Man, I’m really having a great time in the WWdN Friday tourneys at PokerStars. The average field is about 120 players, and each week we’ve seen some fantastic play, some lucky play, some donkey play, and even some plays that haven’t come from me. 🙂
The Donegal Invitational this week was the best one, yet, and I’m not just saying that because I finished 14th out of 127 players.
Okay, maybe I am. But the point is, it was a lot of fun, and my friend Alan (aka metsfan, aka penner42) from geekandproud.net beat out the blogfather himself to win the whole damn thing.
One of the best hands for me happened early on, when I got a pair of queens. I was the first player to act on the hand, so I made a raise that would discourage drawing hands, but encourage people with strong over cards (like ace-king, ace-jack, etc) or weaker pairs (like nines or tens) call me. A hand like queens is pretty strong before the flop, but it’s a very vulnerable hand if you’ve got to play it against a bunch of opponents, and it’s pretty much dead to aces or kings (duh).
A player who was in middle position called, and the button (the player who is the nominal dealer, and who can act last on every hand after the flop) also called. The flop was queen-something-ten. BINGO! This is a BEAUTIFUL flop for me, because there were no straights or flushes possible, and I would almost certainly get action from players with ace-queen, ace-ten, or a pair of tens. In fact, I was really hoping for someone to have a pair of tens, because I’d have a better set and almost certainly take all their chips.
I was the first player to act, and with a strong hand like this, I’d normally check. But I made what Dan Harrington calls a continuation bet which says, "Okay, I had a stong hand before the flop, and I still like it." This is a great bluffing tool for times when I raise with a pair of fives, get a caller, and an ace hits the flop. If I make a continuation bet, it’s very likely that a weaker ace (like ace-six, for example) or a pair better than mine (like jacks) will fold to my bet. I knew that I’d have to show this hand, and I wanted to set up for later that my continuation bets were real. Note that it would also be perfectly appropriate to check and raise with this hand, which would also announce to the table that you’re not afraid to check a strong hand, and possibly buy you free cards later on when you need them; it’s sort of up to player’s individual style, and the texture of the other players’ styles to make the best choice.
So I made my continuation bet of about 1/2 the pot. The first caller immediately raised me for half of his stack, and the button folded. I thought for a second about how to get all his chips: would it be best to just call, and put him all-in on the turn, or would it be better to force him to decide to play for all his chips now? Again, with an eye toward my image for later in the tournament, when I may have to put my chips at risk without the best hand, I decided to make him play for all his chips. I pushed all-in and he immediately called with a pair of tens. Ding!
Note that this hand illustrates the element of luck in poker: jsmitty399, who had the tens, was entirely correct to call my raise, and must have felt great when he made his set. If I were him, I would have gone broke on that hand, too, because from his perspective, pocket queens is "monsters under the bed." If he hadn’t made his set, he probably would have gotten away from the hand on my continuation bet. I don’t know what the button had, but my guess is small suited connectors (like 67 or 89) or a suited ace that missed the flop, and I doubt I would have gotten action from that hand either. Also, I could just as easily have had AQ and been way behind. Hell, if I had aces or kings I would have been way behind. So jsmitty399 got very unlucky at the same time I got very lucky. That doesn’t make us very good or very bad poker players . . . it just makes us poker players.
Here’s how I reported the action in my live blog:
I got queens UTG, so I raised it, got calls from LP and the button. The
flop came Q-x-T, I made a continuation bet, and LP raised me for half
his stack. I came back all-in, and he called me with TT. The button
folded, and I busted jsmitty399 with set-over-set. I’ve got 3525 now,
and I’m third in chips!
I applied lessons learned from Harrington on Hold’Em (volumes one and two), Tournament Poker for Advanced Players by Sklansky and Malmuth, and Winning Low Limit Hold’Em by Lee Jones in that hand. If you’re interested in improving your game, I suggest checking them out.
And, as always, I hope to see lots of WWdN:iX readers in future Friday games!
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Great read Wil. 🙂 Thanks for the info too, I will definitely check it out so I can rise above 53 next time. 🙂 Hope to join you again soon. 🙂
jsmitty399 here.
This hand haunted me all night. I have thought back if I would have done something different. My mistake here was playing the cards and not the person. Following your poker play on the site should have told me you wouldn’t put all your chips in without the Q set. Most folks will pull the all-in with AQ which is what my first thought was. It was a well played hand. If you had shot out with a larger bet on the flop or a reraise preflop i would have dropped it. I look forward to getting a shot next week. What’s really funny is i told my friends that this hand would probably end up on the front page.
