Slow day at Card Sharks!

Last night I headed to CardSharks to try to win two in a row. Sadly this did not pan out. We played the $30 freezeout where you start with 3000 in chips and the blinds move up every 15 min. There were 14 people in this tourney so the payout would be the same as when I won the other night in the $60 freezeout with only 7 to beat. I may stick to those. Anyway it was a slow slow night. I got no playable cards for what seemed like forever. The only hand I really got was J 9 off in the small blind. Four people limped to me and I called and the big blind checked. The flop came out 9 2 2. I figured no one was playing a deuce so I bet 400 everyone folded to a guy who said " you got none of that" and then proceeded to call. I put him on calling with two over cards. The turn brought a jack so now I had an even better two pair. I bet out 500 and got called. The river brought a 3rd diamond on the board so I slowed down and checked as did he. My two pair was good and I brought home the pot. I slowly got blinded off and was very shortstacked at 1175 with the blinds at 100 200. I looked down to find pocket 9s so I immediatly went all in. A guy called me with pocket 7s. Awesome!!! A chance to come back. I celebrated all to soon when the flop came out Jc 7c 4d. OUTFLOPPED!!!! The turn then brought the 8 of clubs. Now in this position I needed a nine, a ten, or a club. Add it all up and it comes to 15 outs. I hit none of them and I was out in 10th place. Oh well! Maybe next time. I reflected on my play last night and then reason I didn't do as well was I played timid. I limped when I could have been raising and I didn't play aggresively enough. There were plenty of pots I could have easily picked up with aggressive play but since there were 14 people I was just trying to survive. Let that be a lesson. Survival will ultimately leave you dissappointed. Until next time Hit the felt hard!!!!!

Finally a win!!!!

As everyone knows I haven't been doing well at the tourneys at CardSharks. Well last night that all changed. I went to play in the $60 freezeout. You start with 3000 in chips and the blinds start at 25 50 and move up every 15 mins. I was in the big blind on the very first hand which is where I usually don't like to start but it was good this night. I looked to down to see a measly J 7 off but everyone limped around so I checked. On the flop it was J 7 2 with two spades. First hand and I flop two pair...its going to be a good night. The small blind checks so I bet out 250 only to have everyone fold which is fine with me. The next hand I get A 7 off in the small blind once again to see everyone limp. The flop came aout 6 8 9 rainbow....so right there I am open ended to a straight....not to shabby. the guy in the 10 seat beats out 250 everyone folds to me and I call. The turn brings the Ace so now I have top pair and the open ended...even better. He beats out 850 and now I have to think. Could he have flopped the joint with 10 7 or even the sucker straight with 5 7? My read is that this guy likes to bet people off pots which is what he was exactly trying to do with the 850 bet so I just call. A Queen comes on the river and he checks, now I went with the safe play and checked even though I was sure I had the best hand. The reasoning behind this was I didn't want a check raise bluff cause then Im faced with a tough decision. Sure enough he had A 2 which resulted in a split pot since the Queen and the 8 9 played. Two hands later I get dealt Q 10 off now this isn't really a premium hand but I was in late position and the intial raise was only to 150 so me and two other guys so a flop. The flop came 8 9 J with two diamonds. SWEET!!!!! I flopped the joint! Now the guy who intially raised is a rock meaning he plays solid poker and usually has a big hand when he comes in the pot. He leads out with a 450 bet, the guy in front of me folds and i raise to 900 hoping to get him off the draw if he has it. He calls. the turn brings a non diamond 2 which is good for me and the guy checks so I bet 1200. He calls. Much to my horror the river brings a diamond. Now I am swetting it but luckly he checks giving me the opportunity to check safely behind him and find out my nut straight did not get outdrawn. Nice! A few hands later I made a mistake that almost lost me the tourney. I had pocket fives and I limped in with the blinds at 50 100. The button raises to 600 and I read him at making a position raise so I call. The flop comes Q 6 6. I am sure he got none of this flop and Im really sure when he checks so I make it 1800 to go. He think and thinks and pushes all in. Now I have to think. Does he have A Q? Im sure he doesn't have pocket 6s and I know he didn't raise with A 6 because he is usually pretty tight. So I thinking that I have the best hand call only to find out my 5s are dominated by his pocket Jacks. Im down to only 1300 chips. A few hands later with blinds at 100 200 I look down at Q J. Im pretty sure that no one will raise so I limp but my read once again was incorrect when the guy on the button pushes all in. Im sure I have two live cards so I think now is a good a time as any and I call. I have him covered by 100 in chips. He turns over A 9. I am behind until the flop brings a J and the river a Q for me to have two pair. Survival! We are now down to 4 players. Two hands later I am in the big blind and I look down at 8 5 of hearts. The button limps and the small blind calls. the flop comes out 5 7 8. I flop two pair again. The small blind checks and so do I. The guy I lost most of my chips to earlier pops it for 800. The small blind folds and I immediatly go all in. He calls with 5 6 off. He has a pair and he is open ended. I survive the turn and the river and I am now in 2nd place. I win a couple more small pots. Then once again I am in the small blind with 8 9 off with the blinds at 200 400. The two guys in front limp and I call. The big blind then pushes for 1700 more. The two before me fold. Now to win this tourney I am going to have to gambel sometime. I figure I have two live cards the pot is sitting at 1600 before the all in and after the bet it is at 3300. So I have to call 1700 to win 3300. My stack is deep at this time so I gamble. I am way behind when he shows me Q 9. I have to hit an 8. The flop comes out 8 3 3 there is a 7 on the turn and another 8 on the river to give me a full house. Gamble pays off! We are down to 3 and I am a monster chip leader. The very next hand I am on the button with pocket 10s I make it 1200 to go the small blind pushes with 2500 more, the big blind folds and I call. He has A J of hearts. The board doesn't help him and we are down to two. Now heads up went pretty fast. I would just like to say that my first few hands were as follows. 10 9 off, pocket nines-black, very next hand pocket nines-red, 9 5 which I flopped two pair, K 9, and 10 9. Thats a lot of nines. We traded blinds back and forth for a while. I won a couple small pots and then the big one happend. I looked down at two black Aces. How sweet and delicious. Now everytime I limped on the button the guy would push all in on me. Hoping that he would continue his trend I limped. Then the angels sang and the trumpets blaired as I heard those all magical words ALL IN! I called immeditaly and flipped over my aces to hear "Jesus Christ!" He showed me A 5 off and he was dominated. The board was no help to him and I came back from 1300 chips and certain elimination to win. Being the nice guy that I was I gave him his buy in back and took home $290. Its about time! Until next time Hit the felt hard!!!!