Deconstructing . . . ME

semibluff

Hey, hopefully mods wont mind - but im Using my 1000th post to try and get my deconstruction done.

Ive been playin alot lately, and i certainly havnt been playing my best poker.

There are alot of players here who have put in some serious hours against me in either tournie, or perhaps more recently cash, (who's games i serously respect) and id be very interested in any and all opinions directed my way.

Please dont hold back, theres alot id like to hear to re-iterate flaws ive seen in my own game, and so Id like to thank everyone in advance.

Let the games begin!

Requiem4adream

Sh1t i wrote a long reply and there was a Database Error or something it didnt come up! Anyway ... ill start ya off , played with ya once i can think of in GJP 1500 event, thought you played a very good game and showed impressive temperament in the way you dealt with your exit hand. I'd have probably flipped out!!

HH:

Board K 9 10 7 you ship all in with 9 10 the guy calls with 75o bottom pair no draw for a shed load of bbs , huge pot. To this day ive no idea what he was thinking, even what he said when you left "i thought he was at it"... i mean at what exactly!!!! Scandalous.... river 7 obv. In the top 3 sickest things ive seen in live poker. Total bs.

I'd have lost it i reckon but you took it pretty well considering, was impressed. Gl with this sorry dont have any constructive criticism!

Ste05

semibluff wrote: »

Hey, hopefully mods wont mind - but im Using my 1000th post to try and get my deconstruction done.

This is actually an absolutely perfect solution to these threads. 2+2 have their pooh-bah posts, here on boards when people meet a milestone post e.g. x,000 posts, they have earned the right to have a deconstruction done and it will also stop the board getting clogged up with them.

If someone has already reached a milestone and missed their chance for a deconstruction they can PM me and I will give them permission to start their own deconstruction thread once there isn't another already underway.

Ste05

semibluff

not all at once guys . . .

. . .

Interested to hear from all and any that have played at the same table as me, off the top of my head . . . Lloyd, MickSte, Rag2Gar, OzPoker, Delanec8, Primewise, OllyK, TheBlackThing, Dermot (if he's finished lurking ) Flushdraw, Russh, bottomFeeder . . . and plenty others

Thanks

smurph

semibluff wrote: »

not all at once guys . . .

. . .

Interested to hear from all and any that have played at the same table as me, off the top of my head . . . Lloyd, MickSte, Rag2Gar, OzPoker, Delanec8, Primewise, OllyK, TheBlackThing, Dermot (if he's finished lurking ) Flushdraw, Russh, bottomFeeder . . . and plenty others

Thanks

I think you should wait a bit, boards has been down alot of the day, something to do with database upgrade or something.

I don't have much table time with you, but only thing I can say is don't go on cash game tilt when you are knocked out of Tournaments. I know I have done it myself but am trying hard recently to curb that ....

ditpoker

semibluff wrote: »

not all at once guys . . .

. . .

Interested to hear from all and any that have played at the same table as me, off the top of my head . . . Lloyd, MickSte, Rag2Gar, OzPoker, Delanec8, Primewise, OllyK, TheBlackThing, Dermot (if he's finished lurking ) Flushdraw, Russh, bottomFeeder . . . and plenty others

Thanks

you're not gonna get much more than "you're good" etc. i also havent played against you in a long time. suffice to say i'd prefer you on someone elses table.

you, like lloyd, have graduated up levels compared to myself and with some success. any thoughts as to playing 10 x €50 games vs 1 x €500 games. i.e i've seen that you are playing bigger games. are you rolled for them? do you think playing at higher level effects your game?

Jayminator

Hi Donal,
Unfortunately I too aint had much table time with you of late so not a lot I can add. Its probably been a year since we played a tourny together. I ve always regarded you as a solid enough player who can get tricky when you want to.

I myself have found that I have lost patience in tournys and as a consequence have performed really badly in them in the couple I ve played since start of the year. Would the same thing be happening to you if you are saying you aint playing your ''best poker'' of late.

Just a thought.

