Doing the Minimum

Bovada $7,500 NLHE 10K Chips, 10-Minute Levels

A longish streak of non-cashes in live games drove me back into Bovada’s arms for the night, which resulted in a cash (at last!) but one that was a bit unsatisfying.

Hand 12 [ah th] UTG3 T9,910 20/40
UTG1 limped in and I raised to 240. He called with [6c 5s], we both checked through to the river as the board ran out [8d 8c 2h 4s as] and I bet 250 on the ace to take the pot.

Hand 15 [9h 9d] UTG T10,170 30/60
I raised to 180 and everyone folded.

Hand 40 [jc as] UTG2 T9,900 75/150
I waited quite a bit for a hand like this to show up. Raised to 450, got a call from UTG3 ([ad 7d]) and SB ([ah 3h]), bet 500 on a [qc 2h 2s] flop getting a fold from UTG3, then 1,200 on the [ts] turn and took the pot with the best ace.

Hand 44 [tc 9c] SB T11,300 75/150
I limped into the pot with UTG ([8s dh]), CO ([td ad]), and BB ([4s td]). The [as kh 3d] did nothing for me and with just a gutshot straight draw after the [js] flop, I laid it down to a bet from CO.

Hand 45 [9d td] BTN T11,150 75/150
I raised over a limp by HJ (holding [3d ac]), and he and the BB ([7s qs]) were in with me. I folded after a bet on the turn with the board reading [as 4s kh 6h]. Nothing for me there.

Hand 47 [6s 6d] HJ T10,800  100/200
Limped in along with the SB. He and the BB checked all the way to the river on a [as 8c 7s qh 4h] board and my fifth pair was good against [jd ts] and [3d 9h].

Hand 51 [js ks] UTG T11,200 100/200
I opened to 600 and got a single call from CO. We both checked the [5s 5c 3c] flop and by the [2d] river he figured his [qh as] was good and bet me off.

Hand 70 [ad 5d] SB T9,215 150/300/30
No action from me for more than a level. Action folded to me, I raised to 900, and BB folded his [6s 3d]. Woo hoo!

Hand 80 [kd 9d] BTN T8,785 200/400/40
I open to 1,200 and get folds from the blinds.

Hand 89 [jd jc] CO T8,515 250/500/50
Many sphincters close shut on this hand. UTG opens for 500 with [kc qc] (with 10.2K behind), getting a call from UTG1’s [ac kd] (15.8K left). I shove for 9BB with my jacks, BTN goes all in with [td ks] and just 4.3K, SB (with 20.2K left) folds [tc as], BB folds [qd ts], UTG dumps his clubs, and UTG1 makes the call. The runout is all low: [7d 4c 2d 3s 3d] and I take both pots to bump up to 22.8K.

Hand 92 [kc ks] UTG1 T22,712 250/500/50
I make a horrible fold here after raising an UTG limp to 1,500. SB calls with [8h 9h], and UTG completes holding [jh ts]. The flop is the usual for pocket kings, [8c js as] and SB goes all in for 5.7K with his bottom pair. UTG calls with middle pair and 50K behind and, thinking I’m saving myself chips I just won, I fold. [7s] on the turn, [5d] on the river. Putz.

Hand 95 [6d ad] BB T21,042 300/600/60
UTG raised to 1,800 with [tc ah] and I was the only caller, out-flopping him with [kc js 6s]. I followed along on his c-bet of 2,160 and the last two cards were [5c 7c], with no betting by either of us, so my kicker took the pot.

Hand 113 [9d kd] CO T23,432 500/1,000/100
Another level had passed without anything happening to me. There were a couple of stacks about three times my size one seat to my right and two seats to my left, but we were six-handed for the moment and I was in a slim third place at the table. I open to 3,000 and get called by BTN with [as 6s]. The blinds fold. The flop’s pretty good: [8h jd kh], I bet 4,000 and win

Hand 126 [qs kh] UTG T25,562 800/1,600/160
I open to 4,500 getting called by BB with [ac tc]. He check-raises me all in after I c-bet the [kd 3h ad] flop for 5,000 and I fold.

