Lunging off balance
We started with six on Friday, November 21: me, SEO, Crossword, High Level J, Radar Chris, Jonboy X. No Silly Vanilli, no Asian posse, no Steamboat. Something told me I was going to be in for a rough night.
Jonboy had a rough start, getting knocked from $20 down to $12. He got it all back, though, shoving with T♠T♥, getting called by SEO's A♠K♣, and holding.
Biotech showed up about an orbit and a half into the night and say between High Level J and Radar Chris (me, SEO, Crossword, High Level J, Biotech, Radar Chris, Jonboy X). On his first hand, he raised to $1.50 from UTG. I called with A♦Q♥ and everyone else folded ($3.50 in the pot). The flop came Q♠9♣7♣ and Biotech bet another $3.00. I flat-called and the turn was the 6♠ ($9.50 in the pot, $16.50 left in Biotech's stack). He bet another $6.00 and I made the "eff it" shove to $16.50 ($21.50 in the pot if I'd called, $32.00 in the pot since I shoved, $10.50 for him to call). He snapped it off with A♠A♥ and rode his overpair to victory.
In my haste to lunge forward and attack, I left myself off-balance and forgot one of the basic rules of thumb. Don't overplay top pair. I rarely get my money in badly like this ($42.50 in the pot, 8.59% equity, dollar equity of $3.65, result $3.65 below expected value). There must've been something wrong with my brain that night. I'll have to check the aikido attendance records to see if there was something about that evening's training.
I added on $20. No, I was not chasing my losses.
OK, so I did have the "get my money back" mentality. Thats why I was happy when Silly Vanilli showed up and sat between Radar Chris and Jonboy X (me, SEO, Crossword, High Level J, Biotech, Radar Chris, Silly Vanilli, Jonboy X). He quickly started lighting money on fire. He was down to $9.00 when I went to take my shot at him.
I limped in with 8♣5♣ HJ-1 and called Biotech's raise to $0.75 out of the SB. Six of us saw a A♦8♠5♠ flop ($4.50 in the pot). Silly Vanilli donked out for $3.00, Jonboy X called, and I raised to $10.00. Everyone else cleared out, Silly called short for $8.25 with A♣6♥, and Jonboy X folded ($24.00 in the pot). I showed my two pair and figured that I was on my way back to even (71.3% equity, dollar equity of $17.11). Silly hit the 6♣ on the river and the pot went the other way ($17.11 below expected value).
That hand left me with $12.25. A few limps and blinds dropped me to $10.75. In the meantime, Silly Vanilli busted out (spreading my money in places it'd be harder to get it back from) and left.
After a few bad calls, Biotech found himself knocked back down to about $20. Then, holding pocket tens against someone's pocket queens, he made another bad call (this time all-in) on a 9-high flop. Fortunately for him, he spiked a ten on the turn and rode it to victory.
In the meantime, Crossword was steadily losing money, and the best I could do was chip up with small pots. With the lineup (me, SEO, Crossword, High Level J, Biotech, Radar Chris, Jonboy X), I'm not sure where a Crossword thought he was going to win money from.
I had $12.50 when I decided to take a flier with 3♠3♥ HJ-1. Radar Chris raised to $0.75 out of the BB and got limp/calls from me, Crossword, and Biotech. The flop came 4♦3♦2♥ ($3.00 in the pot, $11.75 left in my stack).
Biotech checked and Radar checked. I started to reach for chips when Crossword threw a quick black chip out of turn. Everybody else at the table pointed at my cards and halted his action. I thought about it for a bit and then checked. Crossword bet $1.00 anyway and for some reason, both Biotech and Radar called. I raised to $5.00 ($11.00 in the pot, $4.00 to call, $6.75 left in my stack) and Crossword was pissed.
"Really? You're going to checkraise?!"
"What? do you want me to take it back?"
"No. I just can't believe you would do that."
Crossword angrily folded, Biotech called, and Radar Chris folded ($15.00 in the pot). The turn was the 2♦, he checked, I shoved, and he called with a flush without a straight flush redraw (drawing dead).
I at least got some of my money back.
