Flameout

It's never fun to hit the rail before the late registration period of a tournament has expired, but it's especially painful when you were one of the big stacks. That's what happened to me last night. I won a huge pot early on, zooming up to fourth place, but couldn't stay there. The most memorable hand was the one where my pocket eights lost to a big slick. I was a favorite, but it wasn't meant to be; my opponent paired his king on the flop, and I bricked the turn and the river. I lost about half my stack, and never recovered.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6      62   18     -        0

delta: $-100,000
MTT NLHE balance: $13,215,668
2020 balance: $6,193,343
balance: $68,001,353

A surprising year over year comparison

Last year, I played 182 MTT NLHEs. This year, I've already played 186, so it's clear I'll more than double last year's total by the end of the year. The numbers are so close at the moment, however, that they invite comparison. Last year, I made the money in 67 of the 182, for a percentage of 36.81. This year, I've made the money in 87 of the 186, for a percentage of 46.77. Did I gain 10 percentage points because I'm a better player this year? No. How, then, to account for the discrepancy? I can think of only one reason, but it's a good one. Last year, I was still playing rebuy tournaments, and this year, I'm not. Playing rebuy tournaments is deleterious to your poker health. I don't mean it's necessarily deleterious to your bottom line; what I mean is that it damages the purity of your poker decision-making apparatus. Rebuys allow you to believe that there are essentially no consequences to making bad decisions. Lose all your chips? No problem! Just rebuy. Buy ins become junk food. There would actually be no problem if all you played were rebuys. However, when you play a mix of rebuys and non-rebuys, it's impossible to keep the devil-may-care rebuy mindset out of your non-rebuy game. Luckily for me, I got to the point where I simply couldn't stomach the asinine play of many of the rebuy opponents I encountered, no matter how much play money I was able to take off them. The truth is that they weren't playing real poker, and that's all I ever want to play.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6     111   30    13   231000

delta: $131,000
MTT NLHE balance: $13,315,668
2020 balance: $6,293,343
balance: $68,101,353

Crying call

There are certain plays in poker you have to make, even when you have dire misgivings. That's the canonical definition of the crying call. Last night, almost immediately after the money bubble burst, I had to make such a call. I had top pair on a dry board, and was priced in since I was short-stacked. I had a strong suspicion I was beat, but couldn't help hoping I was wrong. I wasn't; I lost to a two pair.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6     109   30    29   284000

delta: $84,000
MTT NLHE balance: $13,184,668
2020 balance: $6,162,343
balance: $67,970,353

A freakish freq factor

Since there are 1,326 unique starting hands in hold'em, and since tournaments generally last well under 200 hands each, every hand you're dealt in a tournament has a frequency factor of at least 6.63 (1326 / 200). That is, you receive each hand at least 6.63 times as frequently as you should expect to receive it. If you receive the same hand m times during the tournament, and were dealt a total of n hands, the freq factor is 1326 * m / n. Last night, I played approximately 100 hands, and received the king and queen of hearts 3 times. My freq factor for that hand was thus a freakish 39.78. As I recall, I only won the first time I got them, when I hit a flush.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6     165   42    22   459000

delta: $259,000
MTT NLHE balance: $13,100,668
2020 balance: $6,078,343
balance: $67,886,353

Worst session of the year

The best time to have your worst session of the year is when you start the session in the blue, as I did last night. I didn't play badly, but wasn't able to make the money in any of the three tournaments I entered. I was starting to think that making the money was my birthright, so it's just as well the poker gods slapped me down. The last time I lost so much money in a single session was way back on November 24 of last year.  I don't intend to make it a habit :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6     147   36    51        0
MTT   NLHE    43500  6500       6     162   42    73        0
MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      97   24    33        0

delta: $-450,000
MTT NLHE balance: $12,841,668
2020 balance: $5,819,343
balance: $67,627,353

Under the lights

Last night, I got under the lights again. In a rarity, I joined the tournament before it started. My overall balance broke through the 68 million play dollar boundary for the first time. The most memorable hand was the one where I hit quad fours. I've now made the money in eight straight tournaments. I feel like I can't lose :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      97   24     6   962000

delta: $762,000
MTT NLHE balance: $13,291,668
2020 balance: $6,269,343
balance: $68,077,353

A week by the lake

Here's the quintessential definition of what poker means to me:

Poker is the most relaxing thing I know how to do. Whenever I play it, I'm on vacation. I feel like I'm sitting on an Adirondack chair, with a beer on a table beside me and a novel in my hands, on the shore of a beautiful lake. I just want to stay there and never leave :-)

I've made the money in the last seven tournaments I've entered, spanning the last seven sessions. A wonderful week by the lake!

