We managed to get in an SFPT tournament last weekend, which shouldn't be too much of a surprise - the fact that we haven't had one in 18 months is a function of desire and nothing more. In fact, Saturday's get-together came together pretty quickly, leaving only a couple of weeks between my most recent play and this tournament.
We got set up during the day, and after the table top was on, Jules wanted to play some. I played with her, teaching her hand strength, and had to laugh as twice I caught three-outers to "beat" her. She took it well, but I didn't - every bit of luck I used up in that setting was a bit I didn't have for the real game. Or at least, that's what the superstitious part of me believed.
To say my performance in the seven-player tournament wasn't good would be accurate, but also a bit misleading. It is accurate in that I finished last, and results matter, so therefore by definition it was not a good performance. However, it's not like I pissed away my chips on a stupid chase, got bluffed, or got blinded out. Rather I simply got beat, and in a way that was eerily reminiscent of the last time I'd played.
I was sitting in average position when I was dealt A/K clubs, and raised pre-flop. Matt and CJ called, and when the flop gave me kings, I c-bet. Matt folded after a short tank, and CJ called. The turn was an ace to give me two pair with no flush draw on the board. Again I bet, higher this time, and after mulling it over CJ again called. The river didn't improve my hand, but did put a straight possibility on the board. Either he had it or he didn't, and I decided to shove, as any large bet would have left me crippled. My hope was that the shove, and the words "all in", would project confidence to the youngster, and force a fold. It didn't, he showed his rivered straight, and a count proved he had me covered.
What could I have done differently? Bet higher after the turn, and not give him a chance to get that straight. Twice now I have been in that situation, and I have a feeling the lesson is going to stick this time.
That being said, I know it wasn't a HORRIBLE play, and my calmness after seeing CJ's cards proved that point. After a short bathroom break I took over as dealer and kept the tournament moving, which I think helped in getting us complete at a decent hour.
As the tournament progressed, talk inevitability turned to del Lago, and the poker room. Matt was the one who brought it up for the umpteenth time, saying part of him wants to but every time he goes out there, "I'm just not feeling it". I can relate, but I also know I want to dip my toe in that pool at some point.
Tournament time: 1 hour
Total Home Game hours: 160.75
Total hours: 276.5
Monday, October 23, 2017
Saturday, October 7, 2017
Back to the Bar Scene
I never would have predicted my first experience with "bar poker" back in April, but as soon as I knew I was going to Denver in October, I knew another similar foray was on the menu. My co-worker Mike, who guided me around last time, runs a game twice a week at a bar a few miles from the office, and he had mentioned a while back that I'd have to come play next time I was in town.
"Next time" was last week, and as soon as we met up on Tuesday morning, we made plans - Thursday it was. The big surprise? Our boss decided to come along, originally even saying she wanted to play only to change her mind when we arrived. No matter, she still had a good time.
The game got started just after seven. The set up was very similar to Texas - a sign up sheet, and a cash payout to the winner, with late entries on a waiting list to get in as people were knocked out. This was a logistical concession rather than a tournament-setup one; there were only three dealers counting Mike, though there was at least one more table that could have been set up.
That right there was the biggest change from Texas, and a good one - no dealing ourselves, which meant I wouldn't have a chance to screw things up and embarrass myself. I only had to worry about my play and my mouth doing that. Fortunately, neither did, though the former didn't give the latter much of a chance.
I think I ended up seeing about 15 hands in total, making it only through the second blind level (they were pretty slow levels, now that I think about it). Like last time, two hands stick out, with the rest being either pre-flop folds or limps where I caught nothing and folded to subsequent raises.
The first saw me raise pre with A/10 diamonds, get two callers, and the flop come K/8/9 all hearts. I c-betted as a bluff, got a call, and the other guy came way over top. I tanked for a few seconds just for show but it was an easy fold. The other guy called and they ended up in a showdown; both hands had me beat including the nut flush.
