Ugh...worst session of my 5/10 career last night. I have my previous 34 Commerce sessions tracked and have my results as 23 winning sessions, 11 losing sessions, and +$17,405 with my worst losing session being ($3750). Almost doubled that last night. As usual, will make my daily post in the morning...feeling pretty bummed out right now.

**** sorry, man.

great thread, though.

it was good to meet you and hang out a bit in vegas, and a pleasure to play with you. you do seem really comfortable at the table and have a great live presence; i'm sure you'll get there unless you continue running awful.

i was actually pretty curious how you thought i played in the game at mirage. i was really disappointed in how bad i played late as i got tired, and also think i was probably a bit of a vag in the pots i played vs. you.

anyway, glglglglglglglgl!

keep it up rum, chill, rest then go get them tiger!

Just focus on going back today and playing good poker...seriously **** everything else.

I love your lines in this hand except the river. I'm not a great live player but I still think there's value to a river raise. Yes you lose to all better boats but what better boats are there? QQ/JJ really. You're ahead of T9 (1 combo) and 99, and I don't see QT as a real threat. On the river you can probably min raise and get a crying call from any K, especially AK.

I know you're bummed from last night, but thoughts?

Quote:
Originally Posted by rumnchess
Hand 4:

Pre: I open JThh to $45 over one limper. The SB is a very good winning young player who can value bet thin, bet size well, etc. But he has big FPS in pots he plays vs me, and tends to be a bit of a station. He 3bets to $160 and we are $2,600 deep. I happily call, thinking of all the big macs I can buy if I hit a favorable flop.

Flop: ($350) TT9 rainbow. I hit trips a lot in 3bet pots. He leads for $230, and I decide to just call. This is open for discussion but I think it's probably the best play. Keeps in his air, and even though he likes to call, if I raise the flop and bomb the turn, I think he can find a fold.

Turn: ($810) TT9Q. He leads for $360 and I call. Certainly the only choice; raising overreps our hand and there aren't really any awful rivers as an 8 or K straightens us and a J fills us up.

River: ($1530) TT9QJ. We fill up. He leads for $600 and I call, deciding that folding might even be better than raising as we lose to all the better boats and only really beat KK, 99 or AK (that probably doesn't bet the turn). He flips KK and I think he definitely overplayed his hand. I think he should c/f the river, or c/c if I bet small as there's almost nothing I can be turning into a bluff there and he is just cooked so often.

Discussion points: His play in the hand, my play in the hand.

I love your lines in this hand except the river. I'm not a great live player but I still think there's value to a river raise. Yes you lose to all better boats but what better boats are there? QQ/JJ really. You're ahead of T9 (1 combo) and 99, and I don't see QT as a real threat. On the river you can probably min raise and get a crying call from any K, especially AK.

I know you're bummed from last night, but thoughts?





----Just replying to this post....... I don't think the sb is going to be 3 betting a wide enough range against a player like rumnchess ( who I assume would know he is a solid player) enough of the time to make a river raise profitable. He lead all 3 streets and I think could easly fold to a reraise on the river with his hand.

Rum, dyou have a limit on how many BI's youre down before you quit?

I lost 6k the other day for first time and left and was thinking maybe i should have a limit from now on.

Also i think in typical live 1k games i dont iso in MP, people call too much preflop, youll prob get away stealing very little hands on flops.
But i think being card dead does that to you.

Oh and whats your bankroll for these games if u dont mind sharing.

I probably play day 2 hands the same but i do think the AA hand is a fold on flop (but id never actually fold it). AQ is rarely limped there no?
And i think he veeeeeery rarely raises KQ and QJ on flop. And hes close to never bluffing

Hey guys,

Really appreciate all the support, and it's been fun so far making this thread. Sorry to keep you hanging, but there's going to be a brief pause as I am grinding Sunday MTTs today! Felt like I could probably use a break from live after last night so this seems like a good solution.

