Poker at the company X-mas party

Our company X-mas party featured a gambling theme - with play money leading to real prizes.

Everyone started out with $200 in play money, and was set loose on the tables.

I eventually ended up bumming a grand total of around $1,200 from generous co-workers or spouses not interested in gambling.

It was a rough poker night - I rarely got good hands. When I got medium hands that hit, I was sometimes surprisingly beaten

All in all, a rough night.

Literally the first hand - blinds are across the table. Dealt K-10 - limped in after person beside me limped in as well. No one raises, and we go to the flop.

10-3-2 - the limper in front of me opens up with a $10 bet (the minimum) and I put him all in with a $130 raise - putting him all in at $150. Figure he's on a draw, win this one now.

He shows A-10 and I'm down to $50 after the first hand.

I eventually double up with A/K - but bust out later with A/? some kicker I can't recall.

My wife reloads me and I come back in.

Get hit a few times - finally make my stand with pocket J's. And I run into the small stack at the table with A's. My big chance to double up = my stack size remaining unchanged.

On the button, with 5/7 hearts - I call a few limpers. Flop comes 2 hearts, 3 hearts, 2 diamonds.

Moderate betting around the table - I call.

Turn is nothing. More moderate betting - I call again.

River is K hearts. Moderate betting to me - I raise it back 50 to the opener, who calls me.

I expect a heart flush. Nope, she was playing K/2 - and crushes me with a full house. So instead of raking a $300 - $400 pot, I'm down to a tiny stack again.

Chugga chugga - $147.04

PokerStars Tournament #37426281, No Limit Hold'em
Buy-In: $1.00/$0.20
45 players
Total Prize Pool: $45.00
Tournament started - 2006/12/05 - 21:53:27 (ET)

Dear XXXXX,

You finished the tournament in 2nd place.
A $10.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.


Congratulations!
Thank you for participating.

Balance $138.24

Think I blew through some money after my cruise in a $20 buy in tourney.

And I've pissed some away trying to qualify for

http://www.pokerstars.com/caribbean-adventure/

But, when I want to win, I can still win:

PokerStars Tournament #36239970, No Limit Hold'em
Buy-In: $1.00/$0.20
45 players
Total Prize Pool: $45.00
Tournament started - 2006/11/19 - 17:52:06 (ET)

Dear ,

You finished the tournament in 4th place.
A $5.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.


Congratulations!
Thank you for participating.

Shipboard poker - aka How to play with bad players

Just had a vacation - and on the cruise ship there was one night of no limit hold 'em poker tournaments.

$60 buy in - 1500 in chips - single table 4:00 pm tourney.

This tourney had 7 players in it, I think - top 3 positions pay out. I played very conservatively.

But the blinds started high (25/50) and were raised quickly - every 15 minutes (50/100 - 100/200)

So, yes, my conservative play meant that I wasn't out of the running, but I had a smaller chipstack (1050) when I decided to make a stand.

The player on my left was a weak, very, very aggressive player, who got lucky several times.

I limped into the pot with the blinds at 50/100 - and J/10 unsuited - he raised me 100, and the table folded around to me. Knowing his weakness and the weak raise, I tried to knock him out by going all in (850 raise) over him.

He called and showed 5/6 suited.

Flop comes 5/?/? and I said oh fuck - but the ?/? turned out to be 7/J

So, not so bad. Nothing hit on the turn. But the river was another 5. And that was $60 down the drain.

We restarted at 5 pm, every one of us worried about the 6 pm seating for dinner. Formal night - no big deal, right? Righht. 9 folks sat on this game, making the payouts $210/$150/$90

This time around I actually got some cards. Won a hand with A/K - Won a hand with pocket K's, even with an A on the flop. Rolled over top of a limper (small blind) with garbage from the big blind.

I was still seated next to the weaker player, but this time around I took some significant money from him - possibly with that A/K holding up vs. his 7/8 suited or Q/3 or whatever he was playing.

Significant hand in that one was from the button or near it. One of the decent players across the way went all in with a smaller stack. I had pocket 9's, and was the big stack at the table.

I went all in - the weak player on my left went all in as well, and the blinds folded.

He showed crap, the stronger player showed A/? - but the 9's held up and I was now the monster stack, with only 3 folks left at the table.

I stayed out of the action a bit, and the other two players duked it out, until one of them outdrew the other on an all in.

With our stacks almost equal (pretty sure I had the edge) and it now 6pm - we chopped the pot at $180 each.

