David Williams' Blog

Wow, 2 posts in one day! This one is going to be a response to the comments left so far. I'll respond to the sensible ones about once a week.

Waffles2003 said...

David, thanks for this blog. If you have time one day, can you tell us how you met Noah Boeken and how he became one of your best friend?

I met Noah while playing on the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour back in 1997. Magic has a professional circuit with tournaments all over the world. The atmosphere is very similar to a poker tournament. If you go to them all you end up seeing the same people every time. Noah and me got along great and played with and against each other often. We kept in touch over the computer and would see each other in different countries every few months. He started playing poker after I did, and I noticed he had a natural talent for the game. We discussed hands and other tournament strategies and helped each other improve. During the 2004 WSOP we shared a room at my friend's house, and he was with me every night when I came home from the long days. He helped me to stay calm and not get nervous for the next day. Also, the day before the 2004 WSOP began, I asked Noah to trade 10% with me. He replied "NO! 4%". I said "why 4%? make it 5% so it's even." He responded "NO, YOU SUCK." We all know how that worked out for him. 6% of 3,500,000. :-)

rentrab said...

Thanks for the blog. Have you been playing in the side games? What kind of limits do you play when you do? Good luck with the rest of the series.

I do not usually play side games. They are so different from tournaments which are what I like to focus on. If I do play a side game, it's usually $200/400 mixed games.

rentrab said...

How do you alter your limit hold em strategy when you’re playing in a tourney rather than live? Play more speculative hands like small pairs and suited connectors?

Although I don't normally play live, I would not change my strategy either way. I would play my best either way and try and win the most chips while risking the least.

Anonymous said...

How does your strategy compare to Layne Flack?

I am not sure; I do not know Layne Flack's strategy.

Anonymous said...

ive watched u play b4 and noticed u play incredibly fast and usually make ur decisions quickly also...how/why did u start doing this?? and what advantages do you think it gives u?

Playing quickly is not something I decided to do. It is just how I play. I am a fast thinker at all things, and it becomes hard for me to do things slowly. I don't think it gives me an advantage, and I have been trying to slow down and think things through longer. (Although I usually come up with the same first though I had.)

Liquid Swords said...

Granted, you only lost $150 by being absent the first level, but you don't feel that the information you would have gained watching your opponents in that first level, plus the $150, outweighed the little bit of extra sleep you got? Just curious.

I feel being rested and mentally ready for a long day is the most important thing you can do in a tournament. I spoke we Chris Ferguson about this and he agreed. If that hour of sleep will help you play better it is invaluable. I was also able to figure out how the other players played fairly quickly, and it was what I thought while lying in bed that morning, awful. :-)

I will ask my webmaster about an RSS feed. Hopefully that will be ready soon. I appreciate everyone's questions and input. Keep posting and I'll try to respond once a week.

If you haven't seen the latest video with Mike "The Mouth" Matusow on CardPlayer you are missing out. It is unreal funny. I like Mike alot, and even when I am having a bad day, he always makes me laugh and not feel so bad.

It has been a while since I last wrote. I could give some lame but true excuses, such as: my laptop broke (it did), my website went down when transferring owners (also true), I didn't get in until late and wanted to get some rest for the next day (true again), but the real reason is that it is so hard to be motivated to write something and not sound so negative when you go through constant losing. Daniel N. mentioned some things about him not losing confidence despite day after day of losing. I need to try and follow that, I mean if my poker idol isn't winning and still fighting hard, then I need to do the same. I am happy with my play and need to stay confident and focused and be ready for when things turn around. Speaking of turning around. I was having the same conversation with Josh Arieh before the 2k rebuy PLO tournament began. He had also been having a miserable WSOP. He told me he wasn't going to let it get to him and was going to keep playing well. Sure enough, he went on to win the event and his 2nd bracelet. I am so happy for him. He has been practicing PLO for a while and he went in and played fantastic poker and got the job done. I didn't play the event; I didn't want to get in deep with tons of 2k rebuys like the two other people I mentioned in this paragraph. I didn't feel I had enough experience at PLO to warrant risking 8k or more. Josh's success gives me hope and keeps my spirits high. I know that if I continue to play my best, it will all come together soon. Maybe it'll be the big one again.

Nothing big or exciting happened in the next event I played, 2k PLH. I went out in the second level when I was short and raised with pocket Tens only to be reraised and find my opponent with Kings. I didn't want to call but I started the hand with 650 and put 225 in the pot. I decided against folding and leaving myself 375 with the blinds at 25/50 and hoped he had AK. It is hard to get off a hand early in these events with so few chips. There really is no other option in these smaller events than to give a small amount of chips. If we began with 10k, each event would take 5 days. You have to double early then you can start playing once you have chips.

