The power(?) of AQ
Well, as most of you know, I have a disturbing trend of whining about never getting a hand to play. That streak is officially broken for last night. While I never got a pocket pair above 99's, I got four pocket pairs, K-10 three times, AK twice, JT (suited) twice, and AQ FIVE times. Three times my pocket pairs hit sets, and the third pocket pair was 22, which I was able to safely pitch on a flop of AKQ. Anyone thing I was ahead there? :P
Notice I only mentioned suited for the JT. While "good hands" were slapping me in the face all night, very few times were they suited, so they rarely became premium hands. Still, in an aggressive style in Pub Poker, these hands can make and break you. Last night they did both for me. Here's a few highlights.
In middle position I picked up J/10 suited and limped in to see a flop. As with all Pub Poker tables, it was lose, and I was virtually guaranteed to have odds to be in the pot, even though I was only the second one in. On a flop of 10-10-K I fired away with trips and a backdoor flush draw. I got three callers on a 2/3 sized pot bet! Wowzer! On a turn of 6 of my suit I know had a flush draw and still the trips, and I fired again, called, then raised, then called! With no preflop raisers, I didn't put anyone on pocket kings, and certainly didn't put anyone on pocket 6's staying in on the flop bet. If I am facing another ten, I have to pray I have them outkicked, but what I am hoping is that I'm facing King x. After thinking it over, and being worried about someone having a higher flush draw than me, I push all in trying to knock out the draws. Fold, Call, Call. I am the biggest stack, so even if I lose this, I still have some left over, but not much.
I turn over my J/10. Next guy turns over K-10 for a flopped full house, OUCH! Last lady, a new player, turns over J/Q for an open ended straight draw. We're both drawing dead. The turn is another spade, giving me a flush, but it's irrelevant, and suddenly I am short stacked. Not deathly so, but under 10 Big Blinds.
This begins my saga of AQ. I had already had AQ once in the event, and it just won me the blinds on a preflop raise. Now that I was shortstacked, it was time to make a move, and I got into a raising war with me all in preflop. He turned over K-10 offsuit, and I was pretty happy to flip over my AQ.
Until the flop hit of K-10-6. Who doesn't get the crappy sinking feeling in their chest at this point? Thankfully, on the river, my miracle jack comes up for the suck out straight to beat his two pair. Shortly after that, my pocket 6's hit a set and I doubled up again to go from bottom to top chipstack.
One table move later and I had pocket 9's, and they hit a set and I virtually doubled up again, when two diamonds and a straight draw on the board kept people in to try to hit their draws. Finally, I pushed all in and pushed out the draws, and beat the one person who was already all in.
Then AQ found me again, and another betting war ensued. Before we go any further, let me highlight that I KNOW AQ offsuit is not the best hand out there, or anywhere near close. I was on a rush of cards and really trying to be a maniac to shake off some of my more rockish tendencies, and a free pub poker place is a good place to do that. Although it may seem ridiculous, I picked spots against players where I was sure my AQ was good when I took a stand for it.
For this betting war, one guy ended up all in, and I and another player were down to being short stacked preflop with so much in the pot. The board blanked horribly, and we checked down a board of 88694. I flipped over my AQ, the other guy flipped over J5 offsuit (er????) and the all in guy flipped over A9 to triple up with his two pair.
With only 3K left and the blinds at 500/1000, with the blinds going up next hand, I pushed all in in early position to try to buy the blinds to survive for an orbit to pick up a hand. I got called by A5 offsuit of all things, which beat my 35 offsuit. Soundly. I honestly thought I could have just picked up the blinds there. The two blinds were cautious players, and there were two short stacks just biding their time for a hand. I didn't see anyone calling me without a premium hand, but I was wrong, and just like that I was out, with only two tables left. Ah well.
The lesson for the night was that I was obviously over attached to AQ, and although I did always put my money in with the best hand, more often than not my edge was small for such big pots with the hand. There wasn't a lot of strategy to talk about aside from that last night, sorry. I made a couple good laydowns, but not much to say there. Overall I had a good night, it just didn't happen for me.
As a funny side note, the Card Player just came out with my article in it, and has just hit the web at the following url: Pub Poker
Someone at the poker league read the article last night, and when he was done, said "Hey, the poker kid you're talking about is my friend I think!" I was aghast that I would have bashed one of his friends, but when described his friend, I told him that I don't think it was him. But later on that night, I was sitting at the table with his friend, and I might be wrong. His friend might indeed by the poker kid I described. I'll have to look again next week.
