Chopping Debacle in the Donkley--Update
Poker at the Bottom...
Decided to make this into two posts. One was a rant, the other was about poker. So let's just get straight to the pokering... in this one.
I continue to run well at the Harrahs Wednesday weekly tournament. DaRock once again dealt me great, peeling off a three outer on the river when my A9 got called by A10 and he got me out of a couple other jams. He used to cooler me, now he's just raking me pots. I made some big bluffs that weren't called for some big pots. Right before the final table I got crippled when my opponent hit her three outer to stay alive and double through me.
Coming back from a break to start the FT, nine out of ten players are there and everybody agrees to chop. Nobody was more than an all in call or two from being short and the blinds were fairly big. If I were one or two of the big stacks I would have waited to crush my short stack, the girl (who sucked out on me) and one other player before I'd even discuss it. However, they were willing to chop, so I figured getting an even chop as the short stack was a win for me.
I made a mental note to return the favor with those big stacks should the situation ever get reversed (fair is fair). Oddly, as I'm doing this, the guy next to me (who barely had more chips than me) said I better chop it next time. I'm campaigning pretty loudly about the blinds and encouraging the even chop, but why would he say that to me specifically. I think he was at a final table when I refused a chop and he got bounced. I told him honestly, if I came into a final table with a huge chip stack I'm not chopping. I wasn't saying it loud enough for the chipleaders to hear, but they shouldn't have chopped at that point.
Everything is going great right? Well, I said 9 out of 10 agreed, the little girl who rivered me to make the final table comes back and flatly says she's not chopping (maybe she should review the rules of chopping). I'm flabbergasted looking at her stack. She barely has more than me. They figure out the button (me--sweet). She's utg. I tell her she won't have anything left when she goes through the blinds. She shrugs, despite her dire situation I guess she thinks she's better than the randomness of the shovefest that is about to ensue.
What happens, she shoves UTG and it's folded around to an attorney who made the final table with me the week before. He ponders forever and then calls. He's got pocket 3s. He laughs and I know he's decided to take a flip because of the opportunity to get rid of her. He thinks she loses we chop and go home. He loses he's probably looking at the min cash for 10th, but it's worth the risk.
His threes hold. Now the chop goes up about $100 a head. Almost third place money. Suddenly, a lady with probably second or third chips says she's not chopping. The attorney is going "WTF?" Only reason he took that risk was to end it and go home.
She's not chopping. I see her eyeing my chips and I mentally strike her off the return the favor list. I also give her credit for making the right decision (lol). Soon, the guy next to me battles the attorney and gets booted with a min cash, and we all make another $100. Lady declines the chop again. She eyes my chips again. I make another mental note this time wielding a mental Sharpie, as I give her mental picture a moustache, a top hat and a hairy mole, too.
When the big blind hits me she raises more than my stack. I look down at a suited KoJack. I throw it in and hope she has what she does... middling Ace. Flop a jack river a superflouos king and now I got some breathing room. She's dejected. We play another hand, and now the new short-short stack will be all in on the blind.
He and the lady, I think, know each other or at least got friendly on that day. She's says she's willing to chop. I almost want to decline and wait a hand, but I'm still one of the shorties and why be greedy. Pretty decent score.
Right now sweating GeneD at a final table on poker stars I think there were over a 1000 entrants. Been real impressed with the thin calls he's been making. In the zone, no doubt. Also his level of agression has been notable. 5 handed.
Gene was the chip leader since about three tables to this point. One guy has him barely clipped. Two short stacks won't go away.
Alright, back to be a railbird.
UPDATE: Gene came in second. He played great all night and there were only one or two hands that I made notes about that I'd want to discuss with him. AND I'm not saying he played them wrong more that he played them differently then I would. Probably would benefit us both to discuss the differences in strategy. Definitley can't argue with the result. He really impressed me, taking some hits and bouncing back. Especially four-handed he went from chipleader to short stack all the way to chipleader heads-up. Great job Gene.
www.gulfcoastpoker.net
Decided to make this into two posts. One was a rant, the other was about poker. So let's just get straight to the pokering... in this one.
