RandomEyes

Protecting your cards

Its really important in live poker. You have to take care you look at the cards in a way nobody else sees them, if the player next to you uses that to his advantage it is not cheating, you are solely responsible for your cards. But there is another reason. Its not so easy to cheat in poker, casinos have cameras and dealers change all the time. Also Texas hold em is dealt in such a way that is difficult to arrange the deck, one would have to arrange so many cards if one want to affect the deal. I was talking about this with one dealer who said this, and included that cheating for a dealer is no way worth the risk. He was of the opinion that hold em and omaha are among the fairest of games. That said I heard of a certain scam. A player on a table has a friend outside of the ring who looks for guys who look at their cards carelessly. He then positions himself behind that kind of a player and signals his friend at the table if you have a good hand or not. So, always protect your cards and dont let anyone stand too close behind. Generally casinos dont allow that to happen.

Helsinki Freezeout

The Helsinki Freezeout is one of my favourite tournaments, maybe because its my "homegame" and everything is very well organized. Today was the first day of 3000€ main event. I was pretty carddead the whole day and when I finally got all my chips in with 2 Aces it was only to find out the other guy had Aces also.

Later I did get very lucky though. I raised with QJs utg, only BB calls. Flop A 8 5 with my flushdraw. I bet 900, he raises to 2200. I decided to make a committing reraise to 6200 (I had 8k left) and figured the guy would fold AJ or such. Didnt put him on AK though as he just called from the BB. He went all in and I had to call, but I got there on the turn! The other hand happened much later, I raised utg with JJ with just over 20bb stack, utg +2 reraised me. He had a huge stack, so I thought there was a chance he was bullying me and went all in. He called with KK but I flopped the J! Some people were saying I should have folded that but I felt with my stacksize I cant be folding jacks there. Maybe they were right, still dont know...

There was 150 players at the start of the day, 58 continued for day2. Avg was around 51k, I had 41 000. Day 2 started with an awesome run I went up to 140k in just under 2 hours. But in no limit the stack can be in danger always, I lost it all in one hand going out in place 28th. I reraised a middle pos player who opened for 7k with AKs to 21 500 in the small blind. He had been opening quite a bit. He called (had about same stacksize). Flop came 345 and I put him on somekind of pair (def not higher than JJ) or maybe AQ. I checked, he bet 25k, and I moved all in for 100k more. I thought its pretty hard to call with hand like 99 because when he has the best hand I always have alot of out (10 in this case) but when I have the goods, he is drawing very slim to 2 outs. I was right about him having a pair, too bad it was 44 and he had me crushed with the set and my 4 outer didnt come.

Congratulations to new Live the Dream Team!

We had such an amazing weekend in Vienna and the result is a great new team which includes some of the very best players on Everest Poker. I want to congratulate all of them and say I cant wait to meet again and play with you on the tournament circuit!

Some livegames at Montesino, sick hand

Montesino card casino is a new cardroom in Vienna, if you are here and like playing cards, you should definetely check it out. They have lots of tables, competent dealers and great service. There s also lots of space, you wont get claustrophobic there. I ll be going there to play whenever I have time from Live the Dream.

Started today with 2/5€ no limit game and I managed to book a pretty nice win. Mostly due to this one sick hand. I was playing pretty loosely and raising and bluffing every other hand, but that didnt matter much in this hand, all our chips were going in, no matter what. I started by raising 20 utg, got 5 callers. Flop 3 4 8, not bad. I bet 80, got raised to 160 by the next guy. Button reraises to 360 and I push 850, the next guy calls his all in for 150 more, and the button calls also. Final pot was around 2100€. We all had flopped sets! One thing I learned from that hand. If you think you are the best player at the table, you really should buy in enough so you cover everybody else. Hate to sound greedy but the button still had 200 more that I could have won there, there was no maximum buy in for the table.