Have a good one all.
Notice I only mentioned suited for the JT. While "good hands" were slapping me in the face all night, very few times were they suited, so they rarely became premium hands. Still, in an aggressive style in Pub Poker, these hands can make and break you. Last night they did both for me. Here's a few highlights.
In middle position I picked up J/10 suited and limped in to see a flop. As with all Pub Poker tables, it was lose, and I was virtually guaranteed to have odds to be in the pot, even though I was only the second one in. On a flop of 10-10-K I fired away with trips and a backdoor flush draw. I got three callers on a 2/3 sized pot bet! Wowzer! On a turn of 6 of my suit I know had a flush draw and still the trips, and I fired again, called, then raised, then called! With no preflop raisers, I didn't put anyone on pocket kings, and certainly didn't put anyone on pocket 6's staying in on the flop bet. If I am facing another ten, I have to pray I have them outkicked, but what I am hoping is that I'm facing King x. After thinking it over, and being worried about someone having a higher flush draw than me, I push all in trying to knock out the draws. Fold, Call, Call. I am the biggest stack, so even if I lose this, I still have some left over, but not much.
I turn over my J/10. Next guy turns over K-10 for a flopped full house, OUCH! Last lady, a new player, turns over J/Q for an open ended straight draw. We're both drawing dead. The turn is another spade, giving me a flush, but it's irrelevant, and suddenly I am short stacked. Not deathly so, but under 10 Big Blinds.
This begins my saga of AQ. I had already had AQ once in the event, and it just won me the blinds on a preflop raise. Now that I was shortstacked, it was time to make a move, and I got into a raising war with me all in preflop. He turned over K-10 offsuit, and I was pretty happy to flip over my AQ.
Until the flop hit of K-10-6. Who doesn't get the crappy sinking feeling in their chest at this point? Thankfully, on the river, my miracle jack comes up for the suck out straight to beat his two pair. Shortly after that, my pocket 6's hit a set and I doubled up again to go from bottom to top chipstack.
One table move later and I had pocket 9's, and they hit a set and I virtually doubled up again, when two diamonds and a straight draw on the board kept people in to try to hit their draws. Finally, I pushed all in and pushed out the draws, and beat the one person who was already all in.
Then AQ found me again, and another betting war ensued. Before we go any further, let me highlight that I KNOW AQ offsuit is not the best hand out there, or anywhere near close. I was on a rush of cards and really trying to be a maniac to shake off some of my more rockish tendencies, and a free pub poker place is a good place to do that. Although it may seem ridiculous, I picked spots against players where I was sure my AQ was good when I took a stand for it.
For this betting war, one guy ended up all in, and I and another player were down to being short stacked preflop with so much in the pot. The board blanked horribly, and we checked down a board of 88694. I flipped over my AQ, the other guy flipped over J5 offsuit (er????) and the all in guy flipped over A9 to triple up with his two pair.
With only 3K left and the blinds at 500/1000, with the blinds going up next hand, I pushed all in in early position to try to buy the blinds to survive for an orbit to pick up a hand. I got called by A5 offsuit of all things, which beat my 35 offsuit. Soundly. I honestly thought I could have just picked up the blinds there. The two blinds were cautious players, and there were two short stacks just biding their time for a hand. I didn't see anyone calling me without a premium hand, but I was wrong, and just like that I was out, with only two tables left. Ah well.
The lesson for the night was that I was obviously over attached to AQ, and although I did always put my money in with the best hand, more often than not my edge was small for such big pots with the hand. There wasn't a lot of strategy to talk about aside from that last night, sorry. I made a couple good laydowns, but not much to say there. Overall I had a good night, it just didn't happen for me.
As a funny side note, the Card Player just came out with my article in it, and has just hit the web at the following url: Pub Poker
Someone at the poker league read the article last night, and when he was done, said "Hey, the poker kid you're talking about is my friend I think!" I was aghast that I would have bashed one of his friends, but when described his friend, I told him that I don't think it was him. But later on that night, I was sitting at the table with his friend, and I might be wrong. His friend might indeed by the poker kid I described. I'll have to look again next week.
Have a good one all.
posted by Ray | 6:57 AM
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