Beriac
Visionary
Silver Level
So we played 2 live games last night, 7 players for each, total duration about 5 hours. My performance in each game was almost identical. I played very tight early, let my cards dictate my actions, but then played very aggressively when I was involved in a pot and did well. As the blinds rose and the number of players shrank down to about 4, I started to deviate from the cards and try a few moves, and in both games these moves sunk me. Oh, and prize money for these games was $50 for 1st and $20 for second in each game ($10 buy-in).
So... bad play or bad luck? You decide.
Game 1
7-handed through 5-handed, I just followed the cards. The only good hands I was dealt in almost two hours were TT and AQ. I won a nice pot with the TT on the flop with aggressive betting and a good read, and I lost some chips with AQ when I didn't hit anything and 1 continuation bet did not pan out. Between those 2 hands and the blinds, I'm left with the same chip stack that I started with.
Key hand: Okay, so this one's a little weird. We're down to 4-handed. Because this game has been running long and people are getting impatient to play a second one (normally we just allow re-buys but 3 people were eliminated at once), at the request of our hosts we accelerate the blind increases. A couple of orbits later I probably have 300 chips left (starting chip stack: 360). The blinds are an astronomical 50/100, leaving me with an M of around 2. But, the other M's at the table were 2, 2, and about 6 for the big stack. I'm to the left of the big stack, and I wait for him to fold then I make a steal attempt with
. The big blind turns over and I'm done in a flash.
Game 2
Basically the same events as the first game. I am playing tight, I allow my hands to dictate my actions, and I draw 2 strong hands, pocket 4's that become quads by the turn and pocket kings. In each case, I get little action so I'm up to maybe 400 chips from 360 including the effect of the blinds.
Key hand: This will seem familiar now. Down to 4-handed, the blinds are 30/60 and my M score is just over 4. Table average is ~6.5. I again decide I need to start making a move. In the cutoff, I'm dealt . I take a risk and move all-in, and am called not only by but by as well. My hand does not flush or straighten and I am gonzo again.
As I look back at my play in these 2 games and I reflect on how I generally do in this live game, it seems to me that while the blinds are low (and to be fair, they're usually pretty low for like 2 hours and lots of hands), I'm playing solid poker: tight, very aggressive, good hand reading, disciplined, etc. When I get a run of cards, I usually have a big chip lead by the time we get down to few-handed, and when I don't, I'm still usually okay. But it's when the blinds get high and the M's (or my M) get low that I start to make my moves, and it seems to be these "moves" that are killing me.
Obviously, in this case, it has nothing to do with the other players, no one is folding to my all-in moves with pocket jacks, queens, or aces. That's bad luck. But for your information, in the past I'm not usually able to get away with much before the calling ranges drop pretty low.
So, bad play or bad luck? Should I be more patient for cards even while short stacked, knowing most of my opponents are also short stacked and so hope they'll knock each other out? Should I be calling and raising rather than moving all-in with such a low M?
I try not to judge myself on outcomes but rather decisions as they were made, but I think this is the part of the game where I sometimes struggle in the live game, whereas online I tend to do quite well short-handed / high-blinded.
What do you think?
Thanks!
So... bad play or bad luck? You decide.
Game 1
7-handed through 5-handed, I just followed the cards. The only good hands I was dealt in almost two hours were TT and AQ. I won a nice pot with the TT on the flop with aggressive betting and a good read, and I lost some chips with AQ when I didn't hit anything and 1 continuation bet did not pan out. Between those 2 hands and the blinds, I'm left with the same chip stack that I started with.
Key hand: Okay, so this one's a little weird. We're down to 4-handed. Because this game has been running long and people are getting impatient to play a second one (normally we just allow re-buys but 3 people were eliminated at once), at the request of our hosts we accelerate the blind increases. A couple of orbits later I probably have 300 chips left (starting chip stack: 360). The blinds are an astronomical 50/100, leaving me with an M of around 2. But, the other M's at the table were 2, 2, and about 6 for the big stack. I'm to the left of the big stack, and I wait for him to fold then I make a steal attempt with
. The big blind turns over and I'm done in a flash.Game 2
Basically the same events as the first game. I am playing tight, I allow my hands to dictate my actions, and I draw 2 strong hands, pocket 4's that become quads by the turn and pocket kings. In each case, I get little action so I'm up to maybe 400 chips from 360 including the effect of the blinds.
Key hand: This will seem familiar now. Down to 4-handed, the blinds are 30/60 and my M score is just over 4. Table average is ~6.5. I again decide I need to start making a move. In the cutoff, I'm dealt
. I take a risk and move all-in, and am called not only by but by as well. My hand does not flush or straighten and I am gonzo again.As I look back at my play in these 2 games and I reflect on how I generally do in this live game, it seems to me that while the blinds are low (and to be fair, they're usually pretty low for like 2 hours and lots of hands), I'm playing solid poker: tight, very aggressive, good hand reading, disciplined, etc. When I get a run of cards, I usually have a big chip lead by the time we get down to few-handed, and when I don't, I'm still usually okay. But it's when the blinds get high and the M's (or my M) get low that I start to make my moves, and it seems to be these "moves" that are killing me.
Obviously, in this case, it has nothing to do with the other players, no one is folding to my all-in moves with pocket jacks, queens, or aces. That's bad luck. But for your information, in the past I'm not usually able to get away with much before the calling ranges drop pretty low.
So, bad play or bad luck? Should I be more patient for cards even while short stacked, knowing most of my opponents are also short stacked and so hope they'll knock each other out? Should I be calling and raising rather than moving all-in with such a low M?
I try not to judge myself on outcomes but rather decisions as they were made, but I think this is the part of the game where I sometimes struggle in the live game, whereas online I tend to do quite well short-handed / high-blinded.
What do you think?
Thanks!