Moral of the story. I'm still happy to play with weaker players, but I just need time to take their money.

If they get lucky, they get lucky - even the best hand vs. the worst hand still loses about 1/6 times.

So, as long as I continue to make the right play, I'm happy

Edit - I meant to post a link to this, as well - classic example of the type of player I'm happy to sit with -

FLYNT: "The biggest advantage that I have to my play is… you can teach anyone the basic strategy of poker. Where I take the advantage is… money. It don't hurt me if I lose, I can afford to lose, it's not going to change my lifestyle in the least. So, you get some of those guys — even though they may be well known poker players who are very good — that are still coming into the game with a short bankroll. It's tough to play your best game when you're short on money. "

http://www.pokerpages.com/articles/interviews/interviews-flynt.htm

Oh yeah, forgot one hand

This was a 'small' hand that kept me from dropping down too low.

I was sitting with AK - flop comes 2/3/5 - I stay with the guy two positions to my right - and we pump the pot up a little bit.

A on the turn and I checked it to him - he checked as well. Ah well.

River comes 4 - with a straight on the board, he strongly moves all in.

I thought about it for a minute - figured there was no way he played that hand with a 6

And we split the pot - He had a different low pair - 8's or 7's

-W

Vegas Again

I went to Vegas on business again this year.

I didn't have much time to sit, and so I decided not to waste time travelling to another casino for a tourney. Or waste time hanging around waiting for a tourney.

So, this trip marked my first ever cash game.

I watched a little bit Thursday night (Friday morning really) and the game was $1/$2 no limit. With $60 minimum buy in and $300 max buy in.

That gives folks at least some chance to stay competitive.

I went back Friday night, planning to sit, with about a $100 to $120 budget.

But, the game Friday was $2/$5 - $100/$500 . . . so, a little bit out of my budget.

I dithered about a little bit and a guy snaked in front of me in line.

I finally decided to sit with $200 - which was well past my budget.

I was easily the shortest new stack on the table - almost everyone else sat down with $500 - only one other person sat down with less than that ($300). Added to my low stack were the many folks who were sitting with $500 plus - both stacks on my immediate right were big stacks - $800 and about $1500, respectively.

Given the large stacks, and the fact that I wanted to play for a while with my 'entertainment budget' - I was pretty conservative.

I started out with a pretty long massive stretch of crappy cards - I got 2/6 diamonds 3 hands in a row, for example. I saw a J/7/5 flop with A/7 - and mucked it to one of the big stacks going all in.

I think I took down one little pot, but I mostly mucked or checked.

I finally got A/Q unsuited - bet $20 - and the short stack, two positions behind me - with $40 went all in over me. Which I called. He showed A's, which held up.

So, at that stage, I'm sitting with a bit over $140.

I got A/K - raised it up to $20 - and only one guy stayed with me - across the table with about $600.

Flop comes Q/9/5 and I checked to him - he bet $20 and I raised him all in. He got pissed, threw his 8's on the table and I raked the pot.

I was pleased to note that, about this time, the guy who snaked in front of me got busted out. He was much more loose than I was, splashing around in a ton more pots than I did.

The other big hand that I won - started with A/2 diamonds - I called a $15 bet - and flop came 2/7/J - I was first to act and went all in to rake the pot before anyone else had a chance to hit.

I tipped the dealer $2 - kept a $1 chip as a souvenir - and ended up with about $175 at the end of the night.

All things considered, not bad. I'd have been happier with a larger bankroll, or more time to earn one.

Told ya I feel good . . . Balance $165.64

So, I finished 3rd in a 180 man $4 tourney to get some big money back.

But, that was just slow solid play. Here's how I lost out of the money in the tourney before.

Had AA's - flop comes K-x-x

I'm slow playing them - I make the minimum bet - and my opponent bets the K hard.

I come back all in over the top. And he calls and shows K-Q.

Turn is nothing but a Q hits on the river and I'm out.

Balance - $87.96 - but that's good!

Seriously,

I've been losing so much. I switched to $1.20 tournaments when I hit $100 balance, so I've lost something like 30 tournaments.

But, in this one, I've turned it around. I feel good.

-W


PokerStars Tournament #19028622, No Limit Hold'em
Buy-In: $1.00/$0.20
45 players
Total Prize Pool: $45.00
Tournament started - 2006/02/01 - 19:56:29 (ET)

Dear XXXXXX,

You finished the tournament in 1st place.
A $14.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.


Congratulations!
Thank you for participating.