O-Poker

Wow. Where has the time gone? I have been back from the WSOP for a month and am just now getting around to writing my final WSOP trip report (not sure if anyone cares at this point). I’m going to blame the lack of posts on my computer (even though it has been back up and running for 2 weeks.) I had some minor but very annoying battery issues, so Dell shipped a motherboard. The replacement of the motherboard caused my hard drive to crash. Fast forward a week and I had a new (2nd) motherboard and new hard drive. I didn’t lose any work stuff but lost my HEM database and player notes on FTP because I was so worried I was going to lose work stuff. Oh well.

Losing my HEM db and FTP notes has probably been more of a blessing than a curse. I find myself thinking more about each player and how they are playing instead of relying too heavily on old notes and stats.

Anyway, on to my final WSOP recap (a few cash hands)....

Favorite Hand of the Trip
My last day in LV was far and away my best day at the cash tables – mentally and monetarily. I was playing great and was feeling “in the zone” more than I had the entire trip.

There was one particular hand on the last day that I probably would have played differently if I wasn’t so focused and had a great feel for the table. I had a fairly tight image and had gradually built up my stack from $500 to around $1k or so.

$2/$5 NL
Me – BB
EP (very active aggro but solid player) raises to $15.
3 calls including SB
I look down at JdJx and make it $50.
3 calls, 1 fold.

Flop Kd9d4x (Pot $215)

I bet $100 hoping to take it down right there. The table had been really loose pf but other than 1 or 2 guys most were fairly tight post flop.
EP (orig raiser) folds
MP (fairly weak player) thinks for about 3 or 4 minutes and finally calls – obviously with something like a weakish King.
SB takes a long time and tells MP “I would have called if you hadn’t.”

I ask MP, “How much do you have left? About $200?” He looked very uncomfortable when he said “Yeah.” I was putting him on a hand like KQ, KJ, KT and planned to put him in on any turn other than a K, Q, or T.

Turn Ad (Pot $415)

I think for a couple of seconds and then slide $200 out.
MP looks disgusted. He thinks for probably 5 minutes and finally folds.

I don’t normally show, but I had such a tight image and planned to keep playing tight that I thought this was a good time to show. I turned up my JJ and everyone went nuts. MP said he folded KT. EP tilted a little because he said that he almost called the flop bet and would have turned two pair with his A9.

Showing the JJ turned out to be one of the best decisions that I made. Over the course of the next several hours at that table I ran my initial $500 up to around $3k before cashing out and taking a break.


Bad Beat Hand of the Trip
(skip this hand if you hate bad beat stories)

$2/$5 NL
Me on the button - $900
MP = very tight passive player - $700
LP = bad shortish stack - around $250

Folds to MP whose raises to $20
LP calls
Me (with AA) raise to $60

MP thinks for a second and calls (I'm 90% sure that he re-raises with AA, KK, QQ, calls with AK, TT, JJ, possibly AQ and folds the rest of his range.)
LP calls - could have any two literally

Flop comes K83r ($187)

MP bets $70.
LP calls.
I raise to $250
MP insta-shoves.
LP insta-calls.
I call

MP has AK
LP has KQ

Turn (Pot $1,650) - K (last one in the deck)

Live poker is so rigged!!


I “Slow Rolled” someone? – You Make the Call?

I had been sitting at a 2/5 table since it started (about 2 1/2 hours.) The guy to my immediate left had been there since it started also. He was playing very tight and making comments under his breath about how horrible some of the play was at the table. I hadn't seen him put a lot of money in withouta monster during the 2 hours. I once saw him flat call a c/r with QQ on a T high board and call the turn and river. Basically, it didn't seem like he was putting all of his money in without the nuts or close to it.

I'm a little fuzzy on the preflop action, but something along the lines of....

Me - dealt 44 in LP.
Guy to my left (Left) was CO.

3 limps.
I call.
Left raises to $20.
2 calls.
I call.

Flop J84r

2 EP check
I check
Left bets $40
1 fold
1 call
I raise to $120
Left thinks for a second and shoves for $350-$400 more (had him covered)

Folds back to me.

I was taken aback by the raise. The only other time that I saw him do something like that he had flopped a set. I asked him if he had flopped a set of Jacks. He didn't say anything but seemed uncomfortable. I called about 2 secs after I asked the question (less than 30 secs from when action folded to me.)

I was actually shocked when he turned up J9o. I had either read his play wrong up to this point or he decided that this was the time to make a move.

The turn and river were no help for him. He stood up and says, "Nice Fucking Slowroll!!" as he leaves the table.

Does it sound like I slowrolled him because I took 20-30 secs to think through whether or not my bottom set was good against someone that I had pegged as extremely tight when it came to putting his stack in the middle?