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6     117   30    13   488000

delta: $388,000
MTT NLHE balance: $12,529,668
2020 balance: $5,507,343
balance: $67,315,353

Aqueous humor

The poker gods were in an aqueous humor last night. They dealt me AQo (ace queen offsuit) four times in rapid succession. I think I went two for four. I've now made the money in six straight MTT NLHEs. That's a long way from my career high of 13 straight, but it's a nice streak nonetheless.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6     180   36    25   117000

delta: $17,000
MTT NLHE balance: $12,141,668
2020 balance: $5,119,343
balance: $66,927,353

Money from anywhere

I used to think it was a bad idea to join a non-rebuy tournament before roughly three quarters of its late registration period had elapsed. My reasoning was that you should try to maximize the amount of dead money in the prize pool, and minimize your chances of hitting the rail before late registration ends. That reasoning is solid, but it doesn't have to be adhered to religiously. I know that I can make the money regardless of when I join a tournament. In other words, I can make the money from anywhere :-) I did it again last night.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6     145   36    21   403000

delta: $203,000
MTT NLHE balance: $12,124,668
2020 balance: $5,102,343
balance: $66,910,353

In the sweetness

Last night, I went deep in a tournament once again. This ticked the following boxes:

1. I extended my making the money streak to 4
2. I got under the lights
3. I got back into the blue

I'm officially in the sweetness :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6     111   30     5  1158000

delta: $958,000
MTT NLHE balance: $11,921,668
2020 balance: $4,899,343
balance: $66,707,353

Five in the dark

As is consistent with my new normal, I played a single tournament last night. It started in a highly unusual way - I won my first five pots without having to go to showdown. I was starting to think I'd never have to reveal my hole cards :-) Of course, that would be impossible. I made the money for the third straight tournament. One of these days, I'll go really deep.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    43500  6500       6     192   48    36   103000

delta: $53,000
MTT NLHE balance: $10,963,668
2020 balance: $3,941,343
balance: $65,749,353

Tournament zip codes

Whenever my position in a tournament goes up or down a significant number of places, I think to myself, "You're in a new zip code now" :-) Your playing style can, and should, change when your tournament zip code changes, just as it should change at other key moments, such as when the money bubble approaches. Last night, my zip code changed when the deck started hitting me in the face and I had a cluster of won pots. It's the best feeling in the world to know you're basically assured of making the money, since then you're free to start salivating about reaching the really big money at the top of the tournament. That's what happened to me last night. I never made it to the big money, but you can't expect that every time. I'm happy with the way I played.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    43500  6500       6     206   60    29   125000

delta: $75,000
MTT NLHE balance: $10,910,668
2020 balance: $3,888,343
balance: $65,696,353

House falls on man

I've written over 3,000 posts to this blog, and to the best of my knowledge, I've never written two in a row with the same title - until now. Last night, another house fell on me. This time, though, the situation wasn't nearly as dire. Instead of hitting the rail, all that happened was that my stack was amputated at the waist :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6     109   30    17   398000

delta: $198,000
MTT NLHE balance: $10,835,668
2020 balance: $3,813,343
balance: $65,621,353

House falls on man

In my last eight sessions, I've lost 947,000 play dollars. I've essentially been in freefall since getting back into the blue. Last night, I couldn't even outlast the late registration period, resulting in a 0th place. The good news is that there's almost nowhere to go but up :-) On the final hand of last night's session, I lost to a four outer. I hit a flush on the turn, but my opponent hit a full house on the river. Whatcha gonna do?

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      96   24     -        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $10,637,668
2020 balance: $3,615,343
balance: $65,423,353

Donkey Kong

I played two tournaments on Friday night, making the money in the second. In the first, I faced Donkey Kong, and things didn't work out the way I'd hoped. Donkey Kong bet like a donkey, but won like King Kong. He was on an incredible streak of luck, repeatedly going all in with weak holdings, getting one caller, and coming out on top. I knew his luck couldn't last, so I called yet another all in from him when I was dealt a suited ace. He turned over a king and a low card, so I was a favorite, but he paired his king on the flop and his pair held up.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6     143   36    88        0
MTT   NLHE    43500  6500       6     190   48    19   128000

delta: $-122,000
MTT NLHE balance: $10,837,668
2020 balance: $3,815,343
balance: $65,623,353

Two value bet beatdowns

I played two tournaments last night, and failed to make the money in either one for the same reason - a value bet beatdown. In each case, an opponent with a really strong hand bet small enough to keep me along for the ride, but big enough for the cumulative amount to do serious damage to my stack. I forget the order of the beatdowns, but one holding I was up against was cowboys (pocket kings) and the other was rockets (pocket aces). As I recall, in both cases I had top pair with a decent kicker. I'd play each hand the same way every time. The only thing you can do on these occasions is tip your hat to the winner :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6     170   36    59        0
MTT   NLHE    43500  6500       6     191   48    78        0

delta: $-150,000
MTT NLHE balance: $10,959,668
2020 balance: $3,937,343
balance: $65,745,353