This next hand was a pretty bad sequence, especially in the context of this T-shirt. Radar Chris raised to $1.00 from the BUT and I made it $4.00 from the BB with A♦K♦. Everyone else cleared out and Radar 4-bet to $15.00. I moved all-in for $28.75 and Radar snapcalled with K♠K♣. I probably should have expected at least that. He didn't have aces, so at least I had some chance ($58.00 in the pot, 34.1% equity, dollar equity of $19.79).
Unfortunately, it was not to be, and I got stacked again ($19.79 below expected value). I pulled out another $20. Some might call this third buy-in chasing losses.
Crossword continued to have a tough go of it, and to him, this next hand was probably indicative of his whole year. I raised to $1.00 out of the HJ and he 3-bet to $2.00 with A♥4♥. I called and the flop came 7♣6♠5♦ ($4.50 in the pot, $11.25 left in Crossword's stack). I checked, he semi-bluffed another $2.00, and I called ($6.50 in the pot). The turn was the 8♦, I checked again, and he moved all-in for $9.25. I snapcalled and showed him the bad news: A♣9♣ for straight over straight ($25.00 in the pot, 42/44 chance of winning, 2/44 chance of a chop, dollar equity of $24.43). The river paired the board and I took Crossword's chips ($0.57 over expected value).
Crossword left in frustration.
Biotech continued to hit big hands, which was unfortunate because I lost $6.00 trying to two-barrel him with A♦Q♠ that didn't hit the board. Others weren't so lucky and lost larger piles of chips.
I was down to $14.75 when I decided to raise to $1.00 with K♠Q♦ in the CUT. Only SEO called ($2.50 in the pot). The flop came K♥9♦5♣ and I bet $2.00. He called and the turn was the Q♣ ($6.50 in the pot, $11.75 left in my stack. I bet $5.00 intending to shove any river. He knew this, and he called getting $18.25:$5.00 = 3.65:1 implied odds. The river was the T♠ (final board K♥9♦5♣Q♣T♠), I shoved my last $6.75, and he snapcalled with J♣9♣ for the rivered runner-runner gutshot.
And that was that. A -$60 night, -$3.65-$17.11-$19.79+$0.57 = -$39.98 in Sklansky bucks. Sure, some of it was RNG madness, but I didn't have to put myself in those situations either. I just hoped that I would have a chance to turn it around before New Year's.
Jonboy had a rough start, getting knocked from $20 down to $12. He got it all back, though, shoving with T♠T♥, getting called by SEO's A♠K♣, and holding.
Biotech showed up about an orbit and a half into the night and say between High Level J and Radar Chris (me, SEO, Crossword, High Level J, Biotech, Radar Chris, Jonboy X). On his first hand, he raised to $1.50 from UTG. I called with A♦Q♥ and everyone else folded ($3.50 in the pot). The flop came Q♠9♣7♣ and Biotech bet another $3.00. I flat-called and the turn was the 6♠ ($9.50 in the pot, $16.50 left in Biotech's stack). He bet another $6.00 and I made the "eff it" shove to $16.50 ($21.50 in the pot if I'd called, $32.00 in the pot since I shoved, $10.50 for him to call). He snapped it off with A♠A♥ and rode his overpair to victory.
In my haste to lunge forward and attack, I left myself off-balance and forgot one of the basic rules of thumb. Don't overplay top pair. I rarely get my money in badly like this ($42.50 in the pot, 8.59% equity, dollar equity of $3.65, result $3.65 below expected value). There must've been something wrong with my brain that night. I'll have to check the aikido attendance records to see if there was something about that evening's training.
I added on $20. No, I was not chasing my losses.
OK, so I did have the "get my money back" mentality. Thats why I was happy when Silly Vanilli showed up and sat between Radar Chris and Jonboy X (me, SEO, Crossword, High Level J, Biotech, Radar Chris, Silly Vanilli, Jonboy X). He quickly started lighting money on fire. He was down to $9.00 when I went to take my shot at him.
I limped in with 8♣5♣ HJ-1 and called Biotech's raise to $0.75 out of the SB. Six of us saw a A♦8♠5♠ flop ($4.50 in the pot). Silly Vanilli donked out for $3.00, Jonboy X called, and I raised to $10.00. Everyone else cleared out, Silly called short for $8.25 with A♣6♥, and Jonboy X folded ($24.00 in the pot). I showed my two pair and figured that I was on my way back to even (71.3% equity, dollar equity of $17.11). Silly hit the 6♣ on the river and the pot went the other way ($17.11 below expected value).
