Well, as some of you know, I recently won an online satelitte. After a $3 rebuy I turned a $6 investment into $530. Now, it's not like winning a cruise but its a start . I thought maybe people would be interested in checking out some key hands and see how they were played... So I decided to post some highlights just for fun. First, here are the overall stats:

341 hands played and saw flop:
- 15 times out of 46 while in small blind (32%)
- 22 times out of 45 while in big blind (48%)
- 42 times out of 250 in other positions (16%)
- a total of 79 times out of 341 (23%)

Pots won at showdown - 18 out of 26 (69%)
Pots won without showdown - 28

I won a nice percentage of pots (69%) that were shown down but only won 28 pots without a showdown. That figure is kinda low... deep into the tournament I had more pots won with a showdown then without. Well, here's my first key hand. Hand #5, 10/20 blinds.

Dealt to bidzior [3s 3d]
RalphWiggam: folds
Kingsley: raises 20 to 40
tiger72: calls 40
MonkeyPelvis: folds
hurricane 1: calls 40
TreadweII: folds
AARP50: folds
bidzior: calls 20
*** FLOP *** [3c Tc 8d]
bidzior: bets 200
Kingsley: calls 200
tiger72: raises 300 to 500
hurricane 1: folds
bidzior: raises 400 to 900 and is all-in
Kingsley: folds
tiger72: calls 400
*** TURN *** [3c Tc 8d] [Td]
*** RIVER *** [3c Tc 8d Td] [9d]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
bidzior: shows [3s 3d] (a full house, Threes full of Tens)
tiger72: shows [Ks Ts] (three of a kind, Tens)
bidzior collected 2170 from pot

I was in a little trouble going into the hand, down to 940 from 1500. I hit my set and ran into someone who also hit some of the flop. Tiger takes a big hit here, but he'll be back. He started with me at the same table, and he's going to rejoin me at the final table only to finish 8th. (Top 6 get the satelitte seat, 7th cash.)

This next hand put me on the right track: Hand #18, 15/30. I'm lucky enough to look down and find Aces. This is the last time I'll see them in the tournament so I better make them worthwhile.

Dealt to bidzior [Ad Ac]
hurricane 1: folds
frocker: calls 30
TreadweII: folds
AARP50: folds
bidzior: raises 420 to 450
RalphWiggam: raises 1585 to 2035 and is all-in
Kingsley: folds
tiger72: folds
MonkeyPelvis: folds
frocker: calls 1370 and is all-in
bidzior: calls 1570 and is all-in
*** FLOP *** [Kh 9h 9c]
*** TURN *** [Kh 9h 9c] [8c]
*** RIVER *** [Kh 9h 9c 8c] [4d]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
bidzior: shows [Ad Ac] (two pair, Aces and Nines)
RalphWiggam: shows [Ks As] (two pair, Kings and Nines)
bidzior collected 1240 from side pot
frocker: shows [Tc Ts] (two pair, Tens and Nines)
bidzior collected 4245 from main pot
RalphWiggam said, "nh"

I was worried when Ralph Wiggam joined the table b/c he's a solid player, and here he has a monster AK Spades. Not to mention a pair of 10s from Frocker. Both run into my hand and Aces hold up. Up to 5485 after the hand... I was at 8255 on hand #47 Blinds 50/100 where we'll pick up on the action...

Dealt to bidzior [Tc Th]
AARP50: calls 100
bidzior: raises 100 to 200
RalphWiggam: folds
Kingsley: raises 100 to 300
tiger72: folds
MonkeyPelvis: folds
hurricane 1: folds
Dandan28: calls 250
nodlew417: folds
AARP50: folds
bidzior: calls 100
*** FLOP *** [6d Qc Kh]
Dandan28: checks
bidzior: checks
Kingsley: bets 100
Dandan28: folds
bidzior: calls 100
*** TURN *** [6d Qc Kh] [Jh]
bidzior: checks
Kingsley: bets 100
bidzior: calls 100
*** RIVER *** [6d Qc Kh Jh] [Td]
bidzior: checks
Kingsley: bets 1325 and is all-in
bidzior: folds
Kingsley collected 1500 from pot
Kingsley: doesn't show hand

Here I hit my set on the river... of course there is K-10 on the board, all he needs is an Ace or even a 9 to beat me so I lay it down. He could've had K-Q or something similar, we'll never know. Two hands later I hit a Big Blind Special, flopping 2 pair with 3-8 in the BB, winning 5k in the hand. I guess that's why AQ shouldn't limp in from middle position. I'm at 10k when I get to the last big hand of the hour. Hand #50, 50/100 blinds. This one is wild!

