Playing the best poker of my life ... TS Trip

So i'm in Turning Stone with some friends, as many of you know, and i'm playing the best poker of my life. I'm playing amazing, really in control, I played 2 tournaments and got my chips in behind once or twice in both those tournaments. Both times, the guys were really short stacked and i was getting like 4 to 1 on my money so i wasn't folding anything.

So the first tournament i played was the 325$ + 40$. Right off the bat, i was picking up alot of hands. The bad part was that i was always picking them up in the BB and really early in the tournament with big raises that would make me have to commit around 20% of my stack with JJ in the BB. So i called and lost of bunch of chips that way. After being down to 3000 chips(5000 starting chips) i doubled up with Q high when i flopped a gut shot straight draw with a flush draw and an over card when a guy pushed me in with 7 high with a gut shot. Doubled up and that was one of the only 3 times all tournament that i was all in.

One of the big hands that happen, after picking up a couple hands and getting my stack to around 9K. The cut off raises to 400 in the 75 - 150 blinds. I had Jacks in the SB and i just flatted(BB guy had limped earlier for 150 and folded to a raise to 400) so i was pretty sure he was folding most hands. I just wanted to play this guy post flop. The guy that raised had about 8K in chips and i didn't want to get it all in pre if he had AK and have to win a race. So the flop was K J 7 with 2 diamonds. I checked, he bet 400 again, i made it 1200$ and he called. Turn was K. I decided to bet 1500 to really find out if he had a K. River was a 4. I decided that the best way to make this look like a bluff was to shove, plus i really thought he had a K. So i shoved for my last 6K. He went in the tank and flashed a K. When he did that, i put my head down and tried as hard as i could to look really nervous. He ended up calling and i took down a very nice pot.

I stole some blinds and kept myself in good chip position. I took down this pot that i really liked. So a really weak tight player limps in Cut off +2 for 300(blinds are 150- 300 with 50 ante) next guy calls, button calls, SB calls. I pretty much know that whatever i got, i'm raising this pot, so i look down and find 9s 2s. I raise the pot to 1800 total. I get a call from Cut off + 1, before he called he asked how much i had, so instantly i assume he has a PP(and by the way he played it) Then a really nice flop comes out, its Qd Qh Jd. The pot is around 5K, i came out with a 2200 bet. I know that he can't really do anything in this spot without the Q. He folds and i take down a nice sized pot.

I got moved to a new table, now i got about 21K in chips.

Same blind level, UTG makes it 900, UTG + 1 calls, i pick up 9's in the cut off and call, button calls and SB and BB all call. Flop is Kh 9h 4s. Its checked around to UTG +1, he bets 1K, I knew that if i threw in 1500, i would be obligated to raise, so i put 1500 in and acted as if it were an accident. So i acted all pist and put another 500 in. It was folded around back the initial better and he has me covered and shoves all in, i snap call. He has AA, Bricks turn and river and i got about 47K in chips.

From there on, i just chiped up, stealing blinds.

I picked up 10 7 in the Cut off +1 and i raise. A really aggresive player has been calling alot of my raises on the button, a really solid player. Blinds are at 600 - 1200 and i make it 3350 to go. Button calls, blinds fold. Flop is 8s 9s 5d. I come out betting 5175, and he raises me to 16K total. Now theres around 20K in the pot, plus his 10K raise, so i'm getting 3 to 1, and i got 46K left if i mise and i can just get away from it, but this player has a big stack and i think i can get alot chips if i hit the straight. If he's bluffing, if i hit my straight, i make max, if he has a really big hand, i can make max also. I call, Turn is 5, i check, he checks. River Js. Now this is really a scare card, Theres 40K in the pot, and he could have made that move with spades on that flop, i'm still a little nervous about that, i guess maybe me not betting this makes it a really borderline call, but i decided that i was ready to call a bet on the river after the J. He checked behind and showed 8 9 for 2 pairs. I take down a nice pot.

Maybe one or 2 rotations later, i pick up 66 in the cut off and i raise to 3350, and the same player calls in the SB. Flop comes out 6d 8c 9c. He checks, and again i come out betting 5175. The funny part of this hand, he commented before the hand about me having 10 7. And i said i had it again. He the raises to 17K and i auto shove and he folds. I talk to the player later and said he had A 8.

