The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

I made my way to the 2nd table and sat down, shaking hands with the people around me and quickly scanned the stack sizes at each seat. Looks like I was faring well, out of the 10 people there I think I was third in chips. The first hand I was dealt, pocket 6s, I called when it was min-raised in front of me. The very next hand I got dealt 6s again with the same min-raise in front of me, both times just hoping to flop a set but it never happened. I thought to myself, you know, it's kind of expensive speculating on a 7.5 to 1 shot, so maybe I might raise in mid to late position with them if I'm first to enter a pot, but otherwise perhaps calling with these low-medium pairs isn't the best idea. A few hands later I'd be in the same predicament with pocket 4s, but I folded and saved myself some chips in the process.

This table was definitely a more skilled bunch than the previous one I was at. Not too much limping, pre-flop raises were more respected and most pots were contested heads-up. Aggression was definitely the key...only a couple of times when I called a raise did I end up taking chips. Raising in late position with A-7 suited and pockets 7s amongst other hands earned me some good pots. When I was the initial raiser, about 85% of the time I'd win the pot in question.

One hand I actually shouldn't be telling you about because it's so embarrassing, but maybe you'll learn something as I learned the hard way. I was distracted for just a brief second that cost me chips. It was folded to me on the button, and I already decided that if that was ever going to happen, I would try to steal the blinds capitalizing on the fact that I played few pots and had what I perceived as a tight image. The blinds immediately folded to my raise with Q-7 offsuit, but what I didn't notice was the first person to act had already limped into the pot. Where did my head go? Anyway, he called my raise and I thought, hmmm, good chance he just has a small or medium pair, so if there's a high card on board if he checks I'll bet out. Sure enough, an ace flopped and he checked to me, I bet out and he called. Yikes. We both checked the turn, then a Queen fell on the river. He bet out 1/4 of the pot...was he trying to steal? I wished he just bet on the turn and I'd already be done with it, but since I just plain didn't want to believe him, I called, and he had Ace-Jack and I lost a pile of chips. I wasn't pleased with myself, falling asleep at the wheel not noticing someone had already entered the pot when I tried to steal, then compounding the problem by not giving him credit for a hand. I can only learn from these mistakes though, and the experience will no doubt help me later on.

The blinds were up to 300-600 with a 75 ante and I was hovering around 12000 in chips, playing just enough hands to stay afloat. Unfortunately, the previous example brought my chip stack down to about 8000 before posting the big blind. I started feeling desperate and that I better start thinking about making a move before getting blinded out. The first person to act min-raised to 1200, and anyone who knows me knows I hate min-raises because that usually means they're looking for a call. Everyone folded to me in the big blind and I held A-Q. A good hand, and only another 600 to call. It's weird how it didn't feel right to call in the first place. I actually thought this might be the time to push, but with that min-raise I figured he had a strong hand, likely Kings (not Aces or Queens as I had one of each) but the pot odds were right to see a flop. I decided to check in the dark as I hate acting first in these situations, and the flop was A-3-4, all clubs. I already checked and the raiser bet out 5000. This was the moment for me...with my chip stack I'm either all-in or folding here. I wasn't worried about a flopped flush, as I didn't think someone would bet out that strong with a made hand. I thought he had Kings, perhaps with the King of clubs, or maybe he had Ace-Jack and again, I could still be ahead. I decided if one of my cards was a club, I'd push. No...they were both red. But I couldn't help it, top pair, decent kicker, if I'm right and he has Kings I'm a favourite (albeit a small one). So I pushed all-in, despite the deal I made inside my head that I'd fold if I wasn't holding a club. It was only about another 2000 for him to call, he thought he was up against a made flush, turning over a red Ace-King, but was pleased to see my Ace-Queen, drawing to only three outs that would not come. He bet out that strong to freeze out the flush draw; that's what a good player does.

Overall, I made more good decisons than bad, but key mistakes, and that last hand, I don't know, it was so hard to get away from. If I had a larger stack of chips I probably could of picked another spot to get my chips in, but with the blinds creeping up as high as they were, I thought it was a good time to try and double up. Top pair with the 2nd best kicker...a laydown I simply wasn't good enough to make.

So I lasted about 2/3 of the field, with well over 700 people out of the 1050+ busting out before me. If you think of the fact I lasted about 1/2 the field last year, hmmm, guess logically the next step is for me to go all the way! As for my travel companion Nino (who did all the driving back and forth, including the 11 hour return drive, thank you!) managed to bring his stack up to 6800 before his flopped set of nines got cracked on the river, when his opponent's pocket Kings spiked a third King. One hand he told me about involved him folding Ace-Ten in the small blind. "You told me Ben not to play those trap hands from an early position raiser so I folded!" But when this player to act first threw his 500 chip in, he didn't declare a raise so really it was just a flat call. Nino didn't know of this rule and folded in error, and had he completed the bet he would have made the nut straight on the flop. Of course, there's other considerations like where the guy raised and who's doing the raising when you're holding this hand, but his heart was in the right place and he told me about his fold like he was proud of it, so I couldn't help but feel somewhat good that he actually listened to some of my advice.

It didn't pan out this time, but I'm not quitting yet. I'm planning to head to New Orleans in May to play a seven card stud tournament, and that will likely be the last one for me this year, barring a windfall of cash I'm not aware of. It's funny how a card game can captivate me so much; I'm hooked. It's disappointing to lose, but it makes me want to try it again. And again, until I get it right.