The Northeast Chapter of the Ante Up Nation

Last week I joined for my second appearance at the New Home game. It was a special occasion. Chris, one of the hosts of our favorite podcast, Ante Up, was in town (not the funny one) and the home game was put together for that purpose. Three of the normal home game members are Ante Up listeners, and 2 more came into to town from Boston and from Manhattan. There are pictures on their website: Ante Up.

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This was the first live poker I’ve played in months (probably since the first time I attended this home game). The last time I played it was a $10.00 tourney with $10.00 rebuys for the first 3 levels. I go there willing to put up 2 buy-ins the tournament and 2 buy-ins to the home game. Though when I get there, I find out the tourney is doubled. Not a big deal, but I am short on cash at the moment. The last time, I went through 4 buy-ins, but it wasn’t my fault, well one of them was.

Not much happened in the tournament. I got short stacked early, but lived up my “Herpes” moniker and managed to finished 4th out of 8. No cash. The last hand was probably the only thing of significance. There are four people left. I’m on the cutoff (1st to act) with KhTh. I limp. Button folds (I think). SB limps and BB checks.

The Flop comes A-K-Q, one heart. It checks around. The Turn is a blank. The SB bets, the BB folds, and it gets to me. I try to think what he could have checked around with, possibly a straight. I figured a weak ace might have bet the flop to see where he was. Basically, I’m short stacked and if I put any real thought into it, I’m sure I’m beat. But I’m hoping for a Q or something. The guy tends to play tight. Basically as soon as it checked around, I convinced myself that I was going to put all my chimps and I didn’t want logic to get in the way. I push which is very barely more than a call. He calls and flips AJ. I’m dead to a K or a J. The river is nothing and I get in on the cash game before it starts. The Chris the podcast host (CTPH) ends up taking the tournament down. I was just glad I didn’t have to re-buy.

The cash game was a bit more fun. We played .25/.50 NLHE (this time a max buy-in of 50, though I think everyone bought in for $20) for about an hour and a half. Then it switched to dealers choice. Now the mixed games was just recently introduced to this home game, and the skill level of the normal attendees is wide ranging. So to keep things simple, they got rid of pot limit option (so Omaha and what not were played no limit). And despite what was discussed, Stud and Razz were played LIMIT not no limit. Also, split games were taken out of the equation, so only Stud and Omaha hi. However, after a few rounds, since the people here had at least played most of these games, we did bring in the split games.

I ended up down two buy-ins. My third buy-in faired better. Thanks to a lot of luck. Basically I won 3 or 4 hands that allowed me to break even in the cash game.

I wanted to play a hand of Razz but wasn’t getting anything good. So finally I had (34)K (but wasn’t the bring-in). A 2 completed and I decided screw it lets call. There were a few other players in the hand. I hit perfect on the next two streets, A and then a 2. Everyone thought that if I’m playing a K, one if not BOTH of those had to have given me a pair. When I made my hand on 6th street, I was still getting plenty of action. I ended up taking down a decent pot there.

Another Razz hand I made an 86 (or was it a 76) to beat someone with a 96. Either way it was a bad play by me, but with that hand I was playing the player more. I figured he had a low door card, but would play it even if he had bad cards in the hole. I was right.

Then two hands in stud helped me out. Now I’m VERY inexperienced in stud. I’ve played, sure, but the nuances escape me. I’m dealt three diamonds (Ax)Q. I called a bet. 4th street brought me a 4th diamond. Now, CTPH, is still in the hand and showing 8d3d. So two of my diamonds are out, but I was aware enough to realize that no one else showed a diamond or folded. Once my fourth diamond comes out, I do get aggressive and start raising. I continue aggression on 5th street even though I bricked. On 6th street, I slow down and start check calling (CTPH hit another 8). Mostly I figured the pot was big enough that I could check call to try to hit. I hit my diamond on 7th street, and take down a big pot. CTPH had Aces up. That was a rather big pot.

The final hand I won, again I hit perfect. This would have been a great hand if it was Stud 8, but it was just Stud. I get dealt (A2)3. I call a raise. Hit a 5, then hit a 4, for my wheel. Push the aggression and take down another big pot and that pretty much got me back to even in the cash game.

So not a bad night, down the Tourney buy-in, and more importantly I had fun, even if I played poor poker.

I just purchased a second Nintendo Wii, and I just put it up on Ebay, hoping to make a bit of a profit that can fund a trip to Foxwoods. Lets hope for a bidding war breaks out

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