The Latest Donkley Report
The Harrahs weekly or the Donkley as I'm dubbing it went pretty well despite being card dead. Finished 6th and in the money. My friend Alex T, finished 5th. He was the only guy refusing the chop. Cost me some money. Next time he better win the thing (or go out before me and definitely not one after me). They chopped as soon as he was eliminated.
Funny a set of 9s was crucial for GulfCoastPoker.NET Bloggers: Gene, SPR, and me. Alex T, hit one against Gene's TPTK, SPR got all his chips into the middle with Aces, against flopped top set of 9s, and my big early pot to get me deep in the tournament was a set of 9s vs. Q9 (two pair) in a battle of the blinds. I've seen SPR just get battered with cooler situations and his premium pocket pairs in the Donkley. He lost the absolute minimum with Kings when an Ace hit the board, then got sent home when 9s caught on him and his aces. In weeks past, I've seen him get a ton of big hands and have to ditch them--correctly.
In a weird set of circumstances, my timing was just lucky as hell. I might have been card dead but I was still running good. Nobody had anything when I c-bet or stole. I got no cards all day and fired out with hands like 10-2, and other crap hands I'd pick out every orbit or two. Usually, would get a caller or two preflop, it'd go check, check, I'd lead and fold, fold. Sometimes it's better not to have big hands. Can't say I wasn't lucky or bitch about being card dead, it's incredibly lucky to not run into hands in so many situations.
I was cruising just robbing people, on one dealer down, I won with 4-2 four straight times. I dragged a pot with it betting with air on the river because all draws missed and the guy looked like he was chasing. That dealer takes the mucked cards and shows himself as he adds them to the pile (I was in the 10 and got some free informtaion with his collection technique). So, I know I got an audience. I got 4-2 two hands later and won again. The dealer paused when he saw my hand raking up the cards, so I decided I'd play 4-2 like AK every time I got it until I lost with it. He dealt it to me twice more. Funny thing is, i thought I hit with it and blindside my opponents but I missed every time and fired like I hit and scoop all the pots.
See, how can I not call that running good?
Course, with three tables left Alex and I talked on break and he told me in advance he wasn't going to be open to a chop. Changed my strategy a bit. I took a chance to get some chips that I didn't need to. It was a bad play that had BB mocking it at the other end of the table, saying "Yeah, he's a "pro"." I had A rag in the Big Blind, action folded to SB. He puts in a weird bet (by the way I'm going to do a separate post on his holding soon, so I may somewhat repeat this story). It screamed he didn't want a call. Normally, that bet screams out exactly what the player has, and I saw people make that terrible bet and then show their hole cards all day like they did something right and not wrong, but in the blinds I didn't feel it--I got the timidity right but not the strength of the hand.
Anyway, I ask him what he's got left, I know he's capable of laying down a hand. He shows me the other half of his stack, the first half is in the pot. I think about it for a while. Why so much? He doesn't want a call. For some reason, the obvious didn't hit me in that situation, I thought more ante/blind steal with at best say KJ. I got to get chips, I got him covered, and I can handle it if I lose the pot. With that stupid range, I like the play.
Thought about doing a stop and go, but realize he's in the SB and that would require him to check, he's probably shipping it on the flop before I get the chance to. Is there any fold equity. On some of his steals, maybe yes (for him), though he should call regardless.
I say F it and shove. He insta calls with... you guessed it Jacks... two red ones.
He flops a set. For some reason I think I'm four to a flush on the turn and hit my suckout on the river. I apologize to the guy. He thinks the same too. I'm waiting for the dealer to ship me the pot and I see the guy squinting and doing a double take. She tells me what I owe.
I look at the board and that black jack is a spade and not a club. Embarrassing. Weird my opponent misread it the same way I did. Somebody says "Nice try!"
Despite taking a little bigger risk than normal, it's a bad play. Given the history of my opponent, JJ made a ton of sense. Just didn't see it in the moment. He didn't want a call, as he confessed, so my read was right, but he didn't want a call because like everybody he hates jacks, not sure I agree with that poker strategy.
Later I get whittled down and on the bubble Darrell delivers a huge 9 when my A9 is all in vs. A10 on the river. He also gives me a big pot with another suck out. I shouldn't doubt the man. He used to deal me coolers in the Donkly but not recently... he is my favorite dealer. Final table was nondescript. I couldn't get anything going and the blinds jumped big and caught up to everybody. Don't remember the knock out hand.
