set up an image for these bluffs later on. When you do have a legit hand or just to keep players viewing you as tight, show some good cards to maintain that tight image. You need respect.

Full Tilt Poker Game #609148429: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 11 - 50/100 - No Limit Hold'em - 17:53:27 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: RMoC (5,810)
Seat 2: Casey Finn (7,660)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (4,320)
Seat 4: Crazy Jimmy 24 (2,128), is sitting out
Seat 5: drewkinga (5,895)
Seat 6: rwestover (2,960), is sitting out
Seat 7: AAloveME (2,565)
Seat 8: ytownst (4,580)
Seat 9: matisse (1,750)
Casey Finn posts the small blind of 50
Bender2006 posts the big blind of 100
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Qc As]
Crazy Jimmy 24 folds
drewkinga folds
rwestover folds
AAloveME folds
ytownst folds
matisse folds
RMoC folds
Casey Finn calls 50
Bender2006 raises to 350
Casey Finn has 15 seconds left to act
Casey Finn folds
Uncalled bet of 250 returned to Bender2006
Bender2006 shows [Qc As] (Ace Queen high)
Bender2006 wins the pot (200)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 200 | Rake 0
Seat 1: RMoC (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: Casey Finn (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 3: Bender2006 (big blind) collected (200)
Seat 4: Crazy Jimmy 24 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: drewkinga didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: rwestover didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: AAloveME didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: ytownst didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: matisse didn't bet (folded)

Here I show an A-Q which is probably one of the 5 best hands I've seen preflop. Keep them thinking you are tight. It sets up the ability to play aggressive poker later on.

Almost the end of the first hour. This is an interesting hand

Full Tilt Poker Game #609164350: $1 Tournament (3888267), Table 11 - 50/100 - No Limit Hold'em - 18:00:54 ET - 2006/05/02
Seat 1: RMoC (5,660)
Seat 2: Casey Finn (7,160)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (4,170)
Seat 4: Crazy Jimmy 24 (2,028)
Seat 5: drewkinga (6,545)
Seat 6: rwestover (2,810), is sitting out
Seat 7: AAloveME (3,215)
Seat 8: ytownst (3,930)
Seat 9: matisse (2,150)
Casey Finn posts the small blind of 50
Bender2006 posts the big blind of 100
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [2d Qh]
Crazy Jimmy 24 folds
drewkinga calls 100
rwestover folds
AAloveME calls 100
rwestover has returned
ytownst folds
matisse folds
RMoC calls 100
Casey Finn calls 50
Bender2006 checks(I get to play my junky Q-2 for free)
*** FLOP *** [2s 3d Kh]
Casey Finn checks
Bender2006 checks
drewkinga checks
AAloveME bets 350
RMoC folds
Casey Finn folds
Bender2006 folds(There's no way my pair of 2's are any good)
drewkinga calls 350(The way this hand played out he likely doesn't have 2 pair. A-5 probably doesn't call 350 on that flop.)
*** TURN *** [2s 3d Kh] [4s]
drewkinga checks
AAloveME bets 1,200
drewkinga raises to 4,800(The 4 is unlikely to have helped drew's hand, this is a sneaky raise)
AAloveME calls 1,565, and is all in
drewkinga shows [3c 3s]
AAloveME shows [7c Kc]
Uncalled bet of 2,035 returned to drewkinga
*** RIVER *** [2s 3d Kh 4s] [9s]
drewkinga shows three of a kind, Threes
AAloveME shows a pair of Kings
Bender2006: oy
drewkinga wins the pot (6,730) with three of a kind, Threes
AAloveME stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 6,730 | Rake 0
Board: [2s 3d Kh 4s 9s]
Seat 1: RMoC (button) folded on the Flop
Seat 2: Casey Finn (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 3: Bender2006 (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 4: Crazy Jimmy 24 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: drewkinga showed [3c 3s] and won (6,730) with three of a kind, Threes
Seat 6: rwestover didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: AAloveME showed [7c Kc] and lost with a pair of Kings
Seat 8: ytownst didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: matisse didn't bet (folded)

Drew played 3-3 the way I would have. The main goal is to play a cheap flop and then try and nail a set. It's hard to put someone on 3-3 here. A-5 doesn't make sense to call on the flop, and drew wouldn't go hardcore on just a pair of 4's. AA just went broke and was helpless. Drew can slowplay in this spot as there is no flush draw, and a straight draw but unlikely someone has the 4-5. Big pair makes sense to bet 350 then 1200. Drew elected to wait until AA hung himself before sticking in the raise. Waiting until a player feels pot committed is the best way to collect all that money. Both players correctly played their hands, AA just got unlucky to run into a set.

This is the last hand before the first hour. So lets evaluate where we stand in the tournament.

Seat 1: RMoC (5,560)
Seat 2: Casey Finn (7,060)
Seat 3: Bender2006 (4,070)
Seat 4: Crazy Jimmy 24 (2,028)
Seat 5: drewkinga (10,060)
Seat 6: rwestover (2,810)
Seat 8: ytownst (3,930)
Seat 9: matisse (2,150)

Our toughest competiton so far seems to be drewkinga. He plays an aggressive game, bluffs well, and also has had some fortunate breaks. Casey Finn is relativly new to the table but has a good chip stack. ytownst has been playing solid poker. We stand at 4070. Haven't saw that many great hands but also stayed away from a lot of trouble spots. No one is desprate so you won't see a ton of all ins. When we return for hour 2 we won't be trying to gamble unnessarily. Playing solid poker has gotten us a reasonable stack, above the average of the field which stands at about 150 players left. The big key so far is playing big pots with big hands. No point in bluffing yet, just hanging back and letting people go to war with each other. The next section of hands will focus on getting from here to In the money of 36 players. I'm also going to count the number of knockouts in the tournament. So far we've busted 2 players. Not that it's an overly important stat, but it does kind of make you feel good in a sick way. Cheers

Play to break your opponents.

2006-07-17T01:04:00.000-04:00

This is as shitty as it to getting redemption.

Full Tilt Poker Game #805310032: Table FullTiltForum.com - $0.10/$0.25 - No Limit Hold'em - 23:42:45 ET - 2006/07/16
Seat 3: echan ($9.75)
Seat 4: GoFckYourself69 ($24.75)
Seat 5: jdawgn ($27.65)
Seat 6: bigboz11 ($12.60)
Seat 7: Bender2006 ($10)
Seat 8: SmBoatDrinks ($18.80)
Seat 9: d-man72 ($24)
echan posts the small blind of $0.10
pokerfiend9 adds $25
GoFckYourself69 posts the big blind of $0.25
The button is in seat #9
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Jc Th]
jdawgn folds
bigboz11 calls $0.25
Bender2006 calls $0.25(For Some reason I have a thing for limping in with Jack-Ten)
SmBoatDrinks folds
d-man72 folds
echan calls $0.15
GoFckYourself69 checks
*** FLOP *** [Tc Ac Td](Oh booyah. Huge freaking hand. I'm gonna get action)
GoFckYourself69: d-man why you look like you have a screwdriver stuck in your azz?
echan bets $0.50
GoFckYourself69 folds
tblightning3 sits down
bigboz11 raises to $2
GoFckYourself69 is feeling normal
tblightning3 adds $20
GoFckYourself69 is feeling happy
Bender2006 raises to $5(I feel he's got an ace. This looks like I may have a ten in hand or am thieving with an ace of my own.)
bigboz11 is feeling angry
GoFckYourself69: nah nah nah nah(He's put boz on tilt. I think he's telling him I've got a ten)
echan folds
GoFckYourself69: nah nah nah nah
GoFckYourself69: hey hey hey
GoFckYourself69: goodbye boz
bigboz11: fck it(Oh I own this guy)
bigboz11 has 15 seconds left to act
bigboz11 raises to $12.35, and is all in
Bender2006: one time hold up(I pissed off the poker gods here)
Bender2006 calls $4.75, and is all in
bigboz11 shows [Ah 9c]
Bender2006 shows [Jc Th]
Uncalled bet of $2.60 returned to bigboz11
*** TURN *** [Tc Ac Td] [As](SON OF A BITCH!!! 2 outer 9% shot)
*** RIVER *** [Tc Ac Td As] [5s]
bigboz11 shows a full house, Aces full of Tens
GoFckYourself69: lol
Bender2006 shows a full house, Tens full of Aces
bigboz11 wins the pot ($19.95) with a full house, Aces full of Tens
Bender2006 adds $10
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $21 | Rake $1.05
Board: [Tc Ac Td As 5s]
Seat 3: echan (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 4: GoFckYourself69 (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 5: jdawgn didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: bigboz11 showed [Ah 9c] and won ($19.95) with a full house, Aces full of Tens
Seat 7: Bender2006 showed [Jc Th] and lost with a full house, Tens full of Aces
Seat 8: SmBoatDrinks didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: d-man72 (button) didn't bet (folded)

Never fear though I got my redemption a few hands later. Rebought back in the game for another $10.

Full Tilt Poker Game #805388595: Table FullTiltForum.com - $0.10/$0.25 - No Limit Hold'em - 0:08:06 ET - 2006/07/17
Seat 1: pokerfiend9 ($25.30)
Seat 2: tblightning3 ($25.60)
Seat 3: echan ($18.05)
Seat 4: dimmy ($25)
Seat 5: jdawgn ($20.90)
Seat 6: ih8bigots ($9.65)
Seat 7: Bender2006 ($9.85)
Seat 8: SmBoatDrinks ($34.15)
Seat 9: d-man72 ($26.55)
Bender2006 posts the small blind of $0.10
SmBoatDrinks posts the big blind of $0.25
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [6c 7c]
d-man72 folds
pokerfiend9 folds
tblightning3 raises to $0.75
echan folds
dimmy folds
jdawgn folds
ih8bigots folds
Bender2006 calls $0.65(Okay I've got small blind. Only 65 cents to play the hand where if I hit I can make a huge score. If I miss I'm only out 65 cents. The price I'm getting laid is huge so I make the all on a small suited connector)
SmBoatDrinks calls $0.50
*** FLOP *** [6h Kh 6d](Oh doesn't this look familiar)
Bender2006 checks
SmBoatDrinks bets $1
tblightning3 raises to $2.50
Bender2006 raises to $9.10, and is all in(This time I shove it all in. No one gets to see hearts for cheap. This hand although strong is still vulnerable. I don't want bluffed out on heart heart.)
SmBoatDrinks folds
tblightning3 calls $6.60(He thinks for a few seconds and flips his hand over. I'm thinking a King. He instantly calls K-K, or A-6, about the only 2 hands he can have)
Bender2006 shows [6c 7c]
tblightning3 shows [Kc Ah](Yes another 91% favorite)
*** TURN *** [6h Kh 6d] [7s]
*** RIVER *** [6h Kh 6d 7s] [As](Cruel Irony on the river)
Bender2006 shows a full house, Sixes full of Sevens
tblightning3 shows two pair, Aces and Kings
Bender2006 wins the pot ($20.40) with a full house, Sixes full of Sevens
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $21.45 | Rake $1.05
Board: [6h Kh 6d 7s As]
Seat 1: pokerfiend9 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: tblightning3 showed [Kc Ah] and lost with two pair, Aces and Kings
Seat 3: echan didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: dimmy didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: jdawgn didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: ih8bigots (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: Bender2006 (small blind) showed [6c 7c] and won ($20.40) with a full house, Sixes full of Sevens
Seat 8: SmBoatDrinks (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 9: d-man72 didn't bet (folded)

Probably the way the hand played out even if I flat call him, the money would have wound up in the middle with me taking it all. I like playing in position with hands like J-T and Suited Connectors because if I hit the hands, not just miracle trips, I will 1. make it impossible for him to put me on those cards, and 2. scoop a major pot when they go in on top pair or so. Finished the session up 5. After getting stuck 10, that's good enough in my book.

Never looked back.

2006-07-15T18:26:00.000-04:00

Most dominating SNG in a long while. This was the first hand of the HORSE and I never lost the chip lead. Took it to the bank after hitting major hands.

Full Tilt Poker Game #800938978: $5 + $0.50 Sit & Go (5312971), Table 1 - 30/60 - Limit Hold'em - 17:04:16 ET - 2006/07/15
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Jc Jh]
JAFF folds
Crystal34 folds
Aces-Up-Ox raises to 60
miikf41 raises to 90
Bender2006 raises to 120
jaa1085 folds
codewarrior folds
ccyrider has 15 seconds left to act
ccyrider calls 90
Aces-Up-Ox calls 60
miikf41 calls 30
*** FLOP *** [Js Kd Tc]
ccyrider checks
Aces-Up-Ox bets 30
miikf41 raises to 60
Bender2006 calls 60
ccyrider calls 60
Aces-Up-Ox raises to 90
miikf41 raises to 120
Bender2006 calls 60
ccyrider calls 60
Aces-Up-Ox calls 30
*** TURN *** [Js Kd Tc] [7d]
ccyrider checks
Aces-Up-Ox checks
miikf41 bets 60
Bender2006 raises to 120
ccyrider calls 120
Aces-Up-Ox calls 120
miikf41 raises to 180
Bender2006 raises to 240
ccyrider calls 120
Aces-Up-Ox calls 120
miikf41 calls 60
*** RIVER *** [Js Kd Tc 7d] [4h]
Bender2006: this is gonna be one hell of a hand
ccyrider checks
Aces-Up-Ox checks
miikf41 bets 60
Bender2006 calls 60
ccyrider calls 60
Aces-Up-Ox calls 60
*** SHOW DOWN ***
miikf41 shows [Ks 7s] (two pair, Kings and Sevens)
Bender2006 shows [Jc Jh] (three of a kind, Jacks)
ccyrider mucks
Aces-Up-Ox shows [Ts Td] (three of a kind, Tens)
Bender2006 wins the pot (2,175) with three of a kind, Jacks
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2,175 | Rake 0
Board: [Js Kd Tc 7d 4h]
Seat 1: codewarrior (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 2: ccyrider (big blind) mucked [Jd Ac] - a pair of Jacks
Seat 3: JAFF didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: Crystal34 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: Aces-Up-Ox showed [Ts Td] and lost with three of a kind, Tens
Seat 6: miikf41 showed [Ks 7s] and lost with two pair, Kings and Sevens
Seat 7: Bender2006 showed [Jc Jh] and won (2,175) with three of a kind, Jacks
Seat 8: jaa1085 (button) didn't bet (folded)

Other Big Hands I caught so perfect.

