Last Wednesday, I went to play some poker with people from work. I have posted here before that the play is below avegare. There are a few players who venture online, and they are the only ones who display any sort of knowledge of the game. The other playes have no clue, plus they think I bluff a lot due to my super aggressiveness. I had told a few of the guys I would at least make the money, and I made a few side bets. With 9 players, we decided the money would be 3 people($40 buyin). These are friendly games so it's best that a bigger than usual share win something.
There is one player who is a good friend and understand the game. He is the only player I knew I would have to beat to take down this tourney. Every other one would require a lot of luck to actually beat me. I know it sounds cocky but the play is really bad.
The biggest calling station in our office goes on a rush early in the tournament and eliminates 2 or 3 players. He had good hands and they held up. I knew I had to pick my spots, and I managed to stay out of trouble most of the tourney. The calling station kept calling other player's huge bets. They didn't understand that they value of the bet didn't matter to this guy. He always thought he could get lucky, or people were trying to bluff him. They didn't succeed and he continued to win everyone else's chips. My friend and I took shots at him with real hands, my friend doubled up, and I tried twice to do it, but was not successful. He couldn't manage to make the call.
I doubled up through another player and that gave me more chips that I could throw around being aggressive. This hand came up. Blinds were 50/100 and I had A3o in the button and I raised to $250 (this was my normal raise, which I did with any two cards). The Calling Station calls and we see this flop: 5 4 4 rainbow. He checked to me and I fired 300 chips and he called. The turn is a deuce and he again checks. I had 3k in chips left and he had about 4k. In any other scenario, with any other player, I would bet an amount I think the player would call. The difference is I had gone all in twice before with the nuts and he didn't call. This time I think I sold a little bit better. I double checked my cards, and I looked him straight in the eyes and said "Okay, I am all-in". I think he bought that I was bluffing and my good acting paid me off. He had KQ, so even if that card doesn't hit, I still manage to win the hand.
Then I eliminated my friend. He was playing a solid tourney at this point. We were down to 4. I had him covered, but he was definitely in second. He was switching up aggressive with passive, and getting the other guys confused. The other players had no clue what he was doing, or I was doing. Many blinds were stolen. So he decided to limp in when I am in the big blind. Here is the hand:
He limps and both player call. I looked down at 3 3 and tell everyone that I was thinking about this hand and that it normally breaks me. The flop comes Qh 9x 3h. JACKPOT!!! I bet $300 as people expect me to bet like that. My friend smooth calls me, and calling station calls. The turn brings us a 9x. I tell my friend his AQ is not good, as I bet another $600. He doesn't think and pushes all-in. The other player folds and I call. He show Jh 9h for 3 of kind straight flush draw. The river is the Kh, and I win the pot. We have talked about this hand and the outcome would all have been the same unless he folds it preflop.
I went on to win the tourney (+200). We played a 4 handed tourney for $10, and my friend got unlucky as his AA vs 99 vs JT couldn't manage to hold up with all 3 players all-in pre-flop. The board at the end read J 5 3 9 J. Too bad. So I am heads up against this other player and we played for about 25 minutes. He didn't have a clue what I was doing. I managed to get to $1700 in chips against his $2300. Then the following hand came.
I was in the small blind and the blinds were $100/$200. I call with K K and he checks. I had mixed up the game and I thought this was an opportunity to get it all in on the flop. I think he was getting impatient and would see my all-in bet as weakness as I had shown him a few bluffs. The problem was that the flop came Kc Qx 7c. He bets $200 and I decided to raise him small, hoping he would bluff all in and i would call. But he only called the bet. The next card was a club. He goes all in and after 10 seconds I called. He showed Qx 2c. The river was another club and he won the tourney. More importantly I am feeling great about the way I am playing.
