Playing some cards...

Howdy. Gonna write about some poker. Feel free to skip this if you don't want to read about it.

Today I decided that 1) I needed something to do in the evening and 2) I needed to do something where I'd actually be interacting with people. Jakki left for Greece tonight. She should be there by now, I think. For some folks out there, doing something social (but by oneself or in a very small group) might mean going to a bar or a club. If you're reading this, you know that that's just not my scene. Me in a club or at a bar is like seeing ducks in the middle of a big city - you know that they're out of place because there's nothing for 'em there. I play poker. It's an intellectual pursuit for me. A complex chess game with several complete strangers at once (but with incomplete information). It's also a venue where I can interact with people. If you ever to read any of the more scholarly poker or gaming literature, you will find much spilled ink on the topic of the reasons why people play games or gamble - they need the competition, or the social interaction, or they're just looking to have fun, or they enjoy the thrill of wagering, or they need to feel as if, for a moment, that the gods are smiling on them, etc. etc.. Some people even "need" to lose. It's important, as a player, to try to determine what others' needs are and to respect those needs. If you help a person fulfill that need, it won't seem quite as bad to them (perhaps on a subconscious level) to lose to you.

Anyway. The Holland Casino Amsterdam is a very short trip from where I'm staying - a 15 minute walk, or a 5 minute ride on the tram, if your timing is good. I set out to play in the weekly Limit Hold'em tournament they have every Thursday. The casino's nice - well decorated, and kinda small feeling (although I get the inkling that the amount of floor space devoted to gaming is probably comparable to most Atlantic City casinos.). I paid the entrance fee (3.5 euro) and made my way to the second floor. Although it might seem annoying to have to pay a daily fee, I kind of liked the idea... it does manage to keep out most of the riffraff that you sometimes see loitering around in the Taj, say. After walking around a bit, I finally found the poker area (only 7 tables - compared to the 70 or so that I'm used to at the Taj) and registered for the tournament. 50 euros, plus 10 more for the house. One rebuy allowed, meaning that if you fall below your starting stack of 500 in tournament chips, you can pay another 50 euros for another 500 in tournament chips. This also helps to build the prize pool. After waiting a bit, the tournament started seating (about 15 min. late). There were about 65 players. Blinds started at 10/10. So you start out with 25 big bets... not very big starting stacks, but there is the rebuy to fall back on. 30 minute levels for the first two levels, during which you can make your rebuy if you'd like. After that, the levels are 20 min each.

Allow me to retort to any potential naysayers. Yes, there are better things to be doing with my money than playing poker while I'm abroad. However. 1) It's 60 euros. In no way will that ever dip into the funding I've received for the summer. This is out of my own pocket. 2) [to classmates also receiving funding to go abroad this summer] How many (alcoholic) drinks have you gotten since you've been in Europe? How much does that add up to?
Ok. now that we're all on the same page.

In the States, only English is permitted at the tables. Here, it's supposted to be Dutch or English, but I'm sure that they'd let other languages slide. I found that, although there was tons of table talk going on, almost entirely in Dutch, I was able to get past the words much more easily than in English converstaions. That is, I could focus on intonation and non-verbal communication much more easily than at home. Maybe too much.

First hand, I'm in middle position with KJ offsuit. Not a great starting hand, especially in this position. Especially when the action went raise, reraise, cap in front of me. I muck, and the old American man two to my left takes down a huge pot to start things off when he hits runner-runner to make a flush. This is how it was going to be, eh?

A few hands later, I'm in the BB with KQ of spades [KQs... suits: Clubs = c, Diamonds = d, Hearts = h, Spades = s]. Four limpers, and a raise by a very loose, somewhat passive player. Everyone calls around to me, and I decide to 3-bet. It's probably a close situation and most people would probably opt to just call the raise here, but I felt that my equity in the pot was probably 2nd best given the players and the action. Even though I'm almost certain that someone has a better starting hand than I do, in the long run it's probably a situation where raising will net me more than just calling. It's close though. Everyone just calls, including the original raiser. 30 small bets. Huge pot already.

The flop comes Kd Js Ts... a very nice flop for me, but potentially dangerous since it's quite possible that someone has two pair or a straight. Also possible, but relatively unlikey, are a better K (i.e. AK) or a better flush draw. It's checked to me and I decide to bet in order to not only protect my pair, but also to find out if anybody out there is ahead of me. It's called around to the aggro who raises, and everyone folds to the small blind, who calls. Great. Now he's last to act out of all of us. I 3-bet (which might be a mistake here, although I doubt it...) to try to isolate the raiser. Amazingly, everyone still in the hand just calls, including the raiser. 51 small bets. Even huger pot. I like my hand at this point, though. It'd be stupid for anyone to not cap with a made straight here (to protect against flush draws, plus it's clear that if you're ahead, you're going to get at least a couple of callers) or maybe even two pair. I'm probably dealing with another KQ or AJ from the raiser, or maybe QJ. AJ is most likely given the action, and if that's the case, he's not on a flush draw.

