May 2012 Open Thread

[Schmendr1ck]

Originally Posted by jzpiano

Glad to hear your making the tournies work, but I'd rather cut my hand off with a saw then run tournaments regularly. The one that I will be hosting for HPI will be the first in 1.5 years with probably 40-50 cash games inbetween.

I need a new approach, so I'm trying this monthly tourney event for a few reasons:

First, I want to host more often! I like playing at home, and my wife & kids like it when I'm here instead of away at another game. So hosting allows me to play more often. Given the choice, I'd much rather host cash games than tourneys, but hosting a tourney is way better than not hosting at all IMHO.

Next, I think I can grow a player base more easily with tournaments. Newbies and casual players like the built in stop-loss of a tournament, and they often fear the unlimited rebuy aspect of a cash game. I already have a decent base of tourney players that I can draw from, and I know that many of these players belong to other tourney groups and can bring in new blood.

Finally, I think a large base of tourney players will serve as a feeder to my cash game. Some tourney players are already willing to play cash, and others can be "turned" by getting them involved in the post-tourney cash games.

If I can build this tourney to a 3-4 table monthly event, I think it will be a lot of fun and will help me to stabilize my monthly/biweekly cash game. Win-win!

[dugthefish]

Originally Posted by Schmendr1ck

If I can build this tourney to a 3-4 table monthly event, I think it will be a lot of fun and will help me to stabilize my monthly/biweekly cash game. Win-win!

Sounds like a good plan. Good luck with the effort, sir!

[gradx]

Originally Posted by mariettabull

The buy-in for it is $120 with a $10 add-on. You can start with up to a 15K stack, blinds start at 25/50, and run on either 30 or 40 minute levels.

It's a good structure, though the vig is a little high (between the charity pull to keep it grey-market and overhead, it's 30%+). It's a strong field, with several of the regulars having WSOP-C rings and cashes or wins in WPT side events (and a couple of WPT ME Final Tablers).

All in all, though, they put on a good tournament.

If the field is strong and you can afford the -ev of a 30% rake sounds like good practice unless you still play online. Hit me up with details, I'd love to play a stronger field than I find at interstate poker

[gradx]

concerning Atlanta, heard from someone pretty involved in local home games that there have been something like 9 robberies within the last 3 months that he's heard of. doesn't sound very safe these days

[mariettabull]

Originally Posted by gradx

concerning Atlanta, heard from someone pretty involved in local home games that there have been something like 9 robberies within the last 3 months that he's heard of. doesn't sound very safe these days

I'll hit you up with the details on the stuff for OTP's tournaments.

As for the robberies, any info on where and what stakes they were. Most of the ones I tend to play are likely going to be looked over as not really worth the effort, and the one bigger one I hit up occasionally is one of the more secure ones I've played in.

Of course, far too many robberies of games are inside jobs, so being a "secure" game doesn't necessarily help.

[dugthefish]

TR: Thursday Night NLHE

Had 11 players this week, even with a couple regs taking breaks due to runbad.

Had one rules issue come up, though. Found a boxed card during the deal. I ruled that it was a meaningless scrap of paper, and should be replaced with the next card in the deck. The issue was whether it should have been used as the burn card, or eliminated from play. I figured since a scrap of paper can't be used as a burn card, and just had the dealer put it on the bottom of the stub. It's kind of amazing when I think about it, but it's the first time I can remember finding a boxed card in 5+ years.

As for me, the RUNGOOT was in the house. I won a small pot early when I called a re-straddle from EP with KK (obviously, no one raised the straddlers and I had to play OOP in a 7-way pot )

Flopped the nut flush versus an aggro player who flopped a smaller flush and decided to double me up, cause I had to be on the come

Picked up TT in EP in a straddled, juiced (double mis-deal, 8 extra bb) pot, raised preflop and got 2 callers, both whales Flop came out TQQ I lead out for 2/3 PSB, one whale I have covered comes along . Turn 9, he check/raises all in, I snap call. He shows Q9, river is not the case T

I quieted down after that hand, and nursed my way to the end of the night to keep the profit I had left. The last hand of the night, I pick up KK, again in EP. I raise it up, stuck decent player calls, whale calls, Rockfish makes it $10 straight, it folds back to me. If I 4bet here, Rockfish folds everything but AA, and I can't see the decent player cold-calling the huge 3bet, so I go ahead and call. Decent player shoves over the top, Rockfish tanks and finally calls. I finally announce my hand strength by shoving my stack in over the top, and Rockfish "has to call". KK vs AQ vs 44, the best hand held up, and I stacked the 900bb pot to call it a night.

[getya45]

^^ Nice Win! Glad to see the HP Rungoot showed up.

[Schmendr1ck]

Originally Posted by dugthefish

I stacked the 900bb pot to call it a night.

Nice.

Based on your TRs, it seems like your game plays a lot deeper than my typical cash games. Some nights, we barely have 1000bb on the table, let alone in a single pot.

[palindrome]

Originally Posted by Schmendr1ck

Nice.

Based on your TRs, it seems like your game plays a lot deeper than my typical cash games. Some nights, we barely have 1000bb on the table, let alone in a single pot.

Having played with some of his crew, I can say that they are very willing to buy back into the game. I think dug has a great action orientated player base.

