Poker Strategy: Jeff Shulman - WPT ChampionshipDay Two Doesn't End Well |
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I woke up in the morning and looked at my table draw for day two. The table draw is half the battle in tournament poker. Luckily, there weren't any players with more than $100,000 at my table, and I knew only three of my opponents. Barny Boatman was three to my right, Tommy Hang was directly to my right, and Steve Zolotow was sitting to my left. I haven't played much with Barny, but he has had good results in big events and is extremely funny. Steve is one of the most educated people in poker, but I have played with him only a couple of times. Tommy is an awesome limit hold'em player from Seattle, and has crushed me in live games many times. In fact, he check-raised me three times in one session on the river, which is always crushing to the ego. My goal today was to increase my stack from $39,300 to at least $100,000.
$400-$800 with a $100 ante
On the first hand of the day, I raised with 8
8
to $2,400 from middle position. A British player called me from the big blind. The flop was J
10 2. He checked and I bet $5,000. He called. He had only $20,000 left after he called, and I wasn't sure if he had a straight draw with K-Q or maybe A-10. If he had a jack, he would probably have check-raised me. The turn was the 5. He checked and I checked. I didn't have too many chips, otherwise I would have bet again. The river was the 8. He twitched like a madman and fumbled $5,000 into the pot. I have always heard people talking about players jumping out of their seats when they hit a hand, but I think this was the first time that I have ever seen it happen. Can he have Q-9? I did put him on K-Q earlier, and maybe he is betting a missed draw. I wasn't really sure what to do with my set, so I called. He had Q9 and won with his straight. Based on the result, I was disappointed that I didn't bet the turn. Also, if he did have an A-10, would he have called off half of his stack on the turn? I thought that I might have been tilting a tad, which meant that I needed to play tight for a while and not let it cost me the tournament.
A couple of hands later, I was under the gun and limped with J J. Two players in middle position called and the short-stacked player on the button went all in for $9,000. The action was back to me and I immediately moved all in, and the other two players folded. It looked like a good spot for the button to move all in, and I should have him beat. I figured the other two players wouldn't call from middle to late position with a big pair, so the all-in from me should not get a call. The guy flipped over the QQ and I was dominated. The flop was K83. I couldn't see the turn card because I was in the No. 10 seat and the dealer was in my way. The table made the suckout moaning sound on the turn and I stood up and saw the J. The river was the K and I won the pot. That was a huge win for me. Even though it wouldn't have knocked me out, I would have been very short-stacked with momentum against me. I was back to $37,000, and no longer on tilt.
Two hands later, I was in the small blind and the player in the cutoff position raised to $2,200. I looked down at A A. If I was in the big blind, I might have called and slow-played, but here, I think I had to raise. What should I make it? I wanted to make it enough to isolate and possibly win it there. However, I wanted to make it small enough that if he had a hand, he could move all in and think I could lay down my hand. I made it $9,000 and he folded. Had I missed an opportunity to make some money?
After a round, Flamingo (someone I had just met, and he was quite cool) raised to $2,400 from middle position and I called from the button with A 10. The flop was A 8 7
. He bet $3,000 and I called. I was not sure if this was a continuation bet or if he had a bigger ace than I. The turn was the 10. He checked, I bet $7,000, and he called. I hope I didn't jump out of my seat. He definitely had a big ace and I got lucky. The river was the Q. He looked like he wanted to bet, but checked. This is one of the tougher spots for me. I knew he had a big ace, but he might have hit the queen. Usually, I would make a bet of more than $10,000 here, but if he was setting up the check-call, I would be in trouble. Either way, I had to bet. I bet $4,000, and he called instantly and flipped over A J. Dear Turn Card, thank you so much for the great gift - Jeff.
I was up to $57,000 and felt like I was king. A player limped from under the gun, Tommy called from second position, I raised to $5,000 from third position with A K, and a player with $40,000 in middle position made it $20,000. The two early-position limpers folded and the action was up to me. I didn't know what he had, but he had raised half of his stack and certainly wouldn't fold. Maybe one of the two limpers had a suited ace or K-Q, and some of my outs were gone. I folded. Some would say it is weak, but I just didn't feel like playing a big pot yet.
I took a few hands off, and in middle position I found Q 10. I called the $800 and there were four callers. The flop was 6 5 3. The blind checked, I checked, the player who had just raised $20,000 bet $3,500, Barny called from the button, and I called. Again, I was trying to keep the pot small. The turn was the K. I bet $5,000 and they both folded. I may have blown another chance to make more money, but I thought that Barny might have had a flush, too, and I was going to get his money. He showed me pocket fours when he folded and I wish I had slow-played it. The good news was that I had $66,000.
