the Donkey of Poker

Playing the $3,750 GTD on Carbon Poker knowing I was going to be needing some addon money for the Sunday $109 buyin $50,000 GTD cashing out this game was a must, I am already registered next week with my coupon I won.

Closing down all my messenger programs and open up Firefox to tweet my involved hands (donkeyofpoker tweets) I was ready to play and focus on getting into the money.

It Was About Focus

I did not expect to take 2nd like I did, infact I would have been satisfied with 5th place and the $300.  With great cards comes great responsibility, this is how I handled my responsibilities.

When I registered, 10 mins before shuffle up and deal there was about 12-15 players, when the game started we had 44.  Paying the top 5 with it being a rebuy addon I was a little concerned that I was going to be out bought, but I’m being dealt cards so I can’t think about that and just need to play the PG game.

The game started off easy enough to read the players, they had no showdown value with their hands so seen a lot of bluffing and 3rd pair action.  I stayed out of the mix for the most part and made some routine calls and let them slow down on turn and rivers where I had showdown value.  Scored a few pots that way early on and established a weak ass image.  Donkey Style, you know you wanna ride this donkey donkey. eeeee HAAAAAW

Other then getting bluffed on the river by my own hand, 72 vs my KJ with a pair of jacks.  The game was smooth till 1st break where I was sitting in 14th place of 33 with $5579 chips.  After break the nut cases seemed to have taken a hit of acid or had more important things to do……it got madwhnen crazy with all-in moves, I stayed clear away from that.

It really does baffle my mind at how bad some players are, ok this is a $60 rebuy/addon game, not a huge buyin but bust enough times and you might have to consider a different job for end of the month.  I been playing tight as a nuns um bonnet so when you see me raising and re-raising what are you putting me on?  A5 sooted, KQ offsooted or a pair Tens?  Get real people the numbers don’t lie, fold long term losing hands, raise and re-raise with long term winning hands.  They sure came in bunches for me.

Early position raises, I push back all-in (POW) he calls with AKo, good luck with that son, I got bullets (AA)  my kicker owns you.  Under the Gun (different hand) I raise it up and get re-raised. WHAT?  You got some balls doing that, you better have a good hand too..  Flop comes down K93 rainbow, I’m sitting there with AQc so of course I got the best hand and fire out a bet cause that is the only way I can win this damn thing is by betting. He folds…awe you playing ace rag silly?

Not much time after that hand I get AQ off suit, arg off soot not cool, I better get creative with this bad girl (AQ is the Big Chick).  It gets folded around to me like moms doing laundry and it gets raised and I flat call and see a 883 board. Hmmmm, you don’t got the eight do you, nah anything other then pocket eights I am good so I shove the rest of my chips in.  He thinks for all of 2 seconds and lets it go.  It is important to pick up chips around the bubble by stealing pots.

My next raise is with bullets again which K7 of hearts thinks he can take on, lol ok if my math is any good AA vs K7h looks pretty good to me.  MMM yes they hold up and I send another weaksauce to the rail and I move into first place with roughly $32000 chip-a-roo’s.  Its good to be the king……

Final Table

Final Table Stats

With the chip stack I have and a number of short stacks I was looking to fold into the money and be content with that.  Not gonna make any risky moves but still play solid poker none the less.  So I got out my basket of laundry and started doing my folding, yes like a little nerdy school girl on a Friday night.

We hit break and I got $33428 chips and coasted down to 2nd place.

I actually start losing chips to blinds and antes while tossing away chips with the 2nd best flush on the river and holding pocket Jacks I kinda got scared to go with it.  I did put him on over cards but with the low cards and another player in the hand I put 1 on a set and the other on a draw.  I let go of the Jacks and he shows AKo to take down a decent size pot.

The next hour I got card dead and wouldn’t risk any moves.  Slid down to 4th.

Then I picked up the Big Chick in a suit and took down some blinds.  Followed that up with my Kings calling off his stack with KQ that got me back into 3rd with $36232 chips and we are now on the bubble.  Lets see if I can hold on and cash out in this bad boy.

Ace Ten of diamonds on the big blind with 2 limpers I check and see JTx with 2 diamonds and I do a check call and queen on the turn gives me more outs, again check call.  The river puts out a Ten giving me trip tens with Ace kicker, I push all in and the limper folds.  He says “wtf” in chat cause he couldn’t put me on a hand that beat his pair of Jacks?

I Know That Move
With all that folding I have got to know my opponents pretty well and knowing who likes to do what comes down to good note taking.  On the big blind the player on the button who has raised me with every open chance he has to steal the blinds, which to this point has done him well.  Sitting with K7s I raised back and was called.  The flop was AQx and I made a continuation bet and got credit and took the hand down.  Knowing your opponents by the player types is key with your notes, this guy was tagged Hyper-aggressive on the Button. (HAB, maybe from Montreal and a hockey fan)

I Make a Donkey Move
Looking to steal the blind from the small I push all in with pocket 2’s and insta called by sevens that hold up.  I just wanted to steal it man.  Little bit of a hit but I could afford it, really just wanted to get us into the money if it held up or score the blinds.  Its a bad move when it doesn’t work and a well thought move when it does, that’s poker folks.

Another Donkey Move I make after break, I limped in with J5d and the big blind raised I quickly re-raised to act like I had a huge hand.  We were already in the money after a short stack got checked out by me.  He folds the hand and I score blinds/ante/raise with some power poker.  Again a donkey move if I get caught but stacks good when it works.

Not much for action for me rest of this tournament.  I stayed out of the way when we got down to 3 handed and even tho I was short stacked I knew the other two couldn’t lay their hands off each other so I let them battle it out.  Not taking to long for a confrontation they knocked heads with the railbird chirping on the side “how do you make that move” and “what did you put me on?”.  I’m thinking to myself, does it matter now?  I believe it was QQ raising and AJo calling his all-in and hit the ace….right like that is the first time that has ever happened.

Heads Up

I had no chance, well slim and none.  He had Trump Tower stack to my Slums of Mumbai, think it was 8-1.  Didn’t take long to finish it up, such a nice guy he was just to bad the railbirds could have been more polite after the game.  There was 15 or so watchers at final table and at end of game there was 8 not including myself and the winner.  3-4 of them were going off on the QQ vs AJ hand I couldn’t be bothered to chirp in after it was over.

Below are some screen shots of the game showing that AA and KK do hold up.
and here is the youtube video Cashing $937 2nd Place on Carbon Poker.