And the answer to
Hand of the Week #10 is: when checked to me, I bet T300 and SB folds! (So I don't know what he had, but I suspect he held the A
.)
Yes, I admit it, it was misleading and I make no apologies. When your own money's on the line, I'll resort to all kinds of trickery. (Good thing JDrew withdrew his answer.)
As penance for my sins, we'll keep the $50 prize just for this week. And JDrew -- if you guess correctly, the prize is doubled for you!
I went out early in that multi, to two hands in a row where I had the best hand until two different people rivered trips out of their bottom pair. It prompted someone to enter in chat:
"I wouldn't want to be standing next to him in a lightning storm."
That's what this weekend felt like -- dodging lightning bolts and having them hit dead-on each time. This weekend was full of the painful, soul-searching types of beats that make you wonder why you're playing poker in the first place. Surely to be flogged about the ass this way is not a pleasant way to pass a few hours. Nothing went right, and I was soundly trounced and maybe a little overplayed. I feel like a human incarnation of bad luck Schleprock.
However, the game is ripe and if not for those beats, I would be doing very well. Eventually my hands will hold up and I won't just get the blinds.
It's a bit of a secret and people will tell you to stay away from these particular games because they're so volatile, but I think the reason is because they want 'em all to themselves.
There's nothing quite like them (not even .50/1), and what cards you have quickly becomes irrelevant.
Take a gander at the hand below and you'll see exactly why
Party's 10/20 6max is so good: people play anything and don't fold. Yet with those same crap hands, they will bluff with gleeful abandon and aggression.
Party Poker 10/20 Hold'em (6 max, 4 handed) converter
Preflop: grubby is SB with 4
7
1 fold,
Button raises,
1 fold, BB calls.
Flop: (4.50 SB) 5
K
J
(2 players)
BB bets, Button calls.
Turn: (3.25 BB) 6
(2 players)
BB bets, Button calls.
River: (5.25 BB) J
(2 players)
BB bets, Button calls.
Final Pot: 7.25 BB
Main Pot: 7.25 BB, between Button and BB.
Pot won by Button (7.25 BB).
BB shows 8
9
(one pair, jacks).
Button shows T
2
(one pair, jacks).
Outcome: Button wins 7.25 BB.
The Button raising is fine; he's trying to steal. But when met with resistance, he continues to call the whole way just to keep BB honest. And ends up winning with 10 high. I suppose he must have had a good read on him, as BB was indeed trying to steal with 9 high.
It's this type of player that lures you into a false sense of calling (and therefore you'll lose much money, because that's usually when they do have something). There were players like this in every 10/20 game I've played (maybe because I sought them out? Hmmm...). This is why it's imperative to throw in some raises here and there, if not just to get heads-up.
This play is off the charts for me. Multi-tabling will not work with these games. When playing 10/20, I keep no more than two open at a time and make many notes. Studying opponents is much more important here than in limits I'm used to, where it's all rote and by-the-book ABC poker.
And suffice to say, this is how I lost this weekend. People holding a pair and getting trips (one even runnered quad 3s vs. my AA... and he cold-called a raise with J3o and the whole way with a flop of A3x). People holding any Ace, any pair to the river. It's maddening.
And so we get to the Hand of the Week, already in progress.
As it happens, the Button in the above hand is doing rather well. Extremely well. He's playing most hands (but then, in 6max, who isn't) and raising even more and is keeping everyone guessing. He's pulled some incredible suckouts on people (i.e., me), and you get the feeling everyone was staying until every last penny of his was redistributed among the table. That's what I did; unfortunately, my stack transferred into his pile and
then into others'.
I was able to divorce myself from all monetary value and isolate isolate isolate. Which, of course, didn't work because others see more money in the pot and want to crack big hands.
Here's the hand for this week. BB here is the same as the Button from the above hand.
Grubby's Hand of the Week #11
for Monday, July 12, 2004
Prize: $50
The first person to correctly guess my opponent's hand before next Monday wins. Suits may or may not matter. One guess per person, please. Winner will be declared here the following week. If there's no winner, the prize will roll over to next week at $25.
If you're signed up to
Empire Poker or
Absolute Poker through me (use those links to sign up) or your name is JDrew, the prize is
doubled for you.
Leave your guess in the comments section below. You can be Anonymous without registering through Blogger, but do include your name so I know whose guess is whose.
If you don't include contact info and you're the winner,
email me after the quiz is over.
Good luck and good skills,
Party Poker 10/20 Hold'em (6 max, 5 handed) converter
Preflop: grubby is UTG with 7
A
grubby raises,
3 folds, BB calls,
Flop: (4.50 SB) 2
6
4
(2 players)
BB checks,
grubby bets, BB calls.
Turn: (3.25 BB) A
(2 players)
BB checks,
grubby bets, BB calls.
River: (5.25 BB) A
(2 players)
BB checks,
grubby bets, BB calls.
Final Pot: 7.25 BB
Main Pot: 7.25 BB, between BB and grubby.
What did BB have?
Go Ahead, Share Your Thoughts! .
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