Arriving in Vienna for Live the Dream

This weekend we have momentous event with the second Live the Dream Final where 10 new players get the dream sponsorship package by Everest Poker. Feels very nostalgic to be here as I was one of the winners in the first event 2 years ago. If you made it this far, remember you are already a winner and get to spend a great weekend here in Vienna. Good Luck!

2 Bluffing hands

When you re bluffing the most important thing is to make sense. That you are representing a hand that you could have. Here is example of a bluff gone wrong and a good read by opponent.

I was playing in a 5/10€ livegame and was losing, so this is like a tiltbluff from me. Utg raises 25, gets 1 call, and I call with 94s from the BB. This is bit marginal and I think this is one of the times you cannot say what the correct play is, it depends on your opponents and how good they are. Flop 2 5 8 with 2 hearts. Raiser bets 70, caller folds. I decide to bluffraise this to 210 (not so great decicion, when bluffing its good to have at least some outs, my hand is total garbage with only one questionable overcard). The opponent asks how much I have and calls. I make the (correct) read that he is weak, maybe drawing (this was the main reason I continued with the bluff). Turn pairs the 5, and I bet 420, he calls. River is a blank 7 and I push all in the rest of my chips, 660€. He makes the call with 89. Good call, there s just not that many hands that can beat him. Its unlikely I have an overpair or that I m betting top pair so aggressively. So what am I representing here? 2 pair on the flop? 2 8 5, bit unlikely there. A set? Yes, possibly, but turn pairs the 5, most people wouldnt bet quads or 88 so strong there (correctly). When the turn paired I should have given it up. My opponent played well, since my betting didnt make so much sense he could call me down with a weak holding.

The next hand happens online and situation is basically same, I cant have that many hands so my range is polarised but I turn the thing around. 5/10 fullring, I call a raise in the cutoff with 66, flop comes Q J J with 2 spades. Raiser checks, I check. Turn is a Q, he checks, I bet 65, he calls. River is a 4 and he checks. A bluff here is pretty stupid since he called the turn, situation hasnt really changed at all by the river. Most of the time I would have bet the flop if I had a J or a Q, and my opponent knows this. He also knows that I know and he knows that to bluff at this spot would indeed be really stupid. So, that`s why I decide to do it and bet 165. Because he knows I m a smart player and couldnt possibly make so stupid a bluff. I believe I levelled him to fold A high there. So sometimes you can make even really stupid bluffs.

Day 2

Such a disappointment :( I started pretty good but as the blinds go up and people have so different stacksizes coinflips cant be avoided. I had 3 of them in a row. First AQs against 1010, then it was my turn to get 1010 against AQo and A10 vs 66. I lost all of them and went out on place 77.  Well, there was a 4th but I was a bit of an underdog there with A5s vs 1010, that pot was against even shorter stack. You need some flipping luck to win tourneys.

Amsterdam Master Classic main event day1

I arrived here in Amsterdam yesterday, the tournament week has been going on for few days but this time I m here only for the 6000€ Main Event. Day started with 342 players, 12k in chips, 25/50 blinds and 90 minute levels. Which is very nice, I like this structure. The game didnt start very well though, I was down to 7k in just 5 minutes. I flopped a flushdraw and a gutshot with 89s, hit my flush on the river only to see my opponents 105 flush. I was very happy he didnt raise the river, maybe I would have been able to get away, but maybe not. I managed to get my stack up steadily after that, hitting some draws and getting nice cards. Its been a very long day and I m due some sleep because we continue tomorrow quite early so I want to be rested. We are down to 157 players, the average is somewhere around 25k and I have 40 000 chips!

