*** WARNING, MANY HAND HISTORIES WITHIN ***
Given I can offer no financial return to stakers may I offer up something of a trip report instead...will centre it on some key hands rather than 'colour' commentary...Recollection isn't absolute but should be accurate enough for a critique.
Hand 1Level 1, blinds are 50/100. I open
to 250 from the HJ whilst we are 6/7 handed. Martyn Frey (SP?) peels the BTN, BB (Frank Flanagan I think) peels.
Flop (800) :
I lead 450, Martyn raises on the BTN to 1000, I call.
Turn (2800) :
I ck call about 1600.
River (6000) :
I ck and Martyn bets about 4200. Felt a pretty rotten spot. Also given my passivity once raised on flop I feel my hand is probably under-repped? Felt like he was pretty polarised to 22/33/spades, don't really see what else he can turn up with.
Anyway, I call off and he shows the
Hand 2Now on a new table and into level 2 I open
in the CO. The BTN (German chap) peels the BTN, blinds fold.
Flop :
I c-bet and get called. The way he called I felt like he didn't really have anything but was essentially reluctant to let me have the pot.
Turn :
I fire again for about 45% pot, he takes his time and calls.
River :
I can't win if I check and am adamant he has, at best, a marginal hand. Pretty sure that having got ourselves in this pickle bet/fold is the best option?
I bet about 35-40% of the pot, he tanks for a couple of minutes and calls with
.
Pretty surprised he makes the call to be honest and still not sure if it's good from him. This said, I'm sure it's equally questionable for me to be opening and triple-barrelling t-high.... apologies.
Hand 3We're back on level keel and though we only have about 17k or so that is still plenty in this structure.
I open
in MP and get called only in the BB by Suited Anon who seems fairly splashy...
Flop :
I c-bet and get called.
Turn :
He checks, I check. Felt a lot at the time like he was expecting me to continue and though I've obviously made my set there's an awful lot of pair+draw hands that just got there that I'd rather not be ck-raised by.
River :
He bets about 40% pot and I sigh-call to be shown
Hand 4Having grinded back up to about 18k we get a lovely one.
Folds to me in the CO where I min
from what must be about 23bb at this point.
Aforementioned German on the BTN 3bets.
Just as I am planning to click it to him and snap off a jam the young chap who has joined relatively recently decides now is a good time to cold 4bet the BB (which I think it is, though I think a smaller 4bet would have had the same impact). Sizings were like 1600-3900-9400.
I jam and both pass. German tells me later he had A10soooted.
Hand 5Back near the dizzing heights of starting stack we open
and get peeled by Suited Anon in the BB.
Flop :
Near enough gin all things considered. I c-bet and get ck-raised to like 5.1k over 2.1k. Stack sizes felt awkward to be putting another bet in so I flatted, which I think also makes life a bit tough for him?
Turn :
He checks, I bet about 35% of the pot and take it down.
Hand 6At this point I'm at around 40k with the blinds 500-1000.
Pinchop73 (Nathan, posts on here - young, decent thinking online player) raises to 2.1k from the CO out of about 18k.
I find
in the SB and 3bet (to call a jam) to about 5.6k.
He jams, I call and we lose to
.
Sad face, back down to like 22k.
Hand 7Spot dead and we dribble down to about 18k ourselves.
Ali Mallu joins the table and at 600-1200 decides 5.2k is an appropriate open from the HJ.
We find
in the CO, ship it over his open and hold against
Hand 8Having nicked a couple since hand 7 we are up to about 45k.
Folds to Mr Mallu on the BTN who jams 19k (@ 600-1200)
We find
in the SB (BB is shorter still than Ali) and.......??
I've not played with Ali too much but am aware of his reputation and decide that leans us towards a call here.
I click the call button and he tells me "I only looked at one" at which point I already know I am at best 45:55. He has
and holds. Back to about 26k.
Hand 9After a quiet orbit or two table breaks and we join the new table with about 24k.
Fold for an orbit or so and down to 22k @600/1200 I min open
in MP (I know, I know.....)
Ali flat the SB and Father Gascoigne folds the BB.
Flop :
Ck, ck.
Turn :
Ali checks, I bet 3400. He snap-raises to 10.4k
At this point I have about 16k back with the blinds going 800/1600 in a couple of mins and about to reach me.
I'm sure in retrospect my decision was poor but at the time I just felt like Ali had so many more draws than made hands that, even though I only had middle pair, I was likely ahead.
I thought for a couple of minutes and, even though I was aware I had no fold-equity, stuck the rest in.
Ali did indeed have a spade draw. Regrettably they were the
which also gave him a flopped two pair.
***
Somehow fitting that having got off to a bad start against
I should be finished off by
***
Absolutely grinded my nuts off and still disappointed to bust having put my chips in as a serious dog, though, as I say, at the time it felt right and was definitely calculated.
Thank you again for the stake, Ed