Yeah, for the last couple of weeks or so, I've been meaning to dash off one of those typical bad beat posts. You know, the kind that come after 2-3 weeks and all sessions of nothing but losing to river 2- and 3-outers, every KK getting cracked open like pistachios, going out on absolute bubbles on 70-30s, etc.
Because, truth be told, it certainly has been like that lately. In fact, my bankroll's down about half from the start of this year, which is pretty much the height of ubersucktitude, from where I sit.
But then came the last lil' crumbs thrown my way.
Last night, I managed to win a Badugi MTT, of all things. Ya, Badugi. Whouda thunk it. Actually, my heads up opponent and I chopped heads up, because it was getting late for me on a Sunday, and after playing down 300 fricking hands just to get to heads up in a 45 man tourney...jeez. But I was marginally ahead in chips, so got the credit for the win and the TLB points, yay me.
Of course, it was a $2.20 buyin with a small field, so ship the whole twenty-five bucks.
This was at the same time as I made the final table in Stars' nightly $330 triple shootout. (Of course, 88 < 33 AIPF, thanks to the flopped trey, but this is not going to be a bad beat post, after all.)
On the one hand, yeah, my bankroll is still down 50% from January. On the other hand, I've actually made three final tables in my last three tournaments, so at least it kinda sorta feels okay at the moment. Of course, it's never in the tourneys that actually pay decent money, but sometimes, you have to dine on the crumbs you find on the ground, ya know?
Good luck on the felt, ya'll.
Showing posts with label Badugi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Badugi. Show all posts
Monday, June 14, 2010
Friday, May 15, 2009
Bless Me Donkeys, For I Have Sinned
It has been over 500 hours since my last poker-related post.
I've actually been playing a bit more poker lately, but between being really really busy at work, and not having any real poker accomplishments to speak of, ye olde blog's been lagging behind.
I did manage to chop 1st place in a PL Badugi tournament. Ummm, yeah. At $2.20 a buy-in, the 1st place chop was worth about $35, but still, I'm finding PL Badugi to be fun. I've played that event twice since, and aggro'd my way out.
In the past, I've been a pretty tight but standard player, and I must say I've been working really hard at opening up my game. Widening my range in late position, three-betting more often, all that jazz. So far, it hasn't altered my results, and to a small extent I suspect it has made me more trappable. But not really, because I'm not finding myself in situations where I'm three-betting light and then folding to a 4-bet shove, or anything like that. But it has made my game more swongy.
I did catch one break last night when I cracked AA with TT with my very own one outer. I'd made a standard raise from EP, and cutoff (or button, I forget) with a good stack 3-bet. I was relatively short and shoved, duh. Someone else folded case T so I was terribly lucky.
Of course, I was equally unlucky on my Bodog nemesis site when I shoved 4-bet KK into AA, and the K on the flop didn't help one bit, given the A that showed in the door. Even when I bubbled the final table of a Bodog $30+3 $3k the other week, that beat was pretty bad...fortunately, the Bodogbeast at least let me recover my buy-in.
For the most part, I'm still only playing poker online on Thursday nights, so the bloggerments just don't fit my schedule these days. I'm not sweating it, but much as I've never managed to play an FTOPS event, I tend to miss all the good stuff, so my poker horizons could use some broadening. I find myself playing the same events every time I sit down to play, and none of them are really intriguing to me at the moment. I'm not rolled to play stuff like the 50/50, and the $10+1 on Bodog and the $11+1 on Stars...well, I'm just not feelin' it. But given the time I get home, they're the best events available to me.
The other aspects of my life are much more.......more. But a subject for another post, I suppose.
To cleanse your sins, you are to recite four Hail Mary Bad Beats and suffer three one-outers.
I've actually been playing a bit more poker lately, but between being really really busy at work, and not having any real poker accomplishments to speak of, ye olde blog's been lagging behind.
I did manage to chop 1st place in a PL Badugi tournament. Ummm, yeah. At $2.20 a buy-in, the 1st place chop was worth about $35, but still, I'm finding PL Badugi to be fun. I've played that event twice since, and aggro'd my way out.
In the past, I've been a pretty tight but standard player, and I must say I've been working really hard at opening up my game. Widening my range in late position, three-betting more often, all that jazz. So far, it hasn't altered my results, and to a small extent I suspect it has made me more trappable. But not really, because I'm not finding myself in situations where I'm three-betting light and then folding to a 4-bet shove, or anything like that. But it has made my game more swongy.
I did catch one break last night when I cracked AA with TT with my very own one outer. I'd made a standard raise from EP, and cutoff (or button, I forget) with a good stack 3-bet. I was relatively short and shoved, duh. Someone else folded case T so I was terribly lucky.
