Close = No Good

I came so close to winning a seat to the TOC in BBT4... it woulda been nice to lock up a seat this early and with the chip stack I had, I should have. I think I pretty much was in first place the whole time except at the very end when it mattered most.



My demise came here...

Full Tilt Poker Game #10919212418: Blogger Big Game (81289088), Table 5 - 4000/8000 Ante 1000 - No Limit Hold'em - 1:48:09 ET - 2009/03/02
Seat 5: RecessRampage (101,324)
Seat 7: Rake Feeder (223,676)
RecessRampage antes 1,000
Rake Feeder antes 1,000
RecessRampage posts the small blind of 4,000
Rake Feeder posts the big blind of 8,000
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RecessRampage [Ks 6d]
RecessRampage calls 4,000
Rake Feeder checks
*** FLOP *** [2s Kh Ah]
Rake Feeder checks
RecessRampage checks
*** TURN *** [2s Kh Ah] [Qc]
Rake Feeder checks
RecessRampage bets 9,000
wwonka69 (Observer): go rakegeeder
Rake Feeder raises to 25,000
wwonka69 (Observer): rakefeeder
RecessRampage raises to 92,324, and is all in
Rake Feeder calls 67,324
wwonka69 (Observer): go go go
RecessRampage shows [Ks 6d]
Rake Feeder shows [Qh Qs]
*** RIVER *** [2s Kh Ah Qc] [4s]
RecessRampage shows a pair of Kings
Rake Feeder shows three of a kind, Queens
Rake Feeder wins the pot (202,648) with three of a kind, Queens
RecessRampage: gg
RecessRampage stands up
Rake Feeder stands up

I'm not unhappy with how I played the last hand. You can obv argue that I coulda bet the flop but there's really no card that I'm afraid of.... sure, a heart maybe but HU, you really can't sweat the flush draw. So, I felt that if I'm already behind, I'm going broke here anyways... and if I'm ahead, I figured to be pretty far ahead so I figured I'd try to let him catch up. Unfortunately, he caught up in a big way but any other card, I think I woulda got some more action out of his QQ by checking the flop. Oh well, moot point.

GG Rakefeeder! (Do you have a blog? If so, please comment and I'll link you up) And thanks to all those who railed me.

Fuel is gay.

So close...

I had to work a fair amount this weekend which meant I didn't get to play as much poker... not being able to play poker on the weekends when all the donkeys are out in full force is definitely a bad beat in itself. But then again, my "didn't get to play much" translates into playing for like 7 hrs total for the weekend. For some, that's not much at all but for others, it may sound like a lot...

So, I didn't get a chance to play much cash games but instead, I took a few shots at MTTs for a change. With FTOPS starting soon as well as the TOC coming up in June and all the tourneys I play during the BBT3, I figured it would be good if I studied MTT strategies and played more tournaments. I also want to win a WSOP package one way or another (whether I play in it or not is a different story) so, I decided to take a shot at the WSOP ME super sat...



Top 2 gets the seat, 3rd place gets a very ghey $250... My hopes were dashed when the button who had a similar size stack but I had him slightly covered raised from the button, I shoved from the SB with JJ... only to get called by the big stack who woke up with KK. That sucked...

Then there was the big game. Of all the blogger tourneys, I have to admit that this is my favorite, mainly because of the prize pool that this tournament generates. $1,200 first place prize is definitely worth fighting for unlike the other blogger tourneys. I got my necessary suckouts and made a few good reads/plays but in the end, I busted out in 4th place when I decided to make a stand with A9 against the big stack's A6 but this time, it was my turn to get sucked out on...



Ended up with a semi-ghey $350...

Speaking of ghey, how much are you hating presto here...



Set over set over set on the flop... what are the odds!?

I hope everyone had a very profitable weekend.

Sick! (big hand from the Big Game)

As you all know by now (or at least if you're a blogger you know), we had a record breaking 105 entrants into MiamiDon's Big Game. First place prize was just short of $2,000... basically, winning that tournament was like winning the $2k preliminary WSOP package. All weekend, I've been doing everything to prepare for the grueling MTT bloggers series that is the BBT3. Well, everything but playing in an actual MTT.

Well, as the Big Game kicked off, I felt good. I was, for the first time in a long time, single tabling... I can't recall not having multiple tables open for some time... and realized how much of a difference that makes. I was watching everyone play and I was recognizing the good and the bad. I really couldn't get much going in the first hour and eventually the blinds were getting fairly high and my stack was still hovering around 4,500... a little less than the starting stack of 5,000. However, that's when I started catching some cards and more importantly, winning some races. During the second hour, I went from having just 4,500 to 22,000ish by means of AQ > 88, QQ > JJ, JJ > AK. I was catching the cards and winning the races/not getting sucked out on. Very important in these tournaments. Also, I was recognizing situations and I felt good. The only thing I didn't like was that the 2 time WSOP champion Scott Fischman was at my table. What was even worse was that he was clearly splashing the pot around, making it very hard to put him on a hand and since he had a big stack and he played like he didn't care, he was a threat to everyone. Well, then this hand came up...