Full Tilt Poker Game #800955239: $5 + $0.50 Sit & Go (5312971), Table 1 - 40/80 - Limit Omaha Hi/Lo - 17:10:22 ET - 2006/07/15
Seat 1: codewarrior (1,455)
Seat 2: ccyrider (1,140)
Seat 3: JAFF (1,605)
Seat 4: Crystal34 (1,440)
Seat 5: Aces-Up-Ox (915)
Seat 6: miikf41 (675)
Seat 7: Bender2006 (3,270)
Seat 8: jaa1085 (1,500)
miikf41 posts the small blind of 20
Bender2006 posts the big blind of 40
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [6s 6h 3c Qd]
codewarrior is feeling happy
jaa1085 has 15 seconds left to act
jaa1085 folds
codewarrior calls 40
ccyrider calls 40
codewarrior is feeling normal
JAFF calls 40
Crystal34 folds
Aces-Up-Ox calls 40
miikf41 raises to 80
Bender2006 calls 40
codewarrior calls 40
ccyrider calls 40
JAFF calls 40
Aces-Up-Ox calls 40
*** FLOP *** [2c 2h 6d]
miikf41 bets 40
Bender2006 calls 40
codewarrior calls 40
ccyrider calls 40
JAFF calls 40
Aces-Up-Ox calls 40
*** TURN *** [2c 2h 6d] [Jd]
miikf41 bets 80
Bender2006 calls 80
codewarrior calls 80
ccyrider calls 80
JAFF calls 80
Aces-Up-Ox calls 80
*** RIVER *** [2c 2h 6d Jd] [Qs]
miikf41 bets 80
Bender2006 raises to 160
codewarrior folds
ccyrider folds
JAFF folds
Aces-Up-Ox calls 160
miikf41 raises to 240
Bender2006 raises to 320
Aces-Up-Ox: crap lol
Aces-Up-Ox has 15 seconds left to act
Aces-Up-Ox calls 160
miikf41 calls 80
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Bender2006 shows [6s 6h 3c Qd] (a full house, Sixes full of Twos)
Aces-Up-Ox mucks
miikf41 mucks
Bender2006 wins the pot (2,160) with a full house, Sixes full of Twos
No low hand qualified
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2,160 | Rake 0
Board: [2c 2h 6d Jd Qs]
Seat 1: codewarrior folded on the River
Seat 2: ccyrider folded on the River
Seat 3: JAFF folded on the River
Seat 4: Crystal34 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: Aces-Up-Ox (button) mucked [9d Qh Jh Ah] - HI: two pair, Queens and Jacks
Seat 6: miikf41 (small blind) mucked [2d Jc 9c 4c] - HI: a full house, Twos full of Jacks
Seat 7: Bender2006 (big blind) showed [6s 6h 3c Qd] and won (2,160) with HI: a full house, Sixes full of Twos
Seat 8: jaa1085 didn't bet (folded)

Full Tilt Poker Game #801064916: $5 + $0.50 Sit & Go (5312971), Table 1 - 150/300 Ante 25 - Limit Razz - 17:51:29 ET - 2006/07/15
Seat 3: JAFF (2,040)
Seat 4: Crystal34 (2,760)
Seat 7: Bender2006 (7,200)
JAFF antes 25
Crystal34 antes 25
Bender2006 antes 25
*** 3RD STREET ***
Dealt to JAFF [3h]
Dealt to Crystal34 [9d]
Dealt to Bender2006 [5s Ah] [3d]
Crystal34 is high with [9d]
Crystal34 brings in for 50
Bender2006 calls 50
JAFF calls 50
*** 4TH STREET ***
Dealt to JAFF [3h] [3s]
Dealt to Crystal34 [9d] [Kd]
Dealt to Bender2006 [5s Ah 3d] [9c]
Bender2006 checks
JAFF checks
Crystal34 checks
*** 5TH STREET ***
Dealt to JAFF [3h 3s] [Ks]
Dealt to Crystal34 [9d Kd] [7d]
Dealt to Bender2006 [5s Ah 3d 9c] [5c]
Bender2006 bets 300
JAFF folds
Crystal34 calls 300
*** 6TH STREET ***
Dealt to Crystal34 [9d Kd 7d] [8s]
Dealt to Bender2006 [5s Ah 3d 9c 5c] [6h]
Bender2006 bets 300
Crystal34 calls 300
*** 7TH STREET ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [5s Ah 3d 9c 5c 6h] [2s]
Bender2006 bets 300
Crystal34 calls 300
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Bender2006 shows [5s 2s 3d 9c 5c 6h Ah] (6,5,3,2,A)
Crystal34 mucks
Bender2006 wins the pot (2,025) with 6,5,3,2,A
The game is now 200/400 Limit Seven Card Stud with an ante of 30
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2,025 | Rake 0
Seat 3: JAFF folded on 5th St.
Seat 4: Crystal34 mucked [5h 4h 9d Kd 7d 8s 3c] - 8,7,5,4,3
Seat 7: Bender2006 showed [5s 2s 3d 9c 5c 6h Ah] and won (2,025) with 6,5,3,2,A

Full Tilt Poker Game #801067556: $5 + $0.50 Sit & Go (5312971), Table 1 - 200/400 Ante 30 - Limit Seven Card Stud - 17:52:28 ET - 2006/07/15
Seat 3: JAFF (1,965)
Seat 4: Crystal34 (1,785)
Seat 7: Bender2006 (8,250)
JAFF antes 30
Crystal34 antes 30
Bender2006 antes 30
*** 3RD STREET ***
Dealt to JAFF [Kh]
Dealt to Crystal34 [8s]
Dealt to Bender2006 [9d Ts] [6h]
Bender2006 is low with [6h]
Bender2006 brings in for 50
JAFF calls 50
Crystal34 folds
*** 4TH STREET ***
Dealt to JAFF [Kh] [7d]
Dealt to Bender2006 [9d Ts 6h] [Ks]
JAFF checks
Bender2006 checks
*** 5TH STREET ***
Dealt to JAFF [Kh 7d] [6d]
Dealt to Bender2006 [9d Ts 6h Ks] [6s]
Bender2006 bets 400
JAFF calls 400
*** 6TH STREET ***
Dealt to JAFF [Kh 7d 6d] [3s]
Dealt to Bender2006 [9d Ts 6h Ks 6s] [9s]
Bender2006 bets 400
JAFF calls 400
*** 7TH STREET ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [9d Ts 6h Ks 6s 9s] [6c]
Bender2006 bets 400
JAFF has 15 seconds left to act
JAFF folds
Uncalled bet of 400 returned to Bender2006
Bender2006 shows [Ts 9d 6h Ks 6s 9s 6c] (a full house, Sixes full of Nines)
Bender2006 wins the pot (1,790)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1,790 | Rake 0
Seat 3: JAFF folded on 7th St.
Seat 4: Crystal34 folded on 3rd St.
Seat 7: Bender2006 collected (1,790)

Full Tilt Poker Game #801078601: $5 + $0.50 Sit & Go (5312971), Table 1 - 200/400 Ante 30 - Limit Seven Card Stud - 17:56:34 ET - 2006/07/15
Seat 3: JAFF (895)
Seat 4: Crystal34 (1,065)
Seat 7: Bender2006 (10,040)
JAFF antes 30
Crystal34 antes 30
Bender2006 antes 30
*** 3RD STREET ***
Dealt to JAFF [4h]
Dealt to Crystal34 [Ts]
Dealt to Bender2006 [Qc 3c] [6c]
JAFF is low with [4h]
JAFF brings in for 50
Crystal34 has 15 seconds left to act
Crystal34 folds
Bender2006 calls 50
*** 4TH STREET ***
Dealt to JAFF [4h] [8c]
Dealt to Bender2006 [Qc 3c 6c] [Ad]
Bender2006 bets 200
JAFF calls 200
*** 5TH STREET ***
Dealt to JAFF [4h 8c] [8s]
Dealt to Bender2006 [Qc 3c 6c Ad] [7c]
JAFF checks
Bender2006 checks
*** 6TH STREET ***
Dealt to JAFF [4h 8c 8s] [Kc]
Dealt to Bender2006 [Qc 3c 6c Ad 7c] [2c]
JAFF bets 400
Bender2006 raises to 800
JAFF calls 215, and is all in
Bender2006 shows [Qc 3c 6c Ad 7c 2c]
JAFF shows [Th Qh 4h 8c 8s Kc]
Uncalled bet of 185 returned to Bender2006
*** 7TH STREET ***
Dealt to JAFF [Th Qh 4h 8c 8s Kc] [5d]
Dealt to Bender2006 [Qc 3c 6c Ad 7c 2c] [Jc]
Bender2006 shows [Qc 3c 6c Ad 7c 2c Jc] (a flush, Queen high)
JAFF shows [Th Qh 4h 8c 8s Kc 5d] (a pair of Eights)
Bender2006 wins the pot (1,820) with a flush, Queen high
JAFF is sitting out
JAFF stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1,820 | Rake 0
Seat 3: JAFF showed [Th Qh 4h 8c 8s Kc 5d] and lost with a pair of Eights
Seat 4: Crystal34 folded on 3rd St.
Seat 7: Bender2006 showed [Qc 3c 6c Ad 7c 2c Jc] and won (1,820) with a flush, Queen high

Okay this was me just catching hand after hand, but for all the bad beats I've run into, I think I deserve one SNG where I make every hand.

Pay Up Bitch

2006-07-02T16:46:00.000-04:00

This sums up limit poker. Some Skill. Mostly Luck. I started with 33 and finished at 45. 12 winner makes 4 winning sessions in a row. Having a winning streak is very nice.

Hand #32811044-23487 at Minsk ($.25/$.50 Hold'em)
Powered by UltimateBet
Started at 02/Jul/06 16:37:29

jojo9006 is at seat 0 with $22.85.
bones10 is at seat 1 with $14.40.
Grissom48 is at seat 2 with $3.
augzus is at seat 3 with $12.45.
bender2004 is at seat 4 with $38.85.
forty9erPhil is at seat 5 with $11.40.
The button is at seat 5.

jojo9006 posts the small blind of $.10.
bones10 posts the big blind of $.25.

jojo9006: -- --
bones10: -- --
Grissom48: -- --
augzus: -- --
bender2004: 9h Jh(Suited 1 gapper. First off auguzs and jojo are maniacs. One went and called 2 raises with 4 spades on the board and didn't have a spade. Got beat by a flush. Hitting this hand against either one means a payoff)

forty9erPhil: -- --

Pre-flop:

Grissom48 folds. augzus calls. bender2004 calls.
forty9erPhil folds. jojo9006 raises to $.50.
bones10 calls. augzus calls. bender2004 calls.

Flop (board: 5h 6d 2h):(Heart draw and 2 overs. I think that hitting the heart is the only way I'll win.)

jojo9006 bets $.25. bones10 folds. augzus calls.
bender2004 calls. (Huge pot odds here. Folding would be retarded)

Turn (board: 5h 6d 2h 3c):

jojo9006 bets $.50. augzus raises to $1. (At this point I think augzus has a straight. He's got a 4 in his hand. I can call and if I hit this hand I'm money. Even though I'm a 4:1 dog. There is enough implied odds to make this call correct) bender2004
calls. jojo9006 calls.

River (board: 5h 6d 2h 3c Kh):(Jackpot. And it's a high heart which eliminates some fear of losing to a bigger flush)

jojo9006 checks. augzus bets $.50. bender2004
raises to $1.(This is kinda obvious) jojo9006 folds. augzus re-raises to
$1.50.(idiot. I would just crying call here. No way you raise) bender2004 re-raises to $2. augzus calls.

Showdown:

bender2004 shows 9h Jh.
bender2004 has 9h Jh 5h 2h Kh: flush, king high.
augzus shows 4s 2d.
augzus has 4s 2d 5h 6d 3c: straight, six high.

Some luck, some skill, but in the end to the two maniacs. Pay up Bitches!!!!!

Hand #32811044-23487 Summary:

$.45 is raked from a pot of $9.75.
bender2004 wins $9.30 with flush, king high.

Good Games

2006-07-02T06:36:00.000-04:00

Last few days I've been playing a bunch of Omaha 8/b on Full Tilt and UB. I've been lucky enough to find good games. Up until that 3rd my omaha game had been subpar. Thursday I cashed for the first time in a month(Though I really felt I had one hand on the trophy). Since I've played very well. Stayed pretty much away from Holdem save a couple $1 SNG's I play at the end of a session to kill time. The competiton is so soft though. Easy 2 wins. Thursday I walked away 25 Winner, Friday 10 winner, and Saturday 20 winner. In the homegame I ended up Chopping the $2 game and leaving 4 winner. I've come to the conclusion that UB has a lot easier competion in Omaha 8/b. Like 3 people who made the final table Thursday with me made it Friday. They must be the only decent players in the game. I'm gonna have to take another crack at it. I'm pretty sure that if you give me 10 shots. I'll cash 1/2 the time and win once. Full Tilt I played Rawl and Katokat .50/1 and only won 3. UB I played some chump and took 10. Played .25/.50 limit. Prolly stick to Razz on FTP and play my Omaha 8/b on UB. It's easier to win. Later.

