Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Conserve Your Chips

I blew it last night...We were a couple of spots from the money and I had a safe margin. The this hand came along vs. a big stack.


Full Tilt Poker Game #5037058744: $5 + $0.50 Tournament (38138063), Table 4 - 600/1200 Ante 100 - Limit Razz - 0:12:00 ET - 2008/01/29
Seat 2: pokerenthusiast (7,315)
Seat 3: wwwmcpokerus (3,000), is sitting out
Seat 4: The Main Event (13,348)
Seat 5: SNAPPERFIVE (19,568)
Seat 6: pokergirl0828 (1,886)
Seat 7: Frightenstein (2,878)
Seat 8: pacaveli1 (10,371)
pokerenthusiast antes 100
wwwmcpokerus antes 100
The Main Event antes 100
SNAPPERFIVE antes 100
pokergirl0828 antes 100
Frightenstein antes 100
pacaveli1 antes 100
*** 3RD STREET ***
Dealt to pokerenthusiast [6s 2h] [7d]
Dealt to wwwmcpokerus [9h]
Dealt to The Main Event [7s]
Dealt to SNAPPERFIVE [2c]
Dealt to pokergirl0828 [4s]
Dealt to Frightenstein [8d]
Dealt to pacaveli1 [6c]
wwwmcpokerus is high with [9h]
wwwmcpokerus brings in for 200
The Main Event calls 200
SNAPPERFIVE completes it to 600
pokergirl0828 folds
Frightenstein folds
pacaveli1 folds
pokerenthusiast calls 600
wwwmcpokerus folds
The Main Event calls 400

Three players in the hand. Both opponents have show the willingness to mix things up.

*** 4TH STREET ***
Dealt to pokerenthusiast [6s 2h 7d] [8s]
Dealt to The Main Event [7s] [Js]
Dealt to SNAPPERFIVE [2c] [6h]
SNAPPERFIVE bets 600
pokerenthusiast calls 600
The Main Event folds

I may be behind but not by much. He could have any two cards back being that he is a big stack and has bought a few.

*** 5TH STREET ***
Dealt to pokerenthusiast [6s 2h 7d 8s] [5c]
Dealt to SNAPPERFIVE [2c 6h] [9s]
pokerenthusiast bets 1,200
SNAPPERFIVE calls 1,200

I am ahead with two cards the same. I have to bet and try to take it down. He didn't re-raise so I think I may be better than I thought.

*** 6TH STREET ***
Dealt to pokerenthusiast [6s 2h 7d 8s 5c] [Ac]
Dealt to SNAPPERFIVE [2c 6h 9s] [5h]
pokerenthusiast bets 1,200
SNAPPERFIVE raises to 2,400
pokerenthusiast has 15 seconds left to act
pokerenthusiast raises to 3,600
SNAPPERFIVE raises to 4,800
pokerenthusiast calls 1,200

I screwed this up big time. I think I am good but his reraise is telling me I'm behind or he is trying to push me off. I took it as him pushing me off for my tourney life.

*** 7TH STREET ***
Dealt to pokerenthusiast [6s 2h 7d 8s 5c Ac] [5d]
pokerenthusiast bets 15, and is all in
SNAPPERFIVE calls 15

I bet my last 15 because I can. I have a 7 and hope to be ahead.

*** SHOW DOWN ***
pokerenthusiast shows [6s 5d 7d 8s 5c Ac 2h] 7,6,5,2,A
SNAPPERFIVE shows [Th 3h 2c 6h 9s 5h Ad] 6,5,3,2,A
SNAPPERFIVE wins the pot (15,930) with 6,5,3,2,A
pokerenthusiast stands up

Not sure if he hit the ace or 3 at the end but he won the hand. He probably had it made already. Anyway, I didn't control the pot size and missed the money. Two hands later they were down to 10 players. If I win this hand I am sitting great but maybe the right move would have been to conserve chips.

*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 15,930 | Rake 0
Seat 2: pokerenthusiast showed [6s 5d 7d 8s 5c Ac 2h] and lost with 7,6,5,2,A
Seat 3: wwwmcpokerus folded on 3rd St.
Seat 4: The Main Event folded on 4th St.
Seat 5: SNAPPERFIVE showed [Th 3h 2c 6h 9s 5h Ad] and won (15,930) with 6,5,3,2,A
Seat 6: pokergirl0828 folded on 3rd St.
Seat 7: Frightenstein folded on 3rd St.
Seat 8: pacaveli1 folded on 3rd St.

1 comment:

Mondogarage said...

I think your post-hand thoughts are correct here. I know we're playing to win, not to cash, but when you're on the bubble with a safe stack, tangling with the big stacks with any hand that far from the nuts, with three or four cards to come, is inviting disaster.

If you had three to a good six-high, playing the hand to see what you could get by 5th street would be fine. However, you were drawing to a 76 in a spot the best play would be not to play. Even if you completed a 7, it would have been nowhere near a nut hand.

Part of the reason the big stacks get to abuse everyone else on the bubble is that, for the mid stacks, it probably *is* a good play to tighten up more.

This thought of mine is, however, influenced by the fact Razz is higher variance than HE, and harder to get away from any kind of made- or semi-made hand, imho.