Of course, I was equally unlucky on my Bodog nemesis site when I shoved 4-bet KK into AA, and the K on the flop didn't help one bit, given the A that showed in the door. Even when I bubbled the final table of a Bodog $30+3 $3k the other week, that beat was pretty bad...fortunately, the Bodogbeast at least let me recover my buy-in.
For the most part, I'm still only playing poker online on Thursday nights, so the bloggerments just don't fit my schedule these days. I'm not sweating it, but much as I've never managed to play an FTOPS event, I tend to miss all the good stuff, so my poker horizons could use some broadening. I find myself playing the same events every time I sit down to play, and none of them are really intriguing to me at the moment. I'm not rolled to play stuff like the 50/50, and the $10+1 on Bodog and the $11+1 on Stars...well, I'm just not feelin' it. But given the time I get home, they're the best events available to me.
The other aspects of my life are much more.......more. But a subject for another post, I suppose.
To cleanse your sins, you are to recite four Hail Mary Bad Beats and suffer three one-outers.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Back to the Felt, Back to the Grind
Okay, so I'm back. Back to my old beats, back to my old "almosts"...just...back.
After starting my Tuesday night getting horribly taken out of two tourneys on the very first hand (and yes, I recognize I could have gotten away from both hands with about 30% of my stack left...), I was prepared for a horrible night.
Well, it wasn't horrible. But it wasn't great. At least one minor bit of coolness took place (tempered by...yes...more beats).
As it turned out, I got home and booted up just too late for the Bodonkey, missing entry by about three minutes. (Note to Bodog, allowing late registration a la JokerStars and FTP would be a good idea.)
I played my first ever Badugi tournament, on JokerStars. It wasn't a big deal, only $2.20, to donk it up with 96 others in a pot limit Badugi event. Yet with 20 players left (16 paid), there I sat as chipleader. I wasn't thinking money, because even first place only paid soemthing like $48, but at this point, I really wanted to take this thing down. Alas, I wouldn't even see the final table. Yup, bubbled the final table. Just like everything else. This time, in the span of one orbit, three times I had made 4 card badugis of varying worth (8-high or 9-high) go down to the very same player who each time drew out on the thired draw and caught a 4 card badugi one card (or two) lower than mine. Three third draw suckouts in one orbit by the same guy. So I took my $4.96 and said "fuck it".
Oh yeah, I also went out of a tourney rather late (but not bubble late) when I flopped a set of Kings on a KT9 board, where some asshat calls off all his chips with AJ who hits the miracle 7 turn and 8 river to send me out. I should be steaming by now, but I'm not.
Finally, I stagger my way into the money in a Bodog $10+1 turbo MTT, mostly by thieving enough, and open shoving any late position ace in a 6-handed spot, to make the average cat burglar jealous. Still, one the actual bubble, I made a marginal fold that probably cost me tons -- let me know what you think.
Six handed, and I've got AQ soooted in the big blind. I'm around 18k in chips (below average, but probably around 12th-13th of remaining players), and blinds are 1500/3000, so I'm already in for 18% of my chips. UTG shoves. He's been capable of shoving a fairly wide range over the last few orbits, and I think I'm at worst in a race. But the button calls (both have me covered, though not by much). On the very bubble, on a night when I've been used and abused by the RNG once again, do I really want to call off all my chips with AQs? If I survive, I'm top two or three in chips, and primed for a deep run at the near $600 first prize. But if I lose, I get squat. I make the crying fold, thinking that I need some kind of cash just to boost my confidence.
As I suspected, the UTG player didn't really have much at all ATo, and I had him dominated. But I was entirely bummed to see the caller call with QTs. Wow, what a terrible call in that spot. But even worse, I had both players truely dominated, with only two tens left in the deck. I was ready to call the UTG player, but really expected the button to have more of a hand, at least AKo if not a decent pair. The eventual ace on the board sealed it. So I blew a chance to have a strong stack late. Still, I'm not entirely sure my fold was the wrong play -- I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Anyway, I made the cash, and even managed to limp into the final table, again mostly through stealing, as I was really card dead the rest of the way. Of course, as is typical for me, I went out 9th, when I had less than one BB in the BB with QT. I just couldn't call off my chips the last three hands with no card higher than a 9. Maybe I should have played my 74 soooted, but I had zero fold equity the entire short time at the final table.
But here's the best illustration of my luck. Two hands before my departure, two other short stacks (bigger than mine) are both all in, with a big stack caller. I don't recall the exact cards, but as of the turn, the big stack was well in the lead. If he survives, I move up two spots and more than double my payout, just by not being foolish. Of course, a two outer K comes on the river (both shorties had a K) and gave the two short stacks a chop of the pot. Instead of two players going out, they both survive, and I'm out two hands later.