Later, Flamingo raised from early position to $2,500, I called with A Q from middle position, and the British player from my first hand called from the big blind. The flop was A K 10. It was checked around. I wanted to disguise my hand, and there was a chance that I didn't have the best hand. After thinking about it for a day, I should have bet there and not given the free card. The turn was the 8. The British player bet $3,300 and Flamingo and I both called. Why was I in calling mode? The river was the 3. The British player grabbed a blue chip ($10,000) and was about to throw it in, but checked. Flamingo and I both checked. I thought that the Brit could have a better hand and was afraid of the flush or was faking us out. I didn't know what Flamingo had at all. The Brit turned over pocket sevens and Flamingo had A 9. I took down the pot, but was not happy with how I played this hand. I won the last few hands, but may have misplayed them all. I finished the round with $77,000, but probably should have had about $90,000 if I had played smarter.
$500-$1,000 with a $100 ante
I didn't play for a few laps around the table and then was dealt Q Q under the gun. I raised to $3,000 and a tight player on the button called. The flop was A 5 5. I bet $5,000 and he called after a minute of deliberating. This couldn't be good. The turn was the 4. We both checked. I assumed he would bet. Now I was confused. Was he slow-playing a huge hand? The river was the 8. I checked, he waited another minute, and then bet $9,000. He was giving off every tell in the book. First, he coughed, then he pushed his glasses, then he took a sip of water. He wanted me to call. I folded after a few minutes. Tommy and I talked about the hand, and we thought he had pocket aces, pocket eights, or suited A-8. I guess we would have seen if a queen had come on the river. I now had $67,500.
An early-position player raised to $3,000, I called from middle position with A J, and the big blind called, also. I do not recommend playing an A-J to an early raiser. I had played A 10 earlier, but got extremely lucky. The flop was J 7 5. They both checked and I bet $3,500. I wanted to make it look like a bluff, since I was last to act. The big blind check-raised me $10,000 more and the other player folded. He had another $16,000 behind. Now, I wished I had bet $10,000 on the flop so that I would have a better idea of where I was. Did he flop a set or did he have K-J, Q-J, or even A-J, also? I called, but wasn't sure if I should. The turn was the 7. He moved all in. He probably would check if he had quads or a full house. The real question was, did he have Q-Q or did I have him outkicked? I called, even though I wasn't thrilled. He had pocket fives for a full house, and I was drawing to a 7 or a jack. I missed, and finished the level at $34,000. Why did I call the raise with A-J, and why did everyone at the table know he had a set except me? Maybe I knew and didn't make the good laydown. Now it looked like I was on tilt and I was upset that I lost more than $30,000 with top pair. I was disappointed, and now didn't have the ammunition to bully the table.
$600-$1,200 with a $200 ante
I raised from early position to $3,600 with 10 10. The button (the guy who just took my chips) called. The flop was Q 7 5. I bet $6,000, and he thought for a minute and made it $26,000. Time to give it up. It smelled like a K-Q. I asked if he had K-Q, and he said, "Better," and flipped over A-Q. Now I was down to about $22,000. The table got quite active, and I was dealt total junk for about an hour and didn't play a hand. At the end of the level, I was down to $18,000 and dropping steadily.
$800-$1,600 with a $200 ante
I went another two laps without having any semblance of a playable hand. Barny just busted the player who was crushing me by talking him into calling with a set on the turn when it was obvious that Barny had a straight. Barny's exact quote was, "Now that you haven't called right away, I know I have the best hand." To me, that means that Barny has a straight and is looking for action. Barny's chat earned him an extra $50,000 on the hand, and later I found out that Bellagio does not allow you to make comments to entice your opponent to call or fold. Personally, I am not a fan of the rule, but the reasoning is that in tournaments, one's actions can affect numerous players. Barny was lucky that the guy didn't call a floorman on him.
Barny now had command of the table and was raising quite a bit, and after winning a number of small pots, he was up to about $150,000 when the next hand took place. It was folded to him in the cutoff and he acted as if he was going to raise, but only called. Sean McCabe was in the small blind (he had been quite active in the last 20 minutes since he was moved to our table) and called. In the big blind I looked down at the A 10 and instantly moved all in. Barny called immediately, and Sean called, too. The good news was that I could triple up. The bad news was that Barny should have a big hand. The flop was K 4 3. Barny bet $5,000 and Sean called. Come on, ace! The turn was the K. Barny bet $20,000 and Sean folded. I asked if I was drawing dead, and Barny said, "You should be." He turned over pocket threes and I was sent to the rail. Did I need to move in there? Did Barny need to call? I thought about this for a day, and I like Barny's limp from late position. If he got raised by the button, he could call and it would be for the same amount that he would have raised to start. As far as Barny's call, I think he knew Sean would call, too, and he had a chance at winning a big hand. I still don't know if I needed to move in.
I am sad that it will be another year before I play in an event with $50,000 in starting chips and such a slow structure. Fortunately, there are many events in Las Vegas over the next few months, and I will try to blog about the ones I play in.
My favorite quote of the tournament was from Raymond Davis in the $2,500 no-limit hold'em event. We were talking about Internet poker, and he said, "On the Internet, when you bust out with a poor hand, you don't have to do the walk of shame."
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