I’ve played a hundred hands of a 6-max tournament. I’m player 50, we’ve only had four players at the table for the past couple of hands, since yet another knockout (the seventh from this table, so far).
| HAND 101 | 150/300/30 | |||||||||
| PLAYER | POSITION | CARDS | CHIPS | START | PRE-FLOP | POST-FLOP | PRE-TURN | POST-TURN | PRE-RIVER | RIVER |
| 64 | BB | 76 | 20.2K | 34 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 87 | UTG | 4K | 9.7K | 31 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 50 | CO | 84 | 18.6K | 17 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 45 | SB | 32 | 8.6K | 18 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
BB gets a walk with the most starting equity.
| HAND 102 | 150/300/30 | 4Q5 | 7 | 6 | ||||||
| PLAYER | POSITION | CARDS | CHIPS | START | PRE-FLOP | POST-FLOP | PRE-TURN | POST-TURN | PRE-RIVER | RIVER |
| 64 | SB | 3Q | 20.5K | 29 | 31 | 57 | 81 | 89 | – | 100 |
| 87 | BB | 95 | 9.7K | 19 | 23 | 21 | – | – | – | – |
| 50 | UTG | 63 | 18.6K | 12 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 76 | CO | A4 | 16.2K | 19 | 21 | 15 | 19 | 11 | – | 0 |
| 45 | D | 8A | 8.4K | 21 | 24 | 7 | – | – | – | – |
Player 76 is moved onto the table UTG. The suited cards are once again the best starting hand. I’m the only player who doesn’t limp into the hand. I would have had an open-ended straight draw on the flop. CO bets 1.4K with bottom pair and an ace, getting a check-fold from D (who would have ended up with the best hand on the river but has very little equity at this point). SB calls with the paired queen and three-card straight, and BB folds middle pair. They both check the turn—neither has a club—and SB bets 2.7K on his straight (which I would have made on the turn had I stayed in), getting a fold from CO.
| HAND 103 | 150/300/30 | |||||||||
| PLAYER | POSITION | CARDS | CHIPS | START | PRE-FLOP | POST-FLOP | PRE-TURN | POST-TURN | PRE-RIVER | RIVER |
| 64 | D | 2Q | 22.8K | 15 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 87 | SB | J5 | 9.4K | 7 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 50 | BB | J5 | 18.5K | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 76 | UTG | 7K | 14.5K | 35 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 45 | CO | A2 | 8.1K | 35 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
UTG limps in, CO raises to 1.2K, and everyone folds.
| HAND 104 | 150/300/30 | 42T | ||||||||
| PLAYER | POSITION | CARDS | CHIPS | START | PRE-FLOP | POST-FLOP | PRE-TURN | POST-TURN | PRE-RIVER | RIVER |
| 64 | CO | A8 | 22.8K | 14 | 16 | 6 | – | – | – | – |
| 87 | D | 3Q | 9.2K | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 50 | SB | JJ | 18.2K | 50 | 66 | 83 | – | – | – | – |
| 76 | BB | JA | 14.2K | 17 | 18 | 11 | – | – | – | – |
| 45 | UTG | 8Q | 8.9K | 11 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
I’m not the favorite preflop here, but I’m even odds against the other four. CO raises his ace to 900 and I 3-bet to 2K, getting called by both BB and CO. I’m in good shape with the two ragged queens out of the way, the aces are blocking each other, they’re the only over cards, but so many bad things can happen on the flop. The only thing I need to worry about after the flop are three possible sets: I bet 3K and both of the other players fold.
| HAND 105 | 150/300/30 | 35Q | A | Q | ||||||
| PLAYER | POSITION | CARDS | CHIPS | START | PRE-FLOP | POST-FLOP | PRE-TURN | POST-TURN | PRE-RIVER | RIVER |
| 64 | UTG | 3K | 20.8K | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 87 | CO | 66 | 9.2K | 18 | 20 | 11 | – | 0 | – | 0 |
| 50 | D | TT | 22.3K | 52 | 80 | 89 | – | 100 | – | 100 |
| 76 | SB | 82 | 12.2K | 9 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 45 | BB | K8 | 8.9K | 11 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
I get pretty lucky here. The sixes raise to 900 and once again I have a pretty good hand. I push it to 2K again. SB and BB fold and we’re HU. He checks the all-diamond flop, I bet 2.5K, he shoves for another 5.1K. I’ve got him covered by 13K, and I’ve got a pretty good diamond. The [ad] on the turn seals the deal, and player 87 goes to the rail.
