ZipRake.com - Complete Hand History

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Complete Hand History - $5+.50 SNG (1/9)
This is from a while back (a few months ago), so it's not too fresh in my mind, but judging from the notes on it that I dug out of my archive it's a fairly solid example of how to retain hope and patience, playing solid and conservative poker when you find yourself at a fairly loose table and without fantastic cards.

As you can see I didn't really pick up anything interesting until Hand #24, where I quietly collected the blinds with AQo. By this point in time I also have a fairly good feel for the table - pretty loose and aggressive, just a tad above average for this level it seems. Some good-sized pots were being played and there was a lot more splashing around than is usually done this early on. I fold a few mediocre hands after my AQ rampage, giving up KJo easily to a little pressure (though the shortstack push might have been a worthwhile gamble), and ditching Ducks in a spot that I would typically just call for a cheap flop... not sure why I did that. I then fold 33 on Hand #32, just not a good spot being in EP with a weak hand. On Hand #40 I have an easy call with the almighty 73o, just had to call with anything there really since it wasn't even a min-raise.

At this point it's down to 5 and I'm not in good shape at all... definitely getting close to push-or-fold time. I remain patient though since it seems the rest of the table is either in the mood to ram-and-jam as well or to be nice and play little friendly pots. By Hand #58 my stack is getting really short and after seeing nothing but crap for the longest time I have no choice but to open-push my premium pair of 2's. On Hand #61 and Hand #62 I start getting back into the swing of things, first on the K2s steal attempt gone right, and then an actual steal with 77. Now I'm more of a threat and have a shot at doing some damage... still waiting for those cards though. Normally there are a lot of spots with limpers where I would try some usual steals from the SB or BB, but there are just so many loose-passive limp-calls going on that I don't want to risk it without decent hands.

On Hand #71 I finally get such a hand, and manage to win a flip for once, really boosting my stack up to where I want it at this point. Also, notice Hand #72 and Hand #74 and see what I'm talking about with the passive play that's going on (2 different players limp in with KK and AA). Really gotta tip-toe lightly. At least we lose another here though, and then another on Hand #78. So I sneak into the money thanks to a few pathetic hands and the stupidity of some fellow low-limit players, but the first hand doesn't go all that well. I start trying to be a little more passive before the flop since that's the trend, rather then try steal attempts with mediocre hands and get sucked in. However I also try to pick some solid spots when I have a feel for my opponents, such as Hand #89 and Hand #90, the latter of which I was fairly relieved to see that I was actually ahead.

So now I got the lead and I can toss chips around a little more, like on Hand #94, which didn't turn out as I would have hoped, but didn't slow me down much. Hand #97 I could go either way on. Typically in those spots I'll apply the pressure but I don't like calling it down with something that could easily be dominated, or a flip at best. Soon thereafter on Hand #98 the player in 2nd made another questionable limp-call with A3s and rivered the shortstack to get down to heads-up play. I knew I had a good read on this guy and could take him down, I was just hoping that the cards would improve just a little for me. Hand #100 I'm just being a little cautious... not in love with my weak top pair and the 3 hearts out there undo any inkling I might have had for a check-raise on the turn. Still I'm playing passively preflop, and just planning to rely on outplaying this guy after the flop, only investing chips when I'm fairly certain I have him beat.

Hand #105... yeah... I just don't know. Not my shining moment, and I kinda wanted to put in the extra 300 to just get a look at what had me beat, but decided to save the chips for another hand. Hand #110 is a nice flop for a crap hand, and I think I got what I could out of that without giving too much room for him to hit something, of course then I lose that on Hand #112. But seriously though... you hit a straight heads up and no raise??? This guy is reading some strange poker books. Finally Hand #113 I out-kick the fish, and I finish him off a few hands later with another premium holding... the unsuited KQ... a fairly easy call given his play.

Overall this SNG is a reminder to me of a few things: (1) Patience is essential, especially when the cards are not being friendly, (2) adapting to your opponents is also essential, especially when they are relatively above average in being any combination of loose, tight, passive, or aggressive, and (3) there is always hope, even when you're down to only a few big blinds. The middle-stage steals, coinflips, and bubble plays make all the difference, particularly when the blinds are getting bigger and bigger, and you can't always rely on pocket Aces to come and save the day. As you saw in this SNG, I really didn't catch any premium hands at all. Pocket 9's were the highest pair and AQo was my other solid holding, which helped me to only pick up some blinds early on. Don't worry about your hands all the time. Focus on your opponents and play accordingly. If they play passively and let you limp in to extra pots, then take advantage of that. Exploit their weaknesses and the weakness of your hands won't matter so much. But also remember that, especially at these lower levels, players are much more likely to make a bad call than a good fold... so don't overdo the bluffing and steal attempts when this is the case. Don't risk your entire stack on any two cards when you have a limp-caller lurking at your table. You may know they have a mediocre holding, one that most players would give up under pressure, but there's certainly no harm in seeing a cheap or free flop when you can and playing from there.

Best of luck at the tables. ~ B.