Full Tilt Poker Game #5479172226: Blogger Big Game (40523592), Table 2 - 250/500 Ante 50 - No Limit Hold'em - 23:45:29 ET - 2008/03/02
Seat 1: Scott Fischman (19,052)
Seat 2: weak_player (8,908)
Seat 3: asphnxma (8,775)
Seat 4: a104l9 (14,400)
Seat 5: JL514 (10,625)
Seat 6: columbo (28,673)
Seat 7: RecessRampage (22,530)
Seat 9: twoblackaces (1,835)
Scott Fischman antes 50
weak_player antes 50
asphnxma antes 50
a104l9 antes 50
JL514 antes 50
columbo antes 50
RecessRampage antes 50
twoblackaces antes 50
columbo posts the small blind of 250
RecessRampage posts the big blind of 500
The button is in seat #5

*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RecessRampage [Kd Qd]
twoblackaces folds
Scott Fischman raises to 1,000
weak_player folds
asphnxma folds
a104l9 folds
JL514 folds
columbo folds
RecessRampage calls 500

Fischman was minraising pretty much everytime. However, I did not want to get into a big confrontation with him out of position so I elected to smooth call with KQs which I knew was ahead of his raising hand range (even from that EP). Plus with the pot odds, it's obv a no brainer call.

*** FLOP *** [6d 7d 3c]
RecessRampage checks
Scott Fischman bets 1,500
RecessRampage raises to 6,000
Scott Fischman raises to 18,002, and is all in
RecessRampage has 15 seconds left to act
RecessRampage has requested TIME
RecessRampage calls 12,002
Scott Fischman shows [7c 5c]
RecessRampage shows [Kd Qd]
*** TURN *** [6d 7d 3c] [As]
*** RIVER *** [6d 7d 3c As] [5s]
Scott Fischman shows two pair, Sevens and Fives
RecessRampage shows Ace King high
Scott Fischman wins the pot (38,654) with two pair, Sevens and Fives

This hand obviously crippled me and the very next hand, Scott once again minraises, everyone folds, I shove from the SB with A-10, he has KQ or KJ or something and I'm out. Now before I chalk this one up to bad luck for not catching my 15 outs twice (according to Bayne, I'm a slight favorite on the flop - either way, it's a virtual coinfliop), I naturally, started thinking about this hand. It's not unusual for me to go to bed thinking about poker but I have to admit, I even dreamt about it and this morning when I woke up, this hand was the first thing that came to mind... even sicker when I saw that Scott Fischman ended up taking down this tournament.

Well, ok, back to the main point of this post. I looked over this hand history. And then I realized I made a critical mistake. Where's the mistake? Well, let's revisit the hand history. But before I do that, I want to lay out the table first.

Blinds - 250/500 Ante 50
Seat 1: Scott Fischman (19,052)
Seat 2: weak_player (8,908)
Seat 3: asphnxma (8,775)
Seat 4: a104l9 (14,400)
Seat 5: JL514 (10,625)
Seat 6: columbo (28,673)
Seat 7: RecessRampage (22,530)
Seat 9: twoblackaces (1,835)

As you see here, I am second in chips and even better is that columbo who is the huge chip leader is sitting to my right. I couldn't ask for anything better (unless of course, Fischman is sitting to Columbo's right, then it would be perfect). This is the table where I accumulated most of my chips and the only hands that I've shown down so far were QQ and JJ. So, in other words, I have a good table image and a big stack. With the blinds and antes and 8 players at the table, the pot has T$1,150. With my stack, I am not looking to get into a major confrontation with the two other big stacks without a big hand. Now let's analyze the preflop action.

*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RecessRampage [Kd Qd]
twoblackaces folds
Scott Fischman raises to 1,000
weak_player folds
asphnxma folds
a104l9 folds
JL514 folds
columbo folds
RecessRampage calls 500

Scott Fischman minraises from UTG+1. Shockingly, no one gives him action. With the odds that he was laying, a lot of people could have called but I was especially shocked that no one from late position who has an M of around 10 shoved. He's been minraising a lot so that was no indication of him being tricky or any signs of strength. Now it's quite possible that no one had anything playable but again, shocking. Well, with my KQs, I just called. I figured that by just calling, I don't commit too many chips preflop, I thought it's a hand that is generally ahead of his raising range but if I miss, I could get away from it easily and look for a better spot to take his money.

