Bar Poker Is (Still) Eazy...

Won my 2nd straight Monday night at the Bit, and in the last three weeks, have finished 2nd, 1st, and 1st. Keep shipping those gift certificates, I tells ya. And to Cory, yes, we can definitely make it bigger.

Anyway, the game itself was fairly routine -- doubled up in the first hour, and pretty much doubled up in hour two, but things got interesting when the 50-runner field was narrowed down to the final three. Of the trio, I was short stack, was slightly covered by middle stack, and the big stack had at least 55% or so of the chips at the table.

As most of you already know, aggression is the key in short-handed tournament poker, and last night was going to be no exception. The first hand of three-handed saw me on the button, where I found a suited A. So I shoved, and got two folds. And that continued for a bit, where I'd shove any A, any pair, and any suited paint. Obviously, any of those three hands could have been vulnerable, but keeping the pressure up was vital, and successful. Of course, I gave a few chips back, and had to make a few folds, and eventually, the chips stacks were almost right back where they were when 3-handed begun. Nevertheless, the tone was set.

A couple hands later, and I'm heads up with the chipleader, who has me about 5:3 in chips, and we're playing for the not-so-mad-mobnies. And then comes the fun.

Second hand of heads-up, and I look down to see the glorious, wondrous Hammer. Given my earlier agression, there was only one thing to do. Shove into the big stack. When he calls and turns up AK, I'm really liking my chances, and the flop 7 and river deuce give me the chip lead. The very next hand? AA in the big blind. Nevermind the fact that he folds to my min-raise after a call...the fun part is getting 72o followed immediately by AA, from worst to first. How often does that happen? Like once in every 220x220 hands? The fact I won far more chips with the Hammer was only more sweet, and espeically against a nemesis who has more than once knocked me out by calling my top two pair with a naked gutshot or flush draw that hits on the river.

Anyway, it felt good to take down another tourney, and yes, I just wish I could translate final table success there to my online endeavors, where going out 6th or 7th seems to be the standard. That said, a win is a win is a win, and the main reason I prefer tournament poker to cash games is, I like to win tournaments, titles, and championships. Winning a bar game sometimes just feels better than taking 7th in a Stars 4/180, even if it's far less profitable.

If I had a Hammer...

So this Hammer thing...I clearly don't have the hang of it quite yet. Ended up playing the pub league freeroll on Friday, since I had to meet two players there to pick up a camcorder for my Good Doctor Mondo to use over the weekend. Anyway, I get there and tell a friend of mine that, if I'm big stacked at the table and get the Hammer, I'm all in.

Guess what. Of course. I'm big stacked, triple up in first hour, and get the hammer. In the BB. I totally chicken out. Flop comes Q87. I check-fold to an all in. Deuce on river. KK wins the hand. I feel worse than a donk.

Anyway, I end up finishing 2nd in the first tourney, out of 55. Nice. So, early in the 2nd tourney, I get the Hammer. Again, in the BB. Blinds are 25/50, and six players call. I go all in. Called by pocket tens, and crushed. I think the lesson is, "grow a pair before it's too late".

Crushed the home game Saturday night, but got rivered by a straight over my flopped two pair in HU and finished 2nd. Not bad. I'll take 2.5x buy-in payoff anytime. Spent most of my FTP time this weekend in .10/.25 and .25/.50 NLHE, and damn if I didn't end up down one buy in after being up four buy-ins. I know, I know, you WANT a caller to your re-raise with nut flush on turn. What you do NOT want is for that fish to hit his four outer on the river. Yes, that happened. Twice. I hate FTP sometimes. Heh. Went from running awesome, to running shitty, in about two hours of play. The bankroll's down to five max buy-ins at .10/.25, but this whole thing of playing NL is still new, and yea, I'll reload if I have to.

Anyway, it was great to hear of smokkee's satelitte rockage this weekend. Wonder how he did in the $500k. Good luck in the Aussie qualifier tonight. Also great fun following the Doyle Brunson WPT stuff.

Someday, I'll learn to take notes. There were actually a couple of interesting FTP hands. Finding the fish at most of the tables wasn't difficult. Avoiding their suckouts was, unfortunately, occasionally impossible. But the real difference between a roughly break even weekend and being up a bit was a bad call with KQ on a K-high board, seeing villian turn over AK. Lessons, lessons, lessons...

Today, I sit at work in a virtually empty office. All the shelving's gone to make room for new carpet tonight. Which makes today utterly fucking boring, and yet I can't leave...argh. There's good midday tourneys up the hill, as well. Still, finding a $75 iTunes gift certificate in my mail inbox is suhweet...gonna start it off with The Men From S.P.E.C.T.R.E. - McAwesome organ driven spy-fi from Europe. Maybe followup with Switzerland's, The Giant Robots, if the US iTunes store carries it. Great, great stuff. This band gets the Mondo's stamp of approval, and if they ever gig in the US, I *will* find a way to get them to a Denver show.