beyond a joke now

[luckystraights]

you know whats coming, I'm busted in yet another sit-n-go, my pocket kings are beat by AQ making a wheel on the river.

Thats 5 crucial pots IN A ROW I have lost, 4 costing me my tournament. I may not have plaid such hands perfectly, but I have not played a single game badly, this is quickly becomming beyond a joke.

If my next game ends in a similar fashion I think I'll explode!

On the one hand, I'm pleased with how I've been playing, but I'm getting verry pissed off,  being rivered out of 4 out of 5 crucial pots in consecutive games is not doing anything for my saity.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1787722

 NOTE : The only reason my opponent likely pushed all-in was because the player to is immediate left as repeatedly and frequently gone all-in against his pre-flop raises and it looked very much like he was steeling the pot, he also pushed on the flop often, he may have thought I was doing the same with my re-raise and decided to take a stand, despite the fact that this was only the second hand I had bet with in the entire game!

[austin5string]

Hey Lucky.. Please don't take offense to this..

I've really enjoyed reading your hands, analysis, thoughts, etc.

But your posts are beginning to tread dangerously close to just being your typical bad beat stories.

Try to get 'em back to just analysis and so forth of your play. 

Plus, the more you steam over getting rivered, the worse you're going to play.  (I say that from experience.. LOL)

Just my two cents..
~A5S

[Midnight Rose]

Assuming Lucky is going to follow A5S' advice and redirect the topic to being one for analysis instead of a general vent about beats, I moved this thread to this forum.

On the other hand, if a thread is fairly easily identified as being a bad beat story/griping session, I think anyone can decide whether or not to read it.  Despite the general consensus by many that BBSes are a PITA to read/hear, some people might choose to commiserate with the person being hit by so many beats.

Anyway, I'm about to post a suggestion over yonder that Nutn start a forum for Bad Beat Stories, that can be easily avoided by those not wanting to be subjected to them.

[Dr. Neau]

Well, this can't be a bad beat story because holding a 71% to 29% edge doesn't qualify as a bad beat in my book.

From my calculations, you'll lose that hand 29 out of 100 times.

[Buzzerbeater]

You've gotta be able to handle these kinds of losses and worse if you want to play tournies.  I know you're probably just venting, but what you should be doing when this happens is try to accept it as part of the game more and more each time it happens.

[Dr. Neau]

So, the ideal tournament...

If you can avoid EVER being all-in without the nuts, then you win the prize.

Anything less than that, and from time to time you won't win the tournament.

In your tournaments, try counting the number of times you are all-in (and by all-in, I mean you can be busted out) that you don't have the nuts.

[luckystraights]

In your tournaments, try counting the number of times you are all-in (and by all-in, I mean you can be busted out) that you don't have the nuts.

I hardly ever go all-in, but many times you have no choice. I was forced to go all-in twice here, once when I was so short stacked I had no choice, and doubled up through a lunatic calling with 84s and then is very hand, what do you suggest I do fold pocket kings here, not likely.

I can take more loses, thankfully I can loose my next 15 or 20 sessions and still be above my deposit amount, but what I'm worried about is altering my play because of the results I've been getting lately. I'm trying hard to stick to my game, but getting rivere'd 4 out 5 of my last games will start to have an effect if this continues.

I never once said this was a bad beat by the way, if an ace peeled off on 5th, I'll still have a winge, its the build up of very similar losses thats the pain, not that I was a favourate or ot.

strategy wise, I see very little I could have done differently on this hand. I think my re-raise was good, and there is no way I could fold kings in that spot against this player, if like me he had sat out, and only played one or two hands, then I may have dropped them, but there was no one at this table I could give such credit to.

One of my opponents was very very inexperienced, but got lucky early and built up a nice stack, another player sat out mostly and then suddenly began to push all-in pre-flop on most hands with a raise in front and would push all-in on anything if he hit, even with bottom pair. The remaining players where generally weak calling-station types and would hang usually call any small bet on the turn just to see the river. The would also bet based on there card strength, or its apparent strength for them. For instance any high ace, such as AT and AK Mr inexperienced would bet 2 times the BB, any high pocket pair, he would bet between 5 and 8 times the BB.

I was card dead throughout most of the entire tournament, and because of the dynamic of the table I couldn't make any moves, the two big stacks would call pushes with anything, so even a jam wouldn't give me a fair chance at steeling a pot. I was forced to sit out until I pushed with a suited ace with around 10 BB's, the chip leader doubled me up by calling with 84s. The next hand, or a few down the way I find myself in this spot, if there was a short stack with less then 10 BB's or any chance I could make the money without taking advantage of this hand and then stepped up my game I probably would have taken it, but there wasn't, so I had to play it.

[luckystraights]

Hey Lucky.. Please don't take offense to this..

I've really enjoyed reading your hands, analysis, thoughts, etc.

But your posts are beginning to tread dangerously close to just being your typical bad beat stories.

Try to get 'em back to just analysis and so forth of your play. 

I agree, sorry guys. Going through the same crap over and over has begun to takes its toll, but I'm doing my best to maintain my discipline and keep focusing on the decisions.