I couldn’t agree more on the Harrington books. Well written, great examples and solid advice for surviving tournament play.
Thanks for hosting, Wil! It’s always a blast.
Seeya again next week. 🙂
First off, sorry for calling you “Will”. I’m sure you’re pretty tired of that mistake!
Speaking of mistakes…Pocket Queens has been the death of me since I first started playing. I can’t tell you how many hands I’ve lost holding on to that pair.
I’ve often called it, “makign love out of nothing at all”
You know, Air Supply?
Anyway. Keep writing, and I’ll keep readin’!
Regards…
IncognitoJoe
I love that one paragraph of poker-speak equals four paragraphs of normal explanation.
Favorite poker post yet, I guess that’s because I actually understood one for once 🙂 Also good to hear of a hand going Wil’s way.
How is it hard to learn to play pokers ?
Hi, Wil. I just stumbled by your site. I’m glad to see you’re “still here.” I’m also glad we live in an age where I can stumble upon your blog and tell you so. Even more, I’m glad to hear you’re now a writer. It may just be the most fulfilling occupation out there. Nice to “meet” you, sort of. 🙂
This is the first poker entry I’ve read through to the end in a long time. Most of the time I get lost in the language, even though it is really interesting and exciting to read about. Not a very good poker player myself 🙂
I’m having a blast and learning a lot. I finished 35th or so; my best showing yet.
Wil,
I’m not a poker player, but I enjoy reading your boundless enthusiasm for the game. I wish my father was still with us, he’d love your poker blogs and all the online play available. Good luck, my friend.
John
Was nice being seated at your table, Wil, even if I didn’t get a chance to claim the bounty on your head!
FYI, Malmuth wasn’t a co-author on Tournament Poker for Advanced Players. But that’s definitely a very good book. Hell, the chapter on the “Gap Concept” alone makes the book worth buying.
I had a great time, just wish I wouldn’t have tried to muscle people around with the hammer, and get called. Still, I hope to play again, at least in the Thursday night game. I liveblogged it too, at http://www.insignifica.org/poker/archives/2005_11.shtml#003332 . Always a good time!
sounds like a good time…almost sorry i missed it…but my date and i had a great time friday night at the dance!
This has absolutely nithing to do with anything. But that’s the kind of person I am, so I’ll spew it out into the void anyways.
http://www.blogthings.com/famousbloggerquiz/
I took this little quiz. I was bored, and it was there, and I figured, why not? And wouldn’t you know it, I got one of my favorite actors from my childhood.
You. Apparently, yor blog is famous enough to warrant you being a selection on a quiz. Which I found VASTLY entertaining. Probably more than I should.
Anyways, it’s wounderful too see that you have a blog, and that I can poke about in your brain like I always wanted to do as a child. Wonderful 🙂
Gosh, all you cool kids are playing poker. I think I must be the only person left that barely understands how to play. :oP Glad you’re having fun!
The Lee Jones book is in its 3rd edition as of this summer. Does anyone know how much different from the 2nd edition it is?
bassclar, the third edition is massively updated from the second edition, and includes an outstanding chapter on playing in no-limit Sit-n-go’s.
It also includes a foreword from a certain guy who is me.
Hey Wil, thanks for hosting a great game Friday night! Had a great time and it was a real pleasure to get the chance to play both you and Pauly. I’m sure we will meet again at the tables. So bring your Jacks…LOL Sorry couldn’t resist. Thanks again and see ya at the tables!
Wil, I didn’t know where to post this since your other blog’s comments are hosed so I tried to pick an entry that was close to what I had to ask.
I read your blog via RSS feed on Livejournal and also on Greatestjournal.
It’s easier to catch up on your blog via the “friends list” feature on both sites.
Do you find it a violation of your copyright for it to be rebroadcasted in that medium as an RSS feed?
At times it makes it look like a journal – but in the info section it clearly states it’s “syndicated.”
Do you take offense to it?
Why I ask this, this blog and entry was found where the author caused a rukus[sp] on Greatestjournal and Livejournal because there was an RSS feed.
http://www.goldblatt.info/archives/2005/11/i_am_stealing_this_content.htm
Apparently this Olympian takes offense for anyone who creates an RSS feed anywhere without his permssion – the RSS feed code is displayed publically on his page. He also has “Copyright agents” working to find these feeds and create legal issues.
Do you think this is going over the edge?
The sad thing is, this guy/olympian hardly receives comments on his entries.