What is it about the 5th SNG?

5 $5+$0.40 Double-Up SNGs - 3 wins, 1 8th place, 1 7th place - Profit: $3.00

UGH. UGH UGH FUCKING UGH. I started out with three cashes in a row, and then the bottom really fell out in the last two. Once again, I didn't get a whole ton of very good hands...though the ironic thing is that when I did, that's usually where I ended up losing. Admittedly, the horror show that was the 5th SNG was partially deserved karma-wise with the Poker Stars level of river suckouts I amassed in the first three. I also had quite the undeserved win early in the 5th, but come on Poker Gods, how much penance do I have to fucking do here?

Klopzi commented on the earlier posts on this subject advocating a super-tight game plan. I don't know if I can bring myself to follow it to the hilt (AA or KK only until you're at < 10 BB, then push with pocket pairs or high aces), but I did slow down quite a bit...especially in the first one. Speaking of which:

1st one:

This one took fooooooorever - 64 hands, in fact. As it turns out, I played in just eight of them. I think I'm starting to adjust my game to the proper way to handle these tournaments (so far, overall, I'm 7-4 for +$10.60), but I can't help but wonder about what happens once I get my bankroll back to where I can play actual NLHE. Am I going to remember what to do? Klopzi is right - this shit may be cards, but it ain't poker.

On hand 7, my raise with J-J went uncalled...that basically just about paid for a bad play on hand 15 (25/50), where I had 9h-7h and limped with two others. The flop was 8h-5h-4s. One guy bet the pot, and I called. I was only getting 2:1 on my money, and had 12 outs (9 hearts, 3 non-heart sixes) or 2.83:1. If he was drawing to a higher flush (a possibility since he limped in), it was only 3. Terrible. The turn was another 8, and after he checked, I checked too. The river was the 3s, and he fired out $450. To me, in retrospect, it looks like once there was no flush out there, his 6-6 or 7-7 or whatever was probably good. I folded, naturally.

By hand 22 (50/100), I was down to $1140. I got 6d-3d in the BB, and was happy to check my option with two limpers. The flop came 9c-8d-7d. One guy bet $100 into a $300 pot, which seemed like a steal attempt to me. With my various draws, I called it (and I'd defend this as a better call than hand 15 since I don't think they had much of that flop). The turn was a beautiful 9d, and I checked along with the other guy. I know I was giving a free card to someone with one higher diamond, but I was hoping my river move would work if it looked like I didn't have a flush. Also, if they made a large bet at it, I could at least have the possibility of dodging a larger flush. The river is a Ks. I was praying that the guy had Ad-K(not-d), and went all-in. He mucked, unfortunately.

Three hands later, I had Q-J and stupidly limped with it (raise or fold, you moron). The flop was 5-4-4 rainbow, and my $300 steal attempt was looked up by one. The turn was a 5d, and I checked it (I interpreted his flop call as him either having a pocket pair or a 4). The river was a 6c, and I went away to his $562 bet (I never ever trust it when someone hits the 1/2 pot button...they should just put "Value Bet" on it). I was down some now, and maybe this is tight, but on hand 29 I folded 4-4 when no one had yet opened ($940 left, 75/150). A middle position person raised, so it was a coin flip at best, I'm sure.

I got a walk in hand 31 with 4-3 (LOL), and another one in hand 40 with Q-3. That kept me afloat, and I re-raised a $600 bet all-in on hand 41 ($940 left, 100/200) with Ks-10d. I was up against 4-4, and rivered a diamond flush to stay alive. It was undeserved but well-appreciated! That got me up to $2480, so I could relax a little. The only downer was that it was still 9-handed heading to the first ante level. That is, I could relax a little if I weren't a total idiot. With K-J (I learned my lesson with this fucking hand) I raised up to $800. Someone else went all-in for $968 on top, and at least I recovered enough brain cells to get out of the way. It ended up 9-9 vs. Q-10, and a queen came on the flop.

I folded Q-10 on hand 44, two went all-in on a flop with a 7 in it. It ended up being K-7 vs. J-7, but a 10 came on the turn. I wouldn't have called the all-in bets, but man, that's just a cock-tease. On hand 48, I got Kd-Qd and called a short stack's all-in bet (1530 vs. 825, 200/400/25). He showed Q-10. I flopped a flush draw, and it got there cruelly (for the other guy) when the 10d came off. I was back up to $2705 after that, and resolved to not get too cute with shit like K-J unless I had to.

