S/E Double Chance Last Night

ianmc38

Ventured in to the SE for the first time. Very impressed. Fantastic place. nicely laid out, nice staff, good atmosphere.

So anyways, onto the poker. 60 runners altogether. First 4 orbits i didn't see a face card, got an unbelievable amount of 27/28/48/29/69/5T style hands. Had my blinds robbed on every orbit. AT level 2 I picked up KQ twice in the cutoff. Raised both times, once picking up the blinds from 5 limpers and the second time picking up about 800 when i flopped top pair.

Went card dead for 2 levels, 8s9s being the only playable hand that i folded after 2 reraises before me. My table was very loose, 1 maniac in particular who was limping with aces and calling 16xBB raises with 34suited(which of course he hit a flush with). Anytime i raised him, he always called it with anything. There was also another guy who was willing to call any raise with A rag.

At the start of level 4 I picked up AJ in the cutoff. A few limps before so i raised to 600, leaving me about 750 in chips. Maniac was my only caller and with the flop A52, i immediately pushed. Extraordinarily, he turns over 5s7s, with no flush draw on the table and of course turns a 5 and i'm calling for the second half of my chips.

Decided then with the blinds already at 100/200 i was going to have to start playing more aggressively. I also started picking up a few hands and doubled through with KQ and AK. Stack was now at a healthy 6k and i was now chip leader on the table. Then picked up AsJs UTG and raised to 1000. Maniac UTG+1 came over the top for another 1150. I decided to call knowing i was behind. Then came the dream flop of JJ2. I checked and he pushed the rest of his stack in that i just about covered. He turned over pocket tens that didnt improve and i was a healthy chip leader.

Didnt play another hand until the break at which point i had a quick look i at the stacks on other tables. I decided i was going to tighten up until the aggressive players had knocked each other out. But then, straight after the break i look down to see AdKd. A few callers and the button limps as well. i duly raise to 2k. Folded around to the button who smooth calls. Very tight player and i was already very aware of his limp. Flop comes QT4. He checks and i bet 2k. he immediately pushes for about 4.5k. I dont even have a backdoor flush draw and have doubt that the A/K will be worth anything if they hit, so i reluctantly fold. He shows me pocket queens under the table. So ive been knocked down to 7k or so and go totally card dead.

5pin5 got knocked out and Ollyk1 joined my table. Everyone was dropping like flies now and every hand there were monster raises coming in. Had nothing to play with so had to keep folding. Olly got crippled on a big hand and was left with 700. With blinds at 300/600. I look down at AK and raise it up again. Folded around to Olly(the BB). he's already all-in and turns over Ah7h which doesn't improve and he's gone.

Down to 2 tables and i get moved to table 1(2 left) with about 6.5k in chips. Third hand pick up KK and with a push before me, i push again(i should have smooth called here i think, but got a little excited). She turns over 59 and i pick up the an extra 2k or so.

Blinds up to 500/1000 and i try limping with 9dTd. get raised by the chip leader and lay it down. He gets a caller and turns over AdKd. Pheew. A few orbits more and i havnt a hand again. I have to fold AT, A9 and AQ, each time a good fold as i was miles behind(AT and KK, QQ and AA).

Down to about 5k and the blinds are now crippling at 800/1500. I'm UTG+1. Look down at a pair of 2s and push(right move? opinions please!). Chip leader is the only caller and he flips over 99 which takes it down and i'm gone in 13th. Quite disappointed, as i was in prime position at the break, but overall i thought i played pretty well and enjoyed my first live tourney in the SE.

Straight after i moved onto the hodlem PL cash table and got put beside Eddie the Eagle. An absolute gent and was chatting to him for ages. He was pretty p*d off about all the press coverage Steve Davis got for the €250 freezeout in Citywest as it was actually the Eagle who took it down. Won €300 or so, which was ok.

