Sunday, February 17, 2008

Where did all the good times go?

Poker has really been a challenge for me lately. I just don't feel like I'm playing very well and I've been wondering if my whole strategy and rhthym aren't just f.u.b.a.r.

I know one thing that pretty much made the weekend suck. I was getting nothing for cards. I hate excuses, but this just struck me as odd. I played 613 hands of tournament poker this weekend. I got AA twice. Each time paid well, but that just seems to me to be out of the norm.

I also only saw KK twice. All the AA and KK hands happened on Friday. I didn't see either hand Saturday or Sunday.

I got 96o, J8o, 43o 4 times this weekend. Sweet! I love these hands. Ok. I really don't.

Now, we here it from the pros and the experts, its not about the cards. I made it deep quite few times this weekend and bubbled. This is a sign to me that maybe I'm not play a good solid strategy. If anyone wants to comment on this, I'd really appreciate it.

We are at the bubble of the $3 KO tournament. I've played about 6 hands this entire tournament. The blinds are getting silly. The two hands prior to this, I had pushed all-in and stole the blinds. I'm the shortest stack in the 10 remaining players.

FullTiltPoker Game #5291924096: $3 + $0.30 KO Sit & Go (40234662), Table 3 - 800/1600 Ante 200 - No Limit Hold'em - 13:06:12 ET - 2008/02/17
Seat 1: Sullyrules (27,567)
Seat 2: Killer Phlop (12,985)
Seat 3: OhCaptain (BB) (11,110)
Seat 5: Ruffrdraj (13,065)
Seat 6: PimpJoel (27,930)
Sullyrules antes 200
Killer Phlop antes 200
OhCaptain antes 200
Ruffrdraj antes 200
PimpJoel antes 200
Killer Phlop posts the small blind of 800
OhCaptain posts the big blind of 1,600
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to OhCaptain [8h 8d]
Ruffrdraj folds
PimpJoel folds
Sullyrules folds
Killer Phlop has 15 seconds left to act <--I'm not sure what to make of this.
Killer Phlop raises to 5,800 <--Is he stealing or does he have a hand?
OhCaptain raises to 10,910, and is all in <--I decide he's stealing. But I really considered folding here. What would you do? Killer Phlop calls 5,110
OhCaptain shows [8h 8d]
Killer Phlop shows [Kh Kc] <--Of course. This really sucks. I really believed he wouldn't do this with this big a hand. I figured for AK, AQ or KQ.
*** FLOP *** [Ac 4h 9d]
*** TURN *** [Ac 4h 9d] [Th]
*** RIVER *** [Ac 4h 9d Th] [Kd]

No love for me and trips for him by the river. What about this? 88 is a pretty strong hand short handed, isn't it? As you can see from my stack size, my options are pretty limited. I had just survived 3 full orbits with no card higher than a 10. Since this is a KO tournament, the amount of crazy moves seems higher, I figured to wait for better hands, but they just never came. Is it possible to make moves at this stage of a KO?

I seem to have settled into a very tight/agressive playing style, but the agression I use at the end of the tournament just seems to get me into trouble. How do you play this style and then never get AA, KK or another large hand?


In other news, we got a Wii over a year ago. In that time, I've been a good Dad and we've only gotten family (girl) friendly games. We've played the Disney games and gotten plenty of miles out Wii Play and Wii Sports. This weekend, we picked up some "Daddy" games. Guitar Hero III and The Simpsons Game. I gotta feeling, these will be distracting my poker habit and this may not be such a bad thing.

The Simpsons game is a lot like other games except its actually funny. Its a series of puzzles and misadventures. I've enjoyed it so far. If you don't like the Simpsons, you may not get some of the jokes.

Guitar Hero III is everything I heard it was. Most of my friends play this one. I had tried it only once and found out I really sucked at it. Now, I have my own copy and a bunch of drunk guys that can play it aren't standing behind making fun of the fact that I have no idea what I'm doin. I think Friday, if the cards suck, the Bourbonators might have a new player at the axe.

Stay tuned!

(Got any Wii tips? Leave me a note!)

5 comments:

PokerFool said...

How is that Disney Princess game? My daughter (Turns 5 in two months) has asked about it when we've been to Best Buy. You think it would be a good game for her?

Riggstad said...

Screw Poker! Guitar Hero Rocks!

i personally do not have the Wii, but a friend does. I played guitar hero once and I was hooked.

Therefore I cannot and will not purchase the game myself because I se nothing good coming of it. It would totaly put a crimp in my production. I can literally see nothing getting done.. EVER

So when I tell the wife that I a dropping the kids off at the firneds house to have a play date, she really knows that I am going ot play guitar hero with pal'o mine :)

OhCaptain said...

PokerFool - Check your inbox. That is amazingly a game we've never gotten for the girls to try.

riggstad - I beginning to wonder about that very problem myself. Last night was my first crack at it. It was difficult to stop playing. I would seriously consider getting a Wii. They are great for the whole family. I have 2 girls ages 4 and 8. We play many games as a family, Mom included.

Hmm...play dates with GH3 for the Dads. I gotta try that! PokerFool & Bodie25...whatch think?

KajaPoker said...

I just posted about the same stuff. Card death sucks.

I was thinking about your 88 hand. 88 is right in the middle of the pocket pairs. 6 higher, 6 lower. If he bets that big, he seems pot committed. It's either a race or your way behind. I know it sucks after seeing no cards, but sometimes a fold is right. Especially on the bubble.

J.T. said...

There seems to be across the board. I ad AA 7 times Friday, Saturday and Sunday and get felted 5 times. I lost to 88 KK JJ and 84 (it was suited). This has got to change sometime right?