I played at my monthly poker tournament last night. The Dead Money Poker Tour plays roughly 12 times a year. At the end, there’s a tournament of champions. Last year, I was third in points, which gave me free entry into the $100 buy in.

This year, starting in February, I have made many early exits. In some cases, it was a bad read on my part, others due to suckouts.

Last month, I made it just before the final table. When I went out, the final table was seated. I had been card dead and trying to make a play. As usual, I had bad timing and went out.

So, this month, I decided I was going to be quite a bit tighter. With the exception of a couple hands, I was pretty tight for the first 4 hours. I did have a couple drawing hands that I played. And, without exception, my draw missed. In one case, I was drawing to the flush and he made it very expensive to see the river.

While we dwindled to the remaining 13-14 players, I started getting cards. The blinds were getting large and antes were 100 chips. I started getting some pairs and was able to take down some pots. Before this, I had been down to 6000 chips (we start at 11000). As we entered the final table, I had grown to 20K chips.

This tournament also has a bounty structure. For each person you knock out, you get their necklace. When you are eliminated, you turn in your won necklaces and get paid the bounty for each one. When I entered the final table I had a single necklace, mine.

So, at the final table, the last 10 sit. I draw high card, so I choose my position. I then deal out for dealer. I am in late position, which is good as my chip stack could be bigger.

I make a couple stabs at the pot and take them down. I then pick up AJ. I am in middle position. Everyone folds. I bet. The big blind decides to reraise me. Considering his stack is not much more than my bet, I call. He flips over A7. I tell him, “I can beat that.” I do. I have now taken down my first player and collected a necklace.

A couple hands later, I pick up KQ. I bet 6000. I get reraised 6300. The pot has over 20K chips. He flips over AA. I tell him that I will beat him. The king comes out in the first three cards. The queen was card number four. All I need is to avoid pairing the board or an Ace. And with the last card, I collect another bracelet.

I end up busting two more people using the turn or river. In one case, I call an all in with Q6 of clubs. I catch the straight on the river. On the other, I put a player nearly all in on the flop. I have 10 7, in the big blind. I simply check. The flop is 3 6 7. I bet my top pair, he reraises me by saying, “All in”. I quickly call. He turns over 67, for two pair. I catch my 10 on the turn and he is gone.

For some reason, I cannot remember the other player I knocked out.

When we are heads up, I play a little sloppy. The cards aren’t hitting, so I try to make some plays. I end up in a final hand with K8. After pairing my king, I bet. He calls. The board has three hearts, and with the turn, now four. I go all in. He had the queen of hearts, giving him a better flush than my 8. I lose the hand, going out second.

Strange, putting all my money in on the bad end and winning anyway. It rarely happens for me.

My brother in law recently visited.

While he was here, he saw me playing poker. So, I showed him how I played. He later opened up an account and started playing on his own.

During his play, he would ask me to come over and take a look and give him advice. It was actually kinda cool, because it forced me to articulate why I made certain moves, played cards certain ways.

For example, he made a strange play and I called him on it. He held AJ. He limped and caught the nuts. AAJ. He then decided to go all in. Before he could give me an explanation, the opponent called his all in with A2.

He happened to get lucky. His play could have easily resulted in a small 2 big blind win. He could have wasted that hand. I had to take the time to explain to him why he made a mistake even though it paid him off.

When you get a big hand, the goal is to extract as much as you possibly can. He got lucky. Very lucky that a player would call with such a weak holding.

When I started to talk to him about his plays, it made me think of my own. Why do I make a play when I do? Why do I go all in on some hands? Can I articulate the reason why?

In many cases, I can. For example, in a SnG, I might move all in as a smaller stack. My stack is big enough that I can wound another player. This gives him pause to call. It also allows me to steal and make my stack bigger.

Sometimes, I do donk off the chips. For example, in my last SnG, I made a stupid move. I went all in with AJ. The blinds were still relatively small to my stack (50-100). I went all in and was rightfully called by KK. The KK held up and knocked me out.

However, even when I know why I am playing something, it doesn’t preclude someone from telling me how bad my play is. Here’s the hand:

Full Tilt Poker Game #8374769603: $5 + $0.50 Sit & Go (63719579), Table 1 - 100/200 - No Limit Hold'em
Seat 3: chipset0316 (6,740)
Seat 8: StolenBase (6,760)
chipset0316 posts the small blind of 100
StolenBase posts the big blind of 200
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to chipset0316 [7s 9s]
chipset0316 raises to 400
StolenBase raises to 1,000
chipset0316 calls 600
*** FLOP *** [6c 8s 3s]
StolenBase checks
chipset0316 checks
*** TURN *** [6c 8s 3s] [7d]
StolenBase bets 1,500
chipset0316 raises to 5,740, and is all in
StolenBase calls 4,240
chipset0316 shows [7s 9s]
StolenBase shows [Ks Kh]
*** RIVER *** [6c 8s 3s 7d] [7c]
chipset0316 shows three of a kind, Sevens
StolenBase shows two pair, Kings and Sevens
chipset0316 wins the pot (13,480) with three of a kind, Sevens
chipset0316: gg
The blinds are now 120/240
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 13,480 | Rake 0
Board: [6c 8s 3s 7d 7c]
Seat 3: chipset0316 (small blind) showed [7s 9s] and won (13,480) with three of a kind, Sevens
Seat 8: StolenBase (big blind) showed [Ks Kh] and lost with two pair, Kings and Sevens

The hand is heads up. I play a lot of hands heads up.

I called the big blind, putting 400 into the pot. When he raised on the flop, I could have put him on literally any two cards, including overcards. So, I call his 400 into the 800 chip pot.

The flop is actually very good for me. I have flopped a straight draw and a flush draw. This gives me 9 spades, 3 tens, and 3 fives for a total of 15 outs.

He checks the flop. This gives me a free card. I decide to point, as well. Hopefully the spade comes. The turn brings me a 7.

This adds 2 more outs, giving me a total of 17. Add in the ability to win with 2 pair, my 9 gives me three more outs for a total of 20.

He bets. I decide to semi-bluff. I go all in. If I get called, I can still win by catching one of 20 cards in the deck. I like my odds.

I can also win if he decides to fold. He doesn’t and I need to hit to win.

I hit the 7 on the river. This gives me trips and his KK is now dead.

Of course, he was lambasting me about my play. But in the end, after the flop, I had all the outs I needed to call. The turn gave me more. Hence the semi-bluff.

I can articulate some of my moves and why I play them the way I do. However, I need more practice on others.

I enjoy track days. They are a great place to learn new skills and practice them in a somewhat controlled environment.

Here’s a video of one of my track days, back in June. This was put together by Ridesmart.info.

My buddy Jason is featured a couple times, as he won Smoothest Rider of the day for Level 2.