Sorry about yesterday post, i wasn’t feeling very well about being dealt a blow like that, i think maybe i should learn more restraint. Indeed before success comes an adversity. Yesterday, you can’t imagine how pissed off i was losing the sixth time in a row. I feel like i deserve much better for the way i am playing.
Today, out of instinct or out of recklessness, i decided to play another $3.40 SNG, with only $15 in my bankroll. I thought it was unwise, but i just had to give it a try. A set in early game, and a two pair in mid game set me up as one of the two chip leaders. I have a comfortable position to go into Top 3. I finally went into heads-up with this player, whom i already think he plays well, tight and only playing and raising with premium hands.
When two tight players go into Heads-up, you can expect a very long match. And indeed it was ASS long!! I don’t know, we played so many hands it seems like half an hour. Many thought running through my mind during the Heads-up, but mostly i was trying to focus on how he bets, and it really wasn’t too hard – he is tight and only bets when he has something.
I made one big mistake, which could have cost me the game. The blinds just went up to 300/600. And i was at 5000 he was at 8500 something like that. I flopped low pair, he lead out and bet 600. I kept calling all the way to the river. And he revealed mid pair. I called 1800 down just like that, should have just folded knowing he is that tight that he has to at least have mid pair to bet. Also, the blinds were just up to 600, and calling down 3 times = 1800. Compared to when the blinds were at 400 x 3= 1200. It is becoming more painful to call.
I was set down to 3000+ against his 10000 chips now. And i though i was doomed. Just 5x Big Blind. It is either All-in / Fold now. I ran bad the next 2 rounds and was down to 1700, just 3x BB. Then i caught some cards and went back to 3000. Then down again to 1800. Then he started putting me all-in. And i got to admit i was lucky here. He all-ined with Q3 and i had K4, not that bad. The table came nothing for both, and i won it. Then he went all-in again for 2700. I had Q7. I got a bad feeling that this was going to be a bad call. I just felt the strength of his hand this time, he could put me all-in 1700 with nothing, but not at 2700. I called anyway, he showed 66. I had Q7. The 7 was a relief, it is still an overcard to the 6, so i have a coin flip here. The flop came a 7, and i held up. I doubled up to 5000+ which was really encouraging. And then the final hand came, he waited a long while and then went all-in for 5400, and was I praying for that actually because i held KK!! I wasn’t too pleased to see his Ace though to be honest. Flop came three jacks and blanks and i took the win!
I said “what a long game gg” he replied “very gg”. Indeed.. I think we exchanged the lead so many times. I was leading, then he won a little, then i came back a small lead, then he totally owned me with set and i was down to shortstack. Build it up again to 5000, and then the above happened, then shortstacked again, just struggling with 3x BB, then doubled up twice, and then calling the all-in with Kings. Phew! I couldn’t be more happy with this result. So i lost 6 games in a row, then the last one i caught 1st position! and i believe i earned this one.. i played to my strengths i think which is Patience, Folding and Trapping. Patience is very important, to not go on tilt even when shortstacked, to not be reckless with big stack. Folding is basically folding the cards you think are not the best even though it seems marginal, fold it because calling when the blinds are big costs you a lot! Trapping is basically if you have a Big Hand in the small blind like AK or KK, just call instead of raising to induce your opponent to raise or bet all-in. This can also be done with sets and two pairs on the flop, but with caution of course. It is a very good strategy to use against semi-loose players who tend to raise pre-flop a lot. But it is not very useful against tight players as they would just normally check the big blind and fold to any bet on the flop.
Won $13.50!! Not bad.. Now I’m back to $25, certainly more encouraging than being in the Tens. Will think about the game more, and hopefully be more focused when reading my Sitngo book. Really feel like buying Theory of Poker by Sklansky, but i already have it in pdf form. I think a book whether it’s real or in the computer it doesn’t make much of a difference, if you have the will to read, you will read it even if it is only on pdf. I mean i use to think i can’t read a pdf on the computer because it’s too troublesome bla bla bla, but now that I finally bought a real book, i find that I don’t even feel like reading it! So if you want to read you will read it no matter what. Discipline>Feeling.
