Since I got knocked out of the EPT last week, something came to my attention. A certain player was chatting to Jen and Snoops of Blondepoker, and visibly expressed his delight at me being knocked out in 9th. Apparently he clapped his hands and said, “Thank fuck for that... thats great."
Who could this fine poker specimen be? None other than the European player of the year, Mickey Wernick. Whilst I have long had doubts over his playing ability, this proves what a nice chap he is as well. A truly great ambassador for Blue Square. They would have been far better sponsoring Jen Mason or James Dempsey. Whilst neither have the track record, I am sure that they would be far better representatives for the company.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Gutted
I finished 9th in the EPT Grand Final winning €57000. To say i am gutted is an understatement. I could have sat and played tight and made the final with the chips i had. I played to win though, which i don't regret. Will write my report in a few days.
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Monte Carlo
I am off to play in the EPT grand final on Monday in Monte Carlo. It seems crazy that a year has gone by since the last one. I see it as my anniversary of being a professional poker player. I finished my job the very next week. Thinking back to how the tournament went last year, i doubt if you put me back there now with the extra experience i have gained since, i would have done better. In fact, i am also certain i would have bombed out in day 1 when i was card dead trying a bluff.
As it was the biggest tournament of my life by a mile back then i played extremely tight and only made a very few select bluffs along the way. Which is probably why i made the final so short chipped. I put pressure on myself to do well in every tournament i play now so this will be no different.
Quick plug for Betfair. I think this is pretty cool promotion. They are offering a rake incentive for a free WSOP package. Basically if you rake over £28000 between now and June 25th you win a $15000 package to the WSOP. That is if you make Level 7 for the amount you rake. There are prizes for all the other levels of rake generated. Just click here to have a look. I can also offer you a great rakeback deal at Betfair as well so if you interested my email address is here.
Apart from yesterday when i dropped £5200 i have been on a great run online. In the past 8 days i have won £34000 playing just $ PL Omaha tables, which is the best run i have had I think. Someone pointed out thats more than Robbie Fowler makes in a week which amused me. I will try and do some updates from Monte carlo all being well.
As it was the biggest tournament of my life by a mile back then i played extremely tight and only made a very few select bluffs along the way. Which is probably why i made the final so short chipped. I put pressure on myself to do well in every tournament i play now so this will be no different.
Quick plug for Betfair. I think this is pretty cool promotion. They are offering a rake incentive for a free WSOP package. Basically if you rake over £28000 between now and June 25th you win a $15000 package to the WSOP. That is if you make Level 7 for the amount you rake. There are prizes for all the other levels of rake generated. Just click here to have a look. I can also offer you a great rakeback deal at Betfair as well so if you interested my email address is here.
Apart from yesterday when i dropped £5200 i have been on a great run online. In the past 8 days i have won £34000 playing just $ PL Omaha tables, which is the best run i have had I think. Someone pointed out thats more than Robbie Fowler makes in a week which amused me. I will try and do some updates from Monte carlo all being well.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Omaha hands *Update*
I had about 10 responses in the end mostly over MSN messenger. Most people got a few right. I have added updates below. I thought it would be easier to add them here than create a new blog entry.
My blog has become boring… so something a bit different today. Some new card graphics as well thanks to Tillerman.
PL Omaha hands. What you have to do is guess my hand.. or what is the minimum hand I should have given how I play in the pots. These all come from a 6 hour session yesterday.
Hand 1
$10/$20 – 6 handed. I am sitting with $5800. My opponent in the pot had $6000. Opponent in this hand is a tight/aggressive decent ish player.
My opponent makes it $70 to play. One caller. I make it $240 to play. Original raiser calls, other guy passes.
Flop J
Q
7
He checks and I bet the pot which is $570. He check raised me and made it another $1710 to play. I called.
Turn 6
He bet another $3280 which put me all in. I called.
River 7
What hand am I calling with? What hands should I reraise the flop with?
