T
Tk_Poker
Rising Star
Bronze Level
Lately I have been trying to get back into the game and improve after taking many years off. The last couple of times I have been super nervous when in tournaments almost to the point that I would get jitters and my heart would start pounding out of my chest when I made a raise or attempted to bluff. I entered a $50 tournament today at the Daytona Poker room and here are a few take aways from today.
I took an adderall before going..(prescribed) definitely helped out a lot. I was calm and no jitters. My game strategy was to play solid poker and be rather tight only playing premium hands and trying to steal some blinds from the button or late position. I think overall that I played pretty decent and I was able to pick up on some pretty obvious tells. A guy to my right would become very animated, almost like he couldn't control his excitement (his face would contort and he would squint and make huffing sounds) when he had a hand and always checked by beating his hand on the table 3 times and would fumble to get his chips. There was another guy who was a nit and would act like he was going to bet, pick up chips and then set them down and check.. he did it on 3 separate hands. I thought he was screwing with me at first but he was just afraid to bet and it was a sign of weakness so the next time he did it I raised him and he folded,
There are areas of my game that definitely need improvement. I need to work on 3 betting more and I have an issue with being over zealous and over betting especially in the first 20 min of the tournament.
I had a situation today, it was early in the tournament, where I was in the small blind and I had K,9 Spades, blinds were 25/50 so I bet 300. I actually meant to bet 200 but I let an extra 100 chip slip in there by mistake. BB calls me and I think I had 2 other callers as well. Flop comes out 2s Js Kd, great so now I am on a flush draw with top pair. I bet 1500 and BB calls me and so does one other player. Turn is a 10s making the flush and here is where I made a mistake.. I'm thinking that I have top pair and K high flush and that there is only one car that can beat me so I bet 2500 (over bet) thinking that I'm going to take down the pot but to my surprise BB calls and so does the other player in highjack. Turn is a J giving a possible full boat and so I had to slow down and check, BB checks and so does, player in highjack. Big Blind turns over As 6s, highjack turns over 7s 4s. Cost me half of my stack and had to struggle to get back to where I started. I had pocket KK's early on, within the first 5 hands and bet 400 preflop and got no callers.. figures.
For the remainder of the tournament I hovered around 20-30 Big Blinds and it seemed like each time I would take down a pot the blinds would go up and then I would be in danger again. This forced me to shove preflop a few times and I was able to get some folds and a few calls where I get some chips. Finally about mid way through with blinds at 400-800 I was down to 9 BB and I got KJ suted on the button so I shoved and cot a call and the guy had As 7os and flopped 2 spades and got runner runner spades to make the flush. Overall it was a good learning experience and I have another tournament next weekend with my local poker group at the same poker room in Daytona FL.
I took an adderall before going..(prescribed) definitely helped out a lot. I was calm and no jitters. My game strategy was to play solid poker and be rather tight only playing premium hands and trying to steal some blinds from the button or late position. I think overall that I played pretty decent and I was able to pick up on some pretty obvious tells. A guy to my right would become very animated, almost like he couldn't control his excitement (his face would contort and he would squint and make huffing sounds) when he had a hand and always checked by beating his hand on the table 3 times and would fumble to get his chips. There was another guy who was a nit and would act like he was going to bet, pick up chips and then set them down and check.. he did it on 3 separate hands. I thought he was screwing with me at first but he was just afraid to bet and it was a sign of weakness so the next time he did it I raised him and he folded,
There are areas of my game that definitely need improvement. I need to work on 3 betting more and I have an issue with being over zealous and over betting especially in the first 20 min of the tournament.
I had a situation today, it was early in the tournament, where I was in the small blind and I had K,9 Spades, blinds were 25/50 so I bet 300. I actually meant to bet 200 but I let an extra 100 chip slip in there by mistake. BB calls me and I think I had 2 other callers as well. Flop comes out 2s Js Kd, great so now I am on a flush draw with top pair. I bet 1500 and BB calls me and so does one other player. Turn is a 10s making the flush and here is where I made a mistake.. I'm thinking that I have top pair and K high flush and that there is only one car that can beat me so I bet 2500 (over bet) thinking that I'm going to take down the pot but to my surprise BB calls and so does the other player in highjack. Turn is a J giving a possible full boat and so I had to slow down and check, BB checks and so does, player in highjack. Big Blind turns over As 6s, highjack turns over 7s 4s. Cost me half of my stack and had to struggle to get back to where I started. I had pocket KK's early on, within the first 5 hands and bet 400 preflop and got no callers.. figures.
For the remainder of the tournament I hovered around 20-30 Big Blinds and it seemed like each time I would take down a pot the blinds would go up and then I would be in danger again. This forced me to shove preflop a few times and I was able to get some folds and a few calls where I get some chips. Finally about mid way through with blinds at 400-800 I was down to 9 BB and I got KJ suted on the button so I shoved and cot a call and the guy had As 7os and flopped 2 spades and got runner runner spades to make the flush. Overall it was a good learning experience and I have another tournament next weekend with my local poker group at the same poker room in Daytona FL.