In praise of new ideas...aka What Would Lucko Do?...aka Hoy's blog comes through again.
To Recap:
Big Game: Two words: embarrassing exit. Played pretty good throughout just to cough the fucker up on the 5 yard line. Congrats to sprstoner (and smokkee and guin) for teaching this donkey how to make the money. Despite being a bubble(head), in terms of finishes I gotta be the overall Big Game points leader no? A third and a fourth in two cracks? To paraphrase Denny Green - "if you want to crown [him] now...go ahead and crown [him]"
Sure winning Daytona is sexy, but isn't the Cup really what it's all about?
And in other news...
FT 20k last night? Early exit because I was three tabling and got my position completely reversed, thinking a decent size pot had been checked to me. I push with second pair thinking there is no way they are calling this. Actually I was first to act and find not one, but TWO callers. Remember, for every bad beat there are a shitload of good ones out there too.
MATH? Ski had his read on my hand (2 overs) and despite firing pre, post and pushing the turn I couldn't get him of those 6s. I like his call - given how aggro dumb I get after each decent cash, you should be calling everything I bet too.
Any Good News? Yup.
I had a moment of clarity today. This is the honest state of my game to my eyes:
My MTT game has made significant improvements in the last 4 months. To the point that I genuinely feel when I sit down I believe I can make a final table or bust very, very close. That doesn't always happen, of course, but it has happened often enough in these last few months to convince me there might be more to it than just hot cards and a lot of breaks. [Though to be fair, there's been plenty of those too.]
Now this is different from when smokkee got back from Vegas last week having laid waste to back-to-back-to-back MTTs. Smokkee's sincere take is that he is a contender to win any thing he signs up for, and I know Hoy believes the same thing too. I would say they've come by those impressions honestly.
That's the next step for me.
Still, if you ask me if I think I could final table any MTT from the 12k to 25k, and just about any Blogger tournament, and finish between 4-9th - I would say I've reached the point where I actually expect to get there. I'm not surprised when I don't, but that is definitely what I am asking of myself. When I don't I just try to figure out what I messed up and how to correct it for next time.
The point; aside from the great joy I derive in singing my own praises?
I read Hoy's post about winning his entry to the FTOPS Event#6 (Pot Limit HoldEm) this morning. I read it very, very carefully. Especially the part about the end game and heads up competition. I decided I would give a satellite a shot tonight. And when I found one for Event#2 - NLHE (of course), basically a $216 with a 500k guarantee - starting relatively early and with enough runners (58) to offer seats for the top 6 finishes, I just KNEW I was going to win one. I feel gunshy about taking shots at things where only 1 or 2 spots are offered - I just don't finish strongly enough to feel good about my chances at those yet.
But 6th? I am all over sixth.
And I was.
Before you can ask Waffles - here is the complete list of beats I received and delivered, as well as a couple of coolers:
I got rivered fierce with AQ v AJ - got it all in on the turn with what I felt was a strong read and tough call on my part, only to frown a little by the end of the hand. I was down to 1k but not out, which is a critically important point. I had him covered by enough to live to fight another day if I got screwed or was wrong on his range and that factored heavily into my call. I direct anyone interested to Dutch Boyd's Hammered but Profound analysis of busting when ahead - link courtesy of Fuel.
I quickly settled on a very simple strategy to set the stage for a comeback. Any hand I would even consider raising with, I would push with instead - I had 10BB so this might have been a little aggro for some. I knew I would likely get away with this twice before I got looked up. Fate conspired with me and KK arrived just in time to deliver an overbet that AQs was all too willing to call and double. I ran aground for a bit when TT hit JJ and 99 hit TT, but because I was mixing it up with shorties who looked like desperation pushes, I survived both. Then tried to pick on a guy with just a shade less than me and run 99 into JJ, and survive only because of a 9 on the flop. I don't know anyone who has taken down anything worth having without encountering some favor along the way, so I don't feel to bad about this - heh.