The next time i played a hand, it was against the eventual winner, GOBOBOY, he raised to 4000 from the cut off, and i re raised from the button with Ac 8d. I know that this player is super aggresive and raises with a wide range of hands from the cut off, plus i can make him fold a couple stronger aces. So i made it 12K to go and he calls. Flop is Jc 6c 3c. So now i flopped the nut flush draw. He checks, with about 28-29K in the pot, i made it 16K and he called. So now i think he has a pretty big hand, i know he's not calling me with air out of position. The turn comes out the 7d. The pot was 60K, he checked, and i had 59K left, i was going to shove it in, but i thought he had a made hand and that he would call so i checked. The river was the 2s and he came out betting 25K, and i folded since i only had A high.

The very next hand, i was counting my chips and stacking them up and i didn't hear that the blinds went up to 1K - 2K. I pick up 99 in the cut off and make the standard raise for the other level, make it 4K. I realized and was pist. The rest of the table asked and said, 'min raise' , i said yes. The SB raises to 15K total. So i started to count my chips, with my 15K and his 15K, + 900 in ante's and 2K in BB, makes the pot just under 33K. I was shoving in 44K more, so i wouldn'T be giving him 2 to 1 odds and he might fold something like AJ, A 10, KQ, KJ. So i decided to shove, the thought for abit and called with AQ. Flop is J 3 5, turn, J, River Q. AH. If i win that pot, i'm in the top 5 in chips with just over 120K in chips, (thats where i was like 2 rotations ago, i was at like 105K) I busted in 26th, overall, still really happy with how i played and this gives me alot of confidence in my live tournament game.


The next day, i played the short handed tournament for 300 + 45. The day started off pretty similar to last time, i got pushed out of pots and lost about 2K early, but grinded back. Then i made a Yves-Call as Gakn29 calls it.

I have to say that i was giving away my BB pretty easy, hadn't re raised or called anyone that raised my BB to this point. Button raises 3x and i call with A5o. Flop is Ad Kh 4c. I check, he bets 500 into 650 pot, i call. At this point, i'm like 95% i have the best hand. Turn is Qc. I check, and he checks behind. Now i'm like 99% i'm best. River Jd. Ugly river, i check, and he comes out betting 1300 into 1450 pot. I go in the tank, and try to think of hands he might have played like that. I personnaly think that if he had anypair on the turn he would have bet it. For some reason, he doesn't look very confident, and i decide to call, he says "good call" and shows 2c 5c.

After that, i made a really nice call, and the more i think about this hand, the more i like the call. Blinds are 75 - 150 with 25 ante. We are still 6 handed and i'm in cut off. UTG call, UTG+1 call, i call with 4h 4c, button folds. SB makes it 700 to go, BB folds, UTG call, UTG +1 folds, and i call. So the pot is 2550. Flop comes 3c 3d Kc. They both check, and at this point, i assume a pair is good, so i bet out 1400. The pre flop raiser is about to fold, but then starts counting his chips and how much he would be raising me, and decides to shove all in. The other player folds and its up to me, its 3600 to call. If i call, i have 2800 left, which isn't in horrible shape, but if i fold, i have 5400, and thats still in good shape to make a move later. But now the pot is 5350 + 3600 making this a chance for me to go up around 14K in chips, which would be in really good shape. I went in the tank and came up to this conclusion. If he has 8's and under preflop, he's probably not going to raise that out of position, he's going to try to hit a set and maybe if he doesn'T hit it, he will come out betting to try to take it down right there. If he has 9's and up, he will come out betting on the flop. Any hand with a K will be betting that flop, so a pair of Kings is out of the question. If he has KK and shoves there, thats just stupid. He seemed like a very solid player(internet player) and he wouldn't make a move like that unless he was like 95% sure i had a 3. I concluded that the only hand that made sense was probably A Q of clubs for the flush draw. Now at this point, its a coin flip from there against that hand, and i'm getting the odds to take that flip. So I decided to gamble, putting him on AQ clubs. Right before i called, i said, "this could look stupid, but i really don'T think you have any of that and i think i'm ahead". I called, and he said "you have K Q" I laughed and said, "no, if i had KQ i would have called faster then that. I just got a pair." He flipped over Ac Qs. Turn was 7c to scare me but river was 2s.

