Well, hai der!
Wow, it's been 18 months in Calgary. Things started off great -- I made $12,000 in my first 3 months of live play..playing part-time, maybe 20-25 hours a week. Mostly 1 2 nl with a few 2 5 nl sessions sprinkled in for good measure. I ran quite bad at 2 5 and broke roughly even. Following this -- the worst downswing of my poker career. Between Dec-Feb (wow, that was a year ago now) I lost 6k playing mostly 1 2 nl. It was nauseating. The night I remember best involved losing $800 in 30 mins of 1 2 nl. All in with AA twice preflop and losing. All in vs Q4ss with QQ on a Q hi flop and losing to a flush. Shoving KK and running into AA. All within 30mins.
Then a break from poker.
Last Feb I was heading to Vegas for work-related CE and decided that I'd play strictly ABC poker to minimize variance. It was during the Venetian Deepstack even and there were, literally, 40 tables of 2/5nl running per day. First day I substantially raise 5 limpers from my BB with AA. Flop is rags and I get it all in vs 66 (under pair to board) and bink! 6 on the river. Sighhhh. Interesting/notable hands from way back when copied from my entries at pokerforum.ca:
Welcome to Mark Hanna's Personal Website
Very nice guy, I've not heard of him but I assume he's a famous player when he gets asked to sign a hat. I ask him if I should know who he is and he says yes. I ask if his fame is from ouside or inside the poker world and he says in the poker world. I say ok and leave it at that. Nice guy, terrible nit cash game player.
2 5 NLH. Player 3 to my right who raises every 2nd pot to $20-$30 open limps, folded to my sb. I have 23o and the bb is pretty tight player so I go 25 to build a small pot to steal from the limper on the flop. BB stares me down for literally 20 seconds then calls. Um, ok we aren't in the WPT, but thanks for letting me know you have TT+, AQ+. Flop A45dd, pretty decent flop for the worst HU hand in poker. I bet 55, he raises, limper folds, I push and hold vs his set of aces.
Pro to my right slowly has his head explode trying to figure out who raised preflop and then being told how the action went.
Good times at the V.:
1. One of my better calls. Fairly new to the 2 5 table (30/45mins) I have JTo in the cutoff of a full table. Player 3 to my right who has been raising quite a bit but doesn't seem to know how to play poker very well makes it 20 and I call. Button makes it 60 and we both call. Pot 180. Flop J24 rainbow checked to the button who instashoves 400+ and i have him covered. Folded to me and I tank for 5+mins. I never take this long for a decision and usually I am of the mentality of not playing big pots in this spot in a fairly soft game, but I actually thought I should make this guy squirm a bit and see what I can pick up on him. I noticed a few things that led me to believe he had air and after calling clock on myself made the call with 20 seconds left and took it down vs AQ unimproved by the river. What a great feeling. Probably my favourite hand of the trip and one of my favourite hands ever.
2. One of my biggest pots. 2 5 PLO I have K997hhh on the button playing 5 or 6 handed in a straddled pot. Flop J86 rainbow 3 ways. EP bets 30-40 and I call because he is the worst player at the table and will call down huge bets with the second best hand. SB comes along as well. Turn is the gin card for me, the 5 of hearts. I have the stone cold nut straight with 3 heart blockers and a redraw to the second nut flush. EP bets I pot for $500ish (numbers not exact anymore) and to my shock the sb calls me and leaves only $100 back (always makes me lol) (older british player who seemed pretty solid up until I saw this play -- nice guy who plays alot in London, has played big tournies, etc I later learned from playing with him all week). And...of course the EP guy calls all in for $500 more. River bricks and I bet $100 into $1600+ pot and British guy open mucks JJ for his last $100. EP was overcalling with one out to win with 6647 -- sucker straight and bottom set. Later learned he was in for $5k + that night. One of the worst PLO players i have come aross.
3. Tilting Tourney Pros without them even being in a hand. (See earlier post here:How to tilt a tourney pro in a cash game at the Venetian).