3rd Place: Mixed Reaction

2006-06-29T18:38:00.000-04:00

I played in a tournament today on UB. $1 PL OMaha 8/b one of my 2 best games. Game went well early. I made an early double up to 4k with quad aces. (Starting stack 1500). At the same time I was playing a $20 HU game to kill time(I won it). When I got focused I just steadily mixed in good hands with aggression. I found myself the chip leader after hour one at 10k and hour 2 at 28k. 21 handed and 20 cash I was able to steal an extra 10k and put myself to 60k, the chip leader by 20k. I got all the way to heads up in 2nd chip lead after a few beats. Final table I bust 10th and get on a roll. I run a huge bluff with 4 to a straight(I had just 8 high) and got the chip leader to throw away three aces. I then scoop a massive pot that busts 2 players and puts me all the way up to 110k about 1/2 the chips in play. I flopped nut low and had a draw to the nut flush. The turn gave me the nut flush in hearts. 5 handed I bust the closest competition and 4th place. I've got 160k vs 20k vs 20k. The blinds at this point are crazy high. 3k/6k. I get reckless and start putting people all in. Soon after its 120 vs 40k vs 40k. Then I get down to about 70k after doubling someone up again. The final hand was very crushing. J-5-3 board and I've got 4-2-6-J. I bet this board and get called. I Hit a 6 high straight when a 6 comes on board. I move in for all my money so if I win and I think I will I'm back at 140k and cripple someone so I'll likely get to Heads up with a big lead. opponent calls. I also have 2 pair and redraw at a boat. He rivers a 7 that gives him an 8 high straight and also has a better low. 6 high straight and I got scooped for all my money. Crushing. Still 3rd place is a good finish and my first cash in a MTT in about a month so I'm not too depressed. Next time.

3rd Place: Mixed Reaction

2006-06-29T18:24:00.000-04:00

Playin Vegas Poker

2006-06-25T08:37:00.000-04:00

Okay for those inclined..This is my lil strategy guide for playing poker in Vegas. 3 Months ago I got to tour 4 Poker Rooms. Excaliber(Where I played mostly), Mandalay Bay, Luxor, and Mirage(My Favorite). Here's some of the best advice I can give.

1. Go to the casino website and get a feel for what you will be playing. Most of the time you can get a 2/4 Limit game and up.

2. 85% of all the poker I saw (Side Games) was limit holdem. You can play NL but expect around $100 buy ins and up. Limit Holdem is the tourists game so brush up on that.

3. The players suck. I'll put it this way. I'm terrible at limit holdem. Recently I dropped around $70 in 2 hours playing 3/6 Limit on Full Tilt. I was able to beat the games without a whole lot of difficulty. I had a guy call me down to the river with King High. I flashed 2 pair and scooped on him.

4. Use a very tight strategy. I'll use Excaliber as an example. Say it's a 9 handed game. You only have to post one $1 blind once a round(As opposed to a $1 Small/ $3 Big) The pace of play is also slower than online. It's a cash game so don't worry about trying to get every chip in play. Play your good hands, you will get some action.

5. People are more willing to gamble. These guys aren't poker pros. The guys playing low limit holdem are there because 1. They believe poker is purely luck. 2. They feel that bluffing is the only aspect of the game and what better story than to run some kind of crazy bluff on someone. 3. They are drunk and aren't focused. 4. Probably come from the slots, roulette, blackjack tables and want action right away. 5. Are there just for fun and aren't there to make money. Be patient and it will pay you.

6. Don't drink heavily. When I went I did take advantage of the free drinks. I sipped a few brews on the green felt, but didn't get full blitzed till I was well away from the table. One of my easiest targets was an opponent who was just about to pass out from being drunk. This is King High Boy. Find the drunks and extract as much cash as you can. It's the difference between Mike Tyson fighting an 8th grader and Mike Tyson fighting an 8th grader with a broken leg.

7. Do not bluff. First it's limit so bluffing is pretty stupid since people will call you down to the end on 2-7 with an A-K-2-Q-J board. I ran only one bluff the entire trip and it was only because I had a very good read on my opponent. People don't give two craps that their King High hand sucks and can't win for shit. They just are willing to dump money to you. Wait for the right spot to make them look like the idiots they are.

8. Stick to cash games. I mostly play cash games anyway, but most people think that Tournaments are the bread and butter. They see Joe Pro on TV playing and think they can do it too. While it is true that you do stand a shot, the Tournaments in Vegas are more like the lotto than actual play. I played 3 hands only because I had too. Every other hand sucked. I doubled through on 7-7. Called a guys all in on K-Q and lost and busted with 3-3 and not many chips. You get rushed in the tournaments. Blind structures suck. Play cash games. It's a lot less pressure, you can play any style you feel is most comfortable, and it's more profitable.

I'm going back this October or Next March. Havent decided, but I'm gonna get some cash. Keep in mind though this works for the low limit games. The players in the 10/20 games, 15/30, and so on are amongst the best in town and by town I mean in the world. If you have 400 dimes and wanna roll with Chau Giang in 4k/8k good luck. But if you want to beat 2/4 holdem, Roll at Mandalay Bay or Excaliber. If you're looking to beat some geezers in 7-Stud, go to Mirage and beat them as I did for about $40 in 1-5. Orleans(Though I never went there) is the spot for Omaha 8/b and Bellagio for Mixed(Didn't play there either, but saw the game)

Good luck.

Old Old School Hand PLO

2006-06-25T08:29:00.000-04:00

This is an old school hand. I think it's from 04' so I don't have the good hand history. This is just somethin out the chat box. .50/1 PL Omaha High. I'm just posting this so I can show I beat zee pro.

Dealer: Hand #33877470
Dealer: bender2006 posts the small blind of $0.50
Dealer: Stankass posts the big blind of $1
Dealer: You have been dealt [Kh Jc Ts Th](I have a high hand with hearts. My cards are all working together)
Dealer: wildkwokie folds
Dealer: Perry Friedman calls $1
Clint Baird: hi bender
Dealer: Clint Baird calls $1
Dealer: bender2006 calls $0.50(Okay I'll see a flop)
Dealer: Stankass checks
Dealer: The flop is [Jd Tc 2h](Sweet I've flopped a set. I also have a jack in my hand so the odds that a player has the one hand that beats me is very rare. Jack gives me the nuts)
Dealer: bender2006 checks
Dealer: Stankass bets $2
bender2006: yo
Dealer: Perry Friedman raises to $10(YO! Could Perry have Jacks here)
Dealer: Clint Baird folds
Dealer: bender2006 raises to $18(The only real mistake I make in this hand. I should have just shoved all my money in.)
Dealer: Stankass has 15 seconds left to act
Dealer: Stankass folds
Dealer: Perry Friedman calls $8
Dealer: The turn is [2d](Booyeah. I'm 98% sure I have the best hand. If Perry has J-J oh well)
Dealer: bender2006 bets $13, and is all in
Dealer: Perry Friedman calls $13
Dealer: bender2006 shows [Kh Jc Ts Th]
Dealer: Perry Friedman shows [8c 7h 9s 6h](Yes, Straight wrap. he's pwned)
Stankass: i lay down 22
Dealer: The river is [5s]
Dealer: bender2006 shows a full house, Tens full of Twos, for high
Dealer: Perry Friedman shows a pair of Twos, for high
Dealer: bender2006 wins the pot ($66) with a full house, Tens full of Twos

BANG

2006-06-18T12:34:00.000-04:00

I don't know why I exclaimed BANG!! It's one of those "Oh, so it's not Rigged" kinda hands. 2, 3, or 4 they all beat poor Trent.

Full Tilt Poker Game #723126409: $11 + $0.50 Heads Up Sit & Go (4776778), Table 1 - 20/40 - No Limit Hold'em - 12:28:25 ET - 2006/06/18
Seat 1: Bender2006 (1,640)
Seat 2: trent13 (1,360)
trent13 posts the small blind of 20
Bender2006 posts the big blind of 40
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Ks Kc]
trent13 raises to 80
Bender2006 raises to 240(3x BB, probably should get me some action)
trent13 raises to 640(He's raising me back. He must have some kind of hand)
Bender2006 raises to 1,640, and is all in(Unless he has exactly A-A, a 220:1 shot I'm good)
trent13 calls 720, and is all in
Bender2006 shows [Ks Kc]
trent13 shows [Qd Jc](Yes, has crap)
Uncalled bet of 280 returned to Bender2006
*** FLOP *** [4h Kh Th](Mixed flop. That actually improved him more than me)
*** TURN *** [4h Kh Th] [Kd](That was the best card in the deck. Peace!!)
*** RIVER *** [4h Kh Th Kd] [5h]
Bender2006 shows four of a kind, Kings
trent13 shows a pair of Kings
Bender2006 wins the pot (2,720) with four of a kind, Kings (Quads Baby)
trent13 stands up
Bender2006 stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2,720 | Rake 0
Board: [4h Kh Th Kd 5h]
Seat 1: Bender2006 (big blind) showed [Ks Kc] and won (2,720) with four of a kind, Kings
Seat 2: trent13 (small blind) showed [Qd Jc] and lost with a pair of Kings

Peace!

The New Look of Full Tilt

2006-06-17T13:33:00.000-04:00

My main site just went through an overhaul. Here are some graphics for the new site. I like the new countdown timer right on screen, plus pot display(Makes the calculation a little bit easier) but looks like somethin out of Star Trek. You tell me.

Finally Back

2006-06-16T12:03:00.000-04:00

After about a week off, I'm back and playing. Welcome Back Eric.

Full Tilt Poker Game #716504671: $22 + $1 Heads Up Sit & Go (4730422), Table 1 - 15/30 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:50:22 ET - 2006/06/15
Seat 1: Fireman710 (1,260)
Seat 2: Bender2006 (1,740)
Fireman710 posts the small blind of 15
Bender2006 posts the big blind of 30
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Ad Jd]
Fireman710 calls 15
Bender2006 raises to 125
Fireman710 calls 95
*** FLOP *** [Td Ac 9s]
Bender2006 bets 300
Fireman710 calls 300
*** TURN *** [Td Ac 9s] [5d]
Bender2006 bets 1,315, and is all in
Fireman710 calls 835, and is all in
Bender2006 shows [Ad Jd]
Fireman710 shows [As 2s]
Uncalled bet of 480 returned to Bender2006
*** RIVER *** [Td Ac 9s 5d] [Jh]
Bender2006 shows two pair, Aces and Jacks
Fireman710 shows a pair of Aces
Bender2006 wins the pot (2,520) with two pair, Aces and Jacks
Bender2006: gg
Fireman710 stands up
Bender2006 stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2,520 | Rake 0
Board: [Td Ac 9s 5d Jh]
Seat 1: Fireman710 (small blind) showed [As 2s] and lost with a pair of Aces
Seat 2: Bender2006 (big blind) showed [Ad Jd] and won (2,520) with two pair, Aces and Jacks

$22 Victory!!

Also. Congratulations to Shawn. He won the $1 Tournament on Full tilt for $99.50. Welcome to the champions club Sbawn!!

Only Play the Nuts in Omaha 8/b

2006-06-15T06:59:00.000-04:00

Poor Bossman. You gotta play for a scoop, but also have a nut hand.

Full Tilt Poker Game #650549505: Table Pyramid - $2/$4 - Limit Omaha Hi/Lo - 12:35:53 ET - 2006/05/20
Seat 1: OMAHABOSSMAN ($45)
Seat 5: thegooch154 ($75)
Seat 6: Bender2006 ($94.50)
Seat 7: Count Chipula ($29.50), is sitting out
Seat 9: JamalJohnson86 ($51)
Bender2006 posts the small blind of $1
JamalJohnson86 posts the big blind of $2
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Ad Ts 2h 4d](Very Good low Potential hand. Diamonds are also great)
OMAHABOSSMAN calls $2
thegooch154 calls $2
Bender2006 calls $1
JamalJohnson86 checks
*** FLOP *** [3s 8c Kc](Nut Low draw, and it can't be counterfitted)
Bender2006 checks
JamalJohnson86 checks
OMAHABOSSMAN bets $2
thegooch154 raises to $4
Bender2006 calls $4
JamalJohnson86 folds
OMAHABOSSMAN calls $2
*** TURN *** [3s 8c Kc] [2s](Jackpot. I'm definitly got low. Since it's less likely someone's going to play A-4 than A-2 I've hit a monster card)
Bender2006 bets $4
OMAHABOSSMAN calls $4
thegooch154 raises to $8
Bender2006 calls $4(My only mistake I feel in this hand. I should have probably trapped the caller and freerolled for a 5 to take down the whole pot.)
OMAHABOSSMAN calls $4
*** RIVER *** [3s 8c Kc 2s] [2d]
Bender2006 checks
OMAHABOSSMAN checks
thegooch154 bets $4
Bender2006 calls $4(Again I should have bet, I have trips now and still have the nut low. However a call won't scare off bossman. It won't make sense though for gooch and I to go to war if Gooch has High and I've got low)
OMAHABOSSMAN calls $4
*** SHOW DOWN ***
thegooch154 shows [Kd Ah Qd Kh] (a full house, Kings full of Twos)(Shows Nut Full House)
Bender2006 shows [Ad Ts 2h 4d] (three of a kind, Twos)
(8,4,3,2,A)(Shows nut low)
OMAHABOSSMAN mucks
thegooch154 wins the high pot ($27) with a full house, Kings full of Twos
Bender2006 wins the low pot ($27) with 8,4,3,2,A
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $56 | Rake $2
Board: [3s 8c Kc 2s 2d]
Seat 1: OMAHABOSSMAN mucked [8s Ks Ac 5d] - HI: two pair, Kings and Eights; LO: 8,5,3,2,A (Had 2nd nut low and Top 2 pair. Lost Both Pots)
Seat 5: thegooch154 (button) showed [Kd Ah Qd Kh] and won ($27) with HI: a full house, Kings full of Twos
Seat 6: Bender2006 (small blind) showed [Ad Ts 2h 4d] and won ($27) with HI: three of a kind, Twos; LO: 8,4,3,2,A
Seat 7: Count Chipula is sitting out
Seat 9: JamalJohnson86 (big blind) folded on the Flop

Generally I like having nuts one direction or another in multiway pots. The goal is to scoop, but get something. Generally just nut high won't get you quartered, and hidden nut lows like my A-4 won't get you quartered either. Play the nuts, and you'll see the difference.