Dealt to bidzior [Td Kh]
Kingsley: folds
tiger72: folds
MonkeyPelvis: folds
hurricane 1: folds
Dandan28: folds
nodlew417: folds
AARP50: calls 100
bidzior: calls 50
RalphWiggam: checks
*** FLOP *** [Tc 7s 9s]
bidzior: checks
RalphWiggam: checks
MonkeyPelvis re-buys and receives 1500 chips for $3.00
AARP50: bets 200
bidzior: raises 600 to 800
RalphWiggam: calls 800
AARP50: calls 600
*** TURN *** [Tc 7s 9s] [Th]
bidzior: bets 1400
RalphWiggam: calls 1220 and is all-in
AARP50: calls 1000 and is all-in
*** RIVER *** [Tc 7s 9s Th] [Kc]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
bidzior: shows [Td Kh] (a full house, Tens full of Kings)
RalphWiggam: shows [Jd Qs] (a straight, Nine to King)
bidzior collected 440 from side pot
AARP50: shows [8d Jc] (a straight, Seven to Jack)
bidzior collected 5700 from main pot
RalphWiggam re-buys and receives 1500 chips for $3.00
RalphWiggam said, "n1"
AARP50 re-buys and receives 1500 chips for $3.00

Wow. Here I thought I was in decent shape, even if I wasn't I was going up against smaller stacks that can't bust me. But when we turn over the cards I'm up against someone who flopped the straight on the flop and was trying to milk it ( I didn't even see this at first, looking at Ralph's cards) and Ralph, who's on an openender. I remember seeing the K and thinking I'm beat- it made his straight, until I glanced back at my cards and realized I hit the full house, which I needed anyways to beat AARP. Brutal beat for them both I guess. I was at 14k now and did the rebuy to put me at 16 at the break, in 5th or 6th. And that's the end of first hour highlights, I hope you enjoyed them.

So how much did Big Mike win?

67.50 on those two....another 9 bucks in the morning....

So Mikey sucks at Poker. Fuck me running.

And there are losing stories. Thing is...I move on and don't dwell on them. I paid my rent, phone bills, and two tickets with poker winnings. I think I'm doing just fine.

With these online people...conservative doesn't work. You pointed it out yourself....people play anything. I'll beat 'em at my own game.

And I placed 4th in the B&M this weekend.

Mike, not at all saying you suck...

I'm pointing out a flaw in your thinking. You did NOT call with the best hand... you called with the worst hand. Recognizing that will win ya more money in the long run. We aren't saying be conservative... but what you did wasn't aggressive (by calling the allin)... it was passive.

Mars

WHOO HOOO!!! Another victory!!!

Tournament History for last 1 tournament requested by bigmike411(bigmike@bigmikewatters.com)
PokerStars Tournament #1306212, No Limit Hold'em
Buy-In: $10.00/$1.00
9 players
Total Prize Pool: $90.00
Tournament started - 2004/03/30 - 22:38:58 (ET)
Tournament finished - 2004/03/30 - 23:48:03 (ET)
1: bigmike411 (Grand Island), $45.00 (50%)
2: oatis1 (flower mound), $27.00 (30%)
3: baalleerr (boca raton), $18.00 (20%)
4: kuntakintae (ny),
5: RAIDERBANKER (TAHOKA),
6: gamblerinc (Omaha),
7: malconbadd (las vegas),
8: Freaky827 (Brookfield),
9: SwiGSwaG420 (Philly),
You finished in 1st place (eliminated at hand #362785102).

94 hands played and saw flop:
- 9 times out of 20 while in small blind (45%)
- 10 times out of 20 while in big blind (50%)
- 15 times out of 54 in other positions (27%)
- a total of 34 times out of 94 (36%)

Pots won at showdown - 13 out of 17 (76%)
Pots won without showdown - 15

In Mikey's defense it was a raised pot and he had some money invested after the flop. 1650 was in the pot before his allin. After the allin, pot odds needed to call were 39.8%. A flush draw is close to that, discounting the fact that his opponent could have an over diamond and runner runner diamonds or that he has two diamonds lowers the odds to about 30%. So Mikey should indeed fold, but it isn't way out of line. Now I don't really know who the favorite is, but since Mike just started playing online I'd have to pick the other guy, who probably has more experience, no offense Big Mike.

[You're Daryl Strawberry. Yes. Are you better than me? Well, I don't know you... but... Yes.]

In that case, it just doesn't make much sense for an underdog to try and box with a superior opponent heads up. The correct move according to Sklansky (and I'm sure citing him will cause a chuckle) is to go for the knockout punch and gamble with all your chips with slightly the worst of it if you're the dog heads-up. But, Mike if you think you're better than him, forget about your $1175 investment and go ahead and save the rest of your chips and duke it out with him. If you don't think you're the favorite, taking 30% odds when 40% is needed to call is not that bad.

Of course, what Bob and Ry is saying is correct in the long run in most cases. You can raise or even go allin with a flush draw but not call someone's allin unless pot odds allow it.

You guys are talking greek,r ight?

Good.

ISLAND OF CRETE!