The last had saw me raise pre again with Q/J off, get three callers, and catch two pair with a rag in the middle. This time I was second to act after a check, again c-betted, and two callers. The turn was an ace, I raised again, and was re-raised by the third player to act. I put him on a flush draw as there were now two diamonds, and went all-in. The second guy folded but the original raiser called and flipped K/10 for a straight. Damn it. I still had hope if I could spike a Q or J, but it was a 6 and that was it for my night.
Still, not a bad play, and as I explained it to Mike afterward, he agreed. Perhaps if I had bet higher after the flop he would have folded; that's the only way I can think of that I should have played it differently.
Though it was only half an hour, it was still a good experience, and it was good to get my hands on the cards again after such a long absence.
Tournament hours: 0.50 hours
Total Tournament hours: 8
Running Total: 275.5 hours
"Next time" was last week, and as soon as we met up on Tuesday morning, we made plans - Thursday it was. The big surprise? Our boss decided to come along, originally even saying she wanted to play only to change her mind when we arrived. No matter, she still had a good time.
The game got started just after seven. The set up was very similar to Texas - a sign up sheet, and a cash payout to the winner, with late entries on a waiting list to get in as people were knocked out. This was a logistical concession rather than a tournament-setup one; there were only three dealers counting Mike, though there was at least one more table that could have been set up.
That right there was the biggest change from Texas, and a good one - no dealing ourselves, which meant I wouldn't have a chance to screw things up and embarrass myself. I only had to worry about my play and my mouth doing that. Fortunately, neither did, though the former didn't give the latter much of a chance.
I think I ended up seeing about 15 hands in total, making it only through the second blind level (they were pretty slow levels, now that I think about it). Like last time, two hands stick out, with the rest being either pre-flop folds or limps where I caught nothing and folded to subsequent raises.
The first saw me raise pre with A/10 diamonds, get two callers, and the flop come K/8/9 all hearts. I c-betted as a bluff, got a call, and the other guy came way over top. I tanked for a few seconds just for show but it was an easy fold. The other guy called and they ended up in a showdown; both hands had me beat including the nut flush.
The last had saw me raise pre again with Q/J off, get three callers, and catch two pair with a rag in the middle. This time I was second to act after a check, again c-betted, and two callers. The turn was an ace, I raised again, and was re-raised by the third player to act. I put him on a flush draw as there were now two diamonds, and went all-in. The second guy folded but the original raiser called and flipped K/10 for a straight. Damn it. I still had hope if I could spike a Q or J, but it was a 6 and that was it for my night.
Still, not a bad play, and as I explained it to Mike afterward, he agreed. Perhaps if I had bet higher after the flop he would have folded; that's the only way I can think of that I should have played it differently.
Though it was only half an hour, it was still a good experience, and it was good to get my hands on the cards again after such a long absence.
Tournament hours: 0.50 hours
Total Tournament hours: 8
Running Total: 275.5 hours
Monday, May 22, 2017
A New Experience
My first foray into poker in months ended up being a completely new experience. In Dallas for a work trip, I accepted an invitation from a co-worker to head out for drinks and a game. In Texas, freeroll tournaments with cash prizes are legal, thus we ended up at a bar playing in a Hold Em tournament at 9:00 on a Wednesday night.
The structure of the tournament was at the least unannounced and at worst disorganized. I did figure out eventually that late entries were permitted up to the first break; whether rebuys were permitted I'm not sure and couldn't really tell. I should hope not - what else would stop people from shoving on every single hand up until that first break? I had hoped to track the number of entrants to see where I ended up, but between the late entries and action at my table, it proved impossible.
I ended up lasting for about three hours, only about 15 minutes less than my co-worker, which worked out well in terms of getting back to the hotel at a decent hour, and not having to sit around and wait. Overall, I feel I played pretty well. Two hands stand out (not including the deal I screwed up on my first button - way to make a good impression, Mike).
The first saw my hold A/K hearts, raise and get called all the way down, and miss the nut flush on the river (I had the draw after the flop). It took a good chunk of chips, but not too bad. But, it was enough where if I won, I would have been sitting pretty thanks to the total pot.
The other was my last hand. Short stacked and on the button, I got 2/4 spades and of course had to shove. I was called with K/K and J/J, and though a 2 came on the flop, the kings held. How great would that have been, to win with the Cuffe Hand?