Tomorrow when I wake up, I'll respond to some questions in this thread and talk about the dreadful Day 3. Day 4 will begin tomorrow as well.

- RUM

just started reading, love your posts rumnchess.

ugh ---- its ok rum, good luck rum ---- you'll get 'em in next few sessions

I'm a little late to the draw for my comment regarding Hand 4 of session 1; I like a raise on the river. You lose to QQ and JJ, although I think he rarely has JJ as you're holding one, and if he does then it's a nasty cooler. Given how he played his KK, I think you can assume he will pay you off with 99, T9, and perhaps AK. You also mention that you aim to cultivate an aggressive image, and if you've done that successfully I think he can pay you off with enough worse hands to make it profitable.

In this spot when the board comes out paired in a 3bet pot and you get lead into, what better way to look weak than to put in a flop raise? You said that by just calling it keeps in his air, but if he does have air he is unlikely to pay you off in later streets (maybe a second barrel on the turn but that's about it). However if he does hold AA/KK you can basically get it in on this flop as he is never folding. By raising the flop and bombing the turn it keeps flop floats in your range and since he knows you are capable of such a move a big overpair in this spot for him is essentially the nuts as your only value range in this spot is 10x and 99.

Just wanna say , good luck today sir, hope you crush!

As someone who has lived in Los Angeles my entire life, I can tell you that San Vicente is easily the most f***d up street in the city. It runs from the beach all the way past downtown, mostly East-West, sometimes North-South. And it actually disappears completely for several miles from Beverly Hills to West LA.

That being said, I enjoy your posts. Keep em up and good luck.

wow very good thread, really enjoy it. Good luck OP hope you achieve your goal!

Sunday Wrap-Up

Michael Vick recently won a humanitarian award. 2Pac is still alive. Rumnchess had a winning Sunday.

These three scenarios all seem about equally unlikely, but I did in fact conjure up a winning Sunday of MTTs. Part of my online downswing the last few months has been maintaining around even from Monday-Saturday (without rakeaback) and then promptly losing 3-5k every Sunday, from MTTs and the ensuing tilt they create.

Happy to report that I made two final tables last night, coming 8th of 1200 or so in the $75 rush for $1,700 and winning the 30rebuy for $8,300. Overall up about $6,500 on the day.

Before I get to Day 3, I'll answer a few questions.

@Those that want to raise the river in Day 1, Hand 4...I'm really not a fan. I think even this opponent can talk himself into folding a King here. I could be wrong but I think at least 50% of the time or so, he bet/folds a king when I jam. It's possible he would've bet bigger on the river with a FH, but QQ still seems like one of his most likely hands based on how the entire hand was played. His value range on the river is just so narrow and I'm not convinced that JT is sufficiently ahead of it, or at least ahead of the range that calls my shove enough of the time.

@Hagbard celine - I thought you played well at Mirage. There were a couple goofy thins you did with sizing, like when you made that giant 4bet vs. me preflop, though I suppose if you want to avoid variance that sizing is OK as it assures you will never get flatted. I thought the way you played the JJ vs me as fine / optimal. Personally, I'd probably open just a few more pots, but as you could probably tell I play pretty hyperlag in live cash. Was good to meet you too, and hope to see you around again at the tables!

@Savatage - I'm being stake at the moment so "bankroll" is not a concern per se. I've never had a stoploss though generally if I'm getting killed, there's a point where "I can't take it anymore." I might've pushed the envelope a bit on Saturday.

@csstevens - Def think a flop raise is fine and could be best. Have heard some pretty decent arguments on both sides of that, but lets just say at the end of the day I'm fine with my decision to flat (and likely raise a lot of turns or rivers; even though I didn't raise riv when I boated up :P)

OK...deep breaths...

