In which I play like a hero, then a tard, then a hero again.....

So it's been a short while since I've blogged, and I won't do the whole 'apologies' thing, I wouldn't want anyone to think I was the kind of person that expected they ever had anything interesting to say and that hoards of poker players refresh this page everyday just to see what inane tripe I've written this time. That would make me a righteous prick, eh Mark Trett? (in joke alert!)

Anyway, the week started really for me last Saturday night at the G Triple Chance £20 Freezeout. I've honestly not played so perfectly for a long time, but it's such an easy game sometimes when you get AA three times and proceed to either flop or turn top set on dry boards in multiway pots each time. You still have to get paid though, and anyone on my table for at least one of the hands will probably tell you I gave some of the best speechplay you've ever heard to induce a shove when I 'squeeze' the button over a cutoff minraise and get called all in by one player and then a player with 9s completes the bet and somehow conspires to jam on me for a pot size bet on an ATx board. Yeah, cue the Hellmuth snapadooooooooooodle call. ;)

Later in the tournament, once the bubble breaks myself and Apokerlypse are apparently they only players that aren't trying to ladder. I'm shoving every unopened pot and some nit-tard folds AQo when I jam from the button -- after checking my cards I had 9Ts and was definitely getting there lol -- and basically Mac and I abuse the shit out of all these invisi-bubbles. We end up chopping at 5:45am, mainly because I have to be at work at 7am. Sigh.

Later that day (it's now Sunday, right?) I head to Circus for their first annual HU tournament. I had such high hopes for this tournament as I consider myself a solid HUps player. Unfortunately, out of all the tards playing this game, I get drawn one of maybe 6 or 7 people with the skillz to pay teh billz -- Choppa/Goldfoxdom. We're going back and forth, snapping each other's bluffs, making thin value bets and calls and generally having a good time. In the first round best of one, with a constant 25/50 structure and starting with 7500 we've been playing about an hour and are about even when I threebet from the BB with QJo. (standard). Dom flats with KJo (standard) and..ladies and gents, here's your cooler flop: T9Qdd. I lead for about 3/4s pot, and Dom insta minraises. I think he does this with all his flushdraws and twopair hands (and I have so much equity against those hands) and even some total airy bluffs, too) that I just jam for value. Yeah, he snapadooooooodles of course (as you do, with the nuts.....) -- somehow I avoid a K for a chop and even a diamond on the turn gives me backdoor diamonds but I whiff.

Oh well. Dom played the hand pretty perfect knowing that I have to jam for value with a LOT of the hands I'm leading with, esp since I'm OOP. Which is super-profitable when you have the nuts, obv. Even when I don't jam, does anyone fold to a min-raise these days? I doubt it. I could flat, but what do I do on most turns? Fuck all, probably. Check/fold? Maybe.

I'm persuaded by Nemesis to play some cash later and with a double straddle on, I find AA and make it £13 to go. Scotty asks how much I'm playing and tank-3bets to £26. Choppa, with about that stack, shoves for value and I overjam for doublerainbow value. Scotty sigh calls and the flop of KQT is pretty horrid for me, but I hold and win a nice pot for a double up plus. I win a few more pots and then go to get food before playing in the £20+£20.

This is another tournament in which I play like a tard. Actually, all is going superwell and I'm building a stack nicely (until TJ tilts me, angleshoots me and threatens to throw a bunch of chips in my face, real mature -- ask me about it sometime if you want the details). Anyway, with a 30k stack ish, I raise early with KJ and get two callers. I lead the J high flop and I'm tank check-shoved on by Irish Mark in the BB. I instaread him for a (semi)bluff and snap, nicely holding against A9 (no spades on a two spade board), I also have the Ks, which means he can't be freerolling against me....

Some hands later, I'm in the BB with 55. Adam Brown(?) has limped UTG and I peg him for like AJ/KQ/etc and raise-squeeze. He's the only caller and I lead the Ahigh flop and he sigh calls. There's no way I'm giving up on this pot now he's sighing. I turn and river and he tanks for a long time on the river, convinces himself I have a set and calls anyway, meh. Turns out the hand I had was the only one he could beat. I certainly played it like I flopped a set and was valuetowning the shit out of him. I guess it's a good call. Caus he was right. Yeah, cause that's how results orientated thinking works.

Later still, I chip up a couple of times holding AK vs Ax twice vs shorty jams. I then open Q9s in midposition (blinds 800/1600, I make it 3400) and Adam immediately makes it 13400. I sense total weakness in his bet, his demeanour etc and plan to jam on him. Then I go into tard mode. I just flat call. I should jam, I know that now. I then check a J8x flop to him because I expect to get freecards to my draw. Mistake 2. He bets 16k, I jam for 32k. He can't fold, obv. He calls with J2o and holds. Sigh. Busssssssssssssto. Completely butchered that hand. Need to get out of the habit of butchering these hands with 20 left in good value tourneys. Costing me dear, tbh.

Anyway, Monday I have a break instead of playing Aspers' NEW TOTALLY ORIGINAL (sigh) £55 with £500 added game. I make it out on Tuesday to play Circus £55 with £500 added. Basically, I'll keep my synopsis of this one short.

1. Jon Lundy owns me.
2. And a bit more.
3. And some more (checking two streets in a threebet pot in position with AQ on a QXXX dry board and then getting paid overbetting the pot on the J river when I get there with AJ)
4. I almost own Jon, but then Milo wanders over and tells Jon I'm not capable of valuebetting (in this spot) so I must be bluffing. Jon calls. I was bluffing. Round 4 to Lundy. Sigh.

5. I overplay TT against an aggrofish.

I played so badly I was horrifed. Really. Playing with Jon was fun though.He makes you think so much deeper about the game than a lot of people. He pulled one outrageous bluff against a teesider, then rubs him down by showing QJcc on a paired 3 diamond board and announcing 'yeah, you can't call with the bare Ace there, eh?' Showing bluffs are good for the game. Lol.

Anyway, on Weds night, bored I head to Stanleys. To keep it short. I own it. Really hard. And then when I have 70k (FT average is 40k, 16 left) I 3bet 'squeeze' the button with AK only for the cutoff to shove (for fuck all more, really) and show AA. Sigh.

I remain perfectly patient, still having more than the average stack and confident. As it happens, I own the FT and threehanded I'm getting short with the blinds and such and on the button I shove the Azbo in spades and find the top of Jamie Nixon's (the same cutoff from before!!) range, QQ. Flop brings a 7, but my sweat is not enough and I finish 3rd for £130. Meh. Still happy with how I played. Really well.

Now a break from poker for a while, prolly till the G Cup on bank holiday weekend. I've got a lot on at the minute with work and need to switch off from all things poker for a bit. I'll still update this if I've got interesting shit to say, or, let's be honest, otherwise.

--Mulhuzz