Premature celebration

Sometimes it's hard not to feel that the vagaries of chance are actually not vagaries at all, but evidence of higher powers who are deliberately having fun at your expense. In other words, the poker gods, toying with you and laughing their asses off. That's exactly how I felt last night, at the moment I hit the rail. I was short-stacked, was dealt A6o (ace six offsuit), and shoved. I paired my ace on the flop, and my six on the turn. I was so sure I was going to win the pot I raised both arms above my head in celebration. That was foolish, and premature. My opponent turned over rockets, and I was gone in a New York minute. Luckily for me, I'd already made the money :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6     135   36    22   375000

delta: $175,000
MTT NLHE balance: $11,109,668
2020 balance: $4,087,343
balance: $65,895,353

Another hole in my game

Last night's session revealed another hole in my game. I often have the urge to try to teach bullies a lesson when I encounter them, and that can cause me to lose lots of chips in a hurry. There was a big stack at my table who was betting too heavily and too frequently, in my opinion. In other words, I had him pegged as a bully. I folded like a good boy for several hands, but couldn't stomach folding KQo (king queen offsuit) when it came up. To his credit, the bully made small enough bets to keep me in the hand all the way to the river. I had to fold to another small bet at that point, since all I had was a king high. That hand took a big chunk out of my stack, and I didn't recover.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6     105   30    44        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $10,934,668
2020 balance: $3,912,343
balance: $65,720,353

Ragged aces

Ragged aces - that is, hands consisting of an ace with a card less than a ten - are dangerous to play. You should never play them in 9max. I don't have to worry about that, though, since I don't play 9max any more :-) You can play ragged aces in 6max, but should do so with caution. Last night, I received ace nine three times. I played it each time; I think I went 2 for 3. My night ended with another ragged ace - this time ace six - when I was short-stacked and shoved. My opponent had an eight and a card lower than an eight (I forget what the other card was). Unfortunately, he paired his eight on the flop, and the turn and river bricked out on me.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6     128   36    41        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $11,134,668
2020 balance: $4,112,343
balance: $65,920,353

Rockets flushed away

Last night, for the second session in a row, I had my rockets flushed away. That is, I was dealt pocket aces, and ended up losing to a flush. There were four differences between the hands:

1. this time, I went all in preflop
2. this time, I was up against two opponents
3. this time, the flush came on the river
4. this time, I hit the rail

Whenever you're all in, you only want to be up against one opponent. I couldn't control that in last night's scenario, since I was the one who went all in. I certainly didn't expect two players to call. Whatcha gonna do? :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    43500  6500       6     199   48    88        0

delta: $-50,000
MTT NLHE balance: $11,334,668
2020 balance: $4,312,343
balance: $66,120,353

A turn for the worse

As I've said before, pocket aces are the Janus hand. They're either going to do you a lot of good or a lot of bad. You don't even have to go to showdown for them to do you a lot of bad. That's what happened to me last night. I was dealt rockets, the flop was all spades, and an opponent bet about half the pot. I didn't believe he had two spades, so I called. The turn was another spade, and he went all in. I had no choice but to fold, leaving my stack on life support. I was able to hang around a surprisingly long time after that, but not long enough to make the money.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6     145   36    45        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $11,384,668
2020 balance: $4,362,343
balance: $66,170,353

My blue heaven

Last night, at last, I got my overall balance back into the blue. That ended a sojourn of 236 sessions in the wilderness, the third longest of my career. It's great to be back! Some highlights of my session:

- early on, I was dealt ducks (pocket deuces), flopped a set, and won a hefty pot
- later, I was dealt the eight and six of spades, flopped a flush, and won another hefty pot
- later still, I became the chip leader, and ended up taking three poker selfies

I went out with a bang, going all in with pocket nines. They ran into rockets. I bubbled the final table.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    43500  6500       6     269   72     7   326000 

delta: $276,000
MTT NLHE balance: $11,584,668
2020 balance: $4,562,343
balance: $66,370,353

Bubbling the blue

As I've mentioned before, there are multiple levels of bubbling in a tournament. The first is bubbling making the money at all. The second is bubbling the first money jump. The third is bubbling the second money jump, etc. Last night, I bubbled the second money jump. Had I made it, my overall balance would have been back in the blue. So you could say I bubbled the blue :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6     124   30    19   388000

delta: $188,000
MTT NLHE balance: $11,308,668
2020 balance: $4,286,343
balance: $66,094,353