Day 3

Daily Profit: ($6,380)
Total Profit: $($4,740)
Hours Played: 9
Total Hours Played: 22
Total Hourly: ($215)
Daily $SIT: $19 (probably $11 of this is tips to the chip runners)
Total $SIT: $63
Self Grade: B-

[I]OK. Where to begin? Ironically this session was not marked so much by a series of enormous coolers or bad beats, but rather by a period of nine hours where I can't recall even once getting two streets of value out of a hand let alone three. Multiple times I was forced to bet/fold flops, rivers or turns. I stone cold whiffed an extraordinary amount of flops and either c-bet/shutdown, or just shutdown.

I give myself a B-, factoring in a bit how I would expect my play to deteriorate under the circumstances. I definitely played badly, but I thought I kept my composure to some extent at the end. I took a few breaks to take deep breaths, eat hot dogs (rum, you fool), and do pushups (that's more like it).


Crucial, Interesting, or Entertaining Hands


Hand 1:

Preflop: I open AQo to $35 UTG+1 and get called only by a loose-passive Asian who has amassed a stack of $5,500 by dispatching of the table whale, and by routinely rivering strong holdings after calling down with little chance to improve.

Flop ($85): Q86 rainbow. I bet $45 and he calls me fairly quickly. Poor choice of bet sizing here - I think we can all agree something in the $50-65 range is better vs. this player as he's never folding any piece to a bet like that. $55 is probably optimal to ensure he calls with a gutshot or a 6.

Turn ($175): Q86 9. I fire out $100 and he snap calls me. At this point I'm feeling thrilled with my hand as he's the type to raise any two pair or straight here, but flat all his one pair hands. Again sizing is a bit small, especially on that card which might give him extra equity.

River ($375) Q86 9 8. Not the best card as I think 8x makes up a decent portion of his range. Nonetheless, I think it's a pretty clear bet/fold. Before I reveal the results here, I'd like to see what people like with sizing. Does anybody not bet/fold? Who check/decides? (I think check/fold would be awful if he bets small and check/call would be pretty bad if he bombs it). Does anyone bet/call?

Hand 2:

There is a couple that often plays at the Commerce who a friend of mine dubbed "the pornstars." They do in fact look like they might work in the porn industry. I've played with both quite a bit and they are an interesting twosome. The female pornstar, who posesses quite possibly the largest breasts I've ever seen in my life, is a very friendly woman who is pretty quiet at the table and somewhat erratic as a poker player. The male pornstar is somewhat arrogant and hates to be bluffed or owned in a hand.

This hand involves the male pornstar.

Pre: I open A2dd to $45 over 1 limp. The male pornstar, sitting $700 deep, 3bets me to $130 in position. He has a history of 3betting me quite wide, though I've often just folded to his 3bets. I'm already a bit on tilt and decide to call. Before people berate me on how bad of a call this is (shove or fold, rum, and just fold...you're 70 bbs deep for god sakes!), I understand that this is a theoretically incorrect call but I'm often willing to take some spots that are slightly -EV for the purposes of long term metagame. I'm also on tilt and have two cards that can make a straight flush with just three more to come! I call.

Flop: ($295) K52 rainbow with a diamond. Not an awful flop for me given that I believe his 3betting range to include a lot of hands like AT-AK, KQ-KT, QJ-QT, and maybe some speculative suited connectors, as well as some pairs. Obviously not a great flop, but I check, he bets $140, and I call.

Turn: ($575) K526. I check, he bets $410, and after about 15 seconds of thought, I call. I've learned over time to trust my poker instincts. I've made a lot of big "hero calls" playing live, and I've been right more than I've been wrong. In fact, I think my instincts about people are far and away the strongest part of my game. The tilt I induce when I own people in this fashion is also very +EV, and I feel little to no shame when I'm wrong, so there is no inverse -EV associated. In fact, I'm usually very happy to confidently roll my four high bluff when called, as I enjoy seeing the looks of confusion on people's faces as they're trying to figure out what kind of straight a 43s makes on 976K2.