4. Life tilting a tilting player at 5 10 NLH 4 and 5 handed. I sit down with $800 after a horrific 12-13h session of 2 5 PLO. I am in the mentality of playing Laggy 5 handed and they aren`t chopping blinds which is great. I switch my game up tonnes depending on what I see at the table, so I will adjust if needed. I pick up/make some pretty big hands for shorthanded play. Open raising with 76cc and turning 2 pair, hitting top pair with KT, bluffing a bunch of small pots. Player 2 to my right who I initially pegged as competent within 10 mins of play was now pegged as tilting having called-off a 4 bet all in vs KK and a 2bet all in vs a shortstacked AA. Dealers for this game were rotating here after the omaha down so would occasionally start dealing out a 3rd card and have a misdeal. In this hand we are 4 handed an tilty is utg, my sb. I have J9dd, sweet hand at anytime, but even moreso 4 handed. So dealer pitches me and bb a third card and i am ready to redeal, but UTG protests a bit too much as the cards were quickly replaced on the deck in order, so we play on. He obv has some kind of hand and he limps utg (hadn't seen him open limp yet). I call bb calls we see the flop of K9x with one diamond 3 ways. I bet out 30, BB folds and UTG goes 70 and I call. Turn K95xdd I check call 60-70 and river brings the pretty 8d. I donk out $300 and he calls and is now on life tilt. GG AK or better, lol.
Beats (I'll stick to holdem as in PLO I just had too many to decifer anymore and noone really cares about PLO on here anyhow):
1. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZOMG!!!. Had played about 3 orbits at this table and my mission on this trip was initially to play TAG poker. I was playing pretty tight. I had been running bad for 3 weeks prior to Vegas and in the short term wanted to crush the variance in my game down as much as possible. I have QQ in the sb. It comes 20 to me 2-3 ways and I go 80 and get one caller. I have 500 behind, pot is 180. I don't have a great read on this player but I know from a few things I've seen that he isn't great -- I am never folding an overpair to him, ever, ever, ever for $500. Flop is JT5ss. I bet 120, he raises to 250 and I think and talk a bit to try and induce a call then I push my stack and he calls. I had been running so badly prior to this trip and I put him on a set of 5s or a flush draw, I couldn't really tell from what he was doing which is strange for me to have zero read on the situation. Anyhow, turn is a spade and I figure I'm done for. I don't even see the river as I'm looking at him turn over 66 and I'm thinking HUHHHHH? Of course, I then look at the board and the river spiked a 6 for his set. He lost his 2k stack over the next couple of hours, but unfortunately none to me. 92% no good.
2. Same day more puking. Tight lady (heyooooo!) at a new table. I limp 99 utg and it's 5 ways after a small LP raise. Pot 75-100. Flop 962dd and I check through, guy on my left bets 20 (nice bet), lady calls and I call. Pot 135-160. Turn J962dd and it's time to get it in if I can. I am playing $600 effective stack behind with this lady. I bet 80, fold and she raises to 200 and I shove 600 and she instacalls. River diamond and I don't even have to see her hand, KJdd. Puke. 86% no good.
Variance:
1. Winning from behind!!! (sorry, only happened once). Playing against the worst player at the table in this hand. He will stack with top pair nut low kicker. He is bad. He will never get bluffed out of a pot, ever. He has a piece of the flop, so he is seeing the river at all costs to make sure you have a hand. I wants to play a huge pot with him. AA in my BB 3-4 players at $15 to me and this guy is UTG in seat 1. I have $500 or so recently rebuying and chipping down slowly after losing the 66 hand. Pretty easy stack size, actually perfect, to play AA vs this guy. I have not played a hand in an hour. This is painful for me. I can't play TAG forever, but this was the only profitable strategy at this table and it was my mission statement for the trip afterall. How the eff am I supposed to get action on AA when I haven't played past the flop in over an hour? Oh yeah, seat 1. I make it 120. He calls and it's hu to the J52 flop and I shove 380-400 into a $250 pot. Well, river pairs the turn and my AA sucks out on his J5. Sometimes I like the baby jesus, the poker version.
Poker has been insane for me lately. Probably the most volatile month I can recall in years of play. I think I'm even for the first time this month and I don't even know how that is possible. I'm really getting tired of throwing-up in my mouth.
1. One of my better calls. Fairly new to the 2 5 table (30/45mins) I have JTo in the cutoff of a full table. Player 3 to my right who has been raising quite a bit but doesn't seem to know how to play poker very well makes it 20 and I call. Button makes it 60 and we both call. Pot 180. Flop J24 rainbow checked to the button who instashoves 400+ and i have him covered. Folded to me and I tank for 5+mins. I never take this long for a decision and usually I am of the mentality of not playing big pots in this spot in a fairly soft game, but I actually thought I should make this guy squirm a bit and see what I can pick up on him. I noticed a few things that led me to believe he had air and after calling clock on myself made the call with 20 seconds left and took it down vs AQ unimproved by the river. What a great feeling. Probably my favourite hand of the trip and one of my favourite hands ever.