*** FLOP *** [6d 7d 3c]
RecessRampage checks
Scott Fischman bets 1,500

The flop is about as good as it gets for me without actually hitting. All low cards with two diamonds. Fischman leads out with a weakish bet of around 1,500. At this point, I could either fold, call, or checkraise. I think the fold here is ridiculously weak. The pot has T$3,150, Fischman just bet 1,500 into it so I'm getting 3:1 on my money to call. However, at this point, I figured he either completely missed or got a piece of it so I decided to go with the checkraise.

RecessRampage raises to 6,000
Scott Fischman raises to 18,002, and is all in
RecessRampage has 15 seconds left to act
RecessRampage has requested TIME

This is where I messed up. No, not the fact that I checkraise. I don't mind that line too much. Except I didn't think this through. Let's go back for a second. Fischman bet 1,500 into a pot that had 3,150. By me raising it to 6,000, what does that do? Now, Fischman is getting close to 2.5:1 odds (for him to call off another 4,500 into a pot that is now 10,650. Even worse is this. My checkraise amount was just the amount that a pro could read as a weak checkraise. I left myself about 14 or 15,000 in chips. It's almost as if I'm saying I'm making this one move but I can still fold. In other words, Scott is getting 2.5:1 odds, he got a piece of it, AND he's got fold equity... or so he thought so he shoves.

The way I analyze hands, I always try to get into the head of another player. If I were Scotty, what do I think Recess has? Well, Recess called the preflop minraise so he obv doesn't have AA-JJ. Maybe AK but also unlikely (keep in mind he doesn't know me so he would have to generalize my play a little). So, the calling range of Recess could be wide but it's obv not a premium hand. Flop comes 7 high. I hit top pair and gut shot straight draw (remember, I'm Scott right now). Recess checkraises me but left himself enough to fold. What does he have? 88-99, maybe TT? Some sort of a draw? Did he hit a piece of this also? A6 or A7? If these are the ranges that Recess has, I have some fold equity if I shove. ALL IN.

Any thoughts? Of course, based on the way Scott was playing, one can argue that he wasn't thinking much but this is how I'm looking at the hand. If I had checkraised a more solid amount whereby indicating to Scott that I'm committed in this hand, I'm not so sure that he wouldn't have folded. Maybe he would have shoved anyways but because my checkraise amount was so weak, I gave him the opportunity to come back over the top to make me make the decision... as opposed to me putting him to the test. He outplayed me, I had a hand that was good enough to call at that point (I was getting 2:1 with two overs and a flush draw) and the hand played itself out. But I can't stop thinking what could have been if I either won that race OR if I had checkraised more and just taken the pot away from him.

RecessRampage calls 12,002
Scott Fischman shows [7c 5c]
RecessRampage shows [Kd Qd]
*** TURN *** [6d 7d 3c] [As]
*** RIVER *** [6d 7d 3c As] [5s]
Scott Fischman shows two pair, Sevens and Fives
RecessRampage shows Ace King high
Scott Fischman wins the pot (38,654) with two pair, Sevens and Fives

I still have so much to learn. But I am seeing the tables and MTT situations in ways I haven't seen before so I am happy about that. And I can only get better. I also have a few sick side bets with Fuel for up to approx $1,000. This BBT is gonna be fun!

Oh, on the cash game side... I think (not 100% sure) this is the biggest pot I've won (which I know is not so big for some of you megafish out there but it's a start).

Full Tilt Poker Game #5473926807: Table Snow Flat (6 max) - $5/$10 - No Limit Hold'em - 17:07:46 ET - 2008/03/02
Seat 1: peterpan777 ($2,244)
Seat 2: 93TilInfinity ($1,872.75)
Seat 3: Greennday13 ($200)
Seat 4: RecessRampage ($1,292)
Seat 5: Nicolak ($1,000)
Seat 6: FastEddie267 ($990)
FastEddie267 posts the small blind of $5
peterpan777 posts the big blind of $10
The button is in seat #5

*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RecessRampage [Tc Jc]
93TilInfinity folds
RecessRampage raises to $35
Nicolak folds
FastEddie267 folds
peterpan777 calls $25

*** FLOP *** [Ts 2d 7c]
peterpan777 checks
RecessRampage bets $55
peterpan777 raises to $150
RecessRampage calls $95

*** TURN *** [Ts 2d 7c] [Jd]<--- gin!
peterpan777 checks
RecessRampage has 15 seconds left to act
RecessRampage has requested TIME
RecessRampage bets $280
peterpan777 raises to $2,059, and is all in
RecessRampage calls $827, and is all in
peterpan777 shows [Td 8d]
RecessRampage shows [Tc Jc]
Uncalled bet of $952 returned to peterpan777

*** RIVER *** [Ts 2d 7c Jd] [8s]
peterpan777 shows two pair, Tens and Eights
RecessRampage shows two pair, Jacks and Tens
RecessRampage wins the pot ($2,586) with two pair, Jacks and Tens <--- BOOM!!!!