We were on the bubble after that, and I didn't play a hand for 9-10 hands. I got Q-J, and since I was blinded down to $1655 (300/600/50), I went-all in. Everyone folded, and I more than doubled-up just through the blinds and antes. Yes kids, this structure is bonkers. Oddly enough, I got Q-J the very next hand, but now I was in a much safer position. So, I just mucked the fucking thing. Annoyingly, a few hands later, the short stack doubled up when his 10-2 flopped trips against 5-4. However, the other short stack was snipered away by your dashing protagonist - I called his all-in (just $194) with 7-7, and it held up against 10-3. So, one for one at this point, though I didn't deserve it.


2nd One:

This one was a little different from the first in that there was not nearly as much pre-flop raising. I couldn't even play my blinds in the first one (hence 8-64 hands), but this one was more my speed at 10-46. That said, it only took three hands to make me start to give more thought to Klopzi's point. I had 3s-2s in the SB, and since it was just $10 more I decided to see it with five others. The flop came As-Js-6c, and I was more than happy to see it check around. The turn was a 7s, and I checked it for some reason (thinking back, I don't know what was going through my mind). The next-to-last person to act bet $140, a little more than the pot. I didn't take long to fold...it seemed like a higher flush to me. Maybe I'm giving the dude too much credit, but a paired Ace or Jack didn't seem plausible with two spades out there. A steal with one spade might have been the case, and honestly I should have bet out to see where I was at. But, what happens with a baby flush or the sucker end of the straight when someone else is showing strength? Sure, it's probably just a pair or less likely two pair or a set, but what if it's a flush-over-flush or straight-over-straight? It could very well cripple you with a fucking 3 in your hand or whatever. Not good. I'll have to reconsider Klopzi's point...

My 9-9 got re-raised out on hand 5, and the blinds/one or two limps had me down to $1155 on hand 17 (50/100). I got A-10 in UTG+1, and raised to $300. One person called, another went all-in for over $3000. With just $895 left and an Ace in my hand, I felt I had to call. Well, of course, the person had A-K. Shit. The board came J-J-9-8-7, so I donked out on him on the river. At this point, I was thinking of putting a hundred or so (of money I just don't have right now) into Poker Stars. Heh. I got A-10 again on hand 20, and limped this time with four others. The flop came A-8-7, and I bet $400. One guy called. The turn was another 8, and my $800 bet was called. Now, I was worried...what the fuck is he calling me down with? Did he just spike trips? The river was a King, and in my confusion, I checked. Thankfully, he did too...so I was privy to the unusual setting of A-10 chopping with A-4. Should have raised him out pre-flop.

On hand 25 (75/150), it may be risky, but I called a $525 bet from a big stack with A-Q. The flop came A-9-9, and if he had me beat, so be it. I went all-in, and he peaced out in nanoseconds. I wonder if it was K-K or Q-Q that I was up against? Anyway, in hands 30 and 34, I folded K-Q and K-Q suited (I have gotten that, K-J and 7-7 a crapload of times in the last two sessions, but I've gone over 650 hands without A-A). No need to mess around with it as the in 2nd chip position with 8 people left. In fact, I sat on my big stack, and didn't play another hand until I made the money when the bubble boy went busto on hand 46. Two for two, and I was feeling good...


3rd One:

This was almost a doppelganger of the second one, as I played 11-45 hands and rivered a bunch of stuff. :)

On hand 6, I got Ad-10d, and limped along with 5 others. The flop came Kd-Jd-7s, so I had a gutshot to go with the nut flush draw. I bet $50, one customer stayed. The turn was a 5s, and I checked. The other guy's $100 shell felt like a steal, so I called (in retrospect, maybe a re-raise would have been better since I had have 12 outs to win it...maybe more if a paired Ace would be good). The river was the 5d, but sadly my $400 river bet didn't get paid off. Still, $400 in the stack early isn't a bad thing! What is a bad thing though is my flop re-raise on hand 7 with 7-7 on a Q-Q-2 board was called, and I had to fold on the turn. Dammit! He must have had a queen or a pocket pair to call that...chastened, I folded A-10 in the BB on the next hand.

On hand 11, my A-Q and another A-Q both called an all-in bet for $115. The guy had 3-3, and we chopped him up with a Broadway straight. Of course the other prick had to have the same hand, though. *sigh* Hand 17 (50/100), on the other hand, was just me donking off chips. With J-3 in the BB, I got a free play against just the SB (note that in a cash game, this is an insta-raise with any two cards from me 9 times out of 10). The flop was Q-6-3 with two spades, and my $100 steal attempt was called. I checked it down the rest of the way (5 and 8), and he showed 7-7 to win. I'm undecided here - would another shell on the turn convince him I had a Queen, or would he stubbornly call until the the end of time?

