GiJoeValdez
03-30-2009, 11:39 AM
I am going around updating my results on all the forum's I post at, so if you see it somewhere else then yes its me. :)
I don’t know where to start about how these events have changed how I feel about my game. I was confident before about live games, but now I am on another planet. I mean look at the finishes I had:
Circuit event #1 I finished top 200 out of 650+ in the $230 buy in.
I won 2 Satellite events. 1 for $550 and a $1150.
Circuit event #10 finished top 25 out of 150 in the $1080 buy in.
I’ve always done well in live games but the competition was a different level then this. These guys were on their best game. You could not show any weakness or be to over confident. You needed to change it up. Too much confidence with a good hand would get you an automatic fold around the table. Too much weakness and every one and their mama would call your raise. I had to be able to ACT a certain way with out over doing it.
I was a little fish swimming with the sharks in Event #1, but in Event #10 this little fish had a big bite!!!
So here is the hand that got me knocked out of the tournament. I am very happy the way I played it. There is not a single regret and I would play it the same way the next time.
I was sitting with about 95+ at the time. I had the second biggest stack next to nemesis that had about 110k. This guy had been bulling the table and other tables I was at. His hands when called were always KJ,AJ, AQ, KT, Small pairs that he flopped sets with, and stuff like that. And he played all these junk hands the same way. He would always raise them 3 to 6 times the big blind. The times he had monster hands he would check call them and limp in.
GiJoe: 9h 9d
BB: GiJoe
Nemesis: 3 off the button
Blinds 1k/2k, ante’s 300. 10 players at the table. The pot is at 6k.
GiJoe has 95k+
Nemesis has 110k+
Everyone checks to Nemesis and he raises to 6k.
The 4 players after fold but first they said stuff like:
1. Are you holding junk again and are trying to steal the blinds?
2. You have KT again right?
3. If I had a any pair I would call that bet?
Of course he did not respond but I picked up on some weakness.
GiJoe: I re-raise to 18k.
Nemessis: CALLS.
I put him on AA, KK, QQ, KJ, Aks, KQ, AQ,
THE FLOP:
9c Td 3d
I FLOPPED A SET!
GiJoe: ALL IN
I go all in trying to push him off the pot in case he did have that big Pair or some draw. I didn’t want him seeing another card cheaply.
Nemesis: INSTA-CALLS!!!!
My first thought was I got him. He’s got AA’s and he thinks they are good and I am busting him.
Nemesis: Turns over Tc Ts
NEMESIS FLOPS A SET OF T’S
TURN:
6d
I think I have a flush draw. One more diamond and I crack his set.
RIVER:
ZERO. Some club, and I am out!!!
I could have cruised into the money. I had enough chips to do so. All I had to do is sit back and wait. Sure it would have ate up my chips. I figured it would have taken another hour or so, but the blinds and antes were up there. All the books I read have said that people who stop playing when they get close to the money don’t make it farther then that and get ante to death. They have all said to keep playing aggressive. My thinking on this hand. Yes going up against a bigger chip stack was that if I won this pot I would double up and cruise to the final table. In plain terms. I GOT GREEDY!!! I WANTED TO WIN!! I didn’t go there to just make the money. I wanted that freaking RING!!!! That’s my nature and I won’t change for anything. I won’t be happy till I win a major tournament, and even then I would want MORE!!! Lol
I got a great compliment form a Vegas pro that had came in 2nd the previous tournament. I didn’t get his name but after I knocked him out of the tournament I ran into him at break in the lobby. He congratulated me and said I was a thorn on his side. After I told him I just learned to play last year he looked at me with shock and said “Really! You play like a pro. Keep it up. You can go far in this”. My mouth just about dropped. All this time I was just trying to learn and he drops that on me? After that I went back in and dominated my table and went from 30k to 85k and was very aggressive.