2006-06-13T15:11:00.000-04:00

This is the sickest hand in History

This is just gross. Kind of long, but keep in mind that this isn't tournement play. The over $300,000 in there is real money.

I hate Pokerstars

2006-06-10T21:44:00.000-04:00

Don't ever play Pokerstars. This is an old school hand but a sick beat.

PokerStars Game #1136336316: Tournament #4919256, Hold'em No Limit -
Match Round I, Level III (25/50) - 2005/01/28 - 01:36:23 (ET)
Table '4919256 1' One on One Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: JBSJAG15 (1210 in chips)
Seat 2: bender04 (1790 in chips)
JBSJAG15: posts small blind 25
bender04: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to bender04 [Ts Kc]
JBSJAG15: raises 200 to 250
bender04: calls 200
*** FLOP *** [2s Ks Kd]
bender04: checks
JBSJAG15: bets 200
bender04: raises 200 to 400
JBSJAG15: raises 560 to 960 and is all-in
bender04: calls 560
*** TURN *** [2s Ks Kd] [Qd]
*** RIVER *** [2s Ks Kd Qd] [3d]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
bender04: shows [Ts Kc] (three of a kind, Kings)
JBSJAG15: shows [6d Ad] (a flush, Ace high) Dickhead!
JBSJAG15 collected 2420 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2420 | Rake 0
Board [2s Ks Kd Qd 3d]
Seat 1: JBSJAG15 (button) (small blind) showed [6d Ad] and won (2420)
with a flush, Ace high
Seat 2: bender04 (big blind) showed [Ts Kc] and lost with three of a
kind, Kings

Nice Razz Hand

2006-06-10T21:00:00.000-04:00

Here's a nice Razz Hand I won a week or so ago. Analysis by me!

Full Tilt Poker Game #661307913: Table Seven Hills - $1/$2 Ante $0.20 - Limit Razz - 19:22:37 ET - 2006/05/24
Seat 1: dealinqueens ($42.20)
Seat 2: Kris Homerding ($1.55)
Seat 3: SignGuy ($40.95)
Seat 4: jwosoto ($41.80)
Seat 5: Bender2006 ($58.35)
Seat 6: trvlnmn72 ($16)
Seat 7: SIRHUMPSALOT ($9.40)
Seat 8: pokey1976 ($20)
jwosoto antes $0.20
pokey1976 antes $0.20
Kris Homerding antes $0.20
SignGuy antes $0.20
dealinqueens antes $0.20
SIRHUMPSALOT antes $0.20
Bender2006 antes $0.20
trvlnmn72 antes $0.20
*** 3RD STREET ***
Dealt to dealinqueens [Ad]
Dealt to Kris Homerding [4c]
Dealt to SignGuy [Jh]
Dealt to jwosoto [4d]
Dealt to Bender2006 [6h 2d] [5d]
Dealt to trvlnmn72 [Qc] (Good Spot, I will act last on this hand)
Dealt to SIRHUMPSALOT [6c]
Dealt to pokey1976 [3h]

Okay I have a very good opening hand a 3 card 6. However the down side is this. There are 21 cards to make my 6 low. 4 are already dead to me. My hand value is decreased more so than if say more 6's 2's and 5's were already out. 3 bad cards are out though. I decide since I have position I'm probably going to raise regardless to drive out junk hands, stragglers and to ensure that I am up against 8's or better.

trvlnmn72 is high with [Qc]
trvlnmn72 brings in for $0.25
SIRHUMPSALOT calls $0.25
pokey1976 folds
dealinqueens calls $0.25
Kris Homerding folds
SignGuy folds
jwosoto completes it to $1
Bender2006 raises to $2(There's my raise. Making sure that one I let it be known I mean business, and two so no bad hand can call me)trvlnmn72 folds
SIRHUMPSALOT calls $1.75
dealinqueens calls $1.75
jwosoto calls $1 (4 way pot, however I believe I have the best of it)*** 4TH STREET ***
Dealt to dealinqueens [Ad] [2s]
Dealt to jwosoto [4d] [3c]
Dealt to Bender2006 [6h 2d 5d] [3d]
Dealt to SIRHUMPSALOT [6c] [Kh]

Okay I've caught a 4 card 6. It is likely from this point on I'm going to see all seven cards. There will be some people value betting but I am going to elect to jam the pot. I want to thin the field enough to increase my odds

dealinqueens bets $1

jwosoto raises to $2

Bender2006 raises to $3(I'm taking this thing to war. A win here will mean a huge pot)
SIRHUMPSALOT folds(At least one player folds. How you can call that hand when you are clearly behind is suicide 3 way dance)

dealinqueens calls $2

jwosoto calls $1

*** 5TH STREET ***
Dealt to dealinqueens [Ad 2s] [8h]
Dealt to jwosoto [4d 3c] [5c]
Dealt to Bender2006 [6h 2d 5d 3d] [7h] (A mixed blessing card. I now have a made hand. I for sure am a favorite over queens and jwosoto I suspect is on a draw. I imagine a 4 card wheel or 6 might put in the final bet. I feel at this point I have the best hand. I will continue to raise it up.)
jwosoto bets $2
Bender2006 raises to $4(I still fire, I mean business)dealinqueens calls $4
jwosoto calls $2
*** 6TH STREET ***
Dealt to dealinqueens [Ad 2s 8h] [Kc]
Dealt to jwosoto [4d 3c 5c] [7s]
Dealt to Bender2006 [6h 2d 5d 3d 7h] [4s](Jackpot, Now I know I have the best hand. I believe that jwo was on some kind of smooth draw. I have made the 6 low and I'm not going to fold this hand, even if I get reraised later on. I will just fire away)
jwosoto checks(The 4 now scares jwosoto. Remember he was betting before. He is clearly on the defensive now. I do not believe jwosoto has a wheel or a better hand than me)Bender2006 bets $2
dealinqueens folds(Has undergone a lot of pressure and knows he is up against a lot. Has to fold under the pressure)jwosoto calls $2
*** 7TH STREET ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [6h 2d 5d 3d 7h 4s] [3s] (Meaningless card)
jwosoto checks
Bender2006 bets $2 (One last bet, if I get reraised I'm likely beat but will put in the $2 for the crying call. Unless jwosoto caught one on the end I have this pot won.)jwosoto calls $2
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Bender2006 shows [6h 3s 5d 3d 7h 4s 2d] (6,5,4,3,2) (I flash my 6 low and it's good)
jwosoto mucks
Bender2006 wins the pot ($37.85) with 6,5,4,3,2
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $38.85 | Rake $1
Seat 1: dealinqueens folded on 6th St.
Seat 2: Kris Homerding folded on 3rd St.
Seat 3: SignGuy folded on 3rd St.
Seat 4: jwosoto mucked [9h 7d 4d 3c 5c 7s 2c] - 7,5,4,3,2Seat 5: Bender2006 showed [6h 3s 5d 3d 7h 4s 2d] and won ($37.85) with 6,5,4,3,2
Seat 6: trvlnmn72 folded on 3rd St.
Seat 7: SIRHUMPSALOT folded on 4th St.
Seat 8: pokey1976 folded on 3rd St.

I made the correct read that jwosoto was drawing, slowed down and I had the best hand on 6th. Very large pot for 1/2 razz. 19 1/2 Big Bets in that pot. My profit: $24.65 on one very nice hand of razz

All My Cashes

2006-06-09T21:39:00.000-04:00

If you check out www.hendonmob.com they have a list of all the cashes the pros have. Here is a listing of mine and profits as of June 9, 2006. Most of these are relativly low limit tournaments, but can't beat making more money than you started with.

December 2004 24+2 WSOP Circuit Qualifer NLHE Full Tilt(My First Cash and won entry on $4 token)

8th Place $33

Febuary 10+1 7 Card Razz Full Tilt(Defeated Mourn and won my first MTT)

1st Place $80

March $1 NLHE Tournament Ultimate Bet

97th place $2.25

April 200 FTP NLHE Full Tilt Poker (2nd Victory)

1st place $75

April $5+.50 7 Card Razz Full Tilt (3rd Victory)

1st place $57.25

April $1 Limit Omaha 8/b Full Tilt(

8th place $3.30

May $5+.50 7 Card Razz Full Tilt(4th Victory. 3rd MTT win out of 7 Tournaments with a cash buyin)

1st Place $132

June $5+.50 7 Card Stud Full Tilt

3rd Place $12

July $5+.50 7 Card Razz

3rd Place $21

July $1 FTF Turny 7 Card Razz(The same day 3 hours after the $5 Razz)

2nd place $10

July $1 FTF Turny NLHE

6th place $2

August $1 Limit Omaha 8/b Full Tilt

9th Place $3

August $3 3's Company Bad Beat Meet NLHE Full Tilt

5th Place $15

August $1 Limit Omaha 8/b Full Tilt

16th Place $1.50

Sept $3 Final Furlong Limit HORSE Full Tilt

3rd place $15

Sept $2 Trips Lowball Inv. 7 Card Razz Full Tilt

3rd place $9

Sept $1 7 Card Razz Full Tilt

39th Place $1.70

Sept $1 7 Card Stud Full Tilt

6th place $4.40

Oct $10+1 Pot Limit Omaha 8/b Full Tilt(5th Victory. Largest Cash to Date)

1st place $196.70

Oct $1 NLHE

8th Place $6.79

Nov. $5 Trips Lowball Invitatiaonal Limit Razz

2nd place $15

Nov. $1 NLHE

5th Place $22.96

March 2006 $5 Seven Card Stud

4th Place $15

May 2006 $1 No Limit Holdem(6th victory. First of 2006)

1st Place $95

May 2006 $5 Limit Omaha 8/b

2nd Place $65

June 2006 $1 Pot limit Omaha 8/b (UB)

3rd place $24

July 2006 Fantasy Freeroll Event #6 NLHE(Full Tilt)

30th Place $3.75

July 2006 Fantasy Freeroll Event #37 NLHE(Full Tilt)

34th Place $3.75

September 2006 $5 Pot Limit Holdem(Full Tilt)

5th place $39.75

September 2006 $5 Limit HORSE(Full Tilt)

10th place $8.60

October 2006 $10 Seven Card Razz(Full Tilt)

2nd place $33

October 2006 $1 No Limit Holdem(Full Tilt)

14th Place $5.05

January 2007 $10 Half PL Omaha/ Half PL Holdem(Full Tilt)

5th Place $47.20

February 2007 $100 Freeroll No Limit Holdem(Full Tilt)

12th Place $2

April 2007 $100 Freeroll No Limit Holdem (Full Tilt)

24th Place $2

April 2007 $1 No Limit Holdem w/Rebuys(Full Tilt)

27th Place $8.11

May 2007 $2 No Limit Holdem(Full Tilt)

35th Place $2.83

Total Wins: 6

Total Cashes: 37

Total Prize Money: $1073.89

How High Heads Up?

2006-06-09T20:09:00.000-04:00

I play a lot of heads up games. In order to be a winning player in Heads up, you have to be able win about 66% of your games. 50% will not do. Suppose you played 10 $5 +.25 games. You win five, you lose five. Your rate would be -$2.50 due to the rake. 66% is a good win rate. How high should you play. Wherever you feel you can win 66% of the time. For me it's $5 games. Suppose you can get 4 games in 1 hour and you are successful enough to win 3 of the 4. You win $30 and paid $21 in entry fees(Includes the Juice). That's a win rate of $9 an hour. If you played 30 and won 20, you win $200 and paid entry fees of $157.50. Profit $42.50. Find your game and where you can win 2 of 3. That's the best way to profit from Heads Up. As humor this is what you are playing for when you go one on one.

$1 = A bottle of Coke
$5 = Big Value Meal at Burger King.
$10 = A nice Toolbox for Father's Day.
$20 = A brand new release DVD
$30 = A full tank of gas(Maybe!!)
$50 = A copy of Madden 07'
$100 = A new lawnmower
$200 = 200 Bottles of Coke!!
$500 = This months rent
$1000 = Entry into an event at WSOP
$5000 = A decent used car.

My thoughts on Ace-Queen and Two Jacks

2006-06-09T19:25:00.000-04:00

Okay. In holdem the two toughest hands to play are probably Ace-Queen and Pocket Jacks. I consider them the two hardest hands to play. I'll post a couple pro's and cons at least from my experiance from each hand.

Ace Queen Pros.

1. It's a big starting hand dominating A-J, A-T, K-Q, All Hands some inexperianced players may go all in with.

2. Hitting an Ace or a Queen will give you the best hand most of the time.

3. Very Rarely will you be in terrible Shape. Only AA and AK puts you in absolutly Horrible Shape. KK and QQ give you one live card to work with. Since you hold an ace in your hand, it's harder for your opponent to carry such a package.

Ace Queen Cons.

1. Against major action it is almost never the best hand.

2. More often than not, you will run up against A-K.

3. It's a drawing hand, meaning in all likelyhood you will have to improve it to win. It's a hand that you will race with most of the time.

The other difficult hand is J-J. Another big overall hand with pros and cons.

Pros of J-J

1. It's a pair and a fair portion of the time you do not need to improve to win.

2. You are favored against all hands except for AA, KK, and QQ.

3. It is a large favorite against Smaller Pocket Pairs, Suited connectors, and hands with only one live card.

Cons of J-J.

1. Against major action it is almost never the best hand.

2. A fair portion of the time you will be racing. AK, AQ, KQ are all likely holdings of your opponents.

3. It becomes vulnerable to overcards, especially aces as players tend to cling to A-4 A-5 more often than you think.

While both hands are very nice sights, don't treat either one as if it's God's gift to Poker Players. It's tough to figure the exact perfect play with either hand, but here's some advice I can give to alleiviate the trouble.

1. Know your opponent. Be more apt to pop in a raise against looser players who might go with 8-8, J-T suited. Also be prepared to lay it down against big action and tighter players.

2. Play to see the flop. Don't go all in unless you are very large or short stacked in a tournament. Take a flop. Prepare to dump J-J when Aces come on the board. Same with A-Q. See what you hit, if you do continue the hand, if not dump it.

