Back on the treadmill

Two months have passed since Vegas - what have I been up to pokerwise?

Well, firstly, out in Vegas I came 11th in the Crypto second chance freeroll, winning $2,000. This annoyed me as I was 2nd in chips with 12 left when I got knocked out by Bengt Sonnert, one of the sponsored pros. It's folded to him in the SB and he raises. I have A7 and re-raise, which he responds to with an all-in.

Now, unless he has AA I have three outs and am 30% to win the hand (and, obviously, 70% to lose and get knocked out). With the stack sizes as they were, I was just about getting the odds to call, but it's my tournament life on the line. Should I call or fold?

I opted to call, mainly because of the win/loss of the outcomes. Lose and I get $2,000. Win and I go to the final table with a third of the chips in play, having knocked out the most dangerous player and have a great chance of winning $50,000. Of course the 70% won out and I was gone.

However, I was annoyed to subsequently discover that Bengt, as one of the sponsored pros, wasn't supposed to win, and was told this when it got heads-up. Thus he played very passively and deliberately dribbled away chips to a guy who was a spectacularly easy player to read (even I picked him and I'm rubbish at spotting tells) who was someone that lucked out on me earlier by rivering me when I caught him stealing. Grrr - it's not as if I couldn't have done with $50,000.

Anyway, since Vegas there has been very little poker because of a) going on holiday to Ireland and, more importantly, b) moving flat, meaning I spent three weeks without broadband.

My re-emergence into the online poker world has been mixed. It started well with my best ever performance in the Sunday £50,000 on Crypto (16th for £500). No real hands of interest, apart from my timely double-up late on when I did an all-in resteal when someone raised my BB. He had AK. I had J8 and flopped two pair - I got abuse for that :)

Played quite a bit of cash over the weekend and managed to lose a chunk. One player caught me for two buy-ins. The first was when I pushed all-in on the flop with a flush and straight draw when he had top set (OK, fair enough). Then, a couple of hands later I'd raised with 88, he'd called and we saw a flop of 875. I pushed all-in and he called and I was ready to welcome my money back, only for him to reveal 64 for the flopped straight.

My biggest win of the weekend was also the most spectacularly badly played hand of my life. UTG+1 with AA, player before me raises to £7 (this is at a £1/£2 table). Instead of raising I called, because I'd recently not been getting any action on my big hands, and the later players had shown signs of pre-flop aggression. Of course three more called and I saw a five-way flop out of position with AA :)

The flop was a nightmare - 776 with two clubs. Players call raises with all sorts of hands that fit that - sets, flush and straight draws, completely ugly. There's some checks, then a bet, then a call. Then, for some reason which I can't completely fathom, I called the £18 as well. Frustration can be my only defence - I'd worked so hard for AA I was loathe to fold them. There is then a raise to £80, from a player with more than £110 behind. The original bettor and caller folded and it's back to me. The probability I am ahead here is almost precisely zero. So, obviously, I go all-in and he calls with his full house and pocket sixes. Turn blank, river Ace. Ship me that monkey!! The shame at my win was tempered by the £500 in front of me.

I think I finished down about £250 in all, then went about halfway in the £50K. Nevertheless, it was good to get a good 8 hour session in.

The poker world is going apeshit today over the US Senate's decision to ban Americans from funding their online gaming accounts. Whilst it will be a shame to lose the American fish, it won't affect me as much as other Europeans. As I have a job, I can't stay up all night playing Yanks, so I mostly play against Europeans. Also, if Party and Pokerstars kick out the septics, maybe they'll move their big tournaments to earlier in the day so they don't finish at 6am UK time.