I headed over to the game early and had to wait about an hour for everyone to show up. There were eight of us all together; just the regulars. The tournament was our usual $10 buy in with $20 in chips. Blinds started at 25 and 50 cents and doubled every thirty minutes.

The table was pretty loose because a certain player had the table busted open after “running through” the earlier cash game in just 3 hands.

Anyways, one player was eliminated early, before I even played a pot. I can’t complain about that because this particular “jackal” is dangerous and I was happy to see him go. I finally picked up a pair of nines and raised $2 before the flop with blinds still at 25 and 50 cents. I got four callers. I guess everyone wanted to “splash around” with their junk cards. The flop was 7 5 2. I was first to act and bet $5. That was enough to scare everyone out. Honestly, I couldn’t believe nobody called the $5 bet on the flop because that couldn’t have been a real bad flop for the cards my callers must have been holding.
I made about $9 off of that pot and was 3rd in chips at this point.

I was up to about 40 in chips when I got involved in a hand with a “raising mouse”. I had jack 10 off in the big blind and it was folded around to the mouse in the small blind who RAISED $2. (That’s weird) I decided to splash around (figuring he had AA, KK, or QQ) because this guy doesn’t stop betting when he has a monster, and if I could out-flop him I would have all of his chips. I called with J 10.

The flop was K Q 3; not bad for me since I flopped the nut straight draw. J 10 is the only hand that gives you the nut straight no matter how you hit it. A-K-Q-J-10, K-Q-J-10-9, Q-J-10-9-8, J-10-9-8-7 are all nut straights if you hold jack 10. (This is assuming that there isn’t a four card straight on the board.)

The timid mouse just bet $2 more so I called. He bet $2 on the turn and I called. The river brought me no help as the mouse made a MOUSEY $3 bet on the river, so I had to fold. He didn’t even have to show those 2 red aces but he did anyway. I called him down for one reason. If I had hit a 9 on the turn or river I am %100 sure that I bust him out on that hand because this mouse is not cagey enough to get away from those pretty aces. A solid player would have probably realized that I was drawing after the flop and ran over me with a hefty bet on the turn. I would have done the same thing to the other mouse at the table.

Another interesting hand involved a mouse and our resident elephant. Blinds were at $1 and $2 and the mouse only had about $9 left in the big blind. The elephant called the blind of course and the mouse checked. The flop cam out A 4 3 and the elephant bet $2 the mouse reraised all in and the good ole elephant called. The mouse turned over A 3 giving him 2 pair and a big lead to the J 4 of his opponent. Turn J ; River J ! And the mouse was gone. I had to mention that horrible beat.
So we’re down to 3 and I am the short stack, very short. Blinds were at $3 and $6. I was in the small blind with only about $15.25 left. I looked down at pocket 10s and moved in. I was called by the chip leader. A crafty animal; Hmmm we’ll call him “The Aardvark.” He had a suited A 7 clubs. I could have had junk in this spot just as easy as 10-10 and would have probably HAD to do the same thing. Long story short, the 10s held up and I had new life, but still short.

I kept the heat on for a few hands moving in 2 or 3 more times with no callers until …
The blinds were at $4 and $8 and I was on the button with K 10 off. I pushed in the rest of my chips against the aardvark who reluctantly called with his Ad Q off. So, I’m in trouble, 2 live though. The flop came Jd 6c Kd. I got lucky! Just when I thought I was in the clear the turn brought the 10 of diamonds, giving “The Aardvark” the nut straight with the nut flush draw. Well I am in intensive care now with only 4 outs left. The river came 10! Wow, what a hand. I filled my 2 pair on the river to “resuckout” on that slimy Aardvark. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it.

The last key hand I want to mention was when I was chip leader. I was in the small blind and limped in with Q 5 the big blind checked. The flop came A-Q-9 I checked and the big blind moved in for his last $17 in chips. I figured he had a Q because there was no raise before the flop but how could I call with a 5 kicker? I had about $50 in chips so if I made this call and lost then I am not out. I also have a chance to knock out the last good player in the tournament. He is also short stacked which makes me think that he almost has to move in here, yet he is too solid to move in with nothing at all. I finally called and he turned over Q 2. Well it looked like a split pot was on the way but the river brought me a 5 sending him to the rail.

I beat Mr. Elephant in 2 hands and claimed $50 for W.

let us gogogogo

looks like we found the kiddie game

While you have a point, if the stakes affect the play....


expand the stakes by a factor of 10-100x and then analyze the play.

bloggerbane for mod.

bloggerbane is God??

Try putting something like Trip Report, or Home Tourney Trip Report in your title, I think it'll make readers more receptive to your efforts.

Also, as far as the below:

I understand you're new here, but for future reference just assume that the readers here understand the basic mechanics of the game. When you throw in something like this it sounds like you're either talking to beginners or being incredibly condescending.

So, in your trip report, its fine to say something like, "then the third club hit on the turn but I bet again with my set, and he re-raised pretty strongly, so I put him on the flush, but called anyway with my ten outs." but if you add "you see, with a set if the river pairs any of the three cards on the board not involving your set pair up you make a full house (that's nine outs) and you can make quads from your set (another out, for a total of ten)" you're going to get real annoying real fast.

In other words, telling us your reasoning or strategy is probably fine, teaching us game mechanics - annoying.

/end posting style lecture.

Welcome to the forum.

OK, will do.

Somebody is reading Hellmuthhhhhhh.

Hellmuth + Super System (love the JT always makes nut straights part) = bloggerbane?

I like his style though

Its also wrong... Do you see why?

No, Why?

Any two cards 10+ do it.

KQ? QJ?

I said if you are holding J 10. Maybe I wasn't clear.

Actually you said J-10 is the only holding that gives you the nut straight no matter how you hit it (assuming no four card straights on board). Obviously hands like KQ do as well.

I just assumed what you meant to say was that it the only holding that makes the full complement of straights using both hole cards (four), for which every straight is the nut straight. [KQ, for example, only makes two such straights, but they are both the nut straight.]

This is a well known concept particularly since Lee Jones mentioned it in his book, Winning Low Limit Hold 'Em. There was a time that virtually every serious low stakes player had read that book, although that's less true now that 2+2 authors have low stakes books that are considered superior.

OK, I should've said J 10 is the only hand the will make 4 nut straights. (VS. 1, 2, or 3) I figured everyone would know what I meant.

First lesson on the Intranetz- bad assumption. No matter your intent, or how clearly you think you are detailing something, you can be easily misinterpreted
speaking from recent experience

Second lesson- let people work for it a little. Don't focus on 1+1+1+1+1= 5 unless someone asks for clarification.

Be as clear as you can, but be concise... and really think if some things are necessary.

(not a lecture, just some suggestions. Keep on keepin' on..)

Which more or less directly contradicts what Zetack said.