I continue to run well at the Harrahs Wednesday weekly tournament. DaRock once again dealt me great, peeling off a three outer on the river when my A9 got called by A10 and he got me out of a couple other jams. He used to cooler me, now he's just raking me pots. I made some big bluffs that weren't called for some big pots. Right before the final table I got crippled when my opponent hit her three outer to stay alive and double through me.
Coming back from a break to start the FT, nine out of ten players are there and everybody agrees to chop. Nobody was more than an all in call or two from being short and the blinds were fairly big. If I were one or two of the big stacks I would have waited to crush my short stack, the girl (who sucked out on me) and one other player before I'd even discuss it. However, they were willing to chop, so I figured getting an even chop as the short stack was a win for me.
I made a mental note to return the favor with those big stacks should the situation ever get reversed (fair is fair). Oddly, as I'm doing this, the guy next to me (who barely had more chips than me) said I better chop it next time. I'm campaigning pretty loudly about the blinds and encouraging the even chop, but why would he say that to me specifically. I think he was at a final table when I refused a chop and he got bounced. I told him honestly, if I came into a final table with a huge chip stack I'm not chopping. I wasn't saying it loud enough for the chipleaders to hear, but they shouldn't have chopped at that point.
Everything is going great right? Well, I said 9 out of 10 agreed, the little girl who rivered me to make the final table comes back and flatly says she's not chopping (maybe she should review the rules of chopping). I'm flabbergasted looking at her stack. She barely has more than me. They figure out the button (me--sweet). She's utg. I tell her she won't have anything left when she goes through the blinds. She shrugs, despite her dire situation I guess she thinks she's better than the randomness of the shovefest that is about to ensue.
What happens, she shoves UTG and it's folded around to an attorney who made the final table with me the week before. He ponders forever and then calls. He's got pocket 3s. He laughs and I know he's decided to take a flip because of the opportunity to get rid of her. He thinks she loses we chop and go home. He loses he's probably looking at the min cash for 10th, but it's worth the risk.
His threes hold. Now the chop goes up about $100 a head. Almost third place money. Suddenly, a lady with probably second or third chips says she's not chopping. The attorney is going "WTF?" Only reason he took that risk was to end it and go home.
She's not chopping. I see her eyeing my chips and I mentally strike her off the return the favor list. I also give her credit for making the right decision (lol). Soon, the guy next to me battles the attorney and gets booted with a min cash, and we all make another $100. Lady declines the chop again. She eyes my chips again. I make another mental note this time wielding a mental Sharpie, as I give her mental picture a moustache, a top hat and a hairy mole, too.
When the big blind hits me she raises more than my stack. I look down at a suited KoJack. I throw it in and hope she has what she does... middling Ace. Flop a jack river a superflouos king and now I got some breathing room. She's dejected. We play another hand, and now the new short-short stack will be all in on the blind.
He and the lady, I think, know each other or at least got friendly on that day. She's says she's willing to chop. I almost want to decline and wait a hand, but I'm still one of the shorties and why be greedy. Pretty decent score.
Right now sweating GeneD at a final table on poker stars I think there were over a 1000 entrants. Been real impressed with the thin calls he's been making. In the zone, no doubt. Also his level of agression has been notable. 5 handed.
Gene was the chip leader since about three tables to this point. One guy has him barely clipped. Two short stacks won't go away.
Alright, back to be a railbird.
UPDATE: Gene came in second. He played great all night and there were only one or two hands that I made notes about that I'd want to discuss with him. AND I'm not saying he played them wrong more that he played them differently then I would. Probably would benefit us both to discuss the differences in strategy. Definitley can't argue with the result. He really impressed me, taking some hits and bouncing back. Especially four-handed he went from chipleader to short stack all the way to chipleader heads-up. Great job Gene.
www.gulfcoastpoker.net
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