2. One of my biggest pots. 2 5 PLO I have K997hhh on the button playing 5 or 6 handed in a straddled pot. Flop J86 rainbow 3 ways. EP bets 30-40 and I call because he is the worst player at the table and will call down huge bets with the second best hand. SB comes along as well. Turn is the gin card for me, the 5 of hearts. I have the stone cold nut straight with 3 heart blockers and a redraw to the second nut flush. EP bets I pot for $500ish (numbers not exact anymore) and to my shock the sb calls me and leaves only $100 back (always makes me lol) (older british player who seemed pretty solid up until I saw this play -- nice guy who plays alot in London, has played big tournies, etc I later learned from playing with him all week). And...of course the EP guy calls all in for $500 more. River bricks and I bet $100 into $1600+ pot and British guy open mucks JJ for his last $100. EP was overcalling with one out to win with 6647 -- sucker straight and bottom set. Later learned he was in for $5k + that night. One of the worst PLO players i have come aross.
3. Tilting Tourney Pros without them even being in a hand. (See earlier post here:How to tilt a tourney pro in a cash game at the Venetian).
4. Life tilting a tilting player at 5 10 NLH 4 and 5 handed. I sit down with $800 after a horrific 12-13h session of 2 5 PLO. I am in the mentality of playing Laggy 5 handed and they aren`t chopping blinds which is great. I switch my game up tonnes depending on what I see at the table, so I will adjust if needed. I pick up/make some pretty big hands for shorthanded play. Open raising with 76cc and turning 2 pair, hitting top pair with KT, bluffing a bunch of small pots. Player 2 to my right who I initially pegged as competent within 10 mins of play was now pegged as tilting having called-off a 4 bet all in vs KK and a 2bet all in vs a shortstacked AA. Dealers for this game were rotating here after the omaha down so would occasionally start dealing out a 3rd card and have a misdeal. In this hand we are 4 handed an tilty is utg, my sb. I have J9dd, sweet hand at anytime, but even moreso 4 handed. So dealer pitches me and bb a third card and i am ready to redeal, but UTG protests a bit too much as the cards were quickly replaced on the deck in order, so we play on. He obv has some kind of hand and he limps utg (hadn't seen him open limp yet). I call bb calls we see the flop of K9x with one diamond 3 ways. I bet out 30, BB folds and UTG goes 70 and I call. Turn K95xdd I check call 60-70 and river brings the pretty 8d. I donk out $300 and he calls and is now on life tilt. GG AK or better, lol.
Beats (I'll stick to holdem as in PLO I just had too many to decifer anymore and noone really cares about PLO on here anyhow):
1. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZOMG!!!. Had played about 3 orbits at this table and my mission on this trip was initially to play TAG poker. I was playing pretty tight. I had been running bad for 3 weeks prior to Vegas and in the short term wanted to crush the variance in my game down as much as possible. I have QQ in the sb. It comes 20 to me 2-3 ways and I go 80 and get one caller. I have 500 behind, pot is 180. I don't have a great read on this player but I know from a few things I've seen that he isn't great -- I am never folding an overpair to him, ever, ever, ever for $500. Flop is JT5ss. I bet 120, he raises to 250 and I think and talk a bit to try and induce a call then I push my stack and he calls. I had been running so badly prior to this trip and I put him on a set of 5s or a flush draw, I couldn't really tell from what he was doing which is strange for me to have zero read on the situation. Anyhow, turn is a spade and I figure I'm done for. I don't even see the river as I'm looking at him turn over 66 and I'm thinking HUHHHHH? Of course, I then look at the board and the river spiked a 6 for his set. He lost his 2k stack over the next couple of hours, but unfortunately none to me. 92% no good.
2. Same day more puking. Tight lady (heyooooo!) at a new table. I limp 99 utg and it's 5 ways after a small LP raise. Pot 75-100. Flop 962dd and I check through, guy on my left bets 20 (nice bet), lady calls and I call. Pot 135-160. Turn J962dd and it's time to get it in if I can. I am playing $600 effective stack behind with this lady. I bet 80, fold and she raises to 200 and I shove 600 and she instacalls. River diamond and I don't even have to see her hand, KJdd. Puke. 86% no good.