Still, the most important part is I was in a good mood with the Good Doctor Mondo came home, and despite another good old fashioned deep dickin' by the RNGs without benefit of a reacharound, my emotional state was pretty much unfazed.
So I guess I'm back to online poker. That is, at least until my bankroll eventually dies out from all the beatings...at this point, I'm pretty certain I won't ever reload of my own volition. Not with real poker coming to Blackhawk/Central City over the next few months, where I don't have to fuck around with the dodgy not-so-RNGs that seem to take pleasure in seeking me out for excess punishment. I've got a wee bit of roll left, though...
After starting my Tuesday night getting horribly taken out of two tourneys on the very first hand (and yes, I recognize I could have gotten away from both hands with about 30% of my stack left...), I was prepared for a horrible night.
Well, it wasn't horrible. But it wasn't great. At least one minor bit of coolness took place (tempered by...yes...more beats).
As it turned out, I got home and booted up just too late for the Bodonkey, missing entry by about three minutes. (Note to Bodog, allowing late registration a la JokerStars and FTP would be a good idea.)
I played my first ever Badugi tournament, on JokerStars. It wasn't a big deal, only $2.20, to donk it up with 96 others in a pot limit Badugi event. Yet with 20 players left (16 paid), there I sat as chipleader. I wasn't thinking money, because even first place only paid soemthing like $48, but at this point, I really wanted to take this thing down. Alas, I wouldn't even see the final table. Yup, bubbled the final table. Just like everything else. This time, in the span of one orbit, three times I had made 4 card badugis of varying worth (8-high or 9-high) go down to the very same player who each time drew out on the thired draw and caught a 4 card badugi one card (or two) lower than mine. Three third draw suckouts in one orbit by the same guy. So I took my $4.96 and said "fuck it".
Oh yeah, I also went out of a tourney rather late (but not bubble late) when I flopped a set of Kings on a KT9 board, where some asshat calls off all his chips with AJ who hits the miracle 7 turn and 8 river to send me out. I should be steaming by now, but I'm not.
Finally, I stagger my way into the money in a Bodog $10+1 turbo MTT, mostly by thieving enough, and open shoving any late position ace in a 6-handed spot, to make the average cat burglar jealous. Still, one the actual bubble, I made a marginal fold that probably cost me tons -- let me know what you think.
Six handed, and I've got AQ soooted in the big blind. I'm around 18k in chips (below average, but probably around 12th-13th of remaining players), and blinds are 1500/3000, so I'm already in for 18% of my chips. UTG shoves. He's been capable of shoving a fairly wide range over the last few orbits, and I think I'm at worst in a race. But the button calls (both have me covered, though not by much). On the very bubble, on a night when I've been used and abused by the RNG once again, do I really want to call off all my chips with AQs? If I survive, I'm top two or three in chips, and primed for a deep run at the near $600 first prize. But if I lose, I get squat. I make the crying fold, thinking that I need some kind of cash just to boost my confidence.
As I suspected, the UTG player didn't really have much at all ATo, and I had him dominated. But I was entirely bummed to see the caller call with QTs. Wow, what a terrible call in that spot. But even worse, I had both players truely dominated, with only two tens left in the deck. I was ready to call the UTG player, but really expected the button to have more of a hand, at least AKo if not a decent pair. The eventual ace on the board sealed it. So I blew a chance to have a strong stack late. Still, I'm not entirely sure my fold was the wrong play -- I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Anyway, I made the cash, and even managed to limp into the final table, again mostly through stealing, as I was really card dead the rest of the way. Of course, as is typical for me, I went out 9th, when I had less than one BB in the BB with QT. I just couldn't call off my chips the last three hands with no card higher than a 9. Maybe I should have played my 74 soooted, but I had zero fold equity the entire short time at the final table.
But here's the best illustration of my luck. Two hands before my departure, two other short stacks (bigger than mine) are both all in, with a big stack caller. I don't recall the exact cards, but as of the turn, the big stack was well in the lead. If he survives, I move up two spots and more than double my payout, just by not being foolish. Of course, a two outer K comes on the river (both shorties had a K) and gave the two short stacks a chop of the pot. Instead of two players going out, they both survive, and I'm out two hands later.
Still, the most important part is I was in a good mood with the Good Doctor Mondo came home, and despite another good old fashioned deep dickin' by the RNGs without benefit of a reacharound, my emotional state was pretty much unfazed.
So I guess I'm back to online poker. That is, at least until my bankroll eventually dies out from all the beatings...at this point, I'm pretty certain I won't ever reload of my own volition. Not with real poker coming to Blackhawk/Central City over the next few months, where I don't have to fuck around with the dodgy not-so-RNGs that seem to take pleasure in seeking me out for excess punishment. I've got a wee bit of roll left, though...
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