| HAND 106 | 150/300/30 | |||||||||
| PLAYER | POSITION | CARDS | CHIPS | START | PRE-FLOP | POST-FLOP | PRE-TURN | POST-TURN | PRE-RIVER | RIVER |
| 64 | BB | K7 | 20.7K | 13 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 50 | UTG | AA | 32.0K | 70 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 76 | D | 53 | 12.0K | 11 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 45 | SB | 5A | 8.6K | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Three good pairs in as many hands. Not a lot of chips made here when I raise to 900 preflop, but it is the stuff deep runs are made of.
| HAND 107 | 150/300/30 | |||||||||
| PLAYER | POSITION | CARDS | CHIPS | START | PRE-FLOP | POST-FLOP | PRE-TURN | POST-TURN | PRE-RIVER | RIVER |
| 64 | SB | Q4 | 20.4K | 18 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 50 | BB | J5 | 32.6K | 32 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 76 | UTG | 9Q | 11.9K | 36 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 45 | D | 92 | 8.4K | 14 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
UTG min-raises and takes the pot.
| HAND 108 | 150/300/30 | K8A | 4 | T | ||||||
| PLAYER | POSITION | CARDS | CHIPS | START | PRE-FLOP | POST-FLOP | PRE-TURN | POST-TURN | PRE-RIVER | RIVER |
| 64 | D | J9 | 20.2K | 35 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 50 | SB | 75 | 32.2K | 15 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 81 | BB | 7A | 22.2K | 18 | 62 | 56 | – | 64 | – | 50 |
| 76 | UTG | 3A | 12.5K | 13 | 38 | 44 | – | 36 | – | 50 |
| 45 | CO | 3T | 8.3K | 20 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
As so often happens, the hands that look best by conventional standards pre-flop—the two aces—are significantly behind something like jack-nine. I probably would have played it, but UTG limps in and the two aces are HU to the flop. Player 81, new to the table, is ahead to start, but steadily loses equity while betting 600 on each street until the [th] counterfeits his kicker and they chop the pot.
| HAND 109 | 150/300/30 | QJ2 | T | 8 | ||||||
| PLAYER | POSITION | CARDS | CHIPS | START | PRE-FLOP | POST-FLOP | PRE-TURN | POST-TURN | PRE-RIVER | RIVER |
| 64 | CO | 63 | 20.2K | 15 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 50 | D | K7 | 32.1K | 22 | 29 | 19 | – | 16 | – | 0 |
| 81 | SB | 7A | 22.3K | 28 | 71 | 81 | – | 84 | – | 100 |
| 76 | BB | 94 | 12.6K | 17 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 45 | UTG | 54 | 8.3K | 18 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
I open my suited king to 900 and get called by the ace in the SB. Neither of us hits anything and we check it down to the river, where I lose the showdown. UTG should have called to make his flush!
| HAND 110 | 150/300/30 | |||||||||
| PLAYER | POSITION | CARDS | CHIPS | START | PRE-FLOP | POST-FLOP | PRE-TURN | POST-TURN | PRE-RIVER | RIVER |
| 64 | UTG | J2 | 20.2K | 28 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 50 | CO | 29 | 31.1K | 17 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 81 | D | T8 | 23.6K | 27 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 76 | SB | 63 | 12.3K | 20 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 45 | BB | T3 | 8.3K | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
How bad do the hands have to be before jack-deuce offsuit has more equity than anything else? This bad. SB takes it down after three folds by raising to 900.
| HAND 111 | 150/300/30 | K92 | ||||||||
| PLAYER | POSITION | CARDS | CHIPS | START | PRE-FLOP | POST-FLOP | PRE-TURN | POST-TURN | PRE-RIVER | RIVER |
| 64 | BB | 4A | 20.1K | 15 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 50 | UTG | 3A | 31.1K | 15 | 27 | 11 | – | – | – | – |
| 81 | CO | TT | 23.6K | 60 | 73 | 89 | – | – | – | – |
| 76 | D | 33 | 12.7K | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 45 | SB | 53 | 8.0K | 7 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
I opened my suited ace to 900 and called a 3-bet to 3.3K from CO, then check-folded to a pot-sized c-bet.