3. Remember the profit rule. It's much much better to win a very small pot with these hands than to lose a monster. If you don't connect AQ or J-J gets beat just toss them. Don't go nuts. Certainly if the board is favorable fire away, but don't go broke with these hands.

Just a few tips on the hardest 2 hands to play.

Playing Aces in Heads Up.

2006-05-24T18:13:00.000-04:00

I'm a big fan of Heads Up games. I regularly play the $5 and $10 buy in Heads Up in all games and occasionally play the $20 games. The most popular variation is of course NLHE. Here's a spot recently where I caught a couple bullets and I think might be the proper play here. I want you to think of the proper play, then my actions.

Full Tilt Poker Game #661093132: $10 + $0.50 Heads Up Sit & Go (4348530), Table 1 - 15/30 - No Limit Hold'em - 17:46:33 ET - 2006/05/24
Seat 1: joeshadow25 (1,555)
Seat 2: Bender2006 (1,445)(Still early in the game. I have a slight hole to dig myself out of. No real read on the range joe may have)

joeshadow25 posts the small blind of 15
Bender2006 posts the big blind of 30
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Ah Ac](The best starting hand in holdem)
joeshadow25 raises to 120

Okay this is a dream spot. I have the best possible starting hand. The one hand that gives me the absolute worst odds is something like 8-9 Suited or T-J suited. Even this makes me a 3:1 favorite at least. I'll give you a run down of possible hands he may have and the odds I've got.

vs. KK 81% to win
vs. KQs 83% to win
vs. 77 80% to win
vs. AKs 88% to win
vs. T9s 77% to win
vs. 84o 85% to win
vs JTs 79% to win

These are all very favorable odds. With a raise of 4x BB I think he's got some kind of hand. I can do one of 3 things.

1. Call, I can disguise the strength of my hand I may have limped in with many decent hands, and he will think I'm somewhat weak.

2. Raise an intermediate amount. I will get more action on this pot or he may go over the top. If he has a big hand like two kings, I will get him to move all in.

3. Move all in. Make it look like a complete steal. He won't suspect aces and may call with more marginal hands.

Option 1 doesn't really tell me anything about where I'm at and what hand my opponent hands. Aces aren't invincable.

Option 3 is a waste of a good oppertunity. Very few hands will call in this spot.

Option 2 gives me info on my opponents hand and a chance to build the pot.

I elect to go with option 2.

Bender2006 raises to 210( I raise minimum. He may come over the top or call. It's unlikely he will fold and I can build a pot)
joeshadow25 calls 90

*** FLOP *** [Kh Tc 3s](A nice flop for Aces. The flop is rainbow and the possibilty is high he has a King in the hole. If he has K-T I was meant to go broke)

Bender2006 checks(I really want my hand to look like a small pocket pair. Though I am likely giving off information and trapping I want to put it in the back of his mind that his king is good)

joeshadow25 checks
*** TURN *** [Kh Tc 3s] [4h]

Bender2006 bets 150(The 4 is unlikely to help his hand. I bet for value. This smallish bet will certainly be called by one pair. If he does have a lone King in the hole, I own him.)
joeshadow25 calls 150

*** RIVER *** [Kh Tc 3s 4h] [8c](Another good card. My hand is almost certainly good)
Bender2006 bets 400( I know my hand is good. For the money in the pot, it isn't that much. I expect a call from a king, maybe the ten. Even if I take it down, it's still good profit.)
joeshadow25 calls 400
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Bender2006 shows [Ah Ac] (a pair of Aces)
joeshadow25 mucks
Bender2006 wins the pot (1,520) with a pair of Aces
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1,520 | Rake 0
Board: [Kh Tc 3s 4h 8c]
Seat 1: joeshadow25 (small blind) mucked [9s 4c] (Even better than I expected. Idiot.)- a pair of Fours
Seat 2: Bender2006 (big blind) showed [Ah Ac] and won (1,520) with a pair of Aces

Big key to profiting from aces is to build a pot instead of charging all at once. Charge a little then a little more. It's like the frog and the boiling water. Heat it up all at once, he's gonna jump away. Heat it piece by piece and he croaks.

Kings and Jacks at Mirage

2006-05-22T20:11:00.000-04:00

Recapping a good hand I had at Mirage.

The setting. 1-5 Spread Limit Seven Stud at Mirage. Matt Damon said in Rounders, the poker room at Mirage is the center of the poker universe. Today it's Bellagio, but Mirage was a damn fine room.

I'm up slightly for the game. Maybe $15 or so. I'm the bring in. I've got a nice consealed hidden hand (K-K)-2. I bring in for the minimum as you should in stud. $1 I get 2 other callers.

4th street someone gets an ace on board. He's been kind of active in pots and decides to pop in a $3 bet to see where he is at representing aces. The other caller folds but I dont buy it. I still have my kings, even though I catch a 4 and my board looks like crap. I believe Kings up will be the best hand.

5th. I hit a jack, he hits a King. He $5 bets on A-K-3. Could he have a pair of aces? 3 big cards. I still think he's trying to steal on me as my board is weak.
I call on 2-4-J looking like some tourist.

6th. I hit a a nine, he gets a deuce. He bets again. What could he have. I don't think it's just aces. I make a reluctant $5 Call.

7th. I spike another jack. He bets $5 and I make the crying call.

I show Kings and Jacks. Opponent shows Kings and Threes. He had an unlikely other two kings. Deception in stud is the best. I love the mirage.

The Rule of Quarters:Razz

2006-05-16T20:08:00.000-04:00

Okay, enough gloating. Following Squib's great section(twistedoreos.blogspot.com) on No Limit Tournaments. I want to do the same thing for Razz tournaments. If you want to read the rules on razz, go to http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/razz.php

Now then assuming you have knowledge of the game I'm going to use Squib's quarter timeline to base my game.

1st Quarter: Feeling out the table.

Basically, unless you know your competition from other games, you don't have any idea how your opponents play. Do they play big cards, are they loose, aggressive, tight, passive. Can they fold a hand. These are the questions you can answer for cheap. To start I recommend you only play big hands or easy steals. What is a big hand???

Bender's rule of Razz #1. Big opening hands.

Big hands to me are any 3 card 7, or situation where say you have a low door card(Card showing) and it's an easy steal like a 2 showing, K-7 in the hole against the only other opponent left and he shows a Queen. Recapping. 3 card 7's(7-6-5 as the absolute minimum) and spots where you can get a very easy steal without a fight such as a 2 showing against one final opponent who has brought in with a Queen on third street. These hands are either going to put you ahead for later streets(good) or pick up the antes and bring in's(also good).

Okay so you have played your 6-3-2 and you've gotten a little action say from a 5 showing. You must play tight during the first quarter. I can't recall anyone ever winning the whole tournament in the first hour or so but I've seen several people take an early exit.

What makes razz so very different(and frustrating) from all other forms of poker is you always need a five card hand at a showdown. How many times have you played holdem, had a straight draw on the turn and complete miss on the river. Now imagine just about every hand is like that. You're head will spin. In holdem if you have Pocket Aces, your hand will almost certainly be good without much improvement. Seven stud the same way. If you start with Rolled up aces, you likely will not need to improve to win the hand. In razz, you always have to improve your hand if you're going to win. A-2-3 as great as a hand that it is has to hit 2 of the next 4 cards to make a good hand.

So back to the example of 6-3-2 against an opponent with a 5 showing. Unless you are Phil Hellmuth and you can look into his soul, unless you hit either something that for sure gives you the best hand, or make a four card 8 minimum, I recommend folding.

Example 1.

Suppose the boards look like this

6-3-2-T

x-x-5-5

I recommend calling the bet or betting yourself. You clearly hold the best hand and can definitly can take a card off.

Example 2. Suppose the boards look like this

6-3-2-8

x-x-5-8

Again you can take another card off. At worst you are only slightly behind, and you will be getting enough pot odds with the antes to put another bet in.

For fifth, sixth, and seventh play your boards, but play tightly. If you hit bad cards early on, dump and just move on to the next hand. Allow other bad players to think that a T-8-9 on 5th street is solid. Basically you are looking for one of three things,

1. To easily pick up the antes with a very easy steal
2. To get out for as cheaply as possible.
3. To take a good pot here or there from a sucker.

There will usually be enough inexperianced players or downright idiots to give you a nice start to your tournament. The question is when do you go from Quarter One to Quarter Two. I'm gonna copy Squib and say the same thing. After 1 hour of play or after 50% of the field has been knocked out.

To rehash what the best advice for the first quarter is.

Play Big hands(3 card 7's or Steals with a very high chance of succeeding)

Play tightly on later streets. Only stay in the hand with a large edge.

Don't go gung ho without a wheel or boardlock(Which I'll explain later).

Know that you cannot win the tournament in the first hour, but you can lose it.

2nd Quarter: Accumlating chips.

Okay you have survived some melees, a few ATM's 4 betting with K-Q-J-J boards so they can go back to playing holdem. You have a nice stack, round average. Now is the time to open your game a little bit. The betting after the first hour on Full Tilt Poker is 100/200 ante 15. With a little extra in the pot and a tight image established, you can open up a little more.

Starting hands can now be increased to 3 card 8's (However I would use 8-6-3 as the worst of them)

Stealing the antes will be more of a key in the tournament. Don't be afraid to raise every now and again with say J-7 and a 2 doorcard against 1 good door card left to act. With a fair portion of donks knocked out by now, the remaining players have some idea how to play razz and will fold their T-K door cards accordingly.

As mentioned before look for spots where you have a boardlock.

Bender's Rule of Razz #2: Boardlock is your friend.
Basically a board lock is looking at your opponents 4 hole cards and your cards, you know for certain there is no card he can catch to win and you have a 100% chance of winning.

Example.

Suppose you hold

7-5-4-3-2-2

Your opponent has

x-x-8-9-8-7

You hold a boardlock over your opponent. The best hand he has now is 9-8-7-2-A and the best hand he can make on 7th street is 8-7-3-2-A. Your 7-5-4-3-2 beats that even without improvement.

The easiest way to identify boardlock is to picture the two best possible cards he could have now and the best card he can catch on the end. If you can beat that, you are 100% to win the hand.

Remember this is limit poker. Don't be fancy and try and set up a large reraise. Fire shells into the pot. This is the spot where you have the goods, you fire. I still recommend you play fairly tight, but you have to adjust and fire a little more to stay in the hunt. To help with decisions on later streets and even 3rd street, comes the most important rule of any stud game.

Bender's Rule of Razz #3 PAY ATTENTION TO THE BOARD!!!!!!!!!!

This cannot be stressed enough. You get to see at least 7 cards aside from your own. The value of your hand will greatly be increased or decreased depending upon what cards are live to you.

Suppose you hold say A-2-3 and you see that 2 players have a 4, two players have a 5 and three players have garbage. 4 of your wheel cards are now dead. While still playable as any 3 card wheel(5 low) It is not worth playing for 4 bets. As cheap as you can try and take another card off and see how it affects your hand.

On the other end of the spectrum, say you have 7-4-A. 2 other players have a 7, two other players have a 4 and someone else has an ace. Fire like mad with this hand. 5 bad cards that could pair you are now dead and your hand value has tremendously increased.

This same principle applies to all streets. If for whatever reason you have boardlock with Ten Low, cap it off if you can. But pay close attention to the board and how many cards are live. It separates good players from excellent players.

When does quarter 2 end? As Squibbles said Double the Bubble.

Review:

1. Open up just a little bit, but not too much.
2. Look for spots where you can acheive boardlock.
3. Run more steals, on 3rd street and later streets where you have the best board.
4. Adjust your play to the chipstacks. Some will be much larger than yours, some much smaller.
5. Keep track of your chipstack, and build wherever possible.

3rd Quarter: Opening the bag of tricks.

Okay there are only a few players left and you're hopefully getting close to the money. This spot is where you need to gamble it up a little more if you want to win. If your main goal is merely to cash, play extra tight. But if you want to make big money, you have to go for the top 3 spots. In most razz tournaments the field may only pay 3 or 4 spots. This is the point of no return. You have to decide do I want to sit in a foxhole and try just to sneak in a cash or go charging for the big dollars. Personally I try and go for the win, but this decision is yours.

With that said, We will say hypothetically that the 8 players who make the final table will cash. Now that a majority of the players left are not donkeys, playing completely straight-forward will no longer work. You should still play tight. You shouldn't think you can win a pot with 5-K-Q showing, but now is the time to run a lot more steals, run a lot more bluffs.

Your biggest prey will be small stacks, and players who are playing super tight trying to sneak in and can be run over. Your opening requirements in early position should still be 8-6-3 or better depending on board. In later position, you can play hands like K-A-2 but only against medium door cards or super-tight players. After hour 2 of a tournament, you will be playing 300/600 ante 50. Stealing the antes more frequently will keep you in the game, and keep you building. If you find yourself low on chips, really step up the aggression. Don't take in a suicidal hand, but don't be afraid to commit your chips with four to a seven low on 5th street.

I'll show you few tricky plays that will work against sophisticated players.

1. The setup.

Suppose it's a 3 way pot and you have 9-3-2 and your 2 is showing. Your opponent to your right completes with a 7, someone else calls also with a 7, and it's your action. With your tight image in place, you might reraise with a 2 showing. Likely both players call.

4th street shows.

9-3-2-A

x-x-7-6

x-x-7-Q

You will have the image of having a really good hand in front of you. Bet again.
7-6 may drop if he had a 9 or higher in hand or will only call with a 7-6 draw. There is no chance a 7-Q is going to stay in knowing he's gonna face more action.

5th

9-3-2-A-7

x-x-7-6-8

Bet again. Now the first opponent may have 8 low or a pair. He now must fear that you already have a 7 low made and even if he makes a 7 on the next card, he will have 7-6 and you will have that beat. He folds his hand and you take the pot.