Two premium hands

For a nice change, the two most memorable hands of last night's session were ones that I won. They definitely helped me make the money. The first one was cowboys (pocket kings) and the second was rockets (pocket aces). Those are the two best hands in hold'em. In short, premium hands. Perhaps not surprisingly, I made a bigger profit with the cowboys than I did with the rockets. I actually prefer cowboys to rockets, since they're easier to let go of :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    43500  6500       6     176   48    29   106000

delta: $56,000
MTT NLHE balance: $11,120,668
2020 balance: $4,098,343
balance: $65,906,353

Ain't that a kicker to the head

As is so often the case, the most memorable hand of last night's session was one I lost. I was dealt KQo (king queen offsuit), and paired my king on the flop. I had top pair with an excellent kicker, and bet it on the flop, turn, and river. I had one caller, and he turned over a big slick (ace king) at showdown. My stack was cut off at the knees. I fought on gamely, but failed to make the money. Trying to get back into the blue feels a bit like walking towards a mirage; you never seem to get any closer :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    43500  6500       6     348   84   100        0

delta: $-50,000
MTT NLHE balance: $11,064,668
2020 balance: $4,042,343
balance: $65,850,353

Two fingerfehlers

Last night, I missed the money by two places. In other words, I bubbled the bubble :-) That's happened to me ten times in my MTT NLHE career. Sadly, I had two fingerfehlers during the course of the tournament, and they may have cost me. I can't guarantee I'd have made the money had I not made them, but they certainly didn't help. What is certain is that if I'd made the money, I would have reached career blue again. The first fingerfehler was when I clicked the fold button when I meant to call, after being dealt AJo (ace jack offsuit). The second was when I clicked the call button when I meant to fold. I don't remember what cards I was dealt that hand, only that they were rags.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6     117   30    32        0

delta: $-200,000
MTT NLHE balance: $11,114,668
2020 balance: $4,092,343
balance: $65,900,353

The ugly truth about MTT NLHE 9max

For some time now, my tournament selection strategy has been to favor tournaments with less time left in their late registration periods, regardless of whether they're 6max or 9max. My poker data reveals that this is a big mistake. I should be avoiding MTT NLHE 9max like the plague. Here are my career numbers for MTT NLHE 6max and MTT NLHE 9max:

balance       count  style flavor            max

$11,641,512     716    MTT No Limit Hold'em    6
  $-326,844     280    MTT No Limit Hold'em    9

Here are my 2020 numbers:

balance       count  style flavor            max

$4,355,000      114    MTT No Limit Hold'em    6
  $142,000       43    MTT No Limit Hold'em    9

I know I've tried to swear off 9max before, but this time I really mean it :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    43500  6500       9     267   54    98        0
MTT   NLHE    43500  6500       6     234   60    56    78000

delta: $-22,000
MTT NLHE balance: $11,314,668
2020 balance: $4,292,343
balance: $66,100,353

119k the hard way

I've come to realize that I enjoy playing poker more when I have to overcome adversity. The shorthand for this is doing things the hard way. What's the hard way to make a profit of $119,000 for a session? Going $300,000 in the hole before turning things around certainly qualifies; that's the route I took last night. I failed to outlast the late registration period in the first three tournaments I entered. In other words, I started off with three straight 0th places. All was forgiven when I made it under the lights in the fourth tournament. In related news, my blue distance is now just $7,057. A mere pittance :-)

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE   174000 26000       6      99   24     -        0
MTT   NLHE    43500  6500       9     273   63     -        0
MTT   NLHE    43500  6500       6     104   30     -        0
MTT   NLHE    87000 13000       6     117   30     6   519000

delta: $119,000
MTT NLHE balance: $11,336,668
2020 balance: $4,314,343
balance: $66,122,353

The Quadfather: Part II

Last night, for the second session in a row, I hit quads on a hand. This time, I was dealt pocket sevens, hit a set on the flop, and hit quads on the turn. I could get used to this :-) I didn't reach career blue, but did make the money.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    43500  6500       9     223   45     -        0
MTT   NLHE    43500  6500       6     230   60    25   139000

delta: $39,000
MTT NLHE balance: $11,217,668
2020 balance: $4,195,343
balance: $66,003,353

Lightning strikes twice

When you make the final table of an MTT, it feels like capturing lightning in a bottle. When you do that two tournaments in a row, it feels like lightning striking twice :-) That's what I achieved last night. The most memorable hand of the session was the one where I was dealt pocket sixes and flopped quads. I checked the flop and the turn, and couldn't get a caller when I bet the minimum on the river. I'll go out on a limb and predict I'll make it back to career blue tonight.

style flavor buy_in entry players entries paid place winnings

MTT   NLHE    43500  6500       9     247   54     7   349000

delta: $299,000
MTT NLHE balance: $11,178,668
2020 balance: $4,156,343
balance: $65,964,353