I skipped the 2k PLO event the next day and used that to rest and run errands. It's hard to get anything done with the WSOP going on, even when you are home every day by 4pm like me. I wanted to be well rested for the 5k NLH event the next day. I had a good feeling about it, since you started with 5k in chips and the levels were 75min long. My starting table was pretty good. The faces I recognized were: 2-Pete Lawson, 3- Rafael Amit, 4-ME, 5- Chad Brown, 7- Luis Santori, 8-Charles Shoten, 9-Noah Boeken.

On about the 5th hand, seat 1 opens for 150, Rafael calls, I call with KcQc and Charles calls. The flop is QxTc3c. Huge flop for me. The raiser bets 300 and I raise him 1k, hoping that we can get it in and I can gamble. I really want to start with a big stack and don't feel I am an underdog to many hands. He moves in and I call with my last 3k. He has QT, not what I expected or wanted to see, but I can still win with a club or a King. The turn is a 9, so now a Jack also helps, and the river is a beautiful King! I am up to 10k right off the bat, just like I hoped. About 10 mins later, Pete Lawson, who had been raising alot of hands to 200 (including the Q6o which he made quads with), raises to 175, I call him in position with Jd5d. I have double his chips and he is playing lots of big pots, so with the right flop I may be able to win alot of chips off him. 5 players take the flop. The flop is 3d4d6c. Another big flop! The first 2 players check to Pete and he bets out 325. This is a pretty small under bet and I am content taking the pot now or gambling for 5k with Pete. I decide to raise to find out if there is anything big hiding behind me and to maybe get Pete to put alot of his chips in. I make it 1025 and it folds back to Pete. He raises to 2225 and I immediately push all in, figuring he is going to call with so much in there. With half his stack in the middle, he folds and says he had two black Nines. If that is the case I was a big favorite on the flop, but I was happy to pick up those chips and go to 12k with about 60min left in the first level.

Seat 6 arrives and it’s Eli Elezra. What a tough table to start at, just the challenge I like. Shortly after the pot with Pete, I open for 225 (25/50 blinds) with AsKs and Luis Santori calls behind me. The flop is JdTd5c. I take a stab at it and bet 325 and he calls. I figure he might have some sort of draw, such as KQ or diamonds. The turn is a 6d and I check. He bets 500. His bet and body language didn't make me think he had a flush or even a flush draw. I thought he had a medium pair or maybe even KQ still and called his small bet. The river is the 8d, putting 4 diamonds on the board. Now I have black AK but he doesn’t appear happy about the 4th diamonds. Very quickly and with confidence I throw out 1k in chips. He makes this funny face and folds TT face up, A SET!!! I laugh with him and show him my black AK. He is not very happy and I know the game is on. I raise a few hands later and he reraises me big. I fold, knowing that its time to trap him, as he is upset about the set I made him lay down with my Ace high.

Pete Lawson has still be speeding along, and by raising with garbage such as Q6o and making quads and getting paid, he has built his stack up back above 5k. He opens for 200 again and I call him with position and a stack of like 13k (still in the first level) with 7s8s. 2 others call and the flop is 763. Pete bets 800 (the pot) and I call knowing he would bet with anything here and he might freeze up on the turn or I might improve, but I probably have the best hand. The others fold and the turn is a SEVEN! Pete now bets out 700, a huge underbet. I know if I quickly throw in 1700, a semi small raise considering the size of the pot he will move in fast if he has anything, which is what I want. Sure enough, before I can even get my 1700 in he has moved in for 3500 more. I call quickly and he says "got a seven!?" I say "yup" and he frowns and turns up 99. I don't get his move in here. I am only calling with at least three sevens. He doesn’t get a 9 and I am up 19k still in the first level. I start to get the feeling that today is going to be my day.

I pick up 99, still in the first level and raise to 175. Luis Santori calls along with seat 10 in the BB. The flop is 8d6x3d and I bet 550 (the pot), Luis moves in on me for 2k more and I feel the trap has been set, I call and I was right. He has a flush draw and misses. 23k in the first level and flying high.