The Jacks post is coming soon.
www.gulfcoastpoker.net
Funny a set of 9s was crucial for GulfCoastPoker.NET Bloggers: Gene, SPR, and me. Alex T, hit one against Gene's TPTK, SPR got all his chips into the middle with Aces, against flopped top set of 9s, and my big early pot to get me deep in the tournament was a set of 9s vs. Q9 (two pair) in a battle of the blinds. I've seen SPR just get battered with cooler situations and his premium pocket pairs in the Donkley. He lost the absolute minimum with Kings when an Ace hit the board, then got sent home when 9s caught on him and his aces. In weeks past, I've seen him get a ton of big hands and have to ditch them--correctly.
In a weird set of circumstances, my timing was just lucky as hell. I might have been card dead but I was still running good. Nobody had anything when I c-bet or stole. I got no cards all day and fired out with hands like 10-2, and other crap hands I'd pick out every orbit or two. Usually, would get a caller or two preflop, it'd go check, check, I'd lead and fold, fold. Sometimes it's better not to have big hands. Can't say I wasn't lucky or bitch about being card dead, it's incredibly lucky to not run into hands in so many situations.
I was cruising just robbing people, on one dealer down, I won with 4-2 four straight times. I dragged a pot with it betting with air on the river because all draws missed and the guy looked like he was chasing. That dealer takes the mucked cards and shows himself as he adds them to the pile (I was in the 10 and got some free informtaion with his collection technique). So, I know I got an audience. I got 4-2 two hands later and won again. The dealer paused when he saw my hand raking up the cards, so I decided I'd play 4-2 like AK every time I got it until I lost with it. He dealt it to me twice more. Funny thing is, i thought I hit with it and blindside my opponents but I missed every time and fired like I hit and scoop all the pots.
See, how can I not call that running good?
Course, with three tables left Alex and I talked on break and he told me in advance he wasn't going to be open to a chop. Changed my strategy a bit. I took a chance to get some chips that I didn't need to. It was a bad play that had BB mocking it at the other end of the table, saying "Yeah, he's a "pro"." I had A rag in the Big Blind, action folded to SB. He puts in a weird bet (by the way I'm going to do a separate post on his holding soon, so I may somewhat repeat this story). It screamed he didn't want a call. Normally, that bet screams out exactly what the player has, and I saw people make that terrible bet and then show their hole cards all day like they did something right and not wrong, but in the blinds I didn't feel it--I got the timidity right but not the strength of the hand.
Anyway, I ask him what he's got left, I know he's capable of laying down a hand. He shows me the other half of his stack, the first half is in the pot. I think about it for a while. Why so much? He doesn't want a call. For some reason, the obvious didn't hit me in that situation, I thought more ante/blind steal with at best say KJ. I got to get chips, I got him covered, and I can handle it if I lose the pot. With that stupid range, I like the play.
Thought about doing a stop and go, but realize he's in the SB and that would require him to check, he's probably shipping it on the flop before I get the chance to. Is there any fold equity. On some of his steals, maybe yes (for him), though he should call regardless.
I say F it and shove. He insta calls with... you guessed it Jacks... two red ones.
He flops a set. For some reason I think I'm four to a flush on the turn and hit my suckout on the river. I apologize to the guy. He thinks the same too. I'm waiting for the dealer to ship me the pot and I see the guy squinting and doing a double take. She tells me what I owe.
I look at the board and that black jack is a spade and not a club. Embarrassing. Weird my opponent misread it the same way I did. Somebody says "Nice try!"
Despite taking a little bigger risk than normal, it's a bad play. Given the history of my opponent, JJ made a ton of sense. Just didn't see it in the moment. He didn't want a call, as he confessed, so my read was right, but he didn't want a call because like everybody he hates jacks, not sure I agree with that poker strategy.
Later I get whittled down and on the bubble Darrell delivers a huge 9 when my A9 is all in vs. A10 on the river. He also gives me a big pot with another suck out. I shouldn't doubt the man. He used to deal me coolers in the Donkly but not recently... he is my favorite dealer. Final table was nondescript. I couldn't get anything going and the blinds jumped big and caught up to everybody. Don't remember the knock out hand.
The Jacks post is coming soon.
www.gulfcoastpoker.net
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