Steve's Home Game
After a few weeks of trying, we finally got the home game to run last night. Steve was gracious enough to plan and host it, and there was no lack of action at all!
In addition to Steve and myself, the cast of characters included Ryan, Mike, Cory and two new faces who I hadn't yet played with, one I'll refer to as Smokey and the other as The Magician.
I broke out the new poker chips and Party Poker playing cards for this game -- love the new chips btw... very swank.
7 handed, everyone buys in for $40 or $50 and it's a $0.25/$0.50 blind cash game.
Notable things I remember:
First hand, I turn top two with 9To vs Ryan who has A9 and he pays off my modest river bet. Nothing better than getting Ryan stuck though... well, except getting Matt stuck.
Pocket Kings in big blind. Cory raises on my left UTG and all fold around to me. I make it $7 and he calls. Flop is K Q 7 all hearts. I think for a sec and lead $10 not wanting to let a heart peel off freely. He takes a minute before making it $30. At this point, I know I'm out of practice at live poker because I start counting out chips and my hand gives an adrenaline-rush-driven shake. Quickly i remove my hand from my chips and say all-in. He insta-mucks and I'm not pleased with myself for that tell. Oh well, I'm ahead early.
My next notable hand is against Smokey. I limp KQs UTG, couple callers and around to Smokey who pops it to $3.50. I think he might be trying to pick up the pot so I call him. Flop is Q 9 5, he checks, I check. Turn is a total blank. He bets $25 and I snap call thinking he's all in. I flip my hand and he's got another $10 behind for the river. His JJ is toast and I missed out on some value -- I'm a donkey.
Smokey and the Magician go to war next on an AKx flop, smokey fires 3 streets with 88 and catches a 2-outer on the river to win a full stack. Sick beat.
I limp 55 in MP, Cory raises the button to $3.50, one caller, I call. Flop is A x 5 I check call $7ish. Turn is a blank I check he checks. River is unimportant, I bet $25 and he calls. I win against I assume AT or so.
Next hand I call a minraise with 77. Checkraised another set on the flop and take it down.
Oh, here's one hand that was actually quite interesting.
Ryan opens to $2.50, I make it $7.50 in position with JJ. All fold and he calls. Flop is KQQ. He leads for $8.50. Now... I ask myself what he leads that flop with. I've seen him fastplay a set before, but normally he's trappy. So I flat-call putting him on air, a weak king, a queen or an underpair trying to rep a king -- will evaluate the turn action.
Turn is a T. He leads for $14. At this point I'm throwing out the idea of an underpair, as I think he has to stick me on a King or possibly a queen. He's trying to represent strength, which he knows I'll perceive as weakness, so he knows that I'll often raise with less than a King to push him off his king so therefore his hand shows more strength. I think we've played together enough that I can assume "levelling" like this is realistic. I ask for a countdown and he has $54 behind so it's relatively deep. I think a straight on the river makes my hand good most times as I dont think he has a boat, but being this deep I think he only calls with a better hand and folds weaker ones so pushing is out. At this point the pot is $45ish and the bet is $14 to me. Getting 3:1 with 10 outs (straight and two jacks) I only have 20% knowing he'll often push a non-scary river with air or the nuts, but not if a straight card comes down with air. So I can't show down my JJ without getting all-in unless I make my hand. I decide, for this reason, to fold. Ryan shows complete air (23s i believe) and gets a few oohs and aahs from the table. I couldn't really stick him on a hand here so just decided not to play for a stack in way-ahead or way-behind situation and I think i'm ok with that. Nicely played hand though from him.
This is the only notable hand I lost, outside of folding to a few turn bets.
Maybe next game i'll show a bit more speed with the post flop, but for this game I think I played fairly optimally. Cashed out +$100 on the nose on a $50 buyin so that's pretty good, though I ran hot with 3-sets.
I think in all there were 4-5 rebuys making the total in-play around $500 which isn't too bad for a little home game fun. That's it folks, thanks again to Steve for hosting the game.
In addition to Steve and myself, the cast of characters included Ryan, Mike, Cory and two new faces who I hadn't yet played with, one I'll refer to as Smokey and the other as The Magician.
I broke out the new poker chips and Party Poker playing cards for this game -- love the new chips btw... very swank.
