Bond18 – Around the World in 90 Days: Day 23

Posted by Bond18 | Filed under Bond18

Barcelona, Spain: I settle into my chair for the tournament and glance up at the screen. It turns out there’s actually 22 players left and not the 24 I’ve anticipated. That means if either Annette or I can outlast 13 players my money supply problems will be over. That doesn’t mean I’m going to make any real changes to my strategy, but if I encounter what’s likely a neutral EV spot near the bubble, I might be more likely to give it a pass since I have to consider the EV lost by not playing the main. Still, my 34,200 stack easily puts me in the top 5, so hopefully that isn’t an issue I’ll have to deal with. Cards get in the air and the blinds start at 400/800 with a 100 ante. I’m involved in the very first hand:

My stack: 34,200, SB: ~25,000. I hold Ah-7c in the BB. Blinds 400/800 100.

Pre-flop: Folds around to SB, SB raises to 2,800. SB is a young guy who up until today I haven’t played with before. I call.

Flop: Jd-9d-4c

SB checks, I check behind.

Turn: 6d

SB checks. I guess he’s giving up on this? I bet 3,600 and the SB calls. Guess not.

River: 6h

SB checks and I check behind. He tables Kh-9h and takes down the pot.

The very next hand I’m involved again. It folds to me in the SB and I look down at the exact same Ah-7c. I look over at the BB who is on a very short stack, so I slide my whole stack in. After about 10 seconds thought he calls for what turns out to be 6,000 total then tables 9c-8c. Okay then.

Flop: 9-8-4 rainbow

Perfect.

Turn: 6

River: Q

Just like that I’ve dropped a third of my stack.

Two hands later I’m involved again:

My stack: ~22K, HJ: ~31K. I hold Kd-Qs on the CO. Blinds 400/800 100.

Pre-flop: Folds to the HJ, HJ raises to 2,400, I call, button folds, blinds fold.

Flop: Qd-7s-7d

HJ bets 3,400, I call.

Turn: Tc

HJ bets 6,900. I look down at my stack and seeing that I only have about twice that amount I move all in. The HJ doesn’t look pleased about this at all, thinks it over briefly, and passes.

The HJ from that hand turns to me and says “What’s the screen name you play as online?”

“Uh, Bond18 on most sites.”

“Yea, I thought that was you. I had seen your articles on Pocketfives.”

“Oh okay cool man, what’s your name?”

“Thomas”

“What’s up Thomas, I’m Tony.”

I chat to Thomas for a while about playing online then ask him the inevitable question

“Uh hey so if you cash this for a large amount and I don’t would you at all be willing to do an online transfer for 5K Euro?” I explain the situation to him and he tells me that’ll be no problem since a friend he brought money for ended up getting sick. Sweet, now I’ve got insurance just in case I can’t do anything here.

I look over at Annette’s table and see her standing up, then tap the table and walk away. The third table breaks and we’re down to 18 now. With Annette out, if I’m going to get that money without having to bother Thomas, I’m going to have to do it myself.

The short stack on my left eventually busts and the table becomes more comfortable. I raise the button and take down the blinds. I fold the CO the next hand and on the HJ I get involved again:

My stack: ~32,000. SB: ~20m000. Blinds 400/800 100. I hold A-Qo on the HJ.

Pre-flop: Folds to me on the HJ, I raise to 2,200, folds to SB, SB makes it 6,400, BB folds. The SB is a European guy in perhaps his young 30’s who I don’t have much of a read on. I can’t see folding A-Q 20 BBs deep in these positions with an active image, so I pull out my stack of 1,000 chips and slide them all into the middle. The SB player winces at my move and starts counting down his stack. He stares at me and goes into the tank for quite a while. After something like a solid minute’s worth of thought, a pained look crosses his face and he announces “Ay yai yai…if you got Aces you got Aces, I call” the slides his chips in and tables Q-Q. Oh my God you fucking nits.

Flop: A-9-3

I don’t know who’s worse. The guy who can’t figure out how to get his stack in with Q-Q for 20 BBs, or the dumbass who four-bet shoved A-Q in live poker as if anyone would ever three bet light in this fucking nit fest. Christ.

Turn: T

River: 4

A considerable pot is slid my way and Santa from yesterday comes over to shake my hand and tell me “You’re very lucky!” He seems like a nice guy. I am still pissed off I got it in behind.

