Ed's agent

Congrats to Big Smooth and now Big Papi. Ray's a daddy. You the man Ray.

Also congrats to Ed, my friend from NYC. He has been on fire. He chopped both final tables yesterday, Harrahs 11 am tournament and Boomtown's 7pm tournament. A daily double I've never done. With the bar tournament from the night before he's three for three on this trip. As we been trading 10% of each other he's been paying for my entry fees. Fortunately after I busted at Harrahs, mid 20s, I won some at the cash tables. So, I've freerolled on his back and been winning some in the cash games. He's a little tired of paying his agent after every win. Course I told him if we had set odds for one of the two of us going three for three I probably would have given him 50 to 1 (at best), and bet on me. He quipped, what would have sucked about that bet is he would have won and still have to give me a 10% cut.

(This paragraph is soccer related feel free to skip) After I was bumped from the Harrahs tourney took a 20 minute break watching some of Liverpool-Chelsea champions league action to let off some steam. Of course as a Liverpool fan, watching the game didn't really get me off tilt. Terrific game and overtime. Unfortunately, like many sporting events felt like the referees decisions had too much of an impact on the outcome. I hate Frank Lampard as a player (central cog of England's International failures in my opinion), but after his mother died this week, when he nailed the penalty in overtime and saluted her in the heavens and kissed a picture of her I was touched, wish it wasn't agains the 'pool though.

The few times I play cash after the Harrahs tournament I've done well so maybe I'll do it more often. Usually, I'm steamed so think it's a bad idea, but as everybody else jumping on the tables are in the same position there is probably some money to win once I get on an even keel. Played a couple of hands miserably and won doing so in the tournament to amass an nice early chip stack. I was laughing to myself at how brutal a game this is. You can do everything wrong and win, and you can do everything right and lose.

At Boomtown, I also booked a winner in limit before the tournament. I bubbled there at the final table when the hand went down the way I visualized it my mind. Before I get to that, I lost half my stack with another poorly played hand at the final table. I was feeling very comfortable as only one other player was agressively attacking the timid bubble play. I felt like I was going to cruise to the final three so I was overplaying some hands because of the fear factor. In the pivotol hand, I had pocket twos on the button vs. two short stacks in the blind, folded to me. They were both tight players. I thought I bet more than either one of their stacks. I was off by 400 with the BB. Mistake number 1. He called (but leaving the remainder of his chips behind) screaming weakness. Before the flop I put the other 400 in (Mistake number 2) out of position. It was brick city. He called (actually bet) the 400.

He had J10 suited. The turn was a terrible card for me. It was a 7h. It gave him a gut shot, a flush draw and his two overs. He hit the gutshot for the W. Let's review my mistakes. Mistake number 1, preflop, I should have said, "All in" so the BB knew he was playing for all his chips or used Martin Tyson's advice and put the BB on the defensive by asking for a chip count before I acted. Probably he calls anyway, but as he left the 400 out, and was Mr. Tight, he might not have. The bubble play had everybody playing over cautious.

Mistake number 2, on one hand I thought by pushing in the dark, out of position I might be able to intimidate the guy off his hand... but I also knew that no flop except hitting a set would be good for my hand, so at the same time I wanted to get all his chips in and make him make the decision (no matter how small) as I had to call regardless. As the flop was brick city for him, it was a bad tactic. He has reason to call, because my action isn't driven by the flop so I might have missed. Granted he also has to call given he was committed to the pot (and probably would have) BUT he was Mr. Tight who inexplicably didn't go all in pre-flop. So as it played out I robbed myself of the 5% chance he folds because he whiffed on the flop, has to check and I push on him like I hit.

Anway, later I'm on the button and tell the dealer to not give me pocket twos again. A guy in early position limps. The hand before he did the same thing and folded to an all-in from a smaller chip stack. He has also been playing super cautious and was a target I was waiting to exploit. Folded to me I look at pocket fours. WTF. Basically the same weak ass hand. Still got a shortstack in the small blind, and because of my doubling him up, the BB he was almost my equal. I waited as they looked at their cards and moved into folding hand positions. I surveyed the early limper.

In my hand, I visualized the hand like this. I push, the blinds fold, and he makes a call he doesn't want to because he just got pushed off a hand limping. He'll make a frustration call. At best I'm in a coin flip, though I'm fairly certain he wasn't sitting on a slighty bigger pocket pair as typically he was raising with them. How marginal was his hand? Probably two faces. I thought I couldn't get him off it. So then we'd be racing for my chips and I'd have only 44s in my hand. My chip stack was big enough to get him off the hand had he not just folded the hand previous.

So what do I do? Well, I can't get eliminated by folding, so I push, fold, fold, and the EP limper starts playing Hamlet, he's in a bind. I genuinely start laughing at his frustration, and he says "Look at you licking your chops." Then he makes the crying call with KoJak. He wins the race and it's saynora baby. Bad play on my part. What I envisioned happened did, and still I push (what? Why play perfect tournament poker and then make two such grievous errors at the final table). Should have waited for a better spot. Deserved to get booted.

Alright, that's it for today good luck folks. More misplayed hands to follow I'm sure.

Comments

GeneD said…
We talked about playing pocket 2's...3's...and 4's late in a tournament....I just don't like it...guy calls with 59o...your still in a coin-flip. Set over Set...your dead

We all live and learn...
My Humble .02 worth

Way to go ED!!!!! Your on fire baby. I hope you hang out for the Circuit event in a couple of weeks.

Peace,
Gene
Goondingy said…
Pocket pair at a final table is better than anything unmatched...as long as you act first, 7-10 times you take it down.

Well you know where you made the mistakes...just don't do it again! :)

Thanks for the shout out! Little Sienna is doing well, eating like crazy...hope to make my return during the circuit event.

That Ed did work huh? We need to talk.

Peace!

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