1 annoying hand went like this:

In the cutoff i get 45o. Everyone limps to me. I limp as well and the BB raises it 10. Everyone calls the raise. In hindsight, this for me is an autocall with any 2 cards, yet for some reason i folded. The flop comes 445 and i have to laugh when UTG and UTG+1 both stick in €200 each. Story of the night at that table for me really. Folded 46 from late position and flopped the nut straight. Folded T7 and flopped the nut straight. Unreal.

Great night though and will definitely go back soon. Only problem is being in work at 9am this morning and having to deal with the exhaustion after getting home at 4am.

kinaldo

i want to read it but my head hurts, more paragraphs needed

ianmc38

Done.

kinaldo

rock

ionapaul

Glad to see the SE slowing getting the numbers in, regularly 6/7 tables for their two mid-week Double Chance tournies. Nice place to play, and currently the standard of player is a little behind the Fitz, more inexperienced players. Plus they have the best looking dealer in Dublin working there and some lovely waitresses!

I would defo have pushed with those ducks in your position, if called you were most likely going to be at best 50% but you aren't always going to get a caller.

ianmc38

Quack quack

Culchie

Nice Report.

Seemed like you played a good tourney. Only thing I would say, is that I would have pushed earlier (with anything).

When down to 3BB's you have no power and no-one is afraid of you. You only double up if called to 6BB's.

That's not a criticism, more food for thought.

Otherwise good tourney.

kinaldo

mick, did u win the fitz double chance on tuesday?

Culchie

kinaldo wrote:

mick, did u win the fitz double chance on tuesday?

Yes, though thank you for the rollercoaster ride !

ollyk1

Hey Ian,

Nice to meet you last night. I disagree with you 100% on tightening up after the break. The blind levels are shortened to 20 minutes after the break and you tightened up when you had a stack to try and accumulate chips. You never really stood a chance of making decent money with that strategy unless you got really lucky. I think the fact you were unfamiliar with the dynamics of that particular tournament showed and if you played it again you wouldn't do this.

Personally I play the reverse style in that situation. Pretty tight (for me anyway just ask rounders ) before the break and I aggressively loosen up to try and get a real tank going after the break before the blinds eat me and while I can still hurt people enough to make them laydown cards. Of course sometimes it works and sometimes dominated Ace rag merchants hit their stinking kicker and get out of jail on me!! :rolleyes:

Anyways thats just my humble thoughts on it.

P.S. Ionapaul you should have been in their last night all the quality waitress were on duty and can I just once again reuse your line "God bless the EU":p

kinaldo

Culchie wrote:

Yes, though thank you for the rollercoaster ride !

well done man, nice comeback!

Dub13

I think I will give the SE another chance now that the numbers are up...I will head into one of the Double Chance games next week.


I will have a Micky fit if they cancel it.

ianmc38

ollyk1 wrote:

Hey Ian,

Nice to meet you last night. I disagree with you 100% on tightening up after the break. The blind levels are shortened to 20 minutes after the break and you tightened up when you had a stack to try and accumulate chips. You never really stood a chance of making decent money with that strategy unless you got really lucky. I think the fact you were unfamiliar with the dynamics of that particular tournament showed and if you played it again you wouldn't do this.

Personally I play the reverse style in that situation. Pretty tight (for me anyway just ask rounders ) before the break and I aggressively loosen up to try and get a real tank going after the break before the blinds eat me and while I can still hurt people enough to make them laydown cards. Of course sometimes it works and sometimes dominated Ace rag merchants hit their stinking kicker and get out of jail on me!! :rolleyes:

Anyways thats just my humble thoughts on it.

P.S. Ionapaul you should have been in their last night all the quality waitress were on duty and can I just once again reuse your line "God bless the EU":p

I understand where you're coming from,but with the rags i was getting i couldn't do anything as there always seemed to be raises before me. Was a pleasure meeting you though. Enjoyed the bit of banter.