I hit the final table in second place with a huge margin over the rest of the field, and decided to experiment lucko style. I tried to play the bubble (7th got their buy-in back, so there was really two bubbles) very hard and I accumulated a bunch of chips (15k to 24k by the time it broke)reraising people enough to give them the impression I'd call their push, knowing they'd fold almost anything rather than risk bubbling. I just can't believe I wasn't even aware of this opportunity before - it all boils down to can you just bring yourself to make those bets. For whatever it's worth - I really learned something useful in that first Big Game, lucko. Thanks.
And thanks to CracknAces for stopping by and wishing me well. Missed you at the Big Game, brotha. Naturally blogger events should be exempt from your alledgedly impending retirement.
Eventually the two shorties took each other on and we were all set with our entries. I was hoping people might want to play it out, and I was going to try and get some headsup experience, but nope - push fest. Oh well. At the moment we all won our seats, I was second in chips. That might be just random numbers being generated, but considering I played most of this game trying a new style (West Coast offence comes to Cleveland), I am hopeful this is the start of getting my MTT game ready for bigger and better things.
Ya know, like Event Number 2 of the FTOPS. ME seat to follow shortly?
Laytah.
Big Game: Two words: embarrassing exit. Played pretty good throughout just to cough the fucker up on the 5 yard line. Congrats to sprstoner (and smokkee and guin) for teaching this donkey how to make the money. Despite being a bubble(head), in terms of finishes I gotta be the overall Big Game points leader no? A third and a fourth in two cracks? To paraphrase Denny Green - "if you want to crown [him] now...go ahead and crown [him]"
Sure winning Daytona is sexy, but isn't the Cup really what it's all about?
And in other news...
FT 20k last night? Early exit because I was three tabling and got my position completely reversed, thinking a decent size pot had been checked to me. I push with second pair thinking there is no way they are calling this. Actually I was first to act and find not one, but TWO callers. Remember, for every bad beat there are a shitload of good ones out there too.
MATH? Ski had his read on my hand (2 overs) and despite firing pre, post and pushing the turn I couldn't get him of those 6s. I like his call - given how aggro dumb I get after each decent cash, you should be calling everything I bet too.
Any Good News? Yup.
I had a moment of clarity today. This is the honest state of my game to my eyes:
My MTT game has made significant improvements in the last 4 months. To the point that I genuinely feel when I sit down I believe I can make a final table or bust very, very close. That doesn't always happen, of course, but it has happened often enough in these last few months to convince me there might be more to it than just hot cards and a lot of breaks. [Though to be fair, there's been plenty of those too.]
Now this is different from when smokkee got back from Vegas last week having laid waste to back-to-back-to-back MTTs. Smokkee's sincere take is that he is a contender to win any thing he signs up for, and I know Hoy believes the same thing too. I would say they've come by those impressions honestly.
That's the next step for me.
Still, if you ask me if I think I could final table any MTT from the 12k to 25k, and just about any Blogger tournament, and finish between 4-9th - I would say I've reached the point where I actually expect to get there. I'm not surprised when I don't, but that is definitely what I am asking of myself. When I don't I just try to figure out what I messed up and how to correct it for next time.
The point; aside from the great joy I derive in singing my own praises?
I read Hoy's post about winning his entry to the FTOPS Event#6 (Pot Limit HoldEm) this morning. I read it very, very carefully. Especially the part about the end game and heads up competition. I decided I would give a satellite a shot tonight. And when I found one for Event#2 - NLHE (of course), basically a $216 with a 500k guarantee - starting relatively early and with enough runners (58) to offer seats for the top 6 finishes, I just KNEW I was going to win one. I feel gunshy about taking shots at things where only 1 or 2 spots are offered - I just don't finish strongly enough to feel good about my chances at those yet.
But 6th? I am all over sixth.
And I was.