Here are some pictures. I took a couple, and I wish I could have taken more. I was able to sneak a pic, but this pic never happened ok? ;) I got there early and management wasn't around.
http://www.texasholdemforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2400&stc=1&d=1238422164
http://www.texasholdemforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2401&stc=1&d=1238422183
I don’t know where to start about how these events have changed how I feel about my game. I was confident before about live games, but now I am on another planet. I mean look at the finishes I had:
Circuit event #1 I finished top 200 out of 650+ in the $230 buy in.
I won 2 Satellite events. 1 for $550 and a $1150.
Circuit event #10 finished top 25 out of 150 in the $1080 buy in.
I’ve always done well in live games but the competition was a different level then this. These guys were on their best game. You could not show any weakness or be to over confident. You needed to change it up. Too much confidence with a good hand would get you an automatic fold around the table. Too much weakness and every one and their mama would call your raise. I had to be able to ACT a certain way with out over doing it.
I was a little fish swimming with the sharks in Event #1, but in Event #10 this little fish had a big bite!!!
So here is the hand that got me knocked out of the tournament. I am very happy the way I played it. There is not a single regret and I would play it the same way the next time.
I was sitting with about 95+ at the time. I had the second biggest stack next to nemesis that had about 110k. This guy had been bulling the table and other tables I was at. His hands when called were always KJ,AJ, AQ, KT, Small pairs that he flopped sets with, and stuff like that. And he played all these junk hands the same way. He would always raise them 3 to 6 times the big blind. The times he had monster hands he would check call them and limp in.
GiJoe: 9h 9d
BB: GiJoe
Nemesis: 3 off the button
Blinds 1k/2k, ante’s 300. 10 players at the table. The pot is at 6k.
GiJoe has 95k+
Nemesis has 110k+
Everyone checks to Nemesis and he raises to 6k.
The 4 players after fold but first they said stuff like:
1. Are you holding junk again and are trying to steal the blinds?
2. You have KT again right?
3. If I had a any pair I would call that bet?
Of course he did not respond but I picked up on some weakness.
GiJoe: I re-raise to 18k.
Nemessis: CALLS.
I put him on AA, KK, QQ, KJ, Aks, KQ, AQ,
THE FLOP:
9c Td 3d
I FLOPPED A SET!
GiJoe: ALL IN
I go all in trying to push him off the pot in case he did have that big Pair or some draw. I didn’t want him seeing another card cheaply.
Nemesis: INSTA-CALLS!!!!
My first thought was I got him. He’s got AA’s and he thinks they are good and I am busting him.
Nemesis: Turns over Tc Ts
NEMESIS FLOPS A SET OF T’S
TURN:
6d
I think I have a flush draw. One more diamond and I crack his set.
RIVER:
ZERO. Some club, and I am out!!!
I could have cruised into the money. I had enough chips to do so. All I had to do is sit back and wait. Sure it would have ate up my chips. I figured it would have taken another hour or so, but the blinds and antes were up there. All the books I read have said that people who stop playing when they get close to the money don’t make it farther then that and get ante to death. They have all said to keep playing aggressive. My thinking on this hand. Yes going up against a bigger chip stack was that if I won this pot I would double up and cruise to the final table. In plain terms. I GOT GREEDY!!! I WANTED TO WIN!! I didn’t go there to just make the money. I wanted that freaking RING!!!! That’s my nature and I won’t change for anything. I won’t be happy till I win a major tournament, and even then I would want MORE!!! Lol
I got a great compliment form a Vegas pro that had came in 2nd the previous tournament. I didn’t get his name but after I knocked him out of the tournament I ran into him at break in the lobby. He congratulated me and said I was a thorn on his side. After I told him I just learned to play last year he looked at me with shock and said “Really! You play like a pro. Keep it up. You can go far in this”. My mouth just about dropped. All this time I was just trying to learn and he drops that on me? After that I went back in and dominated my table and went from 30k to 85k and was very aggressive.
Here are some pictures. I took a couple, and I wish I could have taken more. I was able to sneak a pic, but this pic never happened ok? ;) I got there early and management wasn't around.
http://www.texasholdemforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2400&stc=1&d=1238422164
http://www.texasholdemforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2401&stc=1&d=1238422183