| HAND 112 | 150/300/30 | 3JK | 3 | 8 | ||||||
| PLAYER | POSITION | CARDS | CHIPS | START | PRE-FLOP | POST-FLOP | PRE-TURN | POST-TURN | PRE-RIVER | RIVER |
| 64 | SB | 74 | 19.8K | 16 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 50 | BB | JQ | 27.8K | 21 | 29 | 16 | – | 8 | – | 0 |
| 81 | UTG | T6 | 27.5K | 16 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 76 | CO | 78 | 12.7K | 17 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 45 | D | AJ | 7.8K | 30 | 71 | 84 | – | 92 | – | 100 |
D raises the best hand to 900 and I call from BB. We both check the flop, then I check-call a 1.1K bet on the turn, and make a 2.5K bet on the river, which gets called. I lose the showdown. Just giving chips away!
| HAND 113 | 150/300/30 | |||||||||
| PLAYER | POSITION | CARDS | CHIPS | START | PRE-FLOP | POST-FLOP | PRE-TURN | POST-TURN | PRE-RIVER | RIVER |
| 64 | D | K3 | 19.6K | 9 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 50 | SB | 8T | 23.3K | 16 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 81 | BB | 2Q | 27.4K | 22 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 76 | UTG | JJ | 12.6K | 45 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 45 | CO | 3K | 12.5K | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
UTG raised his jacks to 2.7K and everyone folded.
| HAND 114 | 150/300/30 | 62J | J | |||||||
| PLAYER | POSITION | CARDS | CHIPS | START | PRE-FLOP | POST-FLOP | PRE-TURN | POST-TURN | PRE-RIVER | RIVER |
| 64 | CO | 64 | 19.6K | 20 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 50 | D | TK | 23.1K | 29 | 52 | 71 | – | 80 | – | – |
| 81 | SB | QT | 27.1K | 22 | 27 | 15 | – | 8 | – | – |
| 76 | BB | K4 | 13.2K | 12 | 22 | 14 | – | 12* | – | – |
| 45 | UTG | K7 | 12.5K | 16 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
UTG and CO fold, and I raise the best hand to 900, with calls from both of the blinds. I’m in pretty good shape going into the flop, but don’t follow through with a c-bet and open myself up to the bluff from BB when the scare card shows on the turn.
| HAND 115 | 200/400/40 | 8Q2 | 9 | |||||||
| PLAYER | POSITION | CARDS | CHIPS | START | PRE-FLOP | POST-FLOP | PRE-TURN | POST-TURN | PRE-RIVER | RIVER |
| 64 | UTG | A6 | 19.6K | 7 | 21 | 14 | – | 5* | – | – |
| 50 | CO | 7Q | 22.2K | 23 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 81 | D | 69 | 26.2K | 15 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 76 | SB | AK | 15.1K | 40 | 79 | 86 | – | 95 | – | – |
| 45 | BB | 83 | 12.4K | 16 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
UTG raises his ace to 1.2K, and SB just calls him. With only BB behind and a suited ace-king, he just calls the raise! After the flop, SB check-calls another 1.2K. When UTG 3-barrels the turn for 3.2K, SB—who’s already put a sixth of his stack into the pot—folds and shows his cards, presumably to show how good at folding he is, but really to show everyone just how bad he is at 3-betting ore-flop. We don’t know whether UTG has him beat after the flop until the history’s published, but nobody who saw him flash the cards should think he plays well at this point. UTG doesn’t show.
