Stainless Steals in Sheffield
Monday, 15 July 2013
Action Jack on an eventual trip to Yorkshire.
I made my way to the top-quality Genting Sheffield Casino hoping I might run better than I had in the previous legs of the GPS this year. I started off quite nicely, three-betting the same guy twice early on, holding A-A and then Q-Q. When I laughed and said, “Nothing personal, I have always got it,” he replied, “Yes, and my cock is a chicken sandwich,” which I thought was a very interesting, although on this occasion I suspect inaccurate, description.
There were two players on my opening table whom I quickly identified as being likely to play very honestly in terms of their hands and so I decided to target their blinds.
In one hand I raised A-2 and one of these players called. The flop was A-Q-T. My opponent bet small and I called. The turn was eight and he check-called my small bet. At this point I put him in a small ace (similar to mine) and hoped that the eight would pair so he would hopefully check-fold to my over bet. As if I had willed it in, another eight dropped and, thinking my opponent had checked, I bet 2,000 – about a pot bet but psychologically much bigger than the previous bets in the hand.
He then picked up 675 to bet because he had not actually checked as I had thought. I asked the dealer to explain the rules for this position, which he did, but I don’t think they were properly understood by my opponent. The elderly gentleman put 2,000 into the pot, despite it being explained twice that if he bet I could take my bet back as if I were innocent of any wrong doing (a proper turd rule in my opinion). I called and he turned over A-3, so at least one of us knew where we were in the hand. I guess I could have re-raised him to take advantage of his misunderstanding but that would have been dirty and, in any event, my read could have been wrong.
Soon after that I raised with Q-Q to 450, got a call, and then the other “blind victim” three-bet to 2,100. I just called, not too much in love with my hand. When you target a player because he plays his hands honestly and then he three-bets you big out of position, it does not create a warm feeling in your loins, even when you have queens. The other player over called also.
The flop was A-6-5 and everyone checked. The turn was a jack and the pre-flop three-bettor checked again, so I figured at this point he had K-K or T-T (J-J was in there too until he checked the turn, as I felt he would bet a set on the turn here). I figured the guy behind could have had a medium pair or maybe A-Q suited, having flatted my initial raise and then over-called the three-bet. I bet 500 to confuse / humour them into being passive (plus, I might get a little value from smaller non-set pairs) and they both called.
The river was a two and it was again checked to me. At this early stage I didn’t want to try to make anyone fold K-K and I still could be losing to the player behind, so I checked, hoping for a cheap showdown, which I got. I showed and won, which was nice, although I definitely missed value.
I later realised that my assessment of one of the blind victims was a little awry when he called my re-raise on a flop of 5-5-K with A-8 off. Maybe “honest” was not the best adjective.
In a later frustrating hand a player raises, I peel from small blind (it doesn’t frighten me to face touch decisions) with Q-T and the big blind calls. The flop is T-8-4 with two diamonds. I lead and both call. The turn is a six. I bet, both call, creating a big pot. The river is 3d. I check, the next player checks and the pre-flop raiser bets 4,100 (about 14 big blinds). I fold and the other player calls and wins with T-J after the bettor declares king-high. I can’t imagine what king-high over-calls that flop that isn't a king-high flush-draw, but whatever it was cost me a good pot so I went to dinner with mild indigestion. After dinner I built my stack nicely and continued to run well. Then in one hand, with blinds at 500/1,000, Stuart “The Hedgehog” Fox raises to 2,000 from mid / late position and I flat with kings. The player behind me then three-bets to 12,000 from a stack of 42,000 (arguably less than optimal bet-sizing – they didn't even do that in the eighties and I should know as I was there). Hedgehog folds, I set him in and he absolutely snaps me off with A-Q which gets there.
I did pretty well after that and finished the day with a very healthy 148,000. One of the unluckiest hands of the day was played by Midlands player and general playboy Matt Perry, who raised with Q-Q and was loving life when the flop was Q-5-4. He continued to bet, as is his wont, and was called. The turn was a very adequate five. He bet again, and again was called. On the river it all went in and Matt showed his queens-full with the pride of Luis Suarez’s dad after Luis plays a full game without diving or biting an opponent, only to be shown quad fives.
In fact, he was so excited when his final shove was called he instantly looked for a waitress to order another beer, which he eventually did order but by himself at the bar. As if to indulge in some self-flagellation or to exorcise the run-bad demons, Matt then went out drinking and donated his body to the clinically obese female society of Sheffield.
I started day 2 with a great stack of 148K but on the feature table spazzed off about 60K with no hand, no draw, which I don't do very often. It doesn’t often work out well when you try to float someone when you’re out of position with air and they have top set, and even less so when you try to bluff the river with four diamonds on board and they hold the ace of diamonds to go with their set of aces.
I got that spew back after we left the feature table. A friend told me a certain player had been making moves and so when he three-bet squeezed, I called with 5-5. The flop was T-4-6 (all clubs) and I check-called his bet. The turn was a seven. I checked and he shoved 52k (about half my remaining stack).
Based on the info I had that he had been making moves and also the fact that most hands he might have that I was losing to would still leave me with ten outs, I called. He showed A-T and I rivered a five, which was quite adequate!
I was pretty card-dead after that and also failed to find any promising spots. I eventually went out 53rd for £840, getting my 20 big blinds in with A-Q against A-K.
Hopefully I will do as well at the next leg in sunny Southend.