But even if we dismiss these supposed "instincts" as rubbish, lets analyze the hand from an academic standpoint. What sorts of hands is he really shoving here? Certainly JJ or QQ are almost certainly checking back, perhaps with the intentions of picking up bluffs on the river, or perhaps with the intentions of making a tough river decision if I lead. He could be turning a smaller pair into a bluff, certainly, but I don't believe this player is 3betting small pocket pairs, so he'd have to have something like 54s or A5o, but I think even these hands are often either checking the flop or checking the turn.

Anyhow, I called, and the river was an offsuit 9 and he said "one pair" and looked reluctant to roll his hand. I waited for him to roll his hand, as the rules state that in an all in situation the all in player should roll first. In any event, a third player stated that he wanted to see both hands so I rolled my hand and he rolled A9o.

Would I have posted this hand if he had AK instead? Absolutely. I want to try to post the most interesting hands I play, period. If he had shown AK, I still would not have regretted calling, because I know a lot about the psychology of this player. He hates to get owned, and he is willing and capable to run bluffs so that he will "not get pushed around". He hates to give up on a pot when he's already invested a lot of money into it.

In fact, I recall a hand a month or two ago where I raised JJ and we saw a four-way pot. It came AQ3 and we all checked to the male pornstar, who bet 100 into 150 and it folded back to me. I probably should have folded right there, but I called. The board ran out bricks, and I called down, including a large bet on the river, and he showed AK. While my flop call is extremely marginal (read: bad), I think my calldown was correct vs. this player as he absolutely cannot stand giving up when he has the initiative.

In any event, this 3outer rattled me probably more than it should have, and, coupled with an extraordinary amount of-strong starting hands whiffing flops, led to some poor play. By the way "ownage EV" usually only works when you win the pot, so even though I technically did own the male pornstar, he was definitely less likely to tilt after this pot than I was. Humans are inherently results oriented!


Hand 3:

Pre: I wake up to JJ in the HJ and raise to $65 over two limps. The female pornstar calls, as do both limpers.

Flop: ($275). 922dd. One of the limpers leads out for $85. He's an older guy and he's likely leading a lot of hands like 66-88 to "see where he's at", as well as some 9x and some FDs. I flat. The female pornstar now surprises me by raising to $285. She sometimes makes moves when checked to (earlier in the session I c/c two streets after raising pre on AKT6 with KJ and ended up chopping with her J9s on a Q river), but rarely makes moves in multiway pots. That said, I can say confidently that she doesn't have any 2x in her range, other than maaaaybe A2s, and that she doesn't play nines full this way. The leader folds and I call.

Turn: ($930) 922dd 3x. I check, she bets $500 leaving herself $500 behind. I hmmm and hawww and finally decide to jam. She humms and hawws and eventually calls. What do we think she has here? How do we feel about my play in the hand? I'll include the results later in the thread.

Hand IV AKA The Worst Played Hand in History:

I won't even include any commentary here because I think we can all see why this hand was played terribly by me. After this hand, I decided that I was clearly sufficiently rattled from losing 600 BBs in the session, and decided to pack it up.

Pre: I raise JTss over two limps to $50. Both players call (one is the LP Asian).

Flop: ($165) 663ss. Checks to me and I check back my FD.

Turn: ($165) 663ss Ax. The LP leads for $60 and I call.

River: ($286) 663ss Ax 2x. Both check. He rolls over QTo and scoops the pot.

I leave you humbly with this tragedy of a session. However, the last 24 hours have been good to me. I had a winning Sunday, and I just saw Inception, which was a phenomenal film. Ellen Page was my best friend from the age of 11-15, and she's become a truly incredible actress, and someone I can confidently say will never lose her humility or forget her roots. DiCaprio was fantastic as always. This movie had everything -- plot, character development, intellectual components, complexity, badass action sequences, and aesthetic appeal. The ultimate film really, and it's easily found it's place in my top 5 list.

