Stumptown

Just to throw people off the scent, a few nights ago I played in a different league. I did this for a couple reasons.
First, the dealing issues of the other night were getting to me a bit. I wanted to just play, not worry about dealing, not have to think about all the extraneous details...I just wanted to flat out play. Second, I wanted to test my skills against a group of people I did not know. Third, my other plans fell through at the last second and I just happened to be by a Stumptown game.

The chip denominations were different and this would throw me a bit. Whites were 100, reds were 500, blues were 1000, and greens were 5000. You started with something like 7 or 10K, I am not sure which...but the chip counts are not steady. As does our league, there was an early chip. But there were also drink chips. And you could continue to purchase drinks and add more chips. So I had an Orange Juice...easily the WORST OJ I have ever had, a Coke, and a Root Beer...and ended up snagging another 3 red chips throughout the game. So I don't actually know where my stack started or was for a good portion of the game in relation to my starting stack. Also, I did not know how many chips were in play.

It is important to know roughly how many chips are in play so you know where you stand. For example, to start the game, let's say we all start with 10K and there are 10 players. A few hands later you have 20K, you know someone is short stack. Short stacks of necessity play a different game so you need to watch out for them. However, with this structure, the short stack might have bought drinks for himself and 3 buddies, showed up early, and ordered food...and still have 10K or even more!

But one think about Hold 'Em...you need to quickly learn the rules of wherever you are playing and adjust to them.

I was familiar with Stumptown theory from having read their website. I quickly decided to play tight-aggressive poker. Raise or fold, no limping, not even small blind.

First hand, early position, 5/7 off. I briefly considered raising. Then I pulled my head out of my sphincter and folded. Later in the game I would have raised this, but first hand with a full table of people I had not played with and raising a hand that even in late position is marginal at best? No, not smart. Ironically...I would have flopped trip 7s and taken down a huge pot. I folded until I was on the button. This time K/7 off. Again I considered raising, then *POP* my head came out of my sphincter again and I folded. And again I would have flopped trip 7s...

So I was considering playing poorly but actually playing well by folding trash hands instead of playing them. And contrary to my expectations, people were frequently limping. The few times they hadn't they had shown Aces and pocket 6s.

Finally, in my big blind I picked up J/8 off. Not a great hand, but a nice drawing hand. It reached me with only a minimum raise from the under the gun so I was priced in to calling. This would also serve to show I would defend my blinds, even though if I had something like K/7 again I would have folded. The flop came ragged with Jack high. A maniacal player 2 seats to my right raised. I re-raised. UTG called, the guy who raised the flop folded. Turn was a King, checked, and the river was something like a 4. We checked again and my J/8 was good. The guy I re raised out of the pot was complaining about my "big re-raise with such a weak kicker". Well...maybe.

Trouble is, I had been paying attention to everyone. Time after time I saw them call raises with K/5 off, Q/3 off, just terrible, terrible hands. So I knew there was a chance I was beat, but not as good a chance as there normally would be.

Also, I had picked up stuff on 2 or 3 people. For example, seat just left of the dealer, guy named Zack. He looked like a poker player...he has the stocking cap, the intimidating glare, the ipod, the Phil Ivey hang over the table and look at everyone thing...but he might as well have been playing with his hand face up. For example, the third or fourth hand of the night. He had limped in a couple times and then, from early position he raised three times the blinds. Flop came out Jack high. His eyes almost beat the last card to his chips. He bet again, called a re-raise (from the guy I would later re-raise on my J/8 hand). Turn was an Ace. He did the shoulder slump. Checked. Called a raise from my re-raiser but reluctantly. River was a low card. Check, check. I had him on pockets from the beginning and with no fear of the Jack but hating the Ace I figured Kings or Queens. Re-raiser was surprised to see his Cowboys...but to me it was just visual confirmation of what I already knew.

But I had also watched re-raiser. Everyone gave him marginal respect because he has a reputation as a mad bluffer. But watching...most of the people I saw were bluffing even when they didn't know it. They saw any paint/rag as Aces and would call any raise with it. They would also raise with nothing. For example, Zack raised from early position with Q/3. How do you raise from ANYWHERE with Q/3? You can if you know your competition...but he just thought he had good cards.

So I adjusted my play somewhat. I loosened up a bit since I needed less of a hand to call a raise. ERROR ALERT. I loosened up my play...on a maniacal table. That is contrary to the soundest poker advice. On a loose table, tighten up. On a tight table, loosen up.

The theory is simple; on a loose table, you just play premium hands because you will get action on them and others will do your betting for you, building huge pots with little to no effort on your part. On a tight table, you can raise more hands because they will play back at you with fewer hands.

Anyway, I was up a few chips after my J/8 hand. And a couple hands later I raised to 4 times the blinds with K/Q. Zack said he would have played for 3 times...a couple callers, I ended up hitting top 2 pairs and taking down a nice pot. Zack commented I had won more in that pot than he had chips. I was sailing beautifully. Next hand I picked up A/Q. "Just for you, Zack, I will just raise 3 times" I said. He laughed...and folded anyway. But I did get 3 callers Flop came all rags. Heavy betting before it got to me. I hesitated to let it go...I had GOOD CARDS! Then I remembered...these guys played BAD CARDS. And the flop was bad. So I released my hand. Sure enough, someone had called with something like A/3 and flopped a straight.

