Hold ’Em On The Cheap

 

The seven screengrabs below are from two tournaments: the first was the 23.00 freeroll on WPT Poker which was played October 25-6, 2012. It had 9,169 runners and paid the usual 1,100 places. The second was a $5 sit and go with 10 runners and 3 places paid. After cashing in the former I thought I’d chance my arm in the latter, primarily because I wasn’t feeling at all tired.

It is not too difficult to cash in this freeroll, but making the final table – which is where the real money is – is another thing entirely. I finished 361st winning 15c. The only thing more remarkable than my finishing runner up in the sit and go was the moron who won it finishing ahead of me. Having said that, this is nothing unusual. Towards the end I had him all-in with J8 suited against my AQ. And he hit the 8 on the river.

I play very few hold ’em tournaments nowadays – apart from freerolls – and this may well be the last one ever. As usual, my apologies for the inconsistent sizes of the pictures.


October 25-6, 2012: AJ sucks out against big slick with a flush on the river.

October 25-6, 2012: This guy was slow playing queens – which is not bad advice at level 7 of a tournament with a big field – but he should have let them go when I went all-on on the flop, in fact, it is an easy fold with so little money invested and considering how many ways he can already be beaten, or outdrawn with two cards to come.


October 25-6, 2012: As the man said: Four King Hell!


October 25-6, 2012: Again, AJ beats AK, suited this time. It is fairly easy to cash in this tournament, and as it is totally free, playing it is technically not gambling, but don’t give up the day job.

October 26, 2012: Not a good flop for pocket queens; I think there was a small raise pre-flop, so after it I can put him on a pocket pair or ace something. I chose the former and whacked it all in, a bad move by me, but an even worse call by him as it turned out.


October 26, 2012: I’m not saying I was the best player in this sit and go, but the guy I’m now heads up with was easily the worst. Here, terribly short stacked, I suck out against his set.


Alas, stupidity prevailed, as usual, and I was runner up to the guy who shouldn’t have got anywhere near cashing.

[The above article was published originally as a blog on October 27, 2012. The caption for the second screengrab should probably read “...with so few chips invested...” rather than “...with so little money invested...” as this was a tournament rather than a cash game.]

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