There is luck involved with this play, but having your good cards showing and up front will help you win key pots. You set your opponent up with the intention to bet again if you catch well(even if you pair) against an opponent who catches marginal. You might get called down, but you have outs. Likely though players won't stay with marginal hands unless it's a massive chip stack or very low stack.
You don't want to bluff these guys anyway though. Bluff medium stacks, play legit against medium and large stacks, and gamble with low stacks.

Harrington's Rule of Ten that applies to holdem also applies to Razz. If a low stack is ready to get it on, and you hold a semi-reasonable hand(K-A-2, 9-7-6, J-4-3) and it's costing you less than 10% of your total stack, go ahead and give him action. If you lose, no big deal but if you win it's one less opponent separating you from the money.

When you are on the bubble, keep attacking. People will play extremely tight at this point, and you can pick up enough pots to keep you in contention for a victory.

Quarter 3 ends when you hit the promised land of the final table.

Recapping.

1. Decide, am I in to cash, or am I in to making the money. You may cash more often by playing tight, but the big dollars involved in winning more than compensate for several small cashes.

2. Open up your bag of tricks. Checkraising, trapping, setting opponents up, bluffing more often. Don't throw exclusivly fastballs anymore. Mix in some curveballs, sliders, breaking balls, even a knuckleball every now and again. Now is the time to keep your opponent guessing.

3. Gamble more. You have to give action to get action. Don't be afraid to take out some small stacks. Be a predator.

4. Keep your cool. In razz you will brick often. It is the nature of the game. By now you want to knock out a wall with your fist after brick-brick-brick. Let it go, be patient, and get ready to collect some more chips.

5. Be smart about your aggression. Put down hands where you are clearly beat. Dont play high door cards, your bluff potential is zero if your secret is out and the whole table knows you have nothing.

4th Quarter: The Endgame.

Congratulations and welcome to the final table. You may or may not have cashed by now. The fields in Razz are generally not huge so possibly you may have to get through 3 or 4 more players to make the money. That's okay, just continue the strategy from Quarter 3.

Crunch time. You see the seven players left in the game. All the money is now at one table. You see a couple large stacks(Hopefully you are one), a couple medium stacks(Not to be sneezed at), and a few very low stacks(Your early prey)

Here is a loose example of a final table I played in a while back.

Three Big Stacks started the final table. Myself, Katokat(A braclet race winner), and Bruinwoud(A top Stud 8/b player)

Three Medium Stacks also started. RedSlick(A $30/$60 Cash game regular), Chickendog(A WSOPC Qualifer), and RageMachine(A former Razz Winner)

Two Despratly Low Stacks Skins12345, and Spidermooch.

My strategy was to really punish Skins and Spider and force them to a decision. A loss to these two wouldn't hurt my chipstack much.

I would only occasionaly bluff RedSlick, Chickendog, and RageMachine or go in with a legit hand. They had the ability to dent my stack.

I would only play big pots with Katokat or Bruinwoud with big hands as they had the ability and the chipstack to cripple or possibly eliminate me.

My range of hands will vary depending upon which opponents are in the pot with me.

In my tournament Skins took 7th and Spider 8th.

Six handed, play more aggressive. It is now more key to steal as it is less likely someone has a legit hand. They have to have the fear that you have it. Wait for someone to slip or go on tilt with this 5 or 6 handed game and punish. Likely what happens in a tournament since we are all greedy, the other players will gang up on the one player for a shot to move up a spot. That's what happened to RageMachine. He got low on chips, The 5 of us ganged up on him, and I gambled in a hand that held up to knock him out in 6th. Bruinwould fell to the same fate. Got low, got punished, got knocked out.

Three & Four handed(By now you are surely in the money). At this point you have to think win. The only time this may not be true is if you are extremely low with another low stack and you think that you can move up a spot by holding on. Even here I would gamble 3 card 9's. Any time you can get a steal you do it. Hands like 3 card 9's in the right spot can be big. Draws become big. The betting is so big by this point it is conceivable to be able to get it all in there so the threat of elimination becomes bigger and bigger. Use this fear to accumulate chips and punish whoever is lowest at the table. If it is you, pick a hand and run with it. You will get some action, and with the right cards they can double you into contention. Luck will be key here.

As a side note ChickenDog got low here and he got eliminated.

Three handed Katokat, RedSlick, and Myself were all at very even chipstacks. RedSlick was the first to blink, I pounded him and Katokat finished the job.

Suppose you weather the storm all the way to Heads-Up. Well done man, but there's still one more opponent left. This is where you change gears to super super aggressive. Any time you have a door card that is a baby against a 9 doorcard or higher raise regardless. If he reraises, raise him back with good hands, call with all others. As soon as you see the paint cards on his side, fire fire fire. As sooon as they come on your board, dump. Tens, Jacks, Queens, and Kings showing when you have a 9 or better should be target practice. Fire. Be very aggressive. Likely this will be a long drawn out process since it's limit and it's heads up. A lot of situations will be clear cut. But by opening your hands and playing aggressive you can weaken your opponent down. Once he gets low, really start gambling. Finish him off. Hopefully that takes you all the way to the win and the big dollars.

Heads up vs. Katokat I had about 75,000 to his 55,000. I played very very aggressive and also caught better cards. My 7:5 chip lead quickly became 2:1, 3:1, 5:1, 10:1. I did double Katokat up once, but continued charging, gambled on T-7 low and won the tournament.

Aggression pays heavily when the betting is this big so do it.

Hopefully that leads to the win.

When does the 4th Quarter end? When you have won the heads-up, taken the big dollars, and have a victory brew opened and consumed :)

Recap.

1. Find low stacks and pound on them. Medium stacks bluff occasionaly, play more legit. Big stacks, play close to the vest, only rumble with a big hand or steal with very high chance of succeeding.

2. Gang War. Though unspoken, generally the other stacks will bully and punish a low stack at the table. If the low stack is you, make a stand before you run too low on chips.

3. As the number of players at the final table goes down, your aggression must go up. By heads-up it should be extremely high.

4. Pray that your key hands hold and your key pots are big. Luck will be a big factor amongst players at the final table.

Overtime. Basic Razz Tips for all quarters.

1. Never bring in for completion. Read Perry's Article at www.Fulltiltpoker.com under tips from the pros. What applies there to stud applies to razz too.

2. Draw smooth, dont draw rough. It is much more preferable to have a hand like K-A-2-3-4 than 9-8-7-6-5. The 4 card wheel is a favorite.

3. PAY ATTENTION TO THE BOARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4. Keep your cool. Remember 5 card hands, every 3 card hand must improve to win. You will brick-brick-brick. But over the long-term the idiots who play jack door cards will go down in flames.

5. Try out some hand combinations on www.twodimes.net to get a feel for what odds beat what.

For example.

A-2-3 beats K-A-2 about 70% of the time.

6. You have to play to win. Get as much experiance at the play money SNG's and $5 SNG's as you can before you start playing real money. It's how I got my start.

7. Know that you may only see good cards 10% of the time. Even then only 1/2 the time will A-2-3- develop into even an 8. When you see these premium hands, play them. Most of the time they will be good.

Best of luck and maybe you'll win the next razz tournament....Unless you go up against me, then yeah, good luck to ya:)

Note: Bender2006 on Fulltiltpoker.com is a 3 time winner of Razz tournaments. He also has 5 other cashes including a runner up finish in the FTF Razz Turny event of Season 1. He is also is a member of www.fulltiltforum.com where players become champions.

Six Times the King of Kings

2006-05-14T17:20:00.000-04:00

Time to gloat. This is the first post after my 6th Victory in a Tournament. This time $1 No Limit Holdem. It may not seem like much, but the $95 I took down was well worth my time. 379 entries. I felt sooooo good because it pretty much summed up my point. If I won a few races, made a few drawing hands, I would be a big winner. Sure enough it came true. I amassed a 10:1 Chip lead and although I lost a lil early, I made Aces and Jacks to take down the title. So reflecting back. I wanna go over my six reigns as the King and why each win is special to me.

1. $10 Limit Razz against Mourn.

This win came in Febuary of 2005. It's special because it's the first tournament I've ever won and even better it's the first time I have played a razz tournament. I had played play money and real money SNG's as well as cash games, but to win in my first try was great. The first braclet and $80.

2. 200 Full Tilt Point No Limit Holdem agaisnt MrTux.

This win was my first in holdem. I had a strategy and the chip lead entering the final table. MrTux a highly aggressive player was doing my dirty work. He knocked out 6 final tablists. I wanted to just weather the storm and wait for heads up where I felt I could take him. The big hand was 4-4 vs Ah-Qc. We go all in preflop for 85% of the chips in play. He hits a set. I get a Queen and a flush draw. When I river the flush I fly out of my chair. A few hands later I get Ks-9s and make Kings and Nines to win. $75.

3. $5 Limit Razz agaisnt Titleistman.

My 2nd razz win and 3rd victory. I like this tournament because entering the final table I was a massive chip leader and destroyed the field. 5 handed I knew, just knew I was going all the way. Titleistman, a solid player and FTF member was just the guy who weathered the storm the best. He was no match though as I had 90% of the money when Heads up started. $52.50

4. $5 Limit Razz against Katokat

My 3rd Razz win. The toughest final table I've ever faced. In the final table included.

A braclet race winner(Katokat)
A 30/60 Regular(RedSlick)
A top 5 stud 8/b player(Bruinwoud)
A WSOPC qualifer(Chickendog)
A previous razz winner(RageMachine)

Long odds indeed, but I played well, avoided getting trapped, and came out the champion. Tough tough table but I played my absolute best and it was good enough to beat the best. My favorite win $132

5. $10 Pot Limit Omaha 8/b over Allinfirsthand.

This was a game of comebacks. At the end of hour one I was 21 of 21 in chipstacks. On the bubble I was very low and 7th with 6 making the money. Also I had gone a while without winning. The 2nd to last hand for 95% of all in play I made an amazing suckout with three sixes and a 7 low to win. K-J-3-3 won it all the very next hand. $197, my biggest payday so far.

6 $1 No Limit Holdem over Jayel316.

Already explained, but I played outstanding and caught the right breaks.

Six times the king, but I want hopefully seven, eight, nine, ten....you get the picture.

Inducement

2006-04-30T19:52:00.000-04:00

Inducement is one of my favorite tactics. Making a fishy fishy bet that looks like a complete steal. The most common defense some players have is to come over the top. Check this luckball hand that I skillfully won the game on.

Full Tilt Poker Game #604829793: $5 + $0.25 Heads Up Sit & Go (3967845), Table 1 - 10/20 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:47:27 ET - 2006/04/30
Seat 1: Bender2006 (1,670)
Seat 2: hicks6831 (1,330)
Bender2006 posts the small blind of 10
hicks6831 posts the big blind of 20
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Kh 9h](Good heads up hand. King-9 suited is very much playable)
Bender2006 calls 10(I'm limping since I'm out of position, but will be prepared to call a moderate raise)
hicks6831 checks
*** FLOP *** [Jh 3c 5d](Swing and a miss)
hicks6831 checks
Bender2006 checks
*** TURN *** [Jh 3c 5d] [6h](Now I have the heart draw, mixed blessing card)
hicks6831 bets 40(I suspect he has a pair of 6's 3's or 5's. I'll call because I believe that a heart, king or nine will win this pot)
Bender2006 calls 40
*** RIVER *** [Jh 3c 5d 6h] [Qh](Sweet, heart)
hicks6831 bets 120(Oh baby he's made better than sixes. Possibly A-J, A-Q or Q-J. He may take me all the way)
Bender2006 raises to 350(A very tempting bet. Just enough to get a score for a call,which I think he will for sure do or an enticement to move over the top of me)
hicks6831 raises to 1,270, and is all in(Game Over!!)
Bender2006 calls 920
*** SHOW DOWN ***
hicks6831 shows [Qs 6c] (two pair, Queens and Sixes)
Bender2006 shows [Kh 9h] (a flush, King high)
Bender2006 wins the pot (2,660) with a flush, King high
Bender2006: gg
hicks6831 stands up
Bender2006 stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2,660 | Rake 0
Board: [Jh 3c 5d 6h Qh]
Seat 1: Bender2006 (small blind) showed [Kh 9h] and won (2,660) with a flush, King high
Seat 2: hicks6831 (big blind) showed [Qs 6c] and lost with two pair, Queens and Sixes

Las Vegas Hands.

2006-04-20T18:31:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything. Here is a rundown of some of my favorite hands from Las Vegas.

1. The Biggest hand.
1-3 Spread Limit Holdem at Excaliber.

I was dealt a Qh Jh and decided to raise up to $4. I got two other callers. One a nice gentleman from Washington, and an older man call. Board came up Ah Th 3c. I decide to lead out with my 12 outer( 9 hearts plus 3 other kings). The turn card is what every player dreams of. King of Hearts. I have just nailed a heart Royal Flush. It's limit so I just lead out $3 on the turn and river. Both players call.

Older Gentleman A-7
University of Washington Student. 7h-4h.

I can't resist a victory rip as I show the Qh-Jh for a royal. Though I didn't win any kind of special jackpot, I did get the poker room director to shake my hand as well as raking in that beautiful money. I'll talk in a little bit about some other memorable hands. But going to Vegas, and nailing a royal flush is a life long memory.

Crazy 3 NBA parlay

2006-03-17T12:38:00.001-05:00

Oh, may the luck of the irish be with me. On Wednesday I placed my first sports wager of the year on my bodog. After beating some twig dick by the name of Barrett11 in Heads Up play for $10, I took the money and made a crazy 3 team NBA parlay. They even gave me the option to buy points. Here's how my parlay went.

Detroit(-6 1/2) This is where I bought 1/2 a point
Toronto

Denver (+2)
Indiana

Dallas(-4)
Houston

As it turns out, Detroit won by 7 so buying that half point earned a few extra bucks,
Dallas, rolled Houston, and Carmelo nailed a buzzer beater to avoid overtime. Turned my $10 in to an easy $55.

God Bless Rip, Melo' and Dirk. I love all 3 of you.