Better posts will follow no doubt :p

[Dr. Neau]

In your tournaments, try counting the number of times you are all-in (and by all-in, I mean you can be busted out) that you don't have the nuts.

I hardly ever go all-in, but many times you have no choice. I was forced to go all-in twice here, once when I was so short stacked I had no choice, and doubled up through a lunatic calling with 84s and then is very hand, what do you suggest I do fold pocket kings here, not likely.

Then I'd suggest spending more time analyzing the play that led up to you being forced to go all-in twice.

Again, I'll go back to my "missing the tying free-throw" analogy.  Everyone focuses on the missed free throw rather than the 50 turnovers that put the team in that situation in the first place.

[luckystraights]

Then I'd suggest spending more time analyzing the play that led up to you being forced to go all-in twice.

Again, I'll go back to my "missing the tying free-throw" analogy.  Everyone focuses on the missed free throw rather than the 50 turnovers that put the team in that situation in the first place.

I agree that its more then the final hand, but I had no cards, and because of my opponents I couldn't make a move, not one, otherwise I would have.

I was card dead until I needed to push,  before then I didn't even hold marginal hands like KTs, I didn't even get suited connectors, I was left with pure garbage and had no choice but to just wait it out, it would be pointless limping in with such trash and raising to represent a bigger hand would have achieved nothing  on this table, even with a continuation bet it would gone to showdown and with 8 high it wasn't worth the risk, I chose to wait out.

Things began to look desperate as I got to 10 big blinds with still no hand, so I pushed with a suited ace (actually, as you'll see bellow it was unsuited), with a raise in front, but I had no choice. The raiser held 84s and called my all-in anyway, with that type of play all I could do was hunker down and wait to hit a hand.

This lunatic doubled  me up and I was back in the game, I begin to hope for the same lunatic to get called on another insane all-in push on the flop and he'll bust somebody, but with kings in the pocket, I couldn't just drop them and hope he would knock someone out so I could make the money.

Here's the first hand, similar reckless play continued on almost every hand until the 25/50 level then the game quietened down a little :

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1789206

As they where so few I'll post bellow the hands I played, maybe I could have improved my chances by playing one of them differently, I haven't gone over these earlier hands yet, so you may be right, everything else I folded before the flop :

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1789215

Here's one hand which I wouldn't usually play, but got in cheap and tried to gain some chips with it, but missed the flop anyway, so had to drop it :

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1789220

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1789223

A small win from the BB

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1789226

Turns out here I was drawing dead, but on the turn I already put one of my opponents on the same flush draw, so wouldn't have lost anymore, I was done if I made my flush or not here : (This is the hand I played the worse I feel)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1789234

A very passive hand with a suited ace :

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1789241

Another low suited ace :

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1789245

I got to 10 BB's and pushed all-in

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1789252

The final hand, I found this only one after the previous all-in push, and didn't really want to see it, as I new I would likely have my seat on the line after only just getting back in the running, but I have no doubt folding would have been very bad here :

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1789258

Thats it, 9 hands everything else was un-playable regardless of position and where all folded before the flop. These are the only hands I played, I think I handled each well, but I'm happy to receive any comments or feedback on what I could have done differently.

Thanks for all the comments, feedback and advise xxx

[Wedge Rock]

From my calculations, you'll lose that hand 29 out of 100 times.

Meh.  More like 50/50.

[luckystraights]

Lost with it the last two times I've had it, once to a flush on the river and here to a straight on the river, feels more like I'm loosing it 99.9 times out of 100 :p

[Dr. Neau]

Then I'd suggest spending more time analyzing the play that led up to you being forced to go all-in twice.

Again, I'll go back to my "missing the tying free-throw" analogy.  Everyone focuses on the missed free throw rather than the 50 turnovers that put the team in that situation in the first place.

I agree that its more then the final hand, but I had no cards, and because of my opponents I couldn't make a move

The lower the stakes, the more it's about what you're holding.  The higher stakes, the less it's about what you're holding.

You're playing a $1 tourney.  You really need to stop over-analyzing the play because, in general, $1 tournaments are 100% luck-fests.  Why?  Nobody cares if they lose $1.

[luckystraights]

The lower the stakes, the more it's about what you're holding.  The higher stakes, the less it's about what you're holding.

It drives me nuts, I'm thirsty for higher stakes games where I can actually play some decent poker, but I don't have the bankroll and even if I did, I'm not sure I'll step up even to the $5 games until I can make $170 at this level, just to build my confidence, so I know that I can do it, despite the fact that I think I'll do better in slightly higher limits.

As I noted on my blog not long ago, I'm not grinding it out for the fun of it, its my aim to turn pro, so I may be over analyzing my play where I'm at now, but if that helps me to build a solid foundation for the higher games surely thats a good thing, although it might be a tiny bit irriating on the boards now and then 

[Midnight Rose]

Lucky, in reading through the past few series of your posts asking for hand analysis, I have to agree with what DN just said: sometimes, I think you put way, way too much emphasis on the player, and not enough on the cards they're betting with.  By that I mean, you're making good potential reads on a player's tendencies, but you've locked yourself so strongly on those reads that you don't allow for variance.  Once you've decided that player X probably has AKs or rags or whatever, you go so gung-ho with what you've put them on, that you are knocked flat cold by whatever they really have.

