David Williams' Blog
Friday, June 10, 2005
Welcome to my blog.
It is finally up! When it comes to doing something other than playing poker, I am so lazy. I meant to get this up and going before the 2005 WSOP began, but it just happened so fast. This year's WSOP is unreal. I can't believe the number of people here to play and watch poker. I am going to give a brief update of the events I have played so far, along with some interesting hands that came up. Hopefully I will be able to update daily now that I got the ball rolling on this thing.
Up until today's event (#9 $2000 NL Holdem), I felt that I have been playing pretty good. What happened today? I don't know. We started with 2000 in chips and I only recognized two people at my table. (The less I recognize the better). A guy I know named Dan, I don't know his last name, was in seat 2, and Billy "lowball wizard" Baxter was in seat 6. I was in seat 7 and pretty happy with the setup. I decided that in these events, which such short stacks and many amateur players, that I would not get tricky in the beginning. I would wait til later in the tournament, when I had built up some chips and was in stroke, then I would start "playing the game". In the first level with blinds at 25-25 I folded most hands. I called a few raises with medium to small pocket pairs hoping to flop a set, but no such luck.
I was down to about 1700 when it folded to Billy in the cutoff. He raised to 125 and it folded to me in the small blind with 88. I just called and the big blind folded. The flop was A56 rainbow and I checked to Billy, he bet 300. I called figuring he would bet regardless of his holdings and I would see the turn and reevaluate. An 8 or a 7 would be nice, and he might check behind me if he didn't have an Ace, not wanting to bluff off his money. The turn was another Ace and I checked, and Billy did too. Now I was pretty sure I was good, but he could also be trapping, so I decided I wasn't going to bet the river unless I caught an 8. The river was a 2 and we both checked and my 8s won.
After that I made a small bluff at a pot on the turn and a guy called w/ 2nd pair. There was no draw he could have, so I gave up on the pot and checked behind him on the river and let him have it. I remembered what I told myself about making moves too early in these events. It is so hard for me to check last on the river when I am sure my 5 high isn't going to win, but sometimes you have to know when to let it go.
I was down to 1375 after paying some blinds and seeing a few flops w/ more small pocket pairs and missing when I lost my mind. The blinds are at 25-50 now, and a guy opens for 125 in early position. I call him on the button with KQ, at the same time I tell myself "David, do NOT go broke with this crap hand, especially with one pair. You know it’s hard to tell if you are up against AK or AQ and throw it away for a big bet." It folds to the BB who makes it 250, 125 more, a pretty small raise. The original raiser calls and I tell the BB, "You should raise more with Aces." He tenses up and I know he has them, I am saying in my mind, he has Aces, do NOT go broke with one pair! Sure enough, the flop is Q63 and he fires out 450. The first raiser folds quickly and I think for a while with 1125 left. The bettor seems pretty confident and I tell myself, HE HAS ACES, FOLD!!! But for some reason, "Greedy Dave", who has to win EVERY pot takes over and says, "NO HE DOESN'T, HE CAN'T BEAT YOUR HAND, HE HAS JJ, MOVE IN!!!" What do I do??? Listen to "Greedy Dave" (aka Stupid Dave) and move in. What do you know, he turns over two Aces and one turn and river later I am on my way out the door.
I have to start listening to myself if I want to win. It's how I got where I am now in poker and I have to keep it up. Going broke right there was pretty dumb, especially when I could basically see his cards (not actually, but by how everything went down). It's pretty hard for me to admit when I am wrong, especially in a public forum, but realizing your mistakes is the key to getting past them and not making it again. Hopefully by exposing myself here, I'll get tired of writing about dumb moves and I'll stop making them. Well, my Birthday was yesterday and I am going to eat sushi with two of my best friends, Evelyn Ng and Noah Boeken to celebrate. Check back later to read some interesting things that happened in the events I played in before this one and to see the updates of the future events.
Up until today's event (#9 $2000 NL Holdem), I felt that I have been playing pretty good. What happened today? I don't know. We started with 2000 in chips and I only recognized two people at my table. (The less I recognize the better). A guy I know named Dan, I don't know his last name, was in seat 2, and Billy "lowball wizard" Baxter was in seat 6. I was in seat 7 and pretty happy with the setup. I decided that in these events, which such short stacks and many amateur players, that I would not get tricky in the beginning. I would wait til later in the tournament, when I had built up some chips and was in stroke, then I would start "playing the game". In the first level with blinds at 25-25 I folded most hands. I called a few raises with medium to small pocket pairs hoping to flop a set, but no such luck.
I was down to about 1700 when it folded to Billy in the cutoff. He raised to 125 and it folded to me in the small blind with 88. I just called and the big blind folded. The flop was A56 rainbow and I checked to Billy, he bet 300. I called figuring he would bet regardless of his holdings and I would see the turn and reevaluate. An 8 or a 7 would be nice, and he might check behind me if he didn't have an Ace, not wanting to bluff off his money. The turn was another Ace and I checked, and Billy did too. Now I was pretty sure I was good, but he could also be trapping, so I decided I wasn't going to bet the river unless I caught an 8. The river was a 2 and we both checked and my 8s won.
After that I made a small bluff at a pot on the turn and a guy called w/ 2nd pair. There was no draw he could have, so I gave up on the pot and checked behind him on the river and let him have it. I remembered what I told myself about making moves too early in these events. It is so hard for me to check last on the river when I am sure my 5 high isn't going to win, but sometimes you have to know when to let it go.
I was down to 1375 after paying some blinds and seeing a few flops w/ more small pocket pairs and missing when I lost my mind. The blinds are at 25-50 now, and a guy opens for 125 in early position. I call him on the button with KQ, at the same time I tell myself "David, do NOT go broke with this crap hand, especially with one pair. You know it’s hard to tell if you are up against AK or AQ and throw it away for a big bet." It folds to the BB who makes it 250, 125 more, a pretty small raise. The original raiser calls and I tell the BB, "You should raise more with Aces." He tenses up and I know he has them, I am saying in my mind, he has Aces, do NOT go broke with one pair! Sure enough, the flop is Q63 and he fires out 450. The first raiser folds quickly and I think for a while with 1125 left. The bettor seems pretty confident and I tell myself, HE HAS ACES, FOLD!!! But for some reason, "Greedy Dave", who has to win EVERY pot takes over and says, "NO HE DOESN'T, HE CAN'T BEAT YOUR HAND, HE HAS JJ, MOVE IN!!!" What do I do??? Listen to "Greedy Dave" (aka Stupid Dave) and move in. What do you know, he turns over two Aces and one turn and river later I am on my way out the door.
I have to start listening to myself if I want to win. It's how I got where I am now in poker and I have to keep it up. Going broke right there was pretty dumb, especially when I could basically see his cards (not actually, but by how everything went down). It's pretty hard for me to admit when I am wrong, especially in a public forum, but realizing your mistakes is the key to getting past them and not making it again. Hopefully by exposing myself here, I'll get tired of writing about dumb moves and I'll stop making them. Well, my Birthday was yesterday and I am going to eat sushi with two of my best friends, Evelyn Ng and Noah Boeken to celebrate. Check back later to read some interesting things that happened in the events I played in before this one and to see the updates of the future events.
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June 05, 2005 June 12, 2005 June 19, 2005 June 26, 2005 July 03, 2005 August 07, 2005 September 04, 2005 September 25, 2005