(1 of the reasons for the tightness being the 2 A rag merchants sitting at our table calling any all-in/large raise with A2/A4/A6. Unbelievable)

2 other things about the Eagle as well. For one, he likes to see every flop. Secondly, he also loves to bet the pot with J2o when UTG on a AK4 rainbow flop. Couldn't help but laugh when he stole that one and showed me.

Gholimoli

ianmc38 wrote:

I understand where you're coming from,but with the rags i was getting i couldn't do anything as there always seemed to be raises before me. Was a pleasure meeting you though. Enjoyed the bit of banter.

(1 of the reasons for the tightness being the 2 A rag merchants sitting at our table calling any all-in/large raise with A2/A4/A6. Unbelievable)

2 other things about the Eagle as well. For one, he likes to see every flop. Secondly, he also loves to bet the pot with J2o when UTG on a AK4 rainbow flop. Couldn't help but laugh when he stole that one and showed me.

sounds like a good tourny,
the onyl thing comes in to mind as Culchie pointed out was ,you shouldnt really wait at all when your just about 5BB.when you get around to less than that you really have no FE what so ever.
you mentioned that you folded a couple of A9 and other A mid kickers and you also said that it was a good fold everytime as you were miles behind.
the fact is ,with a hand like A9 you should deffo take a gamble when you only have something like 4 or 55 BB left if you think you can heads up.
it dosent matter that you think your behind,even if you know your behind you should deffo take the gamble.
the only hand that you really dont have much of a chance against is AA.
you have 3 outs even against KK.
last night i was playing in a tourny and 3BB left.
every one folded to me and i pushed with Q8s.
BB calls me with AKs.flop comes QQx .i win the hand and double up.i had 6.5BB.
next hand every one folds to me and i push with K2s.
every one folds and i pick up another 1.5BB.
now i have 8BB.couple of hands latr i pick up QQ and push and get called with JJ.i win ,now i have 16BB and a comfortable position for final table.
had i lost my Q8s i would not have cared at all.i would still do it even if i saw BB had the hand he had.

ianmc38

Gholimoli wrote:

sounds like a good tourny,
the onyl thing comes in to mind as Culchie pointed out was ,you shouldnt really wait at all when your just about 5BB.when you get around to less than that you really have no FE what so ever.
you mentioned that you folded a couple of A9 and other A mid kickers and you also said that it was a good fold everytime as you were miles behind.
the fact is ,with a hand like A9 you should deffo take a gamble when you only have something like 4 or 55 BB left if you think you can heads up.
it dosent matter that you think your behind,even if you know your behind you should deffo take the gamble.
the only hand that you really dont have much of a chance against is AA.
you have 3 outs even against KK.
last night i was playing in a tourny and 3BB left.
every one folded to me and i pushed with Q8s.
BB calls me with AKs.flop comes QQx .i win the hand and double up.i had 6.5BB.
next hand every one folds to me and i push with K2s.
every one folds and i pick up another 1.5BB.
now i have 8BB.couple of hands latr i pick up QQ and push and get called with JJ.i win ,now i have 16BB and a comfortable position for final table.
had i lost my Q8s i would not have cared at all.i would still do it even if i saw BB had the hand he had.

Well i moved to the table at the 400/800 level with 6k in chips or so, so i had more than 6xBB. I understand that i folded 3 big hand in A9, AT and AQ. But, in each case i had no chips in the pot and still had 5xBB when the level went up to 500/1000, so i knew there'd be a betetr spot to double-up. When the blinds went up to 800/1500 i was UTG+1 so waiting would have crippled me and i was going to push with any 2.

Also note iwasn't heads-ip in any of the 3 hands above. There were multiple players in each pot. The only tempter was AQ as that was a 4 way pot and i could have quadrupled, but that was a raise, reraise and rereraise before i had even acted, so was an easy fold as the rockets were obviously in someones hand 2 of the raisers were tight aggressive rocks.