Monday, August 30, 2004

Just Another Day at the Cracker Factory

Honestly, I've got a pretty cushy job, and really have nothing to bitch about. Flexible schedule, telecommuting one day a week, and I can do the work itself in my sleep. Not much in the way of bosses yapping at me, a minimum of corporate bs to deal with, the whole nine yards.

Except it's deathly, deathly boring. It engages all of .026% of my brain. La la la.

So I've been sitting here thinking about, you guessed it, poker. As embarassing as it was to exit the Monty Memorial blogger tournament last night so soon (I think I was 75th of 77), I can't say I would have played the hand that doomed me much differently. I decided to slow-play AA, since it was relatively early and I'd rather try to double up instead of simply taking down the blinds with a normal raise of 4-6BB. Other than Sloejack the table was playing fairly tight and I didn't think I'd get much action from EP with a big raise. So I just raised 2BB to get some action. BB called (and I think someone else in MP, but they folded soon thereafter and weren't a factor in the hand).

Thanks to Pacific's craptacular hand history support (or lack thereof), I can't remember the exact flop, but it was something like 4 J A, rainbow. Feeling pretty good, BB makes a smallish bet and I just call. Turn was a Q. BB bet something like 300. Hmm. I considered pushing all-in here, but didn't. There was no flush potential and I had top set. He could be on a straight draw, but I didn't think so, given the size of the overbet (and general tight play up to this point). I was fairly sure he was holding two pair (at best) and I was willing to just call and let him chase the boat and not be able to get away from his two pair to a big bet on the river.

River is a harmless rag. BB bets 500. Hmm. Now I'm rethinking matters, wondering if he's holding K 10 and hit the straight on the turn. The more I sit there, the more I'm worried. If I call I have still have T400 or so to take one last stab. I can't fold. I briefly consider pushing all-in, only because he didn't put me all in himself, only betting 500, but I'm feeling sucked in as it is, so I just call. He flips over K 10 o. Meh.

So yeah, slow play can bite you in the ass. I probably should have raised it up on the flop, to make him pay more to chase the gutshot, but it's hard to fear a four-outer at that stage. I slow-played the aces to try to double up and got exactly (almost) what I wanted. Sometimes it just doesn't work out.

6 comments:

Andres Silva said...

Hey now, it be fair. :) It was an 8 outer double gutshot. And yes, slow playing is what killed you. I figured you for a draw also.

Andres Silva said...

Oh, and The flop way 7, J, A Turn was a T, and the River was an 8. I held K9s and was looking for a Q or an 8.

ScurvyDog said...

Err, I think we be talking about different hands. You must have busted someone else out who was holding AA with a straight. Heh.

Mine came fairly early on at the first table we were seated at. It was landow who kicked my AA to the curb. He was seated to my right in the BB. I may not have the rags correct in my recap of the hand, but he was definitely holding K 10 o. I remember because I commented in chat, right before I called, "hope you don't have K 10", as that was the only possible two cards that could beat my set of aces.

You did bust me out, though, a few hands later. I went all-in with My KJs, hoping to steal the blinds, and you called with 66, which held up.

Andres Silva said...

Oh, you're right, I remember that hand now too. Yeah I winced when you said that because I knew he had it. Hmm, I was talking about a hand that I did bust someone out with like that.... scary. Sorry the way the post read, I thought you were talking about that hand. My bad

ScurvyDog said...

No worries. Must be a real pain, trying to keep straight all the people you sent scurrying away from the tournament with their tails between their legs. :)

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