Before you can ask Waffles - here is the complete list of beats I received and delivered, as well as a couple of coolers:
I got rivered fierce with AQ v AJ - got it all in on the turn with what I felt was a strong read and tough call on my part, only to frown a little by the end of the hand. I was down to 1k but not out, which is a critically important point. I had him covered by enough to live to fight another day if I got screwed or was wrong on his range and that factored heavily into my call. I direct anyone interested to Dutch Boyd's Hammered but Profound analysis of busting when ahead - link courtesy of Fuel.
I quickly settled on a very simple strategy to set the stage for a comeback. Any hand I would even consider raising with, I would push with instead - I had 10BB so this might have been a little aggro for some. I knew I would likely get away with this twice before I got looked up. Fate conspired with me and KK arrived just in time to deliver an overbet that AQs was all too willing to call and double. I ran aground for a bit when TT hit JJ and 99 hit TT, but because I was mixing it up with shorties who looked like desperation pushes, I survived both. Then tried to pick on a guy with just a shade less than me and run 99 into JJ, and survive only because of a 9 on the flop. I don't know anyone who has taken down anything worth having without encountering some favor along the way, so I don't feel to bad about this - heh.
I hit the final table in second place with a huge margin over the rest of the field, and decided to experiment lucko style. I tried to play the bubble (7th got their buy-in back, so there was really two bubbles) very hard and I accumulated a bunch of chips (15k to 24k by the time it broke)reraising people enough to give them the impression I'd call their push, knowing they'd fold almost anything rather than risk bubbling. I just can't believe I wasn't even aware of this opportunity before - it all boils down to can you just bring yourself to make those bets. For whatever it's worth - I really learned something useful in that first Big Game, lucko. Thanks.
And thanks to CracknAces for stopping by and wishing me well. Missed you at the Big Game, brotha. Naturally blogger events should be exempt from your alledgedly impending retirement.
Eventually the two shorties took each other on and we were all set with our entries. I was hoping people might want to play it out, and I was going to try and get some headsup experience, but nope - push fest. Oh well. At the moment we all won our seats, I was second in chips. That might be just random numbers being generated, but considering I played most of this game trying a new style (West Coast offence comes to Cleveland), I am hopeful this is the start of getting my MTT game ready for bigger and better things.
Ya know, like Event Number 2 of the FTOPS. ME seat to follow shortly?
Laytah.
posted by Iakaris aka I.A.K. at 11:10 PM
11 Comments:
If you want some HU experience, go play $5 SnG HU matches. You'll get opponents with a large range of experience (some good players, some bad players, some HORRIBLE players, and a rare genius), it's not too expensive, and the matches play relatively fast.
Glad I could help.
One thing I will warn about these playes is that when things are working they looks great. When they don't work, it can be very frustrating.
I have built up big chip leads with this style but I have also blown big chip leads with this style as well.
did phil hellmuth ghost write this one?
LOL E.
Now shut the fuck up and get your sorry legionnaire's-ridden lungs to vegas in dec.
Nice one IAK. I hope to qualify for one of those soon.
I wish I could give you a rational explanation for playing the sixes the way I did, other than 'i had a feeling', but I had a feeling.
SuckBox stop hiding from me! I know you are there!
How come you comment on my slob post but no comment on my MTT post. I *cough* respect your opinions. I know you just do not want me to get better! Ha!
Nice Job! Can't wait to hear about the #2 results.
Also, Event #2.
congrats on getting your seat. i'm gonna try to satellite into Event #2 and the Main Event.
west coast offense RAWKS!
btw, i recorded my last 5-6 FTP guaranteed tournament final tables including, last night's. i might be willing to share those with you. i didn't play any of them perfect. in fact, i donked out of a couple on the last hand. obv, i have a great excuse for each donkout. but, they might be worth a look if you're interested.
smokkee - that sounds great...I'll email you.
Kickass job, Iak. Not that I'm surprised. But I for one am really looking forward to these large guaranteed prize pools in the FTOPS since I never play on the weekends otherwise when all the big regular guarantee tournaments are. Can't wait to see how you do in Event #2. Keep up the great work.
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