After that our table breaks and I get moved to a table with John Bonetti and TJ Cloutier and John Hennigan. I still have about 22k for the next 3 levels and nothing eventful happens. Then at 150/300 with 25 ante, a guy limps for 300, and Bonetti follows. I look down at QQ and decide to raise it big to sniff out a big hand, and to hopefully just pick it up here. I raise to 2k and it folds to Bonetti, the 2nd limper. He thinks and has about same chips as me and calls! I can't figure out what hand would limp after another limper, yet call a HUGE raise out of position. I figure it must be some sort of middle pair like 88 or 99. The flop is K52 and he checks. I decide I am going to mix it up here, since I always bet the flop after I raise and check. There were no apparent draws out there, and I might get him to bet his underpair (if I am right). I decide to take a risk and give a free card. The turn is a 2 and he bets out 2k and I raise it to 6k. He thinks and calls. Now I am totally confused. What on earth could he have? He limped 2nd in, called a huge raise out of position, checked the flop, and bet out and called a pretty big raise on the turn, obviously not scared that I may have AK. This is not computing. The river is a T and he checks. I check behind him, as I only have 12k left and don't want to put it in when I am not sure where I am at. I show my QQ and he turns over KT!!! WTF is that! I rarely steam, but I was furious. I had never played with him until today, and I had heard all these things about how good he was, etc. etc.

About 3 hands later (Bonetti's button), it folds to him and he makes it 1500 (5x BB, very odd). TJ folds the SB and I find JJ in the BB. I just call since I am out of position and don't want to get moved in on and have to call with JJ. I decide I will evaluate the flop, and if there are Aces or Kings I may get off the hand. The flop is T72 and I check, he bets 2k and I just call. I want to wait until the turn to play a big pot, because I can still get off the hand if a scary card comes. The turn is another 2 and I check again, this time planning on checkraising and playing for it all. He then bets 2k again! This is a very small bet and I decide he has either absolute zero or a monster. I raise him to 6k leaving myself 4k and he thinks and calls. Now I know probably has me beat. I think he would have just put it all-in if he had KT again, from the way he overplayed some other hands I watched. The river is an A also making the backdoor flush. I check and moves me in. He obviously isn't afraid of the Ace or the flush so I fold and he shows 22 for quads and laughs. I am crippled. Part of me says I should have just reraised him preflop, but I think that I may have gone broke that way. If I reraise him to 4k he seems like he would have called. Then I go broke on the T high flop. I guess my other option is to move in 12k preflop when he makes it 1500. He pretty much can't call with 22, but when he does find a hand to call with, I am in deep trouble. 12k was still a pretty big stack at the time.

Oh well, so I am down to 4k and over the next hour or so I run it up to 10k. With the blinds at 200/400 with 50 ante, I find TT and raise to 1500. A short stack of about 5k moves in on me and it folds to me. I know his move in requirements don't have to be better than TT and with the money in the pot and my semi short stack I call. He shows me AA and I am down to 5k. 3 hands later I pick up TT again. This time I am in move in mode, since I am calling any reraises anyways, and I just show in the 5k. The SB wakes up with QQ and I am on my way home.

Overall, I was pretty happy with how I played this event. I ran into some bigger hand every time I had one of my own. I mean how do you beat KT with QQ? :-).

The next day I gave stud hi-lo a try. I clearly don't know enough about the game, and my 1000 in chips evaporated in the 30/60 level. The 1500 shootout also went horrible. On the JT6 flop I have TT and run into JJ. I don't figure it out until we put in way to many bets. I just call the 3rd bet on the turn and the river. I wanted to fold, but just couldn't fold for 50 when the pot had 700 in it. Later I raise utg with KK, a maniac 3 bets me and a fairly tight player 4 bets it. I just call, disguising my hand, and so I lose one less raise if an A flop and because I am sure the maniac will 5 bet it anyway. He does and the flop is Kc8c5h. WOW! I lead out so they will raise me and I can checkraise the turn and get raised and 3 bet. I just call and the maniac 4 bets, it’s capped and I call. Wow, I have the nuts and they are going nuts. The turn is a Qc. I am not happy it’s a club, but figure they must not have had club draws to be going bananas on the flop and before it. I know the tight guy has Aces and I check. The maniac bets and the tight guy raises and I 3 bet. The maniac goes to 4 bets and the tight guy folds. I think the maniac must have flopped an underset since he went 5 bets preflop and on the flop. He must have 55, 88 or he may have turned QQ. The river is another club but I am not scared unless he has 55 with the 5 of clubs. I check and call and he has 9cTc!!! Wow, I lost alot on this hand. I guess he tricked me by overplaying the preflop and flop. I never put him on a flush draw and he got maximum action on the turn. I didn't last too long after that, which puts us at now.

I am going to get plenty of rest and eat a nice dinner and get ready for the 1500 NLH shootout. I love single table NLH tournaments, so hopefully tomorrow will be the day it all comes together.