A few hands later in the small blind I picked up J/8 of clubs. I called a raise that had about 4 other callers...and the big blind went all in. And there were 2 callers before it got to me. Wow, now here was a decision. If I called and won I would be the dominating chip stack with well over half the chips in play...and if I lost then I would be down to about 7000. The guy who went all-in was actually one of the better players. He seemed to be showing down stronger cards than anyone and I did not credit him with being a maniac. Plus, he had re-raised into 5 or 6 people who had either raised ahead of him or called a raise. I put him on pockets, Queens or better and probably Aces. But what had the other 2 called with? Both were somewhat maniacal so any paint card...not cards, card...or even a dry Ace and they would be in there. But against 3 people I decided I was a prohibitive underdog and folded.

And they all turned up hands weaker than I would have believed. The guy whose game I respected probably the second most turned up A/9 of hearts. From late position that is probably a playable hand...but re-raising all in into that many players? What the smurf? Of course, compared to the A/4 and K/10 the others turned up...yeah, he knows his opponents. And he hit his straight on the river to take a huge pot.

But after that hand and a few blinds, I lost a couple more pots where I had strong cards, they had trash hands and their trash hands hit...example, my A/10 from late position, I raised, and someone who called a 4 times the blinds raise with 9/5 hit trip 5s.

Then I called an All-in with A/K against pocket 6s. I hit my King...but he hit a set. And a couple more blinds, which had raised a few times...and I was in the danger zone. I had about 5K left with blinds at 3/600. At one point Zack was the big blind alone after the guy whose game I had respected got rivered on a 3 outer by the mad bluffer. From the button I had A/J. Regardless of who had been in the pot I was going all in. With just one guy left I figured to be good. But Zack woke up in the big blind with pocket 10s. I sucked out when I hit a Jack on the flop and an Ace on the river to get back to 10K. A couple circuits without a playable hand and I was all in again, this time with A/10 against K/8 suited. They held up. Then, still with 10K I picked up my first pocket pair of the evening, 6's. I re-raised all in against a couple of them, got called by the maniacal bluffer and the 6s held up. I was now rolling with a nice chip stack.

I folded the next hand, the bluffer got taken out and we were down to 3 handed. With over 20K I no longer felt I had to push all in every time and went back to playing poker. Next hand I picked up pocket 6s, raised 4 times the blinds from the button, they folded, I showed the 6s because I thought it was funny. Next hand, big blind, they both called, I had pocket Queens. I raised 4 times the blinds, they folded, I showed. Next hand, the button went all in for a small amount. I looked at pocket 3s.

hmm. I doubted he had a pair, just something like A/k, A/q, maybe A/10 or something. I was a favorite against him with my pair but I would be a decided underdog if the other guy called too. So it was raise or fold. I went all in. He hesitated, then folded so it was my 3s against...wait for it...wait....wait...9/10 off. He went all in from the button with 9/10 unsuited. I liked my chances, though he still had 2 overs. And sure enough, the turn was a 9. But it did not hurt bad since he only had like 5K prior to that hand.

And for those keeping track, my last few hands were pocket 6s, trash, pocket 6s, pocket queens, pocket 3s...while 3 handed.

Not too much later we finally dusted off the short stack and I had the chip lead.

Now, to this point, I had been playing a conservative game. I played only good hands, only played draws with very positive EV, got out when I was behind...and now I for whatever reason shifted gears.

I chased a gut shot straight with a backdoor flush draw. What? That is a HORRIBLE play. I gave it up on the turn when the board paired, not because my draw was worse but because I was smarter. I folded saying, "Nah, if you got the 5 I am drawing dead." and he, impressed by what he thought was my strong read, showed the 5 for trips. No, I did not think he had the 5...I just thought he had something better than drawing dead to a 10 in a small pot not worth calling 5K.

Then I played something like a J/4. Sure, we were heads up...but...that is a J/4! Flop came 4/9/K. Check, check. Turn was a 7. I bet...now, based on his betting, 5K would have been plenty. I stupidly raised 10K. Too big a raise and perilously close to pot committing me for all my chips with a whopping pair of 4s, Jack kicker. Weak, weak play. Fortunately, he overplayed his hand and went all in. I quickly folded saying, "If I had seen you bluff even once I would have called because I caught a piece of it." so he flipped up the cowboys...he had trips on the flop. It was the right lay down but the wrong bet. And it would have been an even better lay down if I did it pre-flop.

Well, I won a couple hands here and there but lost a couple, too. I folded to a couple of his pre-flop raises and before I knew it was down to about 15K so he had a pretty significant chip lead. And with A/7 I thought about moving all in but just called. The flop came K/rag/rag. He checked, I moved all in, he called...with 2 pair. I was pretty much drawing dead and 2 cards later I had finished 2nd.

For the night I started out playing really well, only playing strong hands and playing them strongly. I had a good sense for whose way to stay out of and who to play with. In the middle part of the night I made a couple weak plays that cost me but tightened up, played proper short stack play and got the chip lead. When we got to three handed I thought I played my best poker of the night, putting pressure on them when I had good hands and getting out of the way when I didn't. Heads up was a disaster. I really need to work on that part of my game.