I got into this pot, where i thought i made the right move and me and fishbones discussed this one. A really tight player, raises from the cut off to 750 when the blinds are 100 - 200. I make it 2100 on the button with AA. I have been pushing around this player with raises and re raises. He thinks for a while, he has me covered and he decides to call after thinking. Now the pot is around 4700, and i got about 9K behind. The flop is 7d 2c 3s. The way he called, i thought he was trying to sorta trap me with like KK or QQ or maybe even JJ since my image is pretty crazy. He checks to me, and i shove my 9K in. I overbet the pot so that he would think i have AK and really don't want him to call with his 99 or 10 10 even. He folds. We discussed this hand and concluded that he didn'T have a PP. I talked to this player after the tournament, and he told me that if he would of had 10's and up, he would have played it like that, and he would have called my all in. So i guess, it was a misread on his real hand, but if my read is correct there, i would have made the right play. Also, on the other hand, if i would bet that flop, i would most likely bet around 3000 and he would have to fold, he later said he had something like AQ or KQ.

I busted in about 120th in this tournament, this was my second coinflip in 2 tournaments that went all in preflop, and i got 0 for 2. If i win that pot, i'm around 23K in chips with the average being 14K. I commited myself preflop with AK on the button, and got pushed in by JJ.



Cash games

I then went to play cash games, the first hand i played was raised to 20 by a really loose player and a couple people call, i have Ad Ks on the button and make it 80 to go, i get 2 callers. Flop is Kh 3h 7h. Its checked to me and i shove for 260 and everyone folds.

Couple hands later, i raise with 7d 8d, get a couple callers and a really loose player from the BB re raises to 80(he could be raising with any 2 cards.) I call and 1 other caller. Flop comes 7h 5h 4d. He bets 175, i shove for 450 and he calls with As Ac. Turn is 9h, river is 8h.


This hand is pretty interesting. A bunch of people limp, and i limp on the button with 6s 2s, SB makes it 40 to go, 1 person calls and i call on the button.(this player had been raising light in this position when a bunch of people limped). Flop comes Ah 10h 6c. Both players check, and i bet 80$ into a pot of about 140$. The preflop raiser makes it 240$ to go. Its folded to me, he has 270$ behind, i don't think his hand is very strong and if i shoved here, he would have to put me on an ace. So i put him all in, and he snap called. Turn was 8, river J. He showed 88. I had the right idea, i was just wrong thinking that this player would fold an under pair.

I raise in middle position with 88 and i get re raised from a pretty tight player on the button to 65$. I'm the only caller. Flop comes Q 7 4. I check, he checks. Turn comes Q. At this point i think he has AK, so i bet out 70$, i think 70 is good enough to make AK fold. But the player calls. Now i'm pretty sure the player has JJ or 10 10. Now i gave up on the pot. But the River is a bonus, its an 8. Now i want to bet something JJ can call. The pot is about 280$, so i decide 200$ is a good bet that makes it look like a bluff. And he calls with Jacks.


This is the biggest hand of the week for me. UTG raises to 10$ blind, late position raiser makes it 50$ to go. I'm getting ready to raise it on the button with Kd Ks when i see the guy in SB raising it to 150. I know he has a pretty big hand. So i just flat call the 50$ and the SB is all confused and the way he acts, i'm pretty sure he has Q's. The BB is a complete donk, and shoves with low to middle pairs. He has 2500$ and i have 1000 and so does the SB. The BB goes all in, the initial raiser folds and i call, the SB calls also and shows QQ. The other player still has his hand face down. The flop is 4h 6d 7d, turn 8d. At this point, the donk is all excited and looks like he's really happy, so i'm a little worried. The River is a Kc and the guy screens, "fuck" out loud and since i know i beat Q's i won the pot. The pot is just over 3000$. That donk was the main reason we were all still playing this game. So for about 45 secondes he walks around and like gets back into his seat and turns over his hand saying he had a set of 6's. But then he shows his hand, and he has 5 5. The 5's are good for a straight, and he screams out ... Straight !!! Everyone at the table just got quiet. The look on peoples faces was priceless. So basically, i got slow rolled for a 3K pot in a 500 max game.


The next night, i played online tournaments all night and ended up winning a shorthanded tournament on Full tilt for over 3700$. Made me finish my week at 800 profit. Not great, but still good after the slowroll.

Going to probably be playing Niagara next weekend and going to Vegas soon. Looking forward to posting more hands.

Until next time ...