The Poker Thread

[DML]

I believe I can make up the also-rans, come Sunday.

[Nova]

I believe I can make up the also-rans, come Sunday.

Big talk Ben, big talk

[Nova]

Anyone know of a good poker site, aside from FT, for me to move across to rather than PS? I'm sticking to around the same roll at the moment and fancy a change. My AK has lost every time I've been in today (race 3 times 70/30 3 times), and then my KK lost to JT (the hand after the AK) to trip Jacks on the river

So yeah, fancy a little change of scene.

[Drumstick]

I know Sykes plays on Betfair occasionally.

[Psychic]

I know Sykes plays on Betfair occasionally.

Very occasionally. It's not that bad a site, but it lags if you try to play more than two tables and there's not a lot of players there. You can 30% rakeback if you are going to play there so I'll hit you up with a link. Check out PartyPoker too, they have a lot of fishes. Plus they've got a tournament at 14:00 or so that is a $2k guaranteed for a buyin of $2, which nearly always offers extra value. No rakeback though.

[Nova]

I know Sykes plays on Betfair occasionally.

Very occasionally. It's not that bad a site, but it lags if you try to play more than two tables and there's not a lot of players there. You can 30% rakeback if you are going to play there so I'll hit you up with a link. Check out PartyPoker too, they have a lot of fishes. Plus they've got a tournament at 14:00 or so that is a $2k guaranteed for a buyin of $2, which nearly always offers extra value. No rakeback though.

Yeah I thought about PP, and had a go, but the rake is pretty big, if I remember rightly.

[Nova]

Finished dead 18th in a $4.40 18-man Went out losing a AJ/99 race, meaning I've lost every race (about 8) I've played today

[Nova]

Ended the night winning one $5 and coming second in another, leaving me in profit somehow, so I love PS again

Oh, and lol at Slayer with the AT suckout against KK on Mansion

[Slayerx]

Ended the night winning one $5 and coming second in another, leaving me in profit somehow, so I love PS again

Oh, and lol at Slayer with the AT suckout against KK on Mansion

That was pretty sick that and my JJ against a straight where the bored was 567 and then it went 7 7

[Rex McGee]

Just got back from The Isle. I won the £20+2 freezeout for £470. strawberry floating tired now, will post stuff tomorrow.

[Drumstick]

Just got back from The Isle. I won the £20+2 freezeout for £470. strawberry floating tired now, will post stuff tomorrow.

Congrats!

[PCCD]

Check out PartyPoker too, they have a lot of fishes.

I don't think I played anyone on PartyPoker who wasn't a fish.

[Slayerx]

Check out PartyPoker too, they have a lot of fishes.

I don't think I played anyone on PartyPoker who wasn't a fish.

Indeed the 11$ sngs are easy and they only last 30 mins max as players are so loose not like the 90 min 5$ sngs at PS.

[Psychic]

Check out PartyPoker too, they have a lot of fishes.

I don't think I played anyone on PartyPoker who wasn't a fish.

But I used to play on there...

[SpaceJebus]

I'd be up for the matrix tonight, it's with play money on Full Tilt right?

[Drumstick]

I don't think I played anyone on PartyPoker who wasn't a fish.

But I used to play on there...

Remember guys, Matrix at 7pm. Be there.

I'd be up for the matrix tonight, it's with play money on Full Tilt right?

Yes. You need 2000 play chips and to be on MSN.

[DML]

Won my home game last night, so I'm up a bit.

[SpaceJebus]

Remember guys, Matrix at 7pm. Be there.

I'd be up for the matrix tonight, it's with play money on Full Tilt right?

Yes. You need 2000 play chips and to be on MSN.

Damn I've only got 1000 chips as I've only been playing play money at PokerStars. I'll see if I can boost them by this evening.

[satriales]

Remember guys, Matrix at 7pm. Be there.

I'd be up for the matrix tonight, it's with play money on Full Tilt right?

Yes. You need 2000 play chips and to be on MSN.

Damn I've only got 1000 chips as I've only been playing play money at PokerStars. I'll see if I can boost them by this evening.

It's alright I've got about 8000 so if you log on to full tilt 5 mins before 7pm I'll lose some to you.

[Rex McGee]

Ok tournament lasted 8 hours so I cannot possibly remember everything down to the exact plays, stack sizes or maybe even their cards but I will do my best to summarise.

Arrived at the casino early. My friend Aaron who I went with decided to play some roulette since he runs hot at everything. He got £40 in chips. We played for about 8 spins. We left with £175.

Headed over and registered up. There were 73 runners. Average age was quite high it seemed. There were a few student type looking people there but most would be in their 30s. Staring stacks 7500 and blinds are 25/50.

I got put on a table with unknowns unsurprisingly since I only knew Aaron and some other guy Nick who was there from Warwick poker.

