Mister Dimbert says…

Resolution Record (25-11, 9 wins)

Played several more tourneys without winning one, but finished in the top 16 each time by simply playing smart, patient poker. This really isn’t that mysterious a process.

Last night, got majorly cold-decked. Played tight as a drum, resulting in not calling a thing. I stepped into two hands, once with AJo and once with A6s and folded both to the first bet post-flop. Then, much later, I found AA with only about $2,200 left. I limped then bet all-in after the flop and stole three blinds. On the very next hand, I caught 66 and did the same thing.

Then I folded on and on and on until, on the button with only 2 BBs in my stack, I pushed all-in with 85o from position. I got two callers and, even though my 8 made a flush, there was a bigger one. I could probably have played another two orbits with patience, and maybe even rebulit my chip stack… but cold decks are just excruciating, so I threw in the towel.

Resolution Record (18 - 8, 4 wins)

It’s the first hand of the night. I start the tournament in the small blind and plan to play tight, conservative poker. When action gets back around to me, Miguel, a smart player across the table, has raised the $50 Big Blind up to $250. Since I’m only in for $25, I fully expect to fold the instant he raises.

But the man on the button calls, making the pot $625 and, since it’s only $225 more to me I’m getting better than 2.5-to-1 on my money. I look between my knuckles and find a pair of twos, pocket ducks, the dueces of spades and hearts. According to Mike Caro, a pocket pair is a pretty good starting hand; The odds are 7.5-to-1 that, if you hold a pair, at least one more of your rank will flop. That means that, at this point, the pot was not giving me good odds to call… but, also according to Caro, if you make trips on the flop, you’re 2-to-1 to improve to a full house or better. So, while calling the $225 didn’t make perfect sense, it was only a small piece of my $4,000 buy-in and would pay off big if I hit the trips.

So, I called, and the flop came 234 rainbow. I checked my trips, hoping someone with a hand like AK would bet and action came all the way around (past the original raiser) to the button, who bet $400. I raised to $800 and everyone folded, all the way back around to the button, who re-raised, all-in.

Now, remember, the board is 234 and I have pocket dueces. I have trips and there’s no way I give him A5. What could he have? He could have paired the board with an Ace kicker, or maybe he’s got a big pocket pair, like KK or even AA. I gave the issue a lot of thought but could not come up with a hand that he could be playing legitimately… except for 33 or 44. And, if he and I both had tripped up our pocket pairs, then he beat me.

I called and he asked me what I had, so I showed him… and he cringed, then turned over 45d. He had flopped top-pair and an open-ended straight draw. With top pair, he had bet all-in on the first hand of the tournament.

The turn card was a Queen - no help to either of us. And, of course the river was a 6, making him the nut straight, and I was eliminated on the first hand.

When I put my chips in the pot I was 70/30 to double-up… and I lost.

Sigh.

Resolution Record (16 - 5, 3 wins)

Another night, another loss. I took about two weeks off after my last win and, as it turns out, I play better poker when I play more often. I really knew that I was playing poorly when one of the regulars turned to me last night after I lost a big pot and said, “Boy, you’re calling a lot tonight.”

Heh. I sure was.

I have got to get things back under control. Patient play, lots of hands, middle of the pack, don’t play rags.

Update:

In order to punish meself for foolish play, I went to the 119th Tourney last night, which is held at a venue I despise. I’ve written about it before - the reason I hate this place is because of its higher-than-usual percentage of maniacs. The place is just full of people who play for the hell of it, risking their entire chip stack with garbage cards.

Last night, as soon as I sat down, I noticed there was a maniac at our table. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, since she was a pleasant, pretty young woman. But, still, she played with almost no concern for winning or losing, so it made the game much less like poker and much more like the lottery.

I avoided her long enough to be moved to another table with just over half my stack and proceeded to win the first four pots I was dealt into and six of the first eight hands. That helped my stack considerably.
Eventually we made it down the top 16 and, when the tables were consolidated, Kristy, the cute maniac, was placed back at my table. I found myself in the BB with KQs and, when I raised, she put me all in. I called her pre-flop and she turned over two unsuited rags, something stupid like 53o. Of course, by the time my king paired on the river, she had turned a straight and knocked me out in twelfth place… not a winner but back where I want to be.

Updated Resolution Record (17 - 5, 3 wins)

Resolution Record (16 - 3, 3 wins)

More good news. Another win, this one also coming after things giong exactly the way I thought that they would. Playing slow and steady, folding lots and lots and lots and lots of hands, allows me to cherry-pick opportunities to make my chips work for me.

During the first hour of the tournament I played only three hands. One was AQs, which I raised from middle position pre-flop. I got two callers and, when an Ace hit the board and the first player checked to me, I bet the same amount as my original bet, giving each player 4-1 pot odds… and they both folded it to me. The second hand was a pre-flop raise from the big blind with rags but four players had limped in and they all folded to my raise. The third was a mistake: I called a large raise with a suited Ace and middle kicker. The flop was all the wrong suit and neither pair for me, so I folded.

That misplay hurt me so, when I was moved to another table, I had just about my original stake left. The second hour, though, the cards started to come. Immediately. I won each of my first two hands at that new table, taking players out of the tournament each time. About five hands in, we were broken down again and I was moved to Table 1 (with only two tables left), making good on the Resolution.

At that point, I had about $16,000 in chips, which I should have felt good about. But at Table1, I saw Eric, who had been at my original table. He had been playing agressively way back then, and hitting cards, which is a dangerous combination. As I arrived at Table 1, he took out four players and, when I sat down, I estimated his chip stack at north of $90,000.

I continued my game plan, folding all but premium hands, letting Eric bully the table. Then, in a span of five hands, I caught three pocket pairs, 66, QQ and JJ. All three times, I made a good-sized rase pre-flop then bet the turn and bet all-in on the river. Both the sixes and Queens held up and the Jacks made Quads, so, after three quick double-ups (two of them from Eric), I was the big stack.

After that, I just sat back, raising early to make flops expensive (which I could afford) and folding whenever anyone represented anything. I actually checked my way to several victories and, after a little bit, found myself heads-up with Eric. He and I played about eight hands, checking, raising and folding to each other, until I found myself with 69o. I called from the SB and he checked, and the flop came 359. I bet the minimum on my top pair and he re-raised all-in. I called, knowing that the best he could have was a nine (since, if he had an overpair, he would have bet his pocket pair pre-flop, the predictable dummy) and he turned over a ten and a five, showing middle pair.

My top pair of nines held up, and I won.

Resolution Record (11 - 2, 2 wins)

I checked out of another Tourney out of the money, but I don’t think it should count, since I did it on purpose.

I found myself with a nice stack when moved to a new table… but there was a real jerk across the table from me. He was annoying, constantly commenting on/criticizing other peoples’ play and making a real big deal out his his checks, raises, etc. You know, the kind of guy who checks his pocket cards, looks at the bet and says, real big, “Well, I proably shouldn’t do this, but I feel lucky so I will raise.”

Riiight. As soon as his chips hit the felt, it’s like dominoes around the table: fold, fold, fold, fold. He just wasn’t any fun to play with.

So, I suppose I should have looked at the situation as practice for those times when the game tests your patience but, really, life’s too short, you know? So I pushed all-in at him with 68o and he called and won. I gave him my chips and left, out of the money but happy to be done. Thank goodness it was free poker.
The Resolution is still working and I feel really good about how I’m playing because of it.