Variance:
1. Winning from behind!!! (sorry, only happened once). Playing against the worst player at the table in this hand. He will stack with top pair nut low kicker. He is bad. He will never get bluffed out of a pot, ever. He has a piece of the flop, so he is seeing the river at all costs to make sure you have a hand. I wants to play a huge pot with him. AA in my BB 3-4 players at $15 to me and this guy is UTG in seat 1. I have $500 or so recently rebuying and chipping down slowly after losing the 66 hand. Pretty easy stack size, actually perfect, to play AA vs this guy. I have not played a hand in an hour. This is painful for me. I can't play TAG forever, but this was the only profitable strategy at this table and it was my mission statement for the trip afterall. How the eff am I supposed to get action on AA when I haven't played past the flop in over an hour? Oh yeah, seat 1. I make it 120. He calls and it's hu to the J52 flop and I shove 380-400 into a $250 pot. Well, river pairs the turn and my AA sucks out on his J5. Sometimes I like the baby jesus, the poker version.
Poker has been insane for me lately. Probably the most volatile month I can recall in years of play. I think I'm even for the first time this month and I don't even know how that is possible. I'm really getting tired of throwing-up in my mouth.
Last night playing 2 5NL (500cap) at the MGM. LP tilting player makes it 40, creative player on the button calls and I like the situation so I call in the SB with A3o. Tilting player's stack 400, creative player's stack 300, mine 1100.
Pot 125.
Flop AK6ss (I have no spade). I check, tilty bets $40 and creative thinks and shoves 260 into the 165 pot. I`m talking to him and get something that makes me think he isn`t very strong. Tilty is 100% transparent at this point and is folding behind me. I think for a minute and call, tilty mucks and we are heads up. Flush hits the turn and river is a brick. As the caller I always make the bettor turn over his hand first as I can use the info later on. He won`t turn over and asks if I hit my flush and I say no then he asks if I have an ace and shows pocket deuces. I flip over A3 and take down the pot. He is a bit shocked that I can make that call and I am a bit happy to be stacking his chips.
Tied for favourite hand in Vegas with #1 in the previous thread. I love these spots where experience and reads pay off making calls that the nitty 2 5 Vegas pros want to make but can never make.
Gotta love live poker...viva Las Vegas.
Pot 125.
Flop AK6ss (I have no spade). I check, tilty bets $40 and creative thinks and shoves 260 into the 165 pot. I`m talking to him and get something that makes me think he isn`t very strong. Tilty is 100% transparent at this point and is folding behind me. I think for a minute and call, tilty mucks and we are heads up. Flush hits the turn and river is a brick. As the caller I always make the bettor turn over his hand first as I can use the info later on. He won`t turn over and asks if I hit my flush and I say no then he asks if I have an ace and shows pocket deuces. I flip over A3 and take down the pot. He is a bit shocked that I can make that call and I am a bit happy to be stacking his chips.
Tied for favourite hand in Vegas with #1 in the previous thread. I love these spots where experience and reads pay off making calls that the nitty 2 5 Vegas pros want to make but can never make.
Gotta love live poker...viva Las Vegas.
All tolled I made $1500 or so during a week of poker in Vegas -- I ran bad, but came out ahead. Then I came back to Calgary and ran as badly as before.
I quit poker for the first time in 6 years.
I didn't play a live hand for over 6 months and I didn't play much online at all. When I did play I deposited a small amount ($200ish) and generally ran it up to $800-$1k then lost patience and took a shot at a bigger game eventually getting back down to my $200 deposit and withdrew the funds and stopped playing for a few weeks again.
After doing this a few times and realizing I wan't enjoying playing at all anymore I stopped playing online for 6 months, period.
Over the last few months I've been 3-6 tabling low limit PLO online. Making ok money for the limits I'm playing, but getting really bored of it all. Once again, I have realized that online poker seems like a desk job and I'm not really cut out for trying to play higher limits online. I don't have any sort of commitment to playing the hours needed to move-up significantly and only enjoy playing for a few days or weeks and lose all enjoyment at some point.
I played live for the first time in 6-9 months (I've lost track) a week ago and really enjoyed poker for the first time in a year or more. I guess I'm really just a live player, but I would much rather be a very successful online player for practical reasons. Online poker loses so many nuances contained in the live game that I can no longer even really compare the two. I wish I enjoyed online poker the way I do live poker, but for me it will never be the same...so I guess I will start playing more live poker again and see where things go.
1 comment:
Sorry, I'm not even sure if you still use this blog, but just wanted to ask a few questions. I'm 17, and moving to Calgary soon when I turn 18 to play live. How soft are the games over there? Hope you reply
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