Play began and I had been told the level of play was quite low. First notable hand is JJ from first position. I raise it up to 3BB. Three callers including the BB to my right. The BB from now will be known as "Fish 1 - the tilter pro". We can call him Gary to give him some character. Flop comes AA3. 4 checks. Turn A. BB bets 600 (pot is ~600). I call. Immediately he turns over his hand showing 32 thinking for some reason the hand is over. I lol obviously. He checks his FH. I push all in. He folds. The fact he showed ruined my hand really. I thought for a bit and had no idea what he would call. Thinking back I should be small but I think he is always folding now. If he didn't he'd have fired again and I'd have called.

After first level I wind up in the BB with 74o. I told myself today I was going to fish things up a bit more. I'm known for being a massive nit and this is why I don't really get anywhere. I don't take risks. Not that this was too risky anyway. Folds to cut off. He min raises and everyone left in calls. Button seems pretty weak and a bit arrogant. He's in with the banter at the table a fair amount criticising everyone's play. Anyway flop comes J44 two spades. Pot is 400. Sb Check. I check. Cut off bets 1000. This really really throws me. I have no idea what this means. I doubt he has a flush draw so he either has a 4, a nice jack, a nice pocket pair or air. I knew these players were "bad" but 30 minutes in I had no idea what this meant. I was torn between I have the best hand and he has nothing and he has the best hand and doesn't known how to get value. I could't imagine him min raising with 4X but maybe he did the old J4? Maybe JJ? After a while I realise how little I have in the pot, 100. If I call/raise there is going to be an all in unless he is running a massive air bluff. I eventually just fold. He shows AA and I get a very important read on this guy. He bets big because he is "scared". Thinking about it after it seems bad that I folded but my nittyness just kicked in.

So I'm around starting stack after seeing a few flops but nothing happens. Oh yeah my table is like limpmania. If they can everyone will strawberry floating limp. next notable hand is AK. I think blinds are maybe 50/100 still. There are about FOUR callers so I make it 600 to go. Lots of folds then the guy in the BB makes it 1600. I call. Flop is 10 high. The guy seems good, by which I mean he is under 25. He bets out 1600 and I fold. He showed a queen so he had AQ, KQ?? or QQ. Don't really mind but he seems like one of the better players at the table. Cost me a bit then but it's all cool.

Next 2 paragraphs are about the characters on my table. If you don't care too much skip them.

Later my perception of this guy changes when he opens to 6BB from first position. A bit more info on the characters at my table then. To my right is Gary. To his right probably the best player at the table other than myself. A young lad who arrived late and refused to deal. He constantly talks (to himself) about what just happened but everything he says makes sense and he actually uses "poker language" by which I mean "range, you only beat XX" or "He only calls you with a better hand" etc. Well Gary and and this guy get into a bit of banter. Gary has played every single hand so far which is not raised. They are talking about JJ all in pre. Gary seems to think it is the nuts. Todd (I name the other guy Todd) says it's bad since the hands that call you beat you, it's an easier fold than QQ etc. Gary seems to take this badly and go on about how he went to the world series. (didn't cash obviously). The subject of age comes up too and Gary points out he has played the game for over 10 years. Todd says this doesn't mean he is a better player and Gary says "I have seen more poker than you, I know more". I lol in my head.

Going around to the right we have the AA guy. Seems a bit dim. Not much else to say. Next is a guy who is 35-40 and dealing. Seems like a reg and is quite chatty. Nice bloke from what I can tell and probably knows more poker than the rest. Next to him is some quiet old guy who barely spoke. Next is two "student looking" players. Then two ladies, one quite old and seems to play regularly here and the other younger and fishy. Saw her chase a massive flush draw and she showed me some of the weak aces she was playing like nuts.

Some hands on the table that didn't involve me. Fishy girl on my insta raises to 4BB. Someone calls. I can tell she has been taught exactly how to play big hands. Pretty sure flop was J high. She bets out every street with like 1500 and shoves the river. The guy calls them but tanks the river for ages. I manage to call their hands at AJ and KK and the girl knocks him out. The dealer cool guys also calls their hands.

One hand gets 3 way action on an AQQ flop. There is an all in I think and eventually both other guys fold. Turns out they each had one of the remaining aces though it would have been a split. Garry whispers to me that he folded Q5, he seems quite pissed off that he didn't get to limp in here. I lol.

Todd and Garry both get moved table and some nice lady sits on my right. She's about 30?? and seems to know how to play. She runs pretty hot at the table though with QQ twice and takes lots of chips. Doesn't steal my blind though which was cool. She needs a name since she figures later, let's say Julie. (names really are random). We get another dull bloke join the table too. I only play a few more hands here and they are both with the dealer guy. Final hand of note I steal a blind with 89 on the button. Really, really boring! The table is boring with Gary really.