The turn is the 2h - a great card for me, if my reads are on target. SB checks, I bet, get one caller, and the aggro thinks a bit before just calling. No way he has a made straight or two pair. just no way. AJ is probably right on target. SB calls. 29.5 big bets. The river brings the 9d, completing my straight. SB checks, I bet, inbetween calls, aggro calls, SB.... raises?! What is going on here. Must have a Q. OK, I call too. No point in raising, really - I'm either splitting this pot or losing to a higher straight. If that's the case, I was wrong all along and deserve to lose. Suddenly, inbetween 3-bets. wtf. aggro thinks for a solid two minutes (not necessary in the early stages of a limit tournament) before the SB asks for the clock. Angry, aggro calls. SB caps it at 4 bets. Something does not smell good here - calling the clock and then raising immediately just screams impatience and a made hand, possibly the nuts. I really want to fold here. But can I really fold for 2 big bets when there are 41.5 big bets in there?? If everyone else calls, I would have to be like 95% certain that I'm beat. I take a look around. Aggro is fuming, quietly. He's going to call, but knows he's beat. Inbetween is going to call too, chip in hand. Doesn't look to thrilled either. Does it make sense for SB to play AQ the way he did? I decide that it's close. He could have played it that way, but I doubt it. I'm pretty sure we're chopping this monster of a pot. I call, as do the inbetween and the aggro. 45.5 big bets.

Aggo, steaming, flips over... AJd. I was right on the money there. Inbetween shows K9 offsuit for a rivered 2pair. The SB shows 78h for the low straight. Some of the play there is inexcusable, but I don't mind as I rake in the T910 pot. Who needs a rebuy?

From there, things slowed down quite a bit. I made some good reads and was able to steal a few pots and win a few small pots, building my way up to over 2300 by the break. 7 people on my table took their rebuys - I had about 30% of the chips on the table. Things were going well. I had great reads on a few opponents - I knew who the patsies were, and I knew whom to avoid. I had a near-perfect read on the old man. Pretty much spot on. If only I could get involved in a hand with him! Too bad he was the first at the table to bust out.

After the break, I went card dead. Absolutely nothing, and no good spots to try to steal. The blinds had risen to 40-80, and I was hovering at 2100. Then 3 sick hands came up (I'll go about them in less detail than the above one, don't worry) in a short time span:

Aggro man, fresh off winning a big pot, raises under the gun. It's folded around to the cutoff on my right, who reraises to 240. I look down on the button and find QhQs. Queens are a good starting hand. They also look really good after being dealt shitty cards for 30 minutes. I cap it. BB, weak player (coincidentally a drunk middle-aged woman) cold calls, aggro calls, CO calls. Flop 982 rainbow. BB bets, aggro folds, CO calls, I raise, BB calls, CO calls. Turn: 4, bringing a badugi (4 different suits) on board. Checks to me, I bet, BB folds, CO raises. I think for a bit and call. River: 3. I check, CO bets. I decide to play it safe and just call, fearing a weird raggedy 2 pair, or maybe a set on the flop. CO shows 33 for a rivered set. [Reraise the turn?]

As I was saying, I had some great reads. I was feeling really confident about that part of my game after picking off a bluff into a small pot when this hand happened: I'm in the hijack (2 before the button) with Ad4c. One limper, it's folded to me, and I raise, trying to isolate and maybe steal, if not now, then later. The weak woman calls from the button, both blinds fold, and the limper also calls. We see a flop: Jd Td Qh. Scary board. Limper checks, I check, woman thinks and bets. Immediately, she starts showing pretty classic signs of weakness/bluffing. Limper folds. Her blinking rate has increased and she's covering her mouth. I decide to raise and see what she does. She calls. Turn brings the 4d. She did not like that card at all. I bet and she raises. Odd. Must have a pair? She's continuing to show weakness, and it feels like she has tens or jacks, maybe? Maybe with a 9 or a King? If I'm right, then I have lots of outs. I reraise, hoping to take it here. She thinks and just calls. River: Ac. Made 2 pair. Does she have a K? I check. She thinks and bets. I'm so confused. but I call. She shows KQx for the nut straight. Top pair on the flop. Although I read her like she was semi-bluffing a draw and a low pair, she was really just nervous that I might have a flush, I think. Here, I relied too heavily on my read and not enough on how she played the hand. In retrospect, it seems really clear that she had a decent holding from the get-go, and hit the flop well. I focused too much on what I thought was a pretty clear tell, and I was off. It cost me.

Next hand:
I raise in middle position with the 9s9d, looking to steal, but ok with getting a caller or two. It's folded to the aggro on the button, who pops it. Folds to me, and we're heads up. I call. Flop: KhQhJh. I bet, thinking that he'd tell me if he was ahead or drawing, or he'd fold any J or maybe Q, especially if he didn't have any hearts in his hand. Maybe I pick up the pot right there. He calls. Interesting. Turn: 6s. He didn't seem to particularly like that, staring at the board after the turn came out. I check, he thinks and checks. River: 3h. He didn't want to see a heart. That's clear. The player two to my right makes a "tsk" sound - he probably held the Ah. I bet. He hesitates and then raises. Without missing a beat, I reraise. He stops and thinks for a minute or two. And calls. I show my lowly nines, and he turns over.... AdJs? Wow. How can he make all those calls there with no heart, bottom pair on the flop, three cards to a straight? Maybe he had a really good read on me, I have no idea.

By then, I'm down to practically nothing and move in with Ax and get picked off by someone with 55. Game over.
In all, I think I played well. I made a few mistakes towards the end and couldn't overcome being essentially card dead for close to an hour. Chalk it up to some bad beats, some mistakes, and some goofy play by my oppenents.

After I busted, I ended up sitting down in a juicy limit hold'em cash game. Played slightly higher than I'm used to, but I played tight and found some great spots to steal. In between stealing, I showed down a lot of premium hands, helping out the steal attempts. Played for about 1.5 hours and made back my tournament buy-in, and then some. Not a bad night. I might try the tourney again. I think if I shake some of the rust off and make a few adjustments then it's a winnable tournament.

BTW, first place was about 2000 euros. Something to think about.
Good night y'all. I promise a more regular work/travel entry over the weekend.
Love, matt.