Quote:
Originally Posted by hngry2greedy
Loved this last write up. You've got a penchant for prose.
I don't want to pile on, but I second WiCane's suggestion for tightening up in these situations. I'll preface this by saying you're a much better player than I ever was, but having made a couple of deep runs in liveaments there's a lot to be said for adjusting your playing style depending on table. I've definitely had some table draws with a bunch of heroes where I've been content to sit back and let them battle it out for hours on end. Even despite the nitty image, I never really struggled to get action when I did venture into a pot at these types of tables. Try to remind yourself that these multi-day events are marathons not sprints. Don't be too scared of the occasional dwindling of chips either. Its rare that you're going to wire-to-wire a 50+ bb stack to glory.
QJhh could warrant some discussion. I'll just comment on pre, which I believe to be pretty standard to peel there. Unlucky on the bust out hand.
Thanks for the kind words - it’s always nice to hear I’m not writing and ranting to myself like a lunatic.
You’re right regarding my mindset; seems to be my biggest problem shifting from both online & live ring cash games to large-field MTTs. The “marathon not sprint” cliche is one I tell myself I’ve internalized when clearly I keep reading and hearing those words, yet continually bomb MTTs in the middling, barely before the bubble pops, phases. I get win-every-pot syndrome to the point where I give good players no credit for the strength of their ranges and level myself.
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That said, I felt as sharp as ever in my first live 5/10 session since February. 5/10 at the Venetian, in for $2100 out for $2300:
Ok admittedly I went to the Venetian expecting to play tournaments. Little did I know that they move all tournaments over to the Sands Expo Hall during wsop, so dreading the walk in 115+ degree sunlight I said, “**** that pussy ass tournament ****” and put my name on the 5/10 list for the first time in a while. Felt good.
Sitting on $1300ish before I took this picture as I dump $900 early: BB is a portly middle-eastern guy who fits the Chaldean gambling stereotype. We get it in with him easy after he 4b rips A2o, cold calls 4b with A6o and KJhh:
utg open to 40, I cold call from SB, BB whale sticks $320 and I jam for the rest of his $900, he has KK and we reload asap with the rest of the $2100 I brought with me.
After about two hours of growing my stack by trying to steal every pot I could vs a mix of middle-aged recs and bad regs, I dump off $300 squeezing pre kinda light and getting called, then running into gross boards. One bad reg seat-changes as fast as she can to my right. My image is perfect to get the max from fat value hands:
A8cc on the button. MAWG opens CO to $40, I flat, whale in SB comes along, BB calls. I’m at $1700 and CO covers.
873 flop (one club, two hearts) checks through. I bet this flop when checked to sometimes.
9c turn checks to me, I bet $110, rest fold, CO calls.
Jr river, CO leads for $200. I’m pretty confused but the only thing I can really see is to raise and I make it $460. CO calls after some thought with... KJhh. nice call by him
I’m then on $1100 when I get lucky and this hand happens my next SB:
Tight woman (but bad reg) opens $40 from HJ. I 3b 74ss from SB to $140, BB (whale still sitting on his case $400) cold calls, unexpectedly. HJ calls (and covers).
Q63 (one spade) flop, I continue for $90 as I would with a healthy portion of my range (qx+, a2-a5s, monkey bluffs you can see i 3b with) here. HJ calls.
5s binks turn, which goes x/x. Often times deeper OOP on dry-ish boards I’ll check nuts with flush draws and bet those without as a nice way to balance both ranges.
Qd river, I ask the dealer to spread and push around the pot a little bit. Of course this is to give a gambly image to what I’m actually doing, which is adding the damn pot in my head (it’s so ****ing simple, no idea how so many live “pros” can’t do 140x3 + 180)
After that I decide to think about value bet sizing when something struck me: won’t I get the most if I stuff the rest of my stack, $900?
I jam, she calls quickly, I confidently table my 74ss, and this woman I’ve never seen before does this silent-giggle thing. It’s a look of forced bemusement, a less-confrontational version of the “honey, he three bet me with 74!” rant every ****-reg at every casino has in their arsenal when they can’t believe someone has a hand they would never have.
Sorry for the rant, but live wanna-be pros are the most annoying people group of people - perhaps outside of virulent racists and elected officials - I’ve ever met. They ***** and moan at the whales dumping huge stacks, they ***** when they get unlucky, they moan when they do get lucky (“yeah where’s this when I need it?”), they ***** about the floor, half the dealers, the room, the rake, the other ****-regs, the chips, the room food, and just about every topic the table tries to be sociable about.
Corollary: good pros who are sociable, or at the very least polite, often are amongst the most interesting people and fun to play against.
tldr: If you wear an Upswing Poker t-shirt and 3 Bet! hat to a 5/10 table, I will make fun of you when you get stacked.
Some other hands but I’m done writing about a session I netted like $180 in. Nice to have a winning day this summer
xl