That hand left me with $12.25. A few limps and blinds dropped me to $10.75. In the meantime, Silly Vanilli busted out (spreading my money in places it'd be harder to get it back from) and left.
After a few bad calls, Biotech found himself knocked back down to about $20. Then, holding pocket tens against someone's pocket queens, he made another bad call (this time all-in) on a 9-high flop. Fortunately for him, he spiked a ten on the turn and rode it to victory.
In the meantime, Crossword was steadily losing money, and the best I could do was chip up with small pots. With the lineup (me, SEO, Crossword, High Level J, Biotech, Radar Chris, Jonboy X), I'm not sure where a Crossword thought he was going to win money from.
I had $12.50 when I decided to take a flier with 3♠3♥ HJ-1. Radar Chris raised to $0.75 out of the BB and got limp/calls from me, Crossword, and Biotech. The flop came 4♦3♦2♥ ($3.00 in the pot, $11.75 left in my stack).
Biotech checked and Radar checked. I started to reach for chips when Crossword threw a quick black chip out of turn. Everybody else at the table pointed at my cards and halted his action. I thought about it for a bit and then checked. Crossword bet $1.00 anyway and for some reason, both Biotech and Radar called. I raised to $5.00 ($11.00 in the pot, $4.00 to call, $6.75 left in my stack) and Crossword was pissed.
"Really? You're going to checkraise?!"
"What? do you want me to take it back?"
"No. I just can't believe you would do that."
Crossword angrily folded, Biotech called, and Radar Chris folded ($15.00 in the pot). The turn was the 2♦, he checked, I shoved, and he called with a flush without a straight flush redraw (drawing dead).
I at least got some of my money back.
This next hand was a pretty bad sequence, especially in the context of this T-shirt. Radar Chris raised to $1.00 from the BUT and I made it $4.00 from the BB with A♦K♦. Everyone else cleared out and Radar 4-bet to $15.00. I moved all-in for $28.75 and Radar snapcalled with K♠K♣. I probably should have expected at least that. He didn't have aces, so at least I had some chance ($58.00 in the pot, 34.1% equity, dollar equity of $19.79).
Unfortunately, it was not to be, and I got stacked again ($19.79 below expected value). I pulled out another $20. Some might call this third buy-in chasing losses.
Crossword continued to have a tough go of it, and to him, this next hand was probably indicative of his whole year. I raised to $1.00 out of the HJ and he 3-bet to $2.00 with A♥4♥. I called and the flop came 7♣6♠5♦ ($4.50 in the pot, $11.25 left in Crossword's stack). I checked, he semi-bluffed another $2.00, and I called ($6.50 in the pot). The turn was the 8♦, I checked again, and he moved all-in for $9.25. I snapcalled and showed him the bad news: A♣9♣ for straight over straight ($25.00 in the pot, 42/44 chance of winning, 2/44 chance of a chop, dollar equity of $24.43). The river paired the board and I took Crossword's chips ($0.57 over expected value).
Crossword left in frustration.
Biotech continued to hit big hands, which was unfortunate because I lost $6.00 trying to two-barrel him with A♦Q♠ that didn't hit the board. Others weren't so lucky and lost larger piles of chips.
I was down to $14.75 when I decided to raise to $1.00 with K♠Q♦ in the CUT. Only SEO called ($2.50 in the pot). The flop came K♥9♦5♣ and I bet $2.00. He called and the turn was the Q♣ ($6.50 in the pot, $11.75 left in my stack. I bet $5.00 intending to shove any river. He knew this, and he called getting $18.25:$5.00 = 3.65:1 implied odds. The river was the T♠ (final board K♥9♦5♣Q♣T♠), I shoved my last $6.75, and he snapcalled with J♣9♣ for the rivered runner-runner gutshot.
And that was that. A -$60 night, -$3.65-$17.11-$19.79+$0.57 = -$39.98 in Sklansky bucks. Sure, some of it was RNG madness, but I didn't have to put myself in those situations either. I just hoped that I would have a chance to turn it around before New Year's.