The reason I am calling is that I have a massive draw. My hand was the best draw possible A
K
T
9
. Its pretty nailed on that my opponent has a set, probably top set, given the way he has played it and my experience of that player. In fact he held Q
Q
4
A
. I could reraise the flop with my hand as I was actually favourite over any hand. In fact, my hand had a 56% chance of beating top set. However, I think pushing on the flop is a mistake as the turn could pair the board and he will call my turn bet even if I hit, and I still have the correct number of outs and pot odds to call a turn bet even if it’s a blank.
Hand 2
$10/$20 – 6 handed. I am sitting with $7312. My opponent has $5200. Not much information on my opponent. Pretty aggressive from the limited amount I have played with him. He is to my immediate right.
A few limpers to me on the button and I just call the $20 to play. SB calls and BB checks.
Flop 8
T
Q
Everyone checks to my opponent who makes it $100 to play. I minimum raise it to $200. He reraises me to make it $700 to play. I call the extra $500
Turn 6
He now bets $1500 which I call. (its beginning to look like I am a calling station)
River A
He checks and I bet $4500. He called his last $2980.
What do I have here? What is the minimum he should be calling my river bet with?
I guess I could have a huge number of holdings here. I could have the nuts with improvements. I could have a set and the straight draw improvements, I could have the higher straight draw and flush draw. Given that I just called the turn bet its unlikely that I feel that I have a good freeroll situation, as I would normally push. So I am on a big draw. In fact my holding was Q
Q
5
4
for top set and the Queen flush draw.
In my opinion its tough for him to call the river bet without some sort of flush. In fact he called and showed 9d
Jd
7
4
. I guess that is pretty tough to muck given the size of the pot. He actually instant called which had me worried for a minute.
Hand 3
$10/$20 – 6 handed. I have $4100. My opponent in this hand is a big loser in the game. Can’t let go of Aces and bluffs alot.
I am really going to look like a calling station after this one. I do raise sometimes.
He makes it $80 to play from the BB. Limper calls as do I.
Flop 6
7
Q
He bets out $240. Other player passes. I call.
Turn 4
He bets $720. I call.
River
2
He bets $1940. I call.
What have I got here? What is the minimum I need to call him on the end?
Firstly, I don’t need that much to call this player down but this is probably one of the most marginal calls I have made. I just went with my read of the situation. The actualy hand that i held was 5
5
6
7
for raggy middle two pair. I put him on a flush draw on the flop with maybe KK or AA. He could have a wide variety of hands, but rarely raises with low cards. When he bets the pot on the turn, given the fact I had the blockers I felt almost certain he was bluffing, but still didn’t want to reraise as he would call with nearly any draw, so I decided to see the river. When he bets at the end its an instant call given the card appears a total blank. He held 4
7
J
J
for lower two pair and picked up a nice pot.
Hand 4
$10/$20 – 5 handed. I have $11100. Early position opponent makes it $70 to play. One caller. I raise in the cut off to $280 to play. My main opponent in this pot is the same as the last hand. He has $5100. Three of us see the flop
Flop 4
6
8
They both check to me and I check behind them.
Turn 2
Again the both check to me and I bet the pot of $870. My opponent minimum reraises me to $1740 to play. I call.
River Q
He bets $3080 all in and I call.
What hand do I have? What do I need to call the river bet?
Only Dubai got this one right. I actually had the nuts all along. My holding was 5
6
7
8
. I basically checked behind on the flop to give myself the chance of winning a huge pot. If I had gone out and bet the pot I would never have got the kind of action that I did. My opponent held 3
5
K
K
so made the lower straight on the turn. To call the river bet knowing my opponent I would probably need 35xx or 57xx, given that he could be playing any four cards.
My blog has become boring… so something a bit different today. Some new card graphics as well thanks to Tillerman.
PL Omaha hands. What you have to do is guess my hand.. or what is the minimum hand I should have given how I play in the pots. These all come from a 6 hour session yesterday.
Hand 1
$10/$20 – 6 handed. I am sitting with $5800. My opponent in the pot had $6000. Opponent in this hand is a tight/aggressive decent ish player.