I see a few more shitty flops and my stack is just under 6k at the break. Aaron at this point has 12k and so does Nick. We discuss some hands and get some (non alcoholic) drinks.

Back at the table blinds are 200/400 and I realise I don't have much of a stack really. There is so much strawberry floating limping and blinds are I post a nice big raise in from the button with AT. Not sure what to but it's sizeable and I have like 6k total. Dealer guys stares me down and calls. Flop comes T high to my relief. He checks. I shove he folds. I do something similar with him later but I just cbet and he folds again. No idea what the hands were but he says "I will get you". "No you won't".

Blinds hit 300/600 and we play for a while. The seat to my immediate right is filled some chap in his 30s. He seems v tight but also very pleasant. Nice to chat to. He needs a name too, he can be Bill. Right our table gets broken and somehow between my last hand here and the break I have moved up to 12.5k. I cannot for the life of my remember how, not even who against. I just know I move with this amount. I know it wasn't all in but it may have been just lots of stealing hands pre. The blinds were 300/600 and with this crazy amount of limping going on.

So I move and I end up on Nick's right. I know he's fairly good and he also has about 12k. I go check Aaron and he is on ~20k running sick as usual. Bill has also followed me to this table. I know nobody else apart from Gary who is about 4 places to my right. EDIT: This is a lie. Fishy girl from first table is to the left of nick. Blinds are still 300/600. I can't remember what my hands were but the first couple hands I raise to 1500 and take down the blinds. I think one might have been 99. The third hand at the table I do remember. I had AJs and did the same raise again. This time the BB calls. I flop a flush draw, cbet and he folds.

Not long after I pick up AQs in the BB. 3 limpers for 800 (the blinds went up). I have 13.5k and make it 4.5k to go. Pretty sure they will all fold and I pick up the 2400+blinds which is lovely. They all fold apart from Gary who tanks. Eventually he moves all in and has about 12k. I insta call (never folding when he most likely has a low PP. Unless he limp reraises all in AA from late position but I don't think even Gary does this) and he shows 77. I miss all the cards but the river comes ace. Gary goes mental. "How can you call that with AQ?". He asks how much I owe and I tell him I have him covered. He storms off. I turn to Nick and he agreed with the play as did everyone else lol. I hope Gary is there next time I go.

So now I have 25k which is quite win. Pick up 44 on the button. Fishy girl in BB. I raise to 2k. She insta makes it 4k. I think about her play with KK on the other table. She bets monsters so so fast. She might now have one but at worst she has AK. The tiny raise scares me and I fold. She shows AA. Aces dodge count: 1.

We started out with 7 tables. I think there are 4 left until ours gets broken. So there are 3 left, Aaron is on 1, I am on 2 and Nick is on 3. Nick also made some chips before we left so counts are 25k for Nick and I and 40k for Aaron who continues to destroy.

Bill follows me again and is on my left this time. I've noticed he is real tight now. Doesn't like to get involved without the goods pre. I comment on how he is following me. I learn this table fairly fast. There are some much bigger stacks here. To my right is the oldest poker player I have ever seen. 75+ lady. She was very nice though and we had some banter. To her right was a solid young lad. He seemed quite cocky but he was wearing a significant amount of bling bling. He was clearly a danger. Over the other side of the table were two massive stacks. One of them we will call Teddy who is seemingly drunk and flirting with Julie who turns up on his right and the other one George who is the obvious chip leader here. Also on this table to the left of Bill we have Richard who is dealing for us and to his left a short stacking lady who we will call Gloria. She was in here 40s obv. There was another guy but he is boring and nameless.

I didn't play too many hands. I was trying to work people out and I could tell who was a danger. The big stacks Teddy and George, The young lad and Bill. The old lady was short stacked and with 3BB left she looked to me. Without thinking I said "You haven't got long left have you?" I quickly realised what I had said and made sure I meant in terms of poker and the BB. I don't think she realised tbh, we were quite chatty which was lucky!

So with the blinds now 500/1000 and a 100 ante I was losing chips quite fast. I moved up and down around 20k and there was another break. I made a nice squeeze on from the BB with the young lad involved on the button.

I came back from the break and moved down to 15k and blinds are up again. I was getting nothing but I waited. Table 3 was split and Nick got moved next to Aaron. So 2 tables left and we have all made it so far. A couple of people go out and I pick up rockets. George raises things up to 3k. I'm on the button with 15k. I think about the best move here. I managed to make myself look pretty scared and shaken and I move all in. I fooled everyone at the table who seemed to think I was weak and George calls with AK. I flip over the goods and take it down. Cards were 3K3XX. Up to 30k and now in a nice position on the table.