The Final Table

Final started with the following chips:

Degenerate1       528 529

Ronaldinho38      553 869

mac-poker          269 745

bearbeer             41 379

SneeuwUil          331 310

jklaean               173572

GABI14                52 256

Melarvinzz         482 324

palmao              188 576

RandomEyes       198 440

With blinds 3k/6k I only had bit over 30 bbs and I was one of the shorter stacks. The final started with some real action. Both of the smallest stacks bearbeer and Gabi14 went out right at the start (to palmao & SneeuwUil) closely followed by jklaen and palmao (to  and Melarvinzz and Degenerate1).  Blinds also raised to 4K/8k level with 1k ante and I was the smallest stack with 200k, all of the others having more than 300k. This meant I had to start being aggressive real fast if I wanted to have a chance at the top money. I went all in with 36s, KQ, 77, 44 and A7 in the next 12 hands taking the blinds every time, getting my stack up to 245k. Then being so active I got some action for my AA when mac-poker reraised me to 64k, I went all in 220k but to my surprise he folded. Saw one flop from the BB and stole the pot, up to 350k.

Lost 100k back when Ronaldinho bluffed me in a big pot. I just had the feeling my hand was good but somehow talked myself into folding, I m really mad at myself I folded this. Called a raise with KQ from BB, flop Q J 4, called 27k. Turn A, called 55k but folded when he bet 135k on the river. The Ace was a perfect bluff card for him, but I knew that and I was really close to calling him down.

Was back to the pushing game, All in with 88, A5s, Q8s, A8s Q10 taking all down without resistance, up to 272k.

The next couple of hands it was time for some more busts, Degenerate1 went down at place 6 to Ronaldinho. I guess he lived up to his name, he was with massive 900k lead when 8 left, quite a meltdown. Then mac-poker had to admit SneeuwUils JJ was better than his sixes. Down to 4. I m rising nicely on the payscale but in deep trouble with the smallest stack (272k, 548k,895k and 1104k) 

Went all in with A7s and Q10, got blinds. Normal raise with A7, got called, flop 7 2 5, conbet and got the pot. Melar raises my BB from SB, I push 89 he folds. Melar raises from button, I make a standard reraise (not all in) with 89 and he folds again. These 4 hands happened in a row, up to 340k. Decided to take it easy couple of hands so everybody wouldnt think of me as uber maniac. Got a walk and folded for one orbit. Then it was time to be the pain in the ass for Melar again, went all in against his raise with AJ, again he folded. 

Blinds up to 6K/12k, I go all in against SneeuwUils raise with 88. He folds. My stack 420k, others 385, 982 and 1029k. I push with 55. Melar raises my BB again, I push with A3. He folds like a good boy again. SneeuwUil raises, I push 33, he folds. A couple of normal raises and I get the blinds. 

Next time Melar just called from the SB and we saw a flop 4 J 7r which was beautifull since I had J7. I checked behind to trap and it works like charm as turn comes a Q. He bets, I raise he pushes with his flushdraw that had opened. 3 handed, 792k for me and 621, 1400k for snee & Ronald. I d come from small stack to be in the hunt for win.

Lost 500k pot. I raise button with Q8 snee calls from BB. Flop K 10 2 all spades, I have Q of spades. I con bet he raises. I figure we are too deep for me to push this but that his raise gives me good odds. Turn pairs my Q so I figure I got 4 extra outs and call his bet. In retrospect I think this was a mistake, I def would have folded without the Q.

Meanwhile Ronaldinho was getting the best of Snee who was down to 280k, Ronald almost to 2M, me 600k. Blinds staggering 7K/14k. Ronald raised on the button and I find AQ on BB so I decide to push. 43bb is just slightly much for this push maybe but I had been in the push mode so much this final table AQ looked like the nuts. It certainly wasnt against Ronalds AK and I was busted. Still I won 10 152$ for 3rd, cant be too disappointed since I was a shortstack most of the way on the Final Table.

I found it enlightening to look through this hand history, I dont do that so much, I guess I m a bit lazy and just want to play. But everyone should do that sometime, including me. I def found some "why did I do THAT?!?"  moments. In the heat of the moment you cant always be so analytical so it helps alot to go back and think.