Jay

TheBlackThing

Hi Donal, only played with you once afaik and it was in the 750 side event at the IPC this year. Found you to be a very sound guy and a good competent player.

How did you feel when we did the deal, were you happy to be dealing at that point or would you have preferred to continue?
Personally I was happy to deal, I've had a lot of big names at my table in the last year but Jim Reid was the only person who I felt I was out of my league with. Perhaps it was because we were the 2 big stacks and it was getting closer to the business end of things and I didn't particularly want to tangle with someone of his ability. Did you feel the same about Jim or would you have fancied your chances heads up?

At the final table, 4 left, I'm chip leader, you're second and Jim has dropped back a bit. Folded to Jim in sb, I'm bb, 5k/10k I think. He raises to 40k, I look down and have 6's, I do a count on his chips and raise to 120k total (thinking it has him covered). He says all in, I take it as a call and show my 6's, he shows 88 and collects the pot. He thought I was folding my hand by not calling his all in (fair enough as it was totally my own mistake).
Question is this - you're in my position and you know he has 88, its 40k more to call into a 260k pot, are you calling because you're priced in or folding to keep your chance of a deal alive?
The reason I'm asking this is because I was happy that my hand was declared dead at that point. The extra 40k in my stack meant more to me than the value of the pot. I think after the hand I still had about 200k.

Again 4 handed at the final table, you nearly eliminated the shortstack when you called his pf all in with AK, he had 77. You flopped a King and he turned a 7. If you had taken down that hand would you fancy your chances for the title? You would have been chip leader but only marginally from Jim and I.

I know we're supposed to tear you apart in these deconstruction threads but I honestly can't say anything bad about you as a player or a person.

Looking forward to an interesting read...

Eamonn

ollyk1

Hey Donal since you called me out by name to comment I guess I will :rolleyes::p

I actually pressed reply before but I couldn't think of anything constructive to say (and deconstructing threads aren't about being nice to people imho) The last time we played (cash game) you seemed to be on tilt to me and not playing well. Nothing in particular I could put my finger on but you were shortish stacked at the table and seemed to be bleeding cash during the session. If you are going to play a short stack you need to play very tight and just stick it in when a good spot presents itself as it generally does.

Otherwise just go home as money saved is money earned afterall.

Overall I thought that session was an aberration though as I've always had lots of respect for your game and I think you'd taken a few hits in the tournie earlier and you were just tilting a bit in that cash session is all. So no real conclusions beyond tilt less can be drawn :rolleyes:

As for your tournie game I think the last serious tournie we played was in CHL's and as usual I thought you were playing well post flop but I did think you were limping a little too liberally in the middle stages of the tournie with 30-40 BBs from poorish positions at a relatively strong table.

My advice in that particlar game would have been too tighten up a little preflop but you were definitely playing well on the flop and you are very good at disguising your hand strengths and you do tend to earn more then your fair share of pots.

Generally I would advise you to lay off the speech play and taking people on in the tilt stakes as it tends to make you vulnerable against the thinking players at the table who are observing. But your record is vastly superior to mine so if I were you I'd just ignore me.

Edit: Are we allowed to discuss the mustard king as a person in these threads.........this just got interesting...lol

SpencerJames

not qualified to give any advice, but all the above mentioned names i play reg with, interested to put a name to your post, its rory here reg in the se?

Glowingmind

SpencerJames wrote: »

not qualified to give any advice, but all the above mentioned names i play reg with, interested to put a name to your post, its rory here reg in the se?

.

Given that i've clocked up a fair few hours with the players you mentioned, i've probably played with you too, but i have no idea who you are. Any hints?

El Stuntman

Glowingmind wrote: »

.

Given that i've clocked up a fair few hours with the players you mentioned, i've probably played with you too, but i have no idea who you are. Any hints?

yes pics please

semibluff

thanks for opinions, Olly i agree with you re-tilt. Absolutle disregard for money, due to tournie exits. One of a few things ive seen ccreeping into my game that i have to reduce/cut out. thanks for all the opinions, keep em coming if possible.