Today I'll play Day 4 (I've decided to count days by Days that I play, and not calendar dates, though I anticipate only taking one more day off play). Don't think I've given up on the goal, and I expect to put in very high volume over the next few days.

-RUM

I heard the max BI at NL500 is $200 at Commerce. Is the policy for NL1k+ just as bad?

nice day on the mtt scene, rum

LOL @ the cab story, you're a good human being.

1A) I don't hate the snap fold, he prob has 9X or a draw he's not interested in folding. The times you're wrong hurt a lot more, are probably a lot more frequent, and don't compensate for the times you're right.

1) Fold flop if you're snap folding on the turn vs a player who prob isn't raising T9 otf. Described player doesn't seem like the type to find out where he's at, and I think it's optimistic in this situation. That being said, I probably never fold in real time otf, but I think I always know I should be considering it way more heavily than I am.

2) My only qualm with this hand is preflop, I like squeezing obviously vs two loose players, but hate this particular hand to do it with, esp when we're going to be OOP. Other than that, wp, and obv preflop can't be that bad.

3) He just knows you have AA exactly and unfortunately doesn't have 56 or the right pot odds to call with a set. He could call with the flush draw but the flush card might pair the board, so prob better to just be safe here and fold in his spot. NH.

What are the poker tables like at the Crown in Melbourne and what is the BI rule there for 500nl or 1knl? Do they allow 100bb?

@ rnb - 500 minimum / 1500 max, tho they also spread a 400 game. $400 buyin only.
@ Elisavet - I was there during the millions so there was tons of action, but there should be 2/5 every day ($500 max) and I'd guess 5/10 on the weekends but maybe evenings as well (that game was $500-$2k iirc, and very often was with a mandatory straddle so it played big)
@ all - Stayed in Irvine for one more day of MTTs as backer wanted me to play 1k monday. Final tabled Turbo hundo so that was good, but I really need to get back to Commerce for the challenge. Going back tmrw morning for sure. Goal is 10-11 hrs per day for the next 4 days to get some hours in. Also need to get some exercise in

Ok rum on your Day 3 debacle. =-)

Hand 1. Id bet/fold $220. Your still geting called by worse Qx and some worse pairs.Obv a raise only reps an 8 but as an 8 is a big part of villians range I'm sure we can fold.

Hand 2. Pornstar refs are hilarious, things like this make your blog sooo interesting to read.
You have a book in you man .Seriously!!
I think calling the 3bet is absolutly questionable.but not terrible.
Your read on this guy makes it very +ev for you to play pots with him so your call down is actually very impressive.nh sir.

Hand 3. I'm sure you almost always have the best hand here although I wouldnt be at all surprised to see her roll over QQ+ in this spot.
Her flop raise vrs too playes is almost always for value but hardly ever a 2 (which i dont think she ever raises or 99 which I dont think she raises.
In fact she will prolly call A9 in this spot.

The range i giver her for raising the flop is TT+/AK/AQ .
I would call the flop, and if she fired again on the turn, it would be close , but id prolly make a nitty fold.

Good luck today sir.

**** the commerce, stupid ass $1/$2 games and my friend runs bad @ $10/$20 NLH

1) $280 or $310. B/f is the way to go, IMO.

2) NH. I actually like this call a lot based on player description, and the fact that he's probably the type to bluff with A hi quite a bit in this spot, so we have a blocker as well. I'm often wrong more than I am right when I make hero plays. It's like I'll think about the hand, come to the correct conclusion, then look for an excuse in their body language to make the opposite play.

3) Seems perfect based on all your reads, I'm guessing she got tricky with Qs+ based on the story.

IV) Wow I thought that last hand was going to be so much worse, but yeah I see your point, you of all people who knows you don't need to do balance to avoid being exploited should just always bet flop here. Turn and river seem OK to me, you could raise turn, because your hand looks a lot like A hi OTF and you can likely have AK when he almost never can. Betting river is so blehhhh cuz you get snapped by an ace so often.

good luck rum, stay away from super turbos!