| HAND 116 | 200/400/40 | 958 | 5 | K | ||||||
| PLAYER | POSITION | CARDS | CHIPS | START | PRE-FLOP | POST-FLOP | PRE-TURN | POST-TURN | PRE-RIVER | RIVER |
| 64 | BB | 34 | 22.5K | 17 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 50 | UTG | QK | 22.1K | 23 | 29 | 18 | – | 8 | – | 100 |
| 81 | CO | 42 | 26.1K | 9 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 76 | D | QA | 12.7K | 35 | 71 | 82 | – | 92 | – | 0 |
| 45 | SB | 2T | 12K | 15 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Sort of a breakthrough hand for me. I open with a raise to 1.2K, and now player 76 decides to 3-bet, and goes all-in. It’ll cost me half of my chips if I lose, but I take the chance, only to find out I’m dominated. That all changes on the river, when I spike a king and we say goodbye to The Player Who Didn’t 3-Bet Suited Ace-King. Now, of course, people will think I don’t play well.
| HAND 117 | 200/400/40 | |||||||||
| PLAYER | POSITION | CARDS | CHIPS | START | PRE-FLOP | POST-FLOP | PRE-TURN | POST-TURN | PRE-RIVER | RIVER |
| 64 | SB | 52 | 22.1K | 18 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 50 | BB | Q9 | 35.5K | 34 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 81 | UTG | K6 | 26.1K | 29 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 45 | D | 73 | 11.8K | 19 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
I actually have the most all-in pre-flop equity in this hand, but I get a walk.
| HAND 118 | 200/400/40 | 642 | ||||||||
| PLAYER | POSITION | CARDS | CHIPS | START | PRE-FLOP | POST-FLOP | PRE-TURN | POST-TURN | PRE-RIVER | RIVER |
| 64 | D | 64 | 21.9K | 18 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 50 | SB | 9J | 35.9K | 46 | 68 | 14 | – | – | – | – |
| 81 | BB | 4J | 26.0K | 21 | 32 | 86 | – | – | – | – |
| 45 | UTG | J6 | 11.7K | 14 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Action folds to me, I raise to 1.2K, BB calls and hits middle pair on a low board. I check the flop, he makes a pot-sized bet, and I can let it go.
| HAND 119 | 200/400/40 | |||||||||
| PLAYER | POSITION | CARDS | CHIPS | START | PRE-FLOP | POST-FLOP | PRE-TURN | POST-TURN | PRE-RIVER | RIVER |
| 64 | UTG | 5Q | 21.8K | 23 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 105 | CO | K4 | 21.4K | 18 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 50 | D | 96 | 34.6K | 30 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 81 | SB | K3 | 27.4K | 17 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 45 | BB | 59 | 11.7K | 13 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Another new player moves to my right. Action folds to me, I raise (with the best hand) and take the pot.
| HAND 120 | 200/400/40 | Q2K | ||||||||
| PLAYER | POSITION | CARDS | CHIPS | START | PRE-FLOP | POST-FLOP | PRE-TURN | POST-TURN | PRE-RIVER | RIVER |
| 64 | BB | J4 | 21.8K | 11 | 34 | 29 | – | – | – | – |
| 105 | UTG | T6 | 21.4K | 26 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 50 | CO | 25 | 35.4K | 12 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 81 | D | 5K | 27.1K | 28 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 45 | SB | 8J | 11.2K | 23 | 66 | 71 | – | – | – | – |
SB limps in, bets 500 on the flop, and wins.
Summary
I’ve been up and down (and back up) in this batch of hands, knocking out two more players along the way. Player 45 has been at the table since it was constituted oin my first hand.
- 64 hands have been won by the cards with the best equity as dealt (although that has sometimes been something peculiar. A number of the hands where non-standard starting hands were ahead in dealt equity, more conventional starting hands were the winners.
- There have been 15 walks: one out of every eight hands.
- 32 hands have been won by a single pre-flop raise, just over a quarter of the hands dealt. Combined with the walks, that’s 37.5%.
- I’ve won 12 of 15 showdowns (80%) and another 20 hands without showdown, for a total of 35 wins in 120 hands. I’ve voluntarily put money into the pot in 38 hands, which seems like a pretty good ratio of wins to VPIP.
- VPIP/Pre-Flop Raise values for the players currently on the table: 45 (28%/13%), 50 (32%/25%), 64 (22%/14%), 81 (38%/8%), 105 (0%/0%). Player 105 has only been on the table for 2 hands; 81 for only 13 hands. More significant are the values for player 64 (51 hands) and player 45 and myself, who have been tracked for all 120 hands.
More hands tomorrow!