Eamonn, ill give ya a detailed reply through pm - but FWIW i would have called with your hand. sbout 6.5/1 on your money, in a 82/18% hand. Also the chance of knocking out the player . . . i would have called. As for rest, ,check pm

LuckyLloyd

This post has been deleted.

semibluff

thanks lloyd - i think the deepstack was the sort of tournament were this complex thinking could work, and if you got caught or whatever it may be, the stacks were deep enough to get away from it (although i didnt on 1 occasion in particular). This isnt to say that this is the only system that worked, as you and gary played a very solid pre flop game, and obv benefitted from it.

I must get an A game rock to bring to the tables, esp when i play cash. Thanks

SpencerJames

El Stuntman wrote: »

yes pics please

that ok glynn,

who are you glowing mind!!!

Im very defensive by nature. little shy, awkward.

jbravado

Decent first touch-good at holding the ball up and very usefull in the air.You need to score more goals but I suppose the service from the old Luis Boa Morte etc leaves a little to be desired. Your a fair price in Champ manager.



Ive only ever played tornaments with you and to be honest youve always been the most competent player on the table.I know these things turn into a your great fest but I really think your tournament game is top notch.

Glowingmind

SpencerJames wrote: »

who are you glowing mind!!!

Those should be ???

I'm Ed, played some chinese with you, mickste and donal norton briefly the other week.

SpencerJames

oh hey ed, think you told me your alias that night. who is semibluff? im utterly conflustered. I'm Rory just to let everyone know. the game is up i guess.

jbravado

SEMIBLUFF

semibluff

]


ive had this one thrown at me alot too tbh -

but

click below, im the guy on the right

Flushdraw

Alright Donal.

Think I’ve only ever played cash with you once. You suffered a couple of beats and you were tilting badly. Rather than leave the game, you looked for the first opportunity to get your last 150 quid or so in and try get back in the game. Think you need to walk away and live to fight another day. I’ve the same problem so I know where you’re coming from.

Played quite a few tournies with you and you’re always a player I’d rather see at another table rather than my own. If I had to have you on my left or right, I’d choose the right though you’re not a player I’d want to have position on me because you’re extremely tricky

I think you sometimes overplay position and raise too many COs and buttons when blinds are low enough to just leave them alone with marginal hands. I like your game a lot when the blinds and stacks are bigger because you don’t give off a lot of info about the strength of your hand so I’m always guessing.

I agree with Olly that maybe you limp a bit too much with pretty hands but you have good faith in post flop play so even if you miss, you still have the ability to take down pots when you spot weakness.

You have a great strike record. I think I’ve seen you at 4 or 5 final tables and you’ve won the lot (similar to Mickste). Shows a lot about how you approach the game when you get the final stages.

I’ve nothing really bad to say about your game, but sometimes I think you’d be better if you kept your mouth shut instead of using speech play, although you are one of the best I’ve seen using it. The only other thing I notice is that you sometimes take it personal when people steal your blinds and as a result, you’ll play too many marginal hands OOP and leak some chips this way.

Great demeanour at the table and a nice bloke to boot but you really need to lose those scarves! Looking forward to mixing it up with you again.

semibluff

Flushdraw wrote: »

you really need to lose those scarves! .

If you get the chance could you return that scarf i gave you a few months back? pic below to jog your memory . . .

The_Chopper

I've played with you a few times (i only know cos of the photo). Most recently at the GJP deepstack thing, aside from that i played with you a few times in CHL and the SE.

My observations FWIW:
You understand the game really well and only an idiot sitting at your table wouldn't notice you're a good player
You tilt very easily
When the blinds increase you call from the blinds often HU and multiway with rags like 64o etc
Sometimes when you're playing a full table you tend to attack the 1 or 2 good players at the table to much and leave the fish swimming along
Sometimes your lines in hands make no sense which will lead you to getting paid off when you have a hand, however when you're bluffing you're going to get called down a lot and very light