However, more than the cards itself, it was the environment and culture I will remember. Needless to say, there was a decent amount of apprehension going in. Pretty much everything I got to experience that night was new, save for the cards themselves. Which, as I mentioned to my co-worker on the way back, is one of the things I love about poker - it can bring people together. Here we were, a white New Yorker and a Mexican Colorado native, playing poker in Texas with a racially and culturally diverse group of Texans and having a hell of a time doing it.
Everyone was welcoming, and not even in the "be nice to them and take their money" kind of way I have seen in cash games. It couldn't be that way - no one's money was up for grabs. We hadn't been at the table ten minutes when people were asking where we were from, how we liked Texas, what else we had planned, making suggestions for things to do, and the like.
After I got knocked out, I walked around a bit. The room with the card tables was in the back of the bar, and to get to the bar itself and the restrooms you had to walk to the front, and opposite side, of the space. The dichotomy between the "poker culture" and "bar culture" is striking. The latter still gives me the willies - slutty girls doing what they do, nasty "bros" and old men trying to be the objects of their "affection", at least for one night. After I used the restroom, I was tempted to play some of the video games to pass time, but no - I had to get back to the relative normalcy of the poker area.
On the ride back to the hotel, I thought about what a good experience it was, and I was happy I got out of my normal comfort zone. I also thought about the reminder I just got, of the good poker can do for people.
Tournament hours: 3
Total tournament hours: 7.5
Overall hours: 275
The structure of the tournament was at the least unannounced and at worst disorganized. I did figure out eventually that late entries were permitted up to the first break; whether rebuys were permitted I'm not sure and couldn't really tell. I should hope not - what else would stop people from shoving on every single hand up until that first break? I had hoped to track the number of entrants to see where I ended up, but between the late entries and action at my table, it proved impossible.
I ended up lasting for about three hours, only about 15 minutes less than my co-worker, which worked out well in terms of getting back to the hotel at a decent hour, and not having to sit around and wait. Overall, I feel I played pretty well. Two hands stand out (not including the deal I screwed up on my first button - way to make a good impression, Mike).
The first saw my hold A/K hearts, raise and get called all the way down, and miss the nut flush on the river (I had the draw after the flop). It took a good chunk of chips, but not too bad. But, it was enough where if I won, I would have been sitting pretty thanks to the total pot.
The other was my last hand. Short stacked and on the button, I got 2/4 spades and of course had to shove. I was called with K/K and J/J, and though a 2 came on the flop, the kings held. How great would that have been, to win with the Cuffe Hand?
However, more than the cards itself, it was the environment and culture I will remember. Needless to say, there was a decent amount of apprehension going in. Pretty much everything I got to experience that night was new, save for the cards themselves. Which, as I mentioned to my co-worker on the way back, is one of the things I love about poker - it can bring people together. Here we were, a white New Yorker and a Mexican Colorado native, playing poker in Texas with a racially and culturally diverse group of Texans and having a hell of a time doing it.
Everyone was welcoming, and not even in the "be nice to them and take their money" kind of way I have seen in cash games. It couldn't be that way - no one's money was up for grabs. We hadn't been at the table ten minutes when people were asking where we were from, how we liked Texas, what else we had planned, making suggestions for things to do, and the like.
After I got knocked out, I walked around a bit. The room with the card tables was in the back of the bar, and to get to the bar itself and the restrooms you had to walk to the front, and opposite side, of the space. The dichotomy between the "poker culture" and "bar culture" is striking. The latter still gives me the willies - slutty girls doing what they do, nasty "bros" and old men trying to be the objects of their "affection", at least for one night. After I used the restroom, I was tempted to play some of the video games to pass time, but no - I had to get back to the relative normalcy of the poker area.
On the ride back to the hotel, I thought about what a good experience it was, and I was happy I got out of my normal comfort zone. I also thought about the reminder I just got, of the good poker can do for people.
Tournament hours: 3
Total tournament hours: 7.5
Overall hours: 275
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