Hand 127 [9c ad] BB T15,742 800/1,600/160
Everyone folds to SB, who raises me to 4,800 with 30K behind. I shove, presuming a standard bullying move from the SB big stack. He calls with [qh qs], but my ace catches on the flop’s [ks 7s ah] and the turn and river are [7d 9c].

Hand 133 [ks ah] UTG2 T31,084 1,000/2,000/200
UTG1 shoves almost 25K and I reraise all in. Action folds to BTN who goes all in for 22,3K with [qd qs]. The board runs out [2s 7d 4c 2c jc] and the main pot of 73K goes to BTN, with UTG1 getting the side pot of 4.3K.

Hand 134 [tc ts] UTG1 T5,986  1,000/2,000/200
Sooooo, after busting down to less than 3BB, what do you do? UTG, the winner of the small side pot in the previous hand, shoves for 2BB, I reshove my tens, BTN, with 40K behind, calls, and the blinds fold. Nothing over a 6 on the board by the river and I triple up and then some.

Hand 140 [9d jh] BB T19,714 1,250/2,500/250
Hardly out of danger territory at this point. So I’m glad nobody has much of a hand. Aside from the [ac 3c] for UTG1, I actually have more all-in pre-flop equity than anyone else. I get a walk.

Hand 141 [qh kd] SB T22,964 1,250/2,500/250
I fold this otherwise playable hand to a raise from HJ and 20BB shove from CO. BB call ed, with less than 4BB total, and it was a 3-way battle with 2 players  all in after HJ put in his 16BB. BB’s [td jd] tripped on the turn to triple him up. I could have gained a few chips from a side pot if I’d called with a king on the river, but I was okay with it. The bulk of the pot went to HJ’s [8h 8d] and the first shover ([ac 5c]) was down to 8.9K.

Hand 144 [qd kd] HJ T20,964 1,250/2,500/250
They come back around if you wait three hands. I opened to 7,500 and everyone folded.

Hand 157 [9d td] UTG T18,614 1,500/3,000/300
Down to 6BB. It’s shoving time. Nobody calls.

Hand 168 [as tc] SB T13,164 2,000/4,000/400
Seven-handed. There are three stacks on my right (UTG2, HJ, and CO) with 175K, 135K, and 166K, respectively, and I’m the short stack by far at this point. HJ opens for 8.6K, I shove my last chips in, BB gets out, and HJ calls with [5s ah]. I pair the ten on the flop, he gets a five on the river, and I do better than double.

Hand 175 [as 8s] UTG1 T29,728 2,500/5,000/500
Eight-handed after a table change. Two stacks my size, One with 140K in BB, and an array between 40K and 90K. UTG opens for 5K, UTG3 goes all in for 25K, HJ calls for less than a third his stack, action folds around to me and I pitch it to watch UTG3’s [9h 9d] beat [7d 7h].

Hand 176 [th ah] UTG T24,228 2,500/5,000/500
Seven-handed after the loser of the HU is moved away. I go all in. UTG1 tosses the Mutant Jack, even with 40K behind!

Hand 181 [qs qc] HJ T25,628 3,000/6,000/600
UTG folds a Mutant Jack, I open-shove my queens and nobody has anything to call with.

Hand 194 [5s as] BB T22,628 3,000/6,000/600
SB limps in after everyone else folds and I jam for about a third of his stack. He gives it up.

Hand 197 [jh ks] BTN T28,528 3,500/7,000/700
“Not enuf chip syndrome” is what you call this. I shove after action folds to me, BB has 360K and [5c 9c]. He hits the nine on the flop and just like that, four hours of careful work are undone and I get a min-cash.

VPIP: 13%. Pre-Flop Raise: 11%. Pre-Flop 3-Bet: 6.5%. Went to Showdown: 42% Won at Showdown: 75%. Won When Saw Flop: 47%.

197 hands. Four hours. ROI: 104%.