Hand 26 (75/150) worked out better - I re-raised a $300 bet all-in for $1330, and took down $675 without a fight. Two hands later, I was all-in again after limping in with Qd-Jd and saw a Q-10-8 flop. Again, no takers, and $600 more came my way. I seriously tightened up after that, and folded just about everything (including Q-10 on Hand 37 to a $700 raise). I was down to $1280 on Hand 40 (100/200/25, 7 players left). I pushed all-in with 10-10, and took down the blinds and antes. The next hand gave me Q-9 in the BB, just the SB came along. The flop came Q-9-7, and my $575 bet took it down. I was back up to $2080 and looking in decent shape. Three hands later, some guy's Q-Q held up against some other prick's A-K, and I was in the money for the third straight time. At this point, I was thinking about nothing other than 5-for-5.

As Marsellus Wallace would say: "That's pride, fucking with you...FUCK PRIDE." Well, the Poker Gods would fuck me pretty good in the next two of these...


4th One:

This one lasted just 18 hands for me...my shortest outing of the evening.

I got one small win early with 7-7 (yes, AGAIN). Other than that, I tried to keep it tight - even folding K-J to just a 2X BB raise on Hand 12 (good thing, too: K-K beat A-9 in an all-in showdown). I got it again on Hand 17 though (50/100), and my 3X BB raise was called. The flop was all rags, and I uncharacteristically didn't make a continuation bet, and perhaps my fold was a little weak to a $350 bet. Then again, I was probably beat anyway.

Down to $1085, I get K-J fucking AGAIN on the next hand. I go all-in, and some fucking bitchfuck has A-K. Of course he does. Both of us whiff, but his kicker of course plays. I'm still 3-1 though, and confident heading into the last one of the evening. Yeah, and I bet most horror-movie teens are confident of surviving the day too when the movie starts. *Sigh*


5th One - Horror Show Special:

I lasted a little longer in this one...24 hands to be exact. I was the beneficiary of one ridiculous suck-out, but then paid for it over and over again. Note how many times rockets appear in this one, never for me. Like I said, 650 hands and counting. Suck my left one until the right one gets jealous, Sportsbook.

- Hand 2, I get 10-10 and raise it 3X BB. I get one caller, and see a flop of Q-8-5 with two clubs. The caller bets $105, and I peace out.

- Hand 6, I get A-10 and raise to $120. Two people call, and the flop is A-J-3. One guy bets $60, he gets called, and I raise to $180. The first guy goes all-in. Why, dummy? You could have extracted a lot more by getting one of us to bet at the turn...he shows A-J.

- Hand 7, I'm down to $1080, and get Q-Q. Well shit, an almost-premium hand! It's only been about TWO WHOLE SESSIONS since I've seen one of those! I go all-in, and get called by A-A. I repress the urge to punch something. That urge is lessened when a Queen hits on the flop, and holds up. What a sick beat for the other guy, though.

- Hand 9, I get K-K. I raise to $120, and a guy goes all-in for $1505. I still have $700 left with 15/30 blinds if I lose, so I call even though A-A is a possibility. Did I say "possibility?" OF FUCKING COURSE, HE HAD FUCKING A-A. FUCK YOU, SPORTSBOOK! Two motherfucking hands in a cunting row...ARGH! Needless to say, the rockets hold up. In fact, another Ace came on the river. Sure it did, why fucking wouldn't it? On the next hand, I wasn't in it, but some dude ended up getting trip Aces, then quads on the river. Is this taunting really necessary?

- Hand 19, with Q-Q, I go all-in and get no customers. My urge to kill is rising.

- On Hand 24, I go all-in with A-J. A dude calls with A-9, and a fucking 9 comes right in the door. No help was forthcoming, and I was out in 7th. All I can say is that if a Sportsbook representative was within 100 feet of me at that moment, I'd be in jail right now for assault, battery and any other kind of grievous bodily harm that you can imagine.


I guess going 3-2 again isn't bad, and 7-4 overall is OK under the conditions. If I keep up a 7-4 ratio, my bankroll will soon be back over triple digits, and if I can get it to $200 or so, I can quit playing this nonsense and go to .5/.10 NLHE. I think I'm getting pretty decent at these SNGs, but man oh man am I starting to hate them. Playing them for me right now is a necessity because I'm doing well at them to a greater extent than my cash game play had been.