Update on 2007

Once again, a long time has passed since my last post. I figured today would be as good a day as any to update everyone on what's happening. Plus, with Kurt's KNK League game being last night and still fresh in my mind, I'll post a few interesting and at sometimes baffling hands as well.

First off, luckily for me 2007 has been a vast improvement on last year's disappointing season. While I did right the ship so to speak late last year, the fruits of my labor weren't as evident as I would've liked. Now this year is a very different story.

Currently, before entering last nights tournaments, I was in 11th place overall, 1 out of the top 10 and within striking distance of the top 5. Still I am a little disheartened that am I still searching for my first win at KNK since 2005. I really thought I would have won at least one game before now, but even though I've had my chances, it still hasn't come to pass. That win is, in my opinion, the last hurdle I need to climb before moving on to bigger and better things in poker. Just one win will verify for me that all my hard work at improving my game and becoming a student of the game has paid off. I can see how far I've come from being the wreckless, ultra-aggressive, at some times stupid player to where I am now. I am still aggressive, I'm not going to lie, but my play has tightened up considerably. I am now a player to be respected at KNK, not laughed at or made fun of. All that being said, I just want one damn win. If nothing but for my own personal gratification. I've won at Jim's and other places, but it seems that the KNK games are a 500 Lb. gorilla on my back.

Anyways, on to last night. I was out in the middle of the pack in the first game. I really didn't get many chances to play, because I was short stacked early and really couldn't recover. The second game I did make it to the points by finishing I think 7th. More points, that's what I need. Greg who is leading this year by a pretty good margin is making points virtually every night, so in order to combat that, I need to be consistent as well. At times, more consistent, which is hard to do because Greg is as I like to call him, a grinder. I give him credit, his style of play suits him very well as I don't think anyone else has his patience. In Greg's case, patience is really a virtue. God knows I don't have the patience for that, or the discipline.

Now it on to my favorite part of my blog, the hand rewinds. First up was a hand very early on in the first game. It involved Elaine, Ilya and Jack. No one exposed their hands so I can't really repaly the hand, but it did feature some weird play. Pre flop there might have been a raise, although I'm not sure, but there was really no betting except on 5th street. When the board showed two pair, Elaine went all in without hesitation. That was about a $2300 or so bet into a maybe $200 pot and that's being generous. Needless to say both Jack and Ilya folded. I made a comment to Elaine about value betting. Now I'm not saying what she did was horrible, because it wasn't as she won the pot. My point is this, when the board two-paired, it was pretty obvious, at least to me, she filled up with a full house, prompting the all in bet. There are two problems with that bet: First, you're telling everyone at the table exactly what you're hand is, leaving no room for doubt which is a powerful tool in poker. Second, the only hand that will even think about calling that huge bet is probably a hand you don't want calling you, (ex. a higher full house or quads). In my opinion, Elaine would've been better suited to put out a decent sized value bet, maybe the size of the pot or a little more. That way maybe someone who has an ace and figures you're bluffing will call and get crushed by your full house when he sees his ace high is no good. If someone raises that bet trying to bluff and buy the pot, then you can come over the top with a big bet or an all in move. Either way, you get paid off and get more money than what was just in the pot. Once you move all in before any action takes place, you have no more options and you pretty much kill your action.

Another hand from the first game featured Bill and Dave. This hand will show how your bets can price someone in to drawing out on you.

The Hands:
Bill: Kc - 10c
Dave: Ah - Jd

I think there might have been a raise by someone other than Dave and Bill, although again I'm not sure. In any case after the flop it was heads up.

The Flop:
Ad - 4c - 9c

Dave led out and bet $80 which was called by Bill.

The Turn:
5s

Dave once again led out and bet $120 which was called by Bill.

The River:
7c

The Board:
Ad - 4c - 9c - 5s - 7c

Dave led out and bet $240. Bill raised to $600. Dave Called and Bill won the pot with a king-high flush.

Poor betting caused Dave to lose the pot. After talking with Bill, he told me that had Dave bet a larger amount on the flop and turn, Bill would have folded, but since Dave was betting 1/4 the size of the pot, it gave Bill virtually 4 to 1, 6 to 1 with implied odds, to draw to the flush.

Now to a hand I was in. This was early in the second game. Bill was under the gun and short stacked. This was also the second or third decent hand I'd seen in about an hour.

The Hands:
Bill: 7s - 7c
X: Ad - Kd
Dave: 8d - 8h

Pre-flop:
Bill moved all in for $330. X raised to $680 total. Dave called $680.

This in my opinion was a mistake on Dave's part, not to pick on him because I like Dave. Being in the position I was in, I raised what I thought to be a sufficient amount to get everybody to fold. If someone raised me, then I knew they had a pocket pair bigger than 9's or two high cards. I should mention Dave was also short on chips having $1200 or a little more. If I was Dave knowing I raised to isolate and being short stacked you really only have two moves in that situation, all in or fold. If you had a decent amount you could call and try to see a flop. The problem with that is now you're giving the people behind you, (the blinds), odds to call to see if they can catch off the flop. Moving all in would've told me I was up against a hand with two high cards or a made hand. Now, if Dave had moved in I would've still called because he didn't have much more money to make me think twice. Truth be told I actually thought he was going to move all in after my raise pre-flop.

The Flop:
10d - 10h - Kc

X moved all in, Dave called which put him all in.

The Turn:
Qc

The River:
Ac

The Board:
1od - 10h - Kc - Qc - Ac

X wins the main pot with two pair, Aces and Kings. X wins the side pot as well.

Again, I wasn't really sure why Dave just flat called the raise pre-flop. If you wanted to see a flop, that flop certainly didn't help you, so why call my all in bet? I was baffled, but I didn't mind as I won the pot.


So that's that for now. I'll try to blog more often. I know I always say that, but I will still try. Until then, see ya' !

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