Sunday 200+15 3rd, Biggest Pots

Biggest pots in the first hour I won with Aces. On the first one I maybe should have trapped the guy, but he had limp reraised me so I thought he might be strong enough to take the heat, instead he just folded for my repop. Almost one hour later I got them again and this time I got all the action I needed. Guy raises 200, 1 call, I make it 760. The raiser folds but the other guy calls me with KJ. I gotta tell you, this is a very bad idea. He could have folded even to the first 200 raise and it wouldnt have been a too tight play. But calling a big reraise as well, thats just asking for trouble. And thats what he got when the flop came 9 9 J and he couldnt get away from it, losing almost all his chips.

An hour went untill the next big pot, during that I increased my stack from 10k to 17k by winning small pots, hitting decent pairs on flop or just stealing. I lost all that 7k in a preflop all in pot, my 88 vs JJ. I flopped the 8, but river was nasty. Right after 2 smaller pots against shortstacks: 22 vs A8 I lost and A6 vs K6 I won.

Half an hour later 11k pot race: KQ vs 1010, I won. A couple of hands later I wake up with AA again, make a reraise against an opener who calls. He has less than the pot behind and he pushes on 9 J 6 flop. Showing A10 and no outs, bit of a gift again. Next one I raise with A6 from the middle, get minireraised so I m forced to call. K high flop goes check so I think he could have a hand like JJ, QQ, 1010. Turn comes an ace, I bet and he raises big. I think I was beat and folded.

Half an hour later the biggest pot so far: AA vs AK preflop all in, 42k pot. Its easy to win tournaments when you get Aces all the time and they hold. Bit later I decide to get cute and try a reraise bluff with 104s. Got called but tried another stab at the pot on A J 3 flop. That didnt work either so it was time to give up.

Now its 4 hours into the game, I have a nice stack of 75k and the blinds 400/800. I raise with K8s from the middle, get one call. Flop K J 5, instead of continue betting I decide to trap a little, and besides with this kind of kicker I dont need a huge amount of action, wont hurt to do a bit of pot control. Guy bets 3600, I call. Turn 4 goes check. River is a blank 2. I bet smallish 5200 trying to get a call from a weak hand or invite him to try a desperate bluff. And so he goes off raising to 15 600, which I snap off. He had A10.

Just a bit later I get into 2 small races that I win both: K10 vs 99 and 44 vs AK. Then right on the next hand I raise with 99 and get reraised. I thought I was being so active and showing hands like K8, K10 and 44 that maybe somebody got fed up with me so I pushed all in. It was a bit risky play since the opponent had a healthy stack and as is appears a good hand as well, JJ. I got the 9 on flop and went on to be a big chipleader at this point with 220k. Getting an AK 10 hands later and winning a flip against 99 made me a HUGE chipleader. This was about 5 hours into the game (game lasted 12 hours to finish) so there was well over a 100 players still in.

Ok, time to lose some hands in the next half an hour. Preflop all ins with KQ against shortstacks. First against KJ who got lucky and then vs AQ. Then I lost a bunch of chips with 66 when flop came J J 5 and I didnt quite believe him.

I raised with AJs and got reraised by a guy with 22 BBs, maybe I should have believed him but anyways went on to bust his AK. At this time I was at my worst. I think I played very good at the start and also on the final table but around 4 am I think the tiredness affected my game a bit. I lost my lead and 140k (leaving me 220K) of my chips with 99. I called a raise, flop came 7 8 J, the guy continue bet big and I decided to push it. This was at a 7 handed table and there was only 14 of us left, so maybe it was a good idea to make pressure with my big stack. Bit iffy hand, but anyways he snapped me with AJ and won. Also made a risky bluff in a reraised pot right before this one. I raised 10k with A3s, got reraised to 26k, I called. Flop of J 4 5 he bet 27k I made it 97k and got the pot. 

From this on I had to be carefull, blinds had gotten big and I didnt have a huge stack anymore, but we got to the Final Table quickly because few people busted so fast.