I'm a 4 star playa

Before I forget... I'm so bad with pimpin the tourneys... I mean I'm just inconsistent with my reminders for Mookie and MATH, the two blogger tourneys that I usually make a point to donate... errrr play in. So, here it is. The Big Game, hosted by the big man himself. Sunday night at 9:30pm ET. $75 buy-in. Come on everyone. So many ways to win the $75 token if you can't buy in. Easiest, IMO, is to take down the $8+0.70 2 table SNG for a $26 token and then parlaying that into a $75 token via the 2 table 18 person $26 buy-in SNG (top 5 in each gets the token). The next "easiest" is the nightly token frenzy where you can buy in for a mere $14+1 for your chance to win the $75 token. So, let's go get that and play in the biggest buy-in blogger event.



The past few days, I've mentioned that I wasn't into it. For some reason, I just kinda got tired and the work tilt affected the way I played poker... or rather, the way I didn't. I really didn't want to do anything... I preferred mindless activities like playing video games.

Speaking of mindless activities, navigating youtube is always a good mindless activity... check this out from yesterday's x-games. This fall is sick. As is the 720 he completed before that...



I'm not a X-game fan or anything... I'm not against it but I don't watch it with any kind of consistency. But I do know how sick these guys are and the tricks that they can do with their boards, bikes, etc. One summer, my friend and I worked the X-games when they came to Richmond. And I had no idea how high the ramps were and how much air time they get using those ramps. It's very sick. So, that fall was like 50 feet... apparently he walked away from it and had to be talked into going to the hospital... That's one tough kid.

Ok, so enough nonpoker stuff. Can you tell these days that my blog is really starting to be an outlet for me?

So, after I wrote the blog about how www.bigstack.com didn't account for satellites and as such was very inaccurate, I received numerous comments agreeing to that effect. Now, as part of that, KOD gave me a new site. Officialpokerrankings.com. And that site seems to be a lot more accurate. It might still be wrong so I'd love to hear people's comments on that. Well, according to that site, I'm a 4 star tournament player. Sounds good right? Until I tell you that it's not on a normal 5 star scale but rather, it's a 10 star scale...



The only thing I don't like about this site is if you are negative, it doesn't show you how much so for a guy like me, I have no way to actually vouch the accuracy or compare with my PT stats.

But check out how all the other bloggers are doing. Now, it appears more true. Or at least, it's right on with the expectations I have about most of the bloggers I know. No real surprises except once again, KOD distinguishes himself amongst the bloggers as he's listed in the top 250 MTT players according to that site. Seriously... why are there haters out there? Are you jealous of him? Or is he an ass in person? (Chad, I kid, obv)

Oh and one last thing I wanted to throw out there about tournament vs cash. Aside from my point of they are two very different games, I do agree that it's so much harder to be a winner in tournaments than cash games. Everyone could fool themselves into thinking they're not doing so bad by justifying via satellites and all that but in the end, there's only a select few who could truly make money in tournaments, only because of the number of entrants in it. Yeah, everyone might be one big score away from being in the positive but if someone plays 100 tourneys, win 1, and is +$100 net, is that person a winning tournament player? In my book, no. Just cuz you're up at one point doesn't make you a winning player without showing consistency. So, taking a snapshot and saying I'm a winning player is as silly as one of my friends saying in fantasy football that "if the season ended today, I'd be in the playoffs." But based on the blogs, I think we all know who the winning playas are in tournaments. Those are the guys who could do it night in and night out and show some semblance of consistency in a game that's virtually impossible to be consistent.

I think it's easier to be a winning cash game player but that's not to say that one is easier than the other. I know, I know. You're now thinking that that's self contradictory. It's not that. There are many layers of skill needed in cash games and there's only a select few who could continue to be positive at higher levels. I hear so many people say that they could do better if they were playing $1-2NL instead of $.25/.50NL or 5-10NL instead of 1-2NL. And their justification is that they won't suffer as many bad beats because the players should be better at that level and so their AK doesn't get cracked by K5 on a king high board. What they don't realize is their own leaks in the game and they continue to ignore their leaks by blaming the "donkeys." Believe me, if you can't crush 1-2NL, you can't crush 5-10NL. Playing smaller stakes due to limited bankroll is no excuse for not being a winning player. If you are playing cash and you think that the only reason you are not winning is because you are getting unlucky, you really need to self evaluate and look at your play. You'll be surprised as to who the true donkey is. That's how I feel every time I evaluate my play. And soon, I'll post some of my worst blunders to illustrate AND hopefully, you all can use that to either think about your play or learn from my mistakes.

Once again, thanks for reading this Harry Potter-esque (only from the sheer length of it) post. Have a good weekend and see you at the Big Game!