Today I continued to win and was ahead 5-to-2. This is the first match :
PokerStars Game #19629935496: Tournament #102243415, $22+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Match Round I, Level I (10/20) - 2008/08/15 - 04:27:01 (ET)
Table '102243415 1' 2-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: iBeatMyKids (1500 in chips)
Seat 2: babaorumi (1500 in chips)
iBeatMyKids: posts small blind 10
babaorumi: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to babaorumi [Ah As]
iBeatMyKids: raises 40 to 60
babaorumi: raises 120 to 180
iBeatMyKids: calls 120
*** FLOP *** [2c 7s 9c]
babaorumi: bets 180
iBeatMyKids: raises 1140 to 1320 and is all-in
babaorumi: calls 1140 and is all-in
*** TURN *** [2c 7s 9c] [6d]
*** RIVER *** [2c 7s 9c 6d] [Js]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
babaorumi: shows [Ah As] (a pair of Aces)
iBeatMyKids: shows [7h 9s] (two pair, Nines and Sevens)
iBeatMyKids collected 3000 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 3000 | Rake 0
Board [2c 7s 9c 6d Js]
Seat 1: iBeatMyKids (button) (small blind) showed [7h 9s] and won (3000) with two pair, Nines and Sevens
Seat 2: babaorumi (big blind) showed [Ah As] and lost with a pair of Aces
Otherwise I played a mix of break even and losers players. Here is a hand where I was lost :
PokerStars Game #19635560115: Tournament #102293011, $22+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Match Round I, Level II (15/30) - 2008/08/15 - 12:12:14 (ET)
Table '102293011 1' 2-max Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: cristinasexy (1760 in chips)
Seat 2: babaorumi (1240 in chips)
babaorumi: posts small blind 15
cristinasexy: posts big blind 30
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to babaorumi [9h Ac]
babaorumi: raises 60 to 90
cristinasexy: calls 60
*** FLOP *** [Qh 4c 4h]
cristinasexy: bets 120
babaorumi: calls 120
*** TURN *** [Qh 4c 4h] [3h]
cristinasexy: bets 150
babaorumi: raises 150 to 300
cristinasexy: calls 150
*** RIVER *** [Qh 4c 4h 3h] [Th]
cristinasexy: bets 1250 and is all-in
babaorumi: folds
Uncalled bet (1250) returned to cristinasexy
cristinasexy collected 1020 from pot
cristinasexy: doesn't show hand
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1020 | Rake 0
Board [Qh 4c 4h 3h Th]
Seat 1: cristinasexy (big blind) collected (1020)
Seat 2: babaorumi (button) (small blind) folded on the River
Villain is pretty tight preflop, and somewhat passive and predictable. When he donks the flop Q44hh, I saw weakness, because I cbet a lot and therefore I figured he c/r a good hand. Since he was passive, it was unlikely he was semi bluffing. So his range was likely something like a pp, or a Ace high hand trying to block me. So I called. The turn came a heart, and villain bets a small bet. I was still thinking he was weak because of the bet that small, then, I min raise showing strength on the turn and letting me enough chips to bet on the river in order to make him fold. He called. River a Ten of hearts putting four hearts on the board, and he shoved ! It was so unexpected, was in the hell could he have ? Maybe TT which just make a full house. At the moment a flush didn't make sense unless he just make it, and therfore, he had just an Ace of hearts on the flop and on the turn. Maybe, maybe, although this was not the kind of opponents to block bet twice.
Anyway, I should not have played this hand, I should just have folded the flop. The conclusion to this is that against EV<=0 players, just play a standard game and don't think too much.
Later in the match, I notice 2 interesting hands. This is the second one :
PokerStars Game #19635721695: Tournament #102293011, $22+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Match Round I, Level IV (50/100) - 2008/08/15 - 12:20:05 (ET)
Table '102293011 1' 2-max Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: cristinasexy (1590 in chips)
Seat 2: babaorumi (1410 in chips)
babaorumi: posts small blind 50
cristinasexy: posts big blind 100
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to babaorumi [Ks 3h]
babaorumi: raises 100 to 200
cristinasexy: calls 100
*** FLOP *** [5c Qc Kc]
cristinasexy: checks
babaorumi: bets 300
cristinasexy: calls 300
*** TURN *** [5c Qc Kc] [8h]
cristinasexy: checks
babaorumi: bets 910 and is all-in
cristinasexy: calls 910
*** RIVER *** [5c Qc Kc 8h] [6h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
cristinasexy: shows [9s 8c] (a pair of Eights)
babaorumi: shows [Ks 3h] (a pair of Kings)
babaorumi collected 2820 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2820 | Rake 0
Board [5c Qc Kc 8h 6h]
Seat 1: cristinasexy (big blind) showed [9s 8c] and lost with a pair of Eights
Seat 2: babaorumi (button) (small blind) showed [Ks 3h] and won (2820) with a pair of Kings
I already described villain : predictable, somewhat passive, almost like a robot. So why did he call with the third pair and a ridiculous flush draw ?? Let's see back in the match :
PokerStars Game #19635689940: Tournament #102293011, $22+$1 Hold'em No Limit - Match Round I, Level III (25/50) - 2008/08/15 - 12:18:32 (ET)
Table '102293011 1' 2-max Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: cristinasexy (1790 in chips)
Seat 2: babaorumi (1210 in chips)
babaorumi: posts small blind 25
cristinasexy: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to babaorumi [6s 7d]
babaorumi: calls 25
cristinasexy: checks
*** FLOP *** [5c 8s 5s]
cristinasexy: checks
babaorumi: bets 50
cristinasexy: calls 50
*** TURN *** [5c 8s 5s] [Ad]
cristinasexy: checks
babaorumi: checks
*** RIVER *** [5c 8s 5s Ad] [3h]
cristinasexy: bets 150
babaorumi: raises 300 to 450
cristinasexy: folds
Uncalled bet (300) returned to babaorumi
babaorumi collected 500 from pot
babaorumi: doesn't show hand
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 500 | Rake 0
Board [5c 8s 5s Ad 3h]
Seat 1: cristinasexy (big blind) folded on the River
Seat 2: babaorumi (button) (small blind) collected (500)
He already floated me once some few hands before, but I hopefully caught him. Since he is a robot and the situation is almost perfect for a float (exept the flush draw I can put him on) I raised bluff the river and fortunately it worked. I'm not prood of this move, because it could easily have failed if villain would have betted 65, K3s... Perhaps I'm just barrely EV+ on the long run. But it's the end of a long match and villain likely is more and more tired, and feels himself under a lot of pressure. That was the last raise he could bear, and maybe he has reached his thresehold, that's whay he missplayed his 98 hand in the previous example above.
Remember this : The goal is to make Villain mistakes, do all you can do in order to make him nervous, because he will make more mistakes.