The blinds go up to 600/1,200 and we’re down to 15 players. A short glance at the other table lets me know my stack of 54,000 is good enough to put me in second place. After folding for a couple rounds I’m involved again:

My stack: ~53K, BB: ~38K, I hold Ac-Td on the button. BB is a player who is a friend of Zpaceman and recently arrived at the table. Blinds 600/1,200 with 100 ante.

Pre-flop: Folds to me on the button, I raise to 3,200, SB folds, BB thinks it over and min re-raises to 6,400 total. Um? What does that mean? I guess peel flop in position and play cautious post? I call.

Flop: 8d-7d-6c

BB checks, I check behind.

Turn: 6d

BB quickly leads out 8,000. I fold. Not sure if that pre-flop call can be profitable.

I fold for the next round and we’re down to 15 players. Approaching the money things are getting tight and I’m soon involved again:

My stack: ~ 46,000. Button: ~40,000. I hold As-2c on the HJ. Blinds 600/1,200 with 200 ante.

Pre-flop: Folds to me on the HJ, I raise to 3,200, CO folds, button calls, blinds fold.

Flop: 4d-Js-5d

Not bad. I fire 4,400 and he announces “raise” and makes it 10,400. I fold and he flashes me a J. Fair enough.

The player loses a short stack and we’re now seven-handed. A round after my last hand, I’m involved again.

My stack: ~38K. BB: ~35K. I hold As-Th UTG+1. Blinds 600/1,200 with 100 ante.

Pre-flop: UTG folds, I raise to 3,200, folds to the BB, BB calls.

Flop: 9-6-4 rainbow

BB checks, I bet 4,400, BB calls.

Turn: 3

BB checks. That’s a pretty terrible card to bluff, so I check back.

River: 4

Bah, another terrible card to bluff. BB checks and I check behind. He tables 3-5o and takes the pot. *Sigh* outplayed pre-flop.

Then for a very long time I do nothing. Thomas on my right is pretty short and open shoving a fair bit, and the guy on his right is another young guy, who I think is Russian and is raising quite often. I’m totally card dead and have to fold over and over again for rounds. After losing every pot I enter and blinding off, I find my once second-place stack now down to around 22,000 with the blinds having increased to 800/1,600.

I post the BB and peek down at A-3o. It folds to a young American guy who has been fairly aggressive and check raised a K-7-4 flop for 90% of his chips and folded to a shove (seriously.) He moves all in for 9,000 and it folds to me. Hmm, surely a young American guy knows to shove a 5.5 BB stack very wide here right? Surely with 5,400 in the pot I can profitably call off another 7,400 getting such excellent odds. I call and the young guy tables A-Qo. Sweet.

Flop: A-K-4

Turn: 7

River: A

After that I’m down to 13,000 with the 800/1,600 blinds.

Thomas is also very short on my right so he’s doing quite a bit of open shoving himself. Once it folds to me on the HJ with Q-5o and I move in and get no callers. We go on break then come back to 1,000/2,000 with 200 ante. The first hand UTG I find As-Js and move all-in, getting no callers and bringing my stack back to 20,000. In the BB my next hand I find 7-5o and it folds to Thomas in the SB who shoves and I fold.

The next hand it folds to me in the SB with 9 BBs and I peek down at 7-To. I move all in and the BB eyes me suspiciously?

“Have you looked?”

“Yes”

He peeks down at his first card and says

“If I get one more of these I’m calling”

He peeks down at the second

“CALL!” he announces loudly then tables A-A. Standard.

Flop: A-J-4

Turn: 5

That’s it for me. From second with 15 left to busting 13^th. I really am the best. I tell Thomas good luck and walk away.

Man, spewing off a stack like that takes massive skill. They are so good and I am just so terrible, why do I bother. They make expert all in calls with 9 high and peel 5-3o out of position pre against early position raises and just own me. What business do I have playing them? I mean what business? I’m just some moron who gets it in with three outs vs. the villains over and over, making horrible plays like getting in with A-Q for 20 BBs in late position. This is a skill game, and it’s important to know when you’re outmatched. And clearly looking at my results, it should have become obvious to me a long time ago I am totally and utterly outmatched. I know now that I use terms like pot odds, equity and math to justify my terrible play.

Timex was a fool to have ever backed me. I should call him up and tell him this, tell him to save his money while he still has some and stop wasting his time with donks who get it in bad over and over. I am outmatched. I know this now.

It’s like Shakespeare wrote

“…Your reeking villainy. Live loath’d, and long,
Most smiling, smooth, detested parasites,
Courteous destroyers, affable wolves, meek bears,
You fools of fortune, trencher-friends, time’s flies,

You live players shit me.”

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