One Hand Victory, PL Omaha

2006-03-10T12:39:00.000-05:00

Oh I got lucky as hell on this hand. It's Pot Limit, so you can't just shove all in with the first move. Here's the luckball hand of the day. The first, last, and only hand in this PL Omaha Heads up match.

Full Tilt Poker Game #489635706: $5 + $0.25 Heads Up Sit & Go (3190442), Table 1 - 10/20 - Pot Limit Omaha - 12:26:10 ET - 2006/03/10
ITSAMRE posts the small blind of 10
Bender2006 posts the big blind of 20
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Ks Kh 7s Ah](Reasonable hand, I've got double suited kings, and I've also got an ace in the mix. Makes it a lil tougher for my opponent to have rockets)
ITSAMRE raises to 40
Bender2006 raises to 120
ITSAMRE raises to 360( He most likely actually has rockets, but I'm going to gamble on my hand here. They are prolly dry aces with nothing else)
Bender2006 raises to 1,080
ITSAMRE raises to 1,500, and is all in
Bender2006 calls 420, and is all in
ITSAMRE shows [7h Ad 9d As](Well not completely dry, but still slightly vunlerable)

ITSAMRE 67%
Bender2006 33%

The next percentages were my odds of winning

Bender2006 shows [Ks Kh 7s Ah]
*** FLOP *** [Jh Jd 4s] 18%
*** TURN *** [Jh Jd 4s] [Ts] 30% (Now I have a flush and straight draw along with a King for a boat)
*** RIVER *** [Jh Jd 4s Ts] [3s]( Hell yeah, I am lucky as hell)
ITSAMRE shows two pair, Aces and Jacks
Bender2006 shows a flush, King high
Bender2006 wins the pot (3,000) with a flush, King high
Bender2006: ouch
ITSAMRE stands up
Bender2006 stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 3,000 | Rake 0
Board: [Jh Jd 4s Ts 3s]
Seat 1: Bender2006 (big blind) showed [Ks Kh 7s Ah] and won (3,000) with a flush, King high
Seat 2: ITSAMRE (small blind) showed [7h Ad 9d As] and lost with two pair, Aces and Jacks

Yes, Back in the money

2006-03-09T12:45:00.000-05:00

After nearly 3 months of not making the money in tournaments, I've finally cracked the sweet sweet promised land. 4th place in a Seven Card Stud Tournament. This used to be my worst game, but I've been improving a bunch. Sure there were only 31 players and $15 is far from my biggest tournament pay day, but any profit be good profit. I thought for sure that I was cooked but then 3 big big hands came up and God decided to smile on me one time. Here is the Cash Photo first off.

Okay the 3 hands and my thoughts.

This hand basically thinned the field enough to give me a chance.

Full Tilt Poker Game #487480641: $5 + $0.50 Tournament (3074544), Table 3 - 300/600 Ante 50 - Limit Seven Card Stud - 12:24:23 ET - 2006/03/09
Seat 1: JMarkeff (1,233)
Seat 2: RobieATL (9,199)
Seat 3: Spike Dog (5,980)
Seat 4: george r banks (9,090)
Seat 5: bulldog83 (3,767)
Seat 6: McFly33 (1,611)
Seat 7: Bender2006 (2,302) (I'm sitting terrible in my chipstack)
Seat 8: 77722 (13,318)
JMarkeff antes 50
RobieATL antes 50
Spike Dog antes 50
george r banks antes 50
bulldog83 antes 50
McFly33 antes 50
Bender2006 antes 50
77722 antes 50
*** 3RD STREET ***
Dealt to JMarkeff [6c]
Dealt to RobieATL [8c]
Dealt to Spike Dog [5h]
Dealt to george r banks [2s]
Dealt to bulldog83 [9d]
Dealt to McFly33 [Jd]
Dealt to Bender2006 [Qc Ts] [8d]
Dealt to 77722 [3s]
george r banks is low with [2s]
george r banks brings in for 100
bulldog83 folds
McFly33 completes it to 300
Bender2006 folds
77722 folds
JMarkeff folds
RobieATL calls 300
Spike Dog calls 300
george r banks calls 200
*** 4TH STREET ***
Dealt to RobieATL [8c] [3c]
Dealt to Spike Dog [5h] [Ks]
Dealt to george r banks [2s] [Js]
Dealt to McFly33 [Jd] [Th]
Spike Dog bets 300
george r banks calls 300
McFly33 raises to 600
RobieATL raises to 900
Spike Dog calls 600
george r banks calls 600
McFly33 raises to 1,200
RobieATL calls 300
Spike Dog calls 300
george r banks calls 300
*** 5TH STREET ***
Dealt to RobieATL [8c 3c] [Jh]
Dealt to Spike Dog [5h Ks] [4c]
Dealt to george r banks [2s Js] [Ad]
Dealt to McFly33 [Jd Th] [Ac]
McFly33 bets 61, and is all in
RobieATL raises to 600
Spike Dog raises to 1,200
george r banks calls 1,200
RobieATL raises to 1,800
Spike Dog raises to 2,400
Bender2006: someone will be sitting nice after this pot( A shitload of raising, people going balls out, I pray George wins this pot)
george r banks calls 1,200
RobieATL calls 600
*** 6TH STREET ***
Dealt to RobieATL [8c 3c Jh] [7d]
Dealt to Spike Dog [5h Ks 4c] [As]
Dealt to george r banks [2s Js Ad] [9s]
Dealt to McFly33 [Jd Th Ac] [7h]
Spike Dog checks
george r banks bets 600
RobieATL calls 600
Spike Dog calls 600
*** 7TH STREET ***
Spike Dog checks
77722: I want my cards back
george r banks bets 600
RobieATL calls 600
Spike Dog calls 600
*** SHOW DOWN ***
george r banks shows [7s 6d 2s Js Ad 9s 5s] (a flush, Jack high) (Fuck yeah!! He made his flush and is crippling my opponents)
RobieATL mucks
Spike Dog shows [Kc 5c 5h Ks 4c As 2h] (two pair, Kings and Fives)
george r banks wins the side pot (10,617) with a flush, Jack high
McFly33 mucks
george r banks wins the main pot (6,644) with a flush, Jack high
Bender2006: wow
McFly33 stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 17,261 Main pot 6,644. Side pot 10,617. Rake 0
Seat 1: JMarkeff folded on 3rd St.
Seat 2: RobieATL mucked [Kd 8s 8c 3c Jh 7d 8h] - three of a kind, Eights
Seat 3: Spike Dog showed [Kc 5c 5h Ks 4c As 2h] and lost with two pair, Kings and Fives
Seat 4: george r banks showed [7s 6d 2s Js Ad 9s 5s] and won (17,261) with a flush, Jack high
Seat 5: bulldog83 folded on 3rd St.
Seat 6: McFly33 mucked [Qh Qd Jd Th Ac 7h Jc] - two pair, Queens and Jacks
Seat 7: Bender2006 folded on 3rd St.
Seat 8: 77722 folded on 3rd St.

I knock out our 6th place finisher.

Full Tilt Poker Game #487485284: $5 + $0.50 Tournament (3074544), Table 3 - 400/800 Ante 75 - Limit Seven Card Stud - 12:28:33 ET - 2006/03/09
Seat 1: JMarkeff (1,058)
Seat 2: RobieATL (1,044)
Seat 4: george r banks (23,986)
Seat 5: bulldog83 (2,392)
Seat 7: Bender2006 (2,127)
Seat 8: 77722 (15,893)
JMarkeff antes 75
RobieATL antes 75
george r banks antes 75
bulldog83 antes 75
Bender2006 antes 75
77722 antes 75
*** 3RD STREET ***
Dealt to JMarkeff [Kd]
Dealt to RobieATL [Ac]
Dealt to george r banks [2s]
Dealt to bulldog83 [7c]
Dealt to Bender2006 [Ks 5c] [Ah]
Dealt to 77722 [Td]
george r banks is low with [2s]
george r banks: tissue in the bathroom
77722: 7s were good!
george r banks brings in for 100
bulldog83 folds
Bender2006 completes it to 400
77722 folds
Bender2006: 77722 vs george, who wins?
JMarkeff folds
RobieATL calls 400
george r banks calls 300
*** 4TH STREET ***
Dealt to RobieATL [Ac] [3c]
Dealt to george r banks [2s] [4c]
Dealt to Bender2006 [Ks 5c Ah] [Tc]
Bender2006 bets 400
77722: george
RobieATL raises to 569, and is all in
george r banks folds
Bender2006 calls 169
RobieATL shows [4s Qd Ac 3c]
Bender2006 shows [Ks 5c Ah Tc]
*** 5TH STREET ***
Dealt to RobieATL [4s Qd Ac 3c] [Jd]
Dealt to Bender2006 [Ks 5c Ah Tc] [Qs]
*** 6TH STREET ***
Dealt to RobieATL [4s Qd Ac 3c Jd] [6h]
Dealt to Bender2006 [Ks 5c Ah Tc Qs] [8h]
*** 7TH STREET ***
Dealt to RobieATL [4s Qd Ac 3c Jd 6h] [8c]
Dealt to Bender2006 [Ks 5c Ah Tc Qs 8h] [Qh]
RobieATL shows [4s Qd Ac 3c Jd 6h 8c] (Ace Queen high)
Bender2006 shows [Ks 5c Ah Tc Qs 8h Qh] (a pair of Queens)
Bender2006 wins the pot (2,788) with a pair of Queens
Bender2006: gg
RobieATL stands up

And I bust the bubble in 5th place on the very next hand. Wanna do something right, do it yourself.

Full Tilt Poker Game #487486033: $5 + $0.50 Tournament (3074544), Table 3 - 400/800 Ante 75 - Limit Seven Card Stud - 12:29:13 ET - 2006/03/09
Seat 1: JMarkeff (983)
Seat 4: george r banks (23,511)
Seat 5: bulldog83 (2,317)
Seat 7: Bender2006 (3,871)
Seat 8: 77722 (15,818)
JMarkeff antes 75
george r banks antes 75
bulldog83 antes 75
Bender2006 antes 75
77722 antes 75
*** 3RD STREET ***
Dealt to JMarkeff [8d]
Dealt to george r banks [Ks]
Dealt to bulldog83 [3d]
Dealt to Bender2006 [Tc Qc] [3c]
Dealt to 77722 [Jh]
Bender2006 is low with [3c]
Bender2006 brings in for 100
77722 folds
JMarkeff calls 100
george r banks folds
bulldog83 folds
george r banks: nh
*** 4TH STREET ***
Dealt to JMarkeff [8d] [4h]
Dealt to Bender2006 [Tc Qc 3c] [Td]
Bender2006 bets 400
JMarkeff calls 400
77722: one more to money
*** 5TH STREET ***
Dealt to JMarkeff [8d 4h] [9c]
Dealt to Bender2006 [Tc Qc 3c Td] [8c]
Bender2006: ty
Bender2006 bets 800
JMarkeff calls 408, and is all in
Bender2006 shows [Tc Qc 3c Td 8c]
JMarkeff shows [8h Jd 8d 4h 9c]
Uncalled bet of 392 returned to Bender2006
*** 6TH STREET ***
Dealt to JMarkeff [8h Jd 8d 4h 9c] [2c]
Dealt to Bender2006 [Tc Qc 3c Td 8c] [6h]
*** 7TH STREET ***
Dealt to JMarkeff [8h Jd 8d 4h 9c 2c] [Ad]
Dealt to Bender2006 [Tc Qc 3c Td 8c 6h] [5d]
Bender2006 shows [Tc Qc 3c Td 8c 6h 5d] (a pair of Tens)
JMarkeff shows [8h Jd 8d 4h 9c 2c Ad] (a pair of Eights)
Bender2006 wins the pot (2,191) with a pair of Tens
JMarkeff stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2,191 Rake 0
Seat 1: JMarkeff showed [8h Jd 8d 4h 9c 2c Ad] and lost with a pair of Eights
Seat 4: george r banks folded on 3rd St.
Seat 5: bulldog83 folded on 3rd St.
Seat 7: Bender2006 showed [Tc Qc 3c Td 8c 6h 5d] and won (2,191) with a pair of Tens
Seat 8: 77722 folded on 3rd St.

Whoooooooooo!!!! Cashin feels mighty nice.

Call of the Day

2006-03-08T10:57:00.000-05:00

This came from a cash game earlier today. I made a hell of a read and an even more gutsy call. This is for all my stack should I lose.

Seat 2: klotzy9 ($44.70)
Seat 3: Bender2006 ($27.70)
Seat 4: repoker39 ($38.35)
Seat 6: Scott B 077 ($29.20)
Bender2006 posts the small blind of $0.50
repoker39 posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [9s 8s] (A suited connector hand)
Scott B 077 raises to $2
klotzy9 raises to $3
Bender2006 calls $2.50(I probably should have folded here, but I cold call 2 bets anyway)
repoker39 folds
Scott B 077 raises to $29.20, and is all in

Lets think about the situation here. I think Scott is a loosy goosey type player. There are several hands under AA he may have done an all in with. He may have done it on 3's, Ax, Kxs, Maybe even QT, QJ. I think I'm getting good equity. I can make a lot of possiblities here. Fuck it lets rumble.

klotzy9 folds
Bender2006 calls $24.70, and is all in
Scott B 077 shows [Ah 4h] ( I was right!!! He didn't have but Ax suited. However I still have to hit my hand in order to win)
Bender2006 shows [9s 8s]
Uncalled bet of $1.50 returned to Scott B 077
*** FLOP *** [6d Kh 8c] (There it is, now he's only 14% to win)
*** TURN *** [6d Kh 8c] [Jd] (7%)
*** RIVER *** [6d Kh 8c Jd] [5h] (Pass the sugar)
Scott B 077 shows Ace King high
Bender2006 shows a pair of Eights
Bender2006 wins the pot ($57.40) with a pair of Eights
repoker39: nh
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $59.40 Rake $2
Board: [6d Kh 8c Jd 5h]
Seat 2: klotzy9 (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 3: Bender2006 (small blind) showed [9s 8s] and won ($57.40) with a pair of Eights
Seat 4: repoker39 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 6: Scott B 077 showed [Ah 4h] and lost with Ace King high

Okay that was a very Gus Hansen like call there with 9-8 suited, but I gambled there, made a decent read. Both Skill and Luck were on my side there, though I imagine the luck was like 75% or so. Analyize your opponent and don't be afraid to gamble it up.