7 handed, everyone buys in for $40 or $50 and it's a $0.25/$0.50 blind cash game.
Notable things I remember:
First hand, I turn top two with 9To vs Ryan who has A9 and he pays off my modest river bet. Nothing better than getting Ryan stuck though... well, except getting Matt stuck.
Pocket Kings in big blind. Cory raises on my left UTG and all fold around to me. I make it $7 and he calls. Flop is K Q 7 all hearts. I think for a sec and lead $10 not wanting to let a heart peel off freely. He takes a minute before making it $30. At this point, I know I'm out of practice at live poker because I start counting out chips and my hand gives an adrenaline-rush-driven shake. Quickly i remove my hand from my chips and say all-in. He insta-mucks and I'm not pleased with myself for that tell. Oh well, I'm ahead early.
My next notable hand is against Smokey. I limp KQs UTG, couple callers and around to Smokey who pops it to $3.50. I think he might be trying to pick up the pot so I call him. Flop is Q 9 5, he checks, I check. Turn is a total blank. He bets $25 and I snap call thinking he's all in. I flip my hand and he's got another $10 behind for the river. His JJ is toast and I missed out on some value -- I'm a donkey.
Smokey and the Magician go to war next on an AKx flop, smokey fires 3 streets with 88 and catches a 2-outer on the river to win a full stack. Sick beat.
I limp 55 in MP, Cory raises the button to $3.50, one caller, I call. Flop is A x 5 I check call $7ish. Turn is a blank I check he checks. River is unimportant, I bet $25 and he calls. I win against I assume AT or so.
Next hand I call a minraise with 77. Checkraised another set on the flop and take it down.
Oh, here's one hand that was actually quite interesting.
Ryan opens to $2.50, I make it $7.50 in position with JJ. All fold and he calls. Flop is KQQ. He leads for $8.50. Now... I ask myself what he leads that flop with. I've seen him fastplay a set before, but normally he's trappy. So I flat-call putting him on air, a weak king, a queen or an underpair trying to rep a king -- will evaluate the turn action.
Turn is a T. He leads for $14. At this point I'm throwing out the idea of an underpair, as I think he has to stick me on a King or possibly a queen. He's trying to represent strength, which he knows I'll perceive as weakness, so he knows that I'll often raise with less than a King to push him off his king so therefore his hand shows more strength. I think we've played together enough that I can assume "levelling" like this is realistic. I ask for a countdown and he has $54 behind so it's relatively deep. I think a straight on the river makes my hand good most times as I dont think he has a boat, but being this deep I think he only calls with a better hand and folds weaker ones so pushing is out. At this point the pot is $45ish and the bet is $14 to me. Getting 3:1 with 10 outs (straight and two jacks) I only have 20% knowing he'll often push a non-scary river with air or the nuts, but not if a straight card comes down with air. So I can't show down my JJ without getting all-in unless I make my hand. I decide, for this reason, to fold. Ryan shows complete air (23s i believe) and gets a few oohs and aahs from the table. I couldn't really stick him on a hand here so just decided not to play for a stack in way-ahead or way-behind situation and I think i'm ok with that. Nicely played hand though from him.
This is the only notable hand I lost, outside of folding to a few turn bets.
Maybe next game i'll show a bit more speed with the post flop, but for this game I think I played fairly optimally. Cashed out +$100 on the nose on a $50 buyin so that's pretty good, though I ran hot with 3-sets.
I think in all there were 4-5 rebuys making the total in-play around $500 which isn't too bad for a little home game fun. That's it folks, thanks again to Steve for hosting the game.
Comments
So here is the Official Golf + Poker Glossary -
9To = Nine, Ten offsuit
AKs = Ace, King suited
AK'x' = 'X' is a blank or a card that doesn't help anyone
UTG = Under the Gun, first to play
MP = middle position - second to play when playing 6 max
Insta Muck = Fold immediately
'Pops' a bet = Three bet or Reraise
Donkey = Calling Station; Bad Player; Me
Fires Three Streets = bets out on flop, turn and river
2 Outer = only two cards in the entire deck make him a winner
You're welcome Harry! Cal is such an elitist with his swanky terminology!
thanks matt, i will print out and study so i can understand these posts