I'm not criticizing you about it - lord knows that I wish I was at the level where I was able to develop reads as well as that - but maybe you just need to not lock on so tightly to one hand (or even a series of hands) so that a streak of trips/sets doesn't tilt you so badly.

[luckystraights]

You probably right, but in situations where I'm all-in, (the last 4 out 5), all I really have is my read on my opponent, especially without any betting to guide me in the right direction.

I'm actually rather pleased with myself, I've lost the last 5 out of 5 games (I think), got rivered on 4 of them, but have still maintained good  play and have kept up my play. I don't want to take a break to let doubts settle in, so I'm just playing games each day and starting again trying to make the best decisions I can.

I've gone through several major swings in my bankroll, but this is the first time where I honestly think I've done everything I can, and can just ride out the varriance, so despite getting annoyed to be busted yet again, I'm rather happy still

PS : Just got my pocket jacks, beaten by queens, the board comes xKKKx, I'm still smiling, despite 6 similar beats in a row 

[Dr. Neau]

I'm not sure I'll step up even to the $5 games until I can make $170 at this level, just to build my confidence, so I know that I can do it, despite the fact that I think I'll do better in slightly higher limits.

My advice: Step up to the $5 games now.

I really question how much more expertise you're going to gain playing $1 sit and gos.  People take the $5 sit and gos MUCH more seriously, from my experience...and therefore your reads and smart plays will mean more.

[Detroitdad]

I'm not sure I'll step up even to the $5 games until I can make $170 at this level, just to build my confidence, so I know that I can do it, despite the fact that I think I'll do better in slightly higher limits.

My advice: Step up to the $5 games now.

I really question how much more expertise you're going to gain playing $1 sit and gos.  People take the $5 sit and gos MUCH more seriously, from my experience...and therefore your reads and smart plays will mean more.

a brief Thread Jack

I thought the subject line was a thread discussing the Detroit Lions!!!

[luckystraights]

I'm not sure I'll step up even to the $5 games until I can make $170 at this level, just to build my confidence, so I know that I can do it, despite the fact that I think I'll do better in slightly higher limits.

My advice: Step up to the $5 games now.

I really question how much more expertise you're going to gain playing $1 sit and gos.  People take the $5 sit and gos MUCH more seriously, from my experience...and therefore your reads and smart plays will mean more.

I'll take your advise and step up as soon as I can re-deposit to pad my bankroll out enough to make the step up.

When I'm not in the mind set to play, I have sometimes observed the $5 games and have took notes on some of my opponents, and have even  played with some of them in the $1 games before.

Thanks again for all the advise, as always I really appreciate it

[TwoToGo-Grave]

a brief Thread Jack

I thought the subject line was a thread discussing the Detroit Lions!!!

And that came BEFORE this collapse today.

Lucky, I personally think that you're going to be fine playing at either higher limits or the $1 sngs.  How high is your bankroll now?  If you have as much as, say, $50, you likely can afford to delve into the $5 ones (it's not like the play's very good there, for sure).  However, I disagree with the notion that you will not gain from $1 sng experiences.  You certainly have to play your cards more than attempting to go beyond 2nd level thinking against opponents who don't think,  but you are seeing situations and gaining good experience playing them.  Just remember to ALWAYS stay sharp and focused while playing, and you should do good.
I don't mean to pimp an inferior site (and it is VERY inferior), but you really should check out some hand discussion threads on 2+2, as reading and analyzing these would do you good, I believe.  Anyway, I again wish you good luck and feel sure that you'll turn around your (what sounds like) variance ridden bad run lately.

[luckystraights]

Lucky, I personally think that you're going to be fine playing at either higher limits or the $1 sngs.  How high is your bankroll now?  If you have as much as, say, $50, you likely can afford to delve into the $5 ones (it's not like the play's very good there, for sure).  However, I disagree with the notion that you will not gain from $1 sng experiences.  You certainly have to play your cards more than attempting to go beyond 2nd level thinking against opponents who don't think,  but you are seeing situations and gaining good experience playing them.  Just remember to ALWAYS stay sharp and focused while playing, and you should do good.
I don't mean to pimp an inferior site (and it is VERY inferior), but you really should check out some hand discussion threads on 2+2, as reading and analyzing these would do you good, I believe.  Anyway, I again wish you good luck and feel sure that you'll turn around your (what sounds like) variance ridden bad run lately.

Thanks for the support, actually due to my financial situation at the moment and my eagerness I will probably step up before I re-deposit, my bankroll is around the $70 mark at the moment after these recent losses, so with fee's I think I'll have about 12 buy-in's.

That will have to wait until tomorrow now though, I'm too hyper at the moment, so will get back to work after a nights rest, for now its back to the 100/200 razz tables.

I love this game