My opponent makes it $70 to play. One caller. I make it $240 to play. Original raiser calls, other guy passes.
Flop J
Q
7
He checks and I bet the pot which is $570. He check raised me and made it another $1710 to play. I called.
Turn 6
He bet another $3280 which put me all in. I called.
River 7
What hand am I calling with? What hands should I reraise the flop with?
The reason I am calling is that I have a massive draw. My hand was the best draw possible A
K
T
9
. Its pretty nailed on that my opponent has a set, probably top set, given the way he has played it and my experience of that player. In fact he held Q
Q
4
A
. I could reraise the flop with my hand as I was actually favourite over any hand. In fact, my hand had a 56% chance of beating top set. However, I think pushing on the flop is a mistake as the turn could pair the board and he will call my turn bet even if I hit, and I still have the correct number of outs and pot odds to call a turn bet even if it’s a blank.Hand 2
$10/$20 – 6 handed. I am sitting with $7312. My opponent has $5200. Not much information on my opponent. Pretty aggressive from the limited amount I have played with him. He is to my immediate right.
A few limpers to me on the button and I just call the $20 to play. SB calls and BB checks.
Flop 8
T
Q
Everyone checks to my opponent who makes it $100 to play. I minimum raise it to $200. He reraises me to make it $700 to play. I call the extra $500
Turn 6
He now bets $1500 which I call. (its beginning to look like I am a calling station)
River A
He checks and I bet $4500. He called his last $2980.
What do I have here? What is the minimum he should be calling my river bet with?
I guess I could have a huge number of holdings here. I could have the nuts with improvements. I could have a set and the straight draw improvements, I could have the higher straight draw and flush draw. Given that I just called the turn bet its unlikely that I feel that I have a good freeroll situation, as I would normally push. So I am on a big draw. In fact my holding was Q
Q
5
4
for top set and the Queen flush draw.In my opinion its tough for him to call the river bet without some sort of flush. In fact he called and showed 9d
Jd
7
4
. I guess that is pretty tough to muck given the size of the pot. He actually instant called which had me worried for a minute.Hand 3
$10/$20 – 6 handed. I have $4100. My opponent in this hand is a big loser in the game. Can’t let go of Aces and bluffs alot.
I am really going to look like a calling station after this one. I do raise sometimes.
He makes it $80 to play from the BB. Limper calls as do I.
Flop 6
7
Q
He bets out $240. Other player passes. I call.
Turn 4
He bets $720. I call.
River
2
He bets $1940. I call.
What have I got here? What is the minimum I need to call him on the end?
Firstly, I don’t need that much to call this player down but this is probably one of the most marginal calls I have made. I just went with my read of the situation. The actualy hand that i held was 5
5
6
7
for raggy middle two pair. I put him on a flush draw on the flop with maybe KK or AA. He could have a wide variety of hands, but rarely raises with low cards. When he bets the pot on the turn, given the fact I had the blockers I felt almost certain he was bluffing, but still didn’t want to reraise as he would call with nearly any draw, so I decided to see the river. When he bets at the end its an instant call given the card appears a total blank. He held 4
7
J
J
for lower two pair and picked up a nice pot.Hand 4
$10/$20 – 5 handed. I have $11100. Early position opponent makes it $70 to play. One caller. I raise in the cut off to $280 to play. My main opponent in this pot is the same as the last hand. He has $5100. Three of us see the flop
Flop 4
6
8
They both check to me and I check behind them.
Turn 2
Again the both check to me and I bet the pot of $870. My opponent minimum reraises me to $1740 to play. I call.
River Q
He bets $3080 all in and I call.
What hand do I have? What do I need to call the river bet?
Only Dubai got this one right. I actually had the nuts all along. My holding was 5
6
7
8
. I basically checked behind on the flop to give myself the chance of winning a huge pot. If I had gone out and bet the pot I would never have got the kind of action that I did. My opponent held 3
5
K
K
so made the lower straight on the turn. To call the river bet knowing my opponent I would probably need 35xx or 57xx, given that he could be playing any four cards.
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