Las Vegas March 22-25

2006-03-05T21:00:00.000-05:00

I'm going off to Sin City shortly. I'm not going to talk long about the trip till I get closer too it but here's a tenative list of what I'm gonna do.

1. Play in a $60 No Limit Holdem Tournament at Mandalay Bay.

2 Try and find Stud side games. Hopefully they have omaha 8/b or razz, but I play everything so I feel comfortable playing just about any game. Limit Holdem withstanding.

3. Have a great time and get drunk.

As I get more info on what I'm doing I'll post.

2006-03-05T20:58:00.000-05:00

I hate pocket Queens

2006-03-03T21:50:00.000-05:00

Pocket Queens are a hand I hate more and more daily. The problem I see with them is this. They are very susceptable to Aces and Kings as these are the cards that many donks think are golden. Once in a while you get people playing Q-J or Q-T and you're in excellent shape. Other than that if you stick it in, odds are you are up against 3 kinds of hands. The good players who will have you crushed with AA KK or possibly racing you with AK, The absolute idiots who call you with 6-3 off (This actually has happened at a final table of a tournament), and the people who call with Ax or Kx. These are the sweaters. Here's an example that busted me in 3rd today in a 90 man SNG.

Full Tilt Poker Game #475876973: 250 Play Money Sit & Go (3093311), Table 8 - 400/800 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:05:16 ET - 2006/03/03
Seat 3: GRIEDE (51,430)
Seat 6: Bender2006 (26,100)
Seat 9: brisween (57,470)
brisween posts the small blind of 400
GRIEDE posts the big blind of 800
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Qc Qh] (I've picked up Queens after losing about a 4k pot a hand before)
Bender2006 calls 800 (I'm limping as bris likes to raise a lot of pots. I want to get some action on this hand)
brisween raises to 3,200(As I predicted, I'm coming)
GRIEDE folds
Bender2006 raises to 26,100, and is all in(If you wanna play an underpair to Q's or on a total bluff It'll cost a very large portion of the stack)
brisween calls 22,900
Bender2006 shows [Qc Qh]
brisween shows [Ks Jc](Called half his stack off on K-J, Let's go over why this is a stupid play on brisween's part.

1. The pot odds are incorrect in this spot. In order for this call to be correct, bris needs to be getting about 2:1 on his money to call. I'm not sure the precise odds, but 2:1 would be about right. Lets take a look at the pot. Blinds were 1200, My call made the pot 2000 and the raise kicked it up to 5200. The raise all in makes the pot 28100. He has to call down 22900 to try and win 28100. He is getting about 1.25:1 on his money. Not close to the 2:1 you need.

2. Look at the history of this move. I used this checkraise all in no less than ten hands earlier. Here is the hand history.

Full Tilt Poker Game #475873270: 250 Play Money Sit & Go (3093311), Table 8 - 400/800 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:03:32 ET - 2006/03/03
Seat 3: GRIEDE (52,630)
Seat 6: Bender2006 (26,100)
Seat 9: brisween (56,270)
brisween posts the small blind of 400
GRIEDE posts the big blind of 800
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Bender2006 [Ks Kc]
Bender2006 raises to 2,800 ( The only difference here is I bet out)
brisween raises to 9,200(He reraises, I am only beat if he has AA. I do not believe him to have AA and if he does I was meant to go broke anyway)
GRIEDE folds
Bender2006 raises to 26,100, and is all in(I stick in all my stack)
brisween: oops
brisween has 15 seconds left to act
brisween: 44?
brisween folds
Uncalled bet of 16,900 returned to Bender2006
Bender2006 shows [Ks Kc] (a pair of Kings)(I show him when I come back over the top I've got a monster, I may want to protect a big hand later or run a crazy bluff, but I hope I earn respect through it)
Bender2006 wins the pot (19,200)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 19,200 Rake 0
Seat 3: GRIEDE (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 6: Bender2006 (button) collected (19,200)
Seat 9: brisween (small blind) folded before the Flop

3. The range of hands I would take all in at that point. Okay I've got the short stack at 26,000. However we are playing 400/800 3 handed. Each orbit I'm only risking 1200. I had over 20 rounds left in me so I had plenty of room to play around with. It wasn't like I was going to put in a desperation all in on A3 suited or anything just yet. So since I've got room to manueuver with think about which hands I want to play. Why would I stick in with junk when I could wait on a monster. He had K-J. What hands would I stick in there could he beat? AA, KK and AK AJ all own him. A-Q, A-T, QQ, and JJ would give me about a 2:1 edge. TT to maybe 88 makes him at a race. I wouldn't check raise all in on Q-J or K-T the only 2 hands he probably could beat. At best he was in a race situation. His bet initally was good. If i had a terrible hand I would have mucked. However since I had gone over the top, he had to know what I held had K-J beat.

Here's how the sad story ended.

*** FLOP *** [9d Kd 6d](And the donk catches his 3 out miracle)
*** TURN *** [9d Kd 6d] [3s]
*** RIVER *** [9d Kd 6d 3s] [9h]
Bender2006 shows two pair, Queens and Nines
brisween shows two pair, Kings and Nines
brisween wins the pot (53,000) with two pair, Kings and Nines
Bender2006 stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 53,000 Rake 0
Board: [9d Kd 6d 3s 9h]
Seat 3: GRIEDE (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 6: Bender2006 (button) showed [Qc Qh] and lost with two pair, Queens and Nines
Seat 9: brisween (small blind) showed [Ks Jc] and won (53,000) with two pair, Kings and Nines

Life sucks.

My Blog

2006-03-01T16:58:00.000-05:00

Well I've had this blog for over a year now, decided this is how I'm gonna post. Okay in the past year I have won 5 MTT's

200 Full Tilt Point No Limit Holdem -$75
$10 Limit Seven Card Razz - $80
$5 Limit Seven Card Razz - $57.50
$5 Limit Seven Card Razz(Not Repeating myself) - $132
$10 Pot Limit Omaha 8/b - $197

Pretty Good huh. I will post again here in a little while. I'm at school right at the moment.

I'm now a shark, a Full Tilt Freeroll Shark

2004-12-02T20:17:00.000-05:00

Another musing I'm writing for those who care to read. One of my favorite hobbies now a days bein a college kid and all has got to be poker. Best game is the one you see on TV, No Limit Texas Hold-Em. Sure I know how to play most of the games, Omaha, Razz, 7-Card Stud, Triple Draw, so on and so forth and I've won Sit-and-Go's in all of them(A sit and go is a ten man tournament). But my mindset and best knowledge of poker is No Limit Holdem. I won't even play limit holdem because I know very little of the strategy and it's 2 entirely different games. When I first learned to play I kept wondering, why oh why do I keep getting eliminated so early. I must suck, An ace is a good card right. I watched the WSOP on TV and saw how the big players do it. They play tightly and don't go after medicore hands. After watching and trying out new styles, I got a lot better. Not real money ready but close. I played a lot on Ultimatebet. My best finish to date is a respectable 120th out of 2500 players. Won 5 bonus points. Techincally my best finish is 27th out of 2500 but the tournament ended once 50 players remained and I just kept folding hands because I had more than enough to keep me alive. Then I found UB has a lot of bad beats. A bad beat is where you have like a 75%-higher chance of winning with one card to come, yet that one card comes and you lose big. I got frustrated at my game and went to Full Tilt Poker.
After 1 month I got a 6th place finish in a tournament. 6th out of like 590 players is good. The best finish in a big field event was like 7th out of 50 in a 5K race back in the day. The next week I had a 9th place finish and came to the conclusion it's not me, it's the beats. I'm playing great poker to make 2 final tables. Came really close to making another one earlier today with a good hand but lost to a better one. I can't be angry at that. Finished 31st. I'm certain it's the beats that keep me from doin well at UB. I'm quickly becoming a threat at poker. Am I real money good? We'll wait and see. But is my game a lot better than when I first started. Oh yeah!!. Here are my career highlights. Peace

3 Top 50 Finishes in UB TEC Freeroll (27th, 34th, 41st)

2 Top 150 Finishes in UB Points Freeroll(120th, 140th)

1 Top 150 Finish in a UB Bonus $$ Freeroll (100th out of 2000)

UB Sit and Go Victories in
No Limit Holdem
Pot Limit Omaha
Triple Draw A-5
Triple Draw 2-7
7 Card Stud

3 Top 50 Finishes in Full Tilt Freeroll (6th, 9th 31st)
2 Final Tables in a Full Tilt Freeroll

Victories in Full Tilt Sit and Go's
No Limit Holdem
Razz

Not a bad resume for a player with less than a year experiance.

Thanksgiving Break, a much needed head Clearer

2004-11-28T19:43:00.000-05:00

Well I'm back from Thanksgiving break. Cambridge is a lot better than ol' Penn Place let me tell you. The four days away gave me some time to really clear my head up. The actual Thanksgiving day, I spent up at my Grandmother's house and I ate a lot. I look back and say what am I thankful for?? I'm thankful that there are people who actually care about me, who actually are on the same level as me. My family did ask a lot of questions about how are classes, how is Ohio State. For the first time I was really excited to answer questions by my family. I'm thankful for people at work. I struggled so hard at Wal-Mart giving 15 long months of service there to get to the ultimate goal, a return trip to Ohio State. Working at Wal-Mart again even for just 2 days(Friday and Saturday) gave me a chance to reflect on how lucky I really have it. Working was rough business. I can't imagine how I managed to go through all the stress for 15 months. I suppose that means now that I have my ultimate goal reached, I can't stop there. Once you climb one mountain, you gotta find another even taller one to climb. I can't allow a few jerks in my dorm hall to let a long struggle go to waste. I've overcome what I feel is the biggest struggle against the longest odds in getting back here and I'm not about to allow a few people to deter that. I'm leaving this dorm soon and going to the "Real Ohio State" very shortly. If I can survive 15 months of wondering where I will be at, I certainly can survive 2 weeks in a place flooded with jerks. As an old friend told me a short while ago "I'm from Cambridge, Embrace it" I wouldn't go as far as saying it's the greatest place around, but it did give me a chance to clear my head for a few days and reflect on what I've overcome to accomplish a dream of mine. That is more powerful than some pissant jerk who thinks they're self-proclaimed king or queen of Ohio State. I'm gonna ride this dream to the fullest.

PS. Also in Cambridge, I finished 9th in a Full Tilt Poker tournament out of about 650 players. Not too shabby for an online amateur. Suprisingly I didn't feel like the "Agony of Defeat guy" If you wanna know what I mean look up the final table of the 2004 WSOP. Wish me luck in a certain future victory

Eric

Swimming with the Sharks

2004-11-22T16:32:00.000-05:00

Ever hear the quote "You don't want to be a big fish in a small pond"? I think that very much applies to me. Back in High School at least academically, I was able to hang with the best of the best. The hardest classes which your average student didn't do so well, I excelled at. I barely studied and the worst I ever got was a B. I really should have gotten a 4.0 but for me I took my 3.7 and ran with it. Barely did anything and for the most part got an A- average in the toughest classes Cambridge High had to offer. This is the perfect recipe for disaster though when you enter college. In retrospect I really wish everything didn't come so easy to me. My first quarter at Ohio State was decent. I got A 3.1 average. I also got my first C in Math 151. For the first time a class totally rocked me. I never learned how to study because up until then I never really had to. The next couple quarters I thought I could do what I've always done and get through it. Big mistake, as I blew an almost locked up A in Economics by blowing off the final. I went from an A all the way down to a B-. Now I'm at Math 152 and I'm wondering if I can just get a C- in the class. That's right C-. I took my third midterm today and again got rocked. In high school by my senior year I never once took a book home. Now I'm in the fight of my life just for a C-. At least once this is done I don't need any more math ever for my business degree so I should be okay. My other classes are decent and if I can shake Math 152, I'll be in decent shape to try and recover. If I could say one thing to myself as a senior in High School, it would be don't think those students who didn't match up to you aren't better off. They have one thing you don't and that's the work ethic to get it done when it really matters. It's a hard lesson I'm learning now. However with my natural ability with the work ethic, I should be able to get back into a dominating position again. I was a big fish in a small pond. Now I'm gonna gun for being a Shark in the Ocean. Wish me luck.

Eric

Welcome to Bender's Blog

2004-11-21T07:19:00.000-05:00

Well I got bored and decided to start a lil journal of my thoughts and feelings. Feel free to share. Well about me. My name is Eric Smith I'm 20 almost 21. I go to Ohio State-Columbus and my major is Finance. You can get me at smith.4417@osu.edu I'm about 5'8 150 lbs. Brown Hair, Brown Eyes. About an 8 in apperance. Where do I start about tonights feelings. Well it's an up and down day. Ohio State dominated Michigan today. Can't be too angry at that. However, it had to watch the game alone. My dorm hall is filled with stuck up people who have never previously attended Ohio State yet think they are king of the college. One thing I cannot stand are people who believe that they are better than you for no apparant reason. I like to view myself as approachable. I'll always say hi and try and be your friend. Granted I'm slightly introverted and more quiet and reserved than your average person, but I'll never turn down an offer to be your friend. Until you get an attitude with me and think you're better. Then I'm not going to waste my time. The only problem with that is when it's you vs. the world then you're one man against the odds. I'm going to move in the next quarter so hopefully I can have another run like the old days. 2002 at Paterson Hall was by far the greatest college experiance ever. Everyone shared my attitude, be approachable, make friendships, and always consider your neighbor as your equal. If only this hall could share this viewpoint. Oh well 2005 is very fast approaching and I'm going to move on and move out. Enough for me though. It's late. I'll get more of my thoughts in later.
Hugs and Heart pounds
Eric

P.S. Bender2004 is my Poker name on Ultimate Bet. I'm a gamer