[dugthefish]

Originally Posted by palindrome

Having played with some of his crew, I can say that they are very willing to buy back into the game. I think dug has a great action orientated player base.

And you didn't even get to play with the 2 biggest action players

Most of my players buy in for 160-200bb, and are willing to reload at least once, if not 3 or 4 or 6 times. It's not uncommon to have 3000bb+ on the table at the end of the night, and occasionally over 4000bb. Of course, we are only playing .25 bb, but still, there's some real money to be made.

[rescued]

Played omaha8 for money for the first time a few weeks ago. Played again a few nights ago. It's a limit game with a single quarter blind and full kill. (single blind as its usually 4 to 6 players) won 10BB first time around and lost 14BB second time around. Now, they don't deal 4 cards. They deal 5-7 cards and its the dealers choice.

Man, I like the intricacies of O8 a lot. Much more fun than nlhe. Now if I can get a true mixed game going id be a happy camper.

This game plans to run weekly so I'm stoked about that for sure. It's the only game running around these parts right now that I know of (aside from very high raked 1/2 nl games)

Was pumped to tell Yall about this a while back bit forum was down.....go figure....

[gradx]

Originally Posted by mariettabull

I'll hit you up with the details on the stuff for OTP's tournaments.

As for the robberies, any info on where and what stakes they were. Most of the ones I tend to play are likely going to be looked over as not really worth the effort, and the one bigger one I hit up occasionally is one of the more secure ones I've played in.

Of course, far too many robberies of games are inside jobs, so being a "secure" game doesn't necessarily help.

probably a 5/5 or 5/10. imo anything bigger should be run cashless regardless of security

[jzpiano]

TR from last night:

I ran an Omaha Variation night with an hour rotation each of PLO, Limit Double flop, Limit Omaha 2-1-1, PLO8, Limit Stampler, Limit Big O, PLO8.

We played the limit games as $1/2 and the PLO/8 games as $0.25/0.25 with a $25 cap per person per hand. I ended up with a full table of 8 guys for the evening and had the first rebuy within 20 minutes so I knew it was going to be a good game.

During the course of the game we ended up with 6 or 7 quads and 3 straight flushes (srsly how the f does that happen?). 3 of the quads were mine and at one point we had quads lose to a straight flush (second time this has happened in the last month).

First set of quads was in PLO when I held QQxx and the board came out QTT. I bet the pot on the flop/turn to hit the cap and was ahead when we flipped everything over and then for good measure hit the case Q on the river.

In that round I also held KKA3 on a board of QT2. I bet pot into the 3 players and got called by two. Turn came a 5. I got a feeling that my KK was still ahead for high against my two calling station opponents and with the nut low figured I could bet again. I chickened out and only bet half the pot. One opponent called and the river came a 9. He led for the cap. I had to call as it wasn't that much more and he flipped over J836. Awesome

The second set came in Omaha 2-1-1. I held 888Q and being that you can use 3 cards from your hand held a monster. Flip came out 85 and got called/raised several times with 3 or 4 players to the river.

After that I didn't win a hand for the next 3 hours and watched my $60 dollar profit turn into about even as I played a couple of hands, but didn't have much of anything in any round. In the Stampler round where high spade in the hole plays if there is no low, I didn't see a spade above an 8 in the whole hour.

The new guy to the game said I will probably run hot during PLO8. Boy was the right. The worst part was it was all against him....


I hit a set of 9's a board of paired J's for a full house against his trip J's. $25 there. Flop of AA6, I held A6 against his AK. $25 there. I also put a sick beat against him when I held 2345 with a board of 36Q. He bet the full pot on the flop and I pegged him for KK/AA so I shoved to the cap for about $15 more thinking he would fold since he was a good player. Turns out he had A246 and snap called me. Whoops...Board ran out TK for the backdoor flush, no low scoop.

Then I hit my 3 set of quads for the evening with TT, QTQXT board although this time I didn't get paid off

About an hour later we were still playing PLO8 since the evening was extending about an hour or two past its usually length because of the holiday evening and I get QJT7. New guy straddles, 5 callers to me, I call, New guys pots it and still gets 4 callers. I don't love my hand, but say screw it I'm calling.

Board comes QJ2. One of the best flops I think for my hand so I pot. New guy shoves to the cap and gets one more caller. I call for like $8 more.

New Guy: KK34
Other Guy: T984

Turn comes another 2 giving the new guy a better two pair and the river blanks. Guess I deserved it....

We play for another 30 minutes and decide to play the last orbit. I deal out the last hand and of course everybody limps in. We ended up with 4 people capped all in on the flop. Here's the hand. I held the 4Q68



Best part was that the A4 guy was short stacked, so I ended up scooping the ~$50 side pot along with taking ~$25 of the main pot. Sick...

Here is my final chip stack for the night. Each blue stack is $40 for a total of $237. +$157 profit.




Here is all of the chips I got on the table ~$800 worth with 765 blue chips (can't see one rack).




Overall was a wonderful rotation and a huge hit with the players at the game. Definitely planning on running this one again soon.

[Precept2]

Nice work JZ. Ship to Rungoot to me this upcoming Friday. I sure could use a win.

[wesrwood]

Originally Posted by Precept2

Nice work JZ. Ship to Rungoot to me this upcoming Friday. I sure could use a win.