from "Tweets from @CharlesHORSE"

CharlesHORSE Lukas aka LasagnaRIP

Playing in FeltStars WSOP Grand Final: 70 entries = 2 Main Event packages + 3 cash awards. "You don't say good luck / You say #dontgiveup" http://fb.me/RMuL28ai

10 hours ago via Facebook

Lukas aka LasagnaRIP 

@CharlesHORSE  Skid Row, Montreal

Wading through streams of consciousness, on the unrelenting pursuit of unthinking fish. Life can be understood as 1 long gamble 2 gain immortality... #POKERTIPS

http://charleshorse.wordpress.com/

Pulled an Oberstad: won HU SNG mavericking my holecards!

http://charleshorse.wordpress.com/2011/03/05/pulled-an-oberstad-won-hu-sng-mavericking-my-holecards/

Minefield Dilemma

http://charleshorse.wordpress.com/2011/04/03/minefield-dilemma/
Everest 50K Freezeout, approx 440 entries. Busted out in approx 200th place. Details:

Blinds 150/300. This table has not broken since play began: I have reads on all my opponents. Most are passive and seem like satellite entrants. For most of the tournament, the loosest one at the table was a fish on my immediate left; he recently busted out (giving his chips to the tricky player on my right) and was replaced by a new player. Over a very small sample, I have already observed him defend his BB and stick around vs the button on a “raisers flop”, as well as float another flop with only backdoor draws, barrel a blank turn into multiple opponents and check back river when he caught showdown value with a pair: This player, who unfortunately covers my chip total by a small margin, seems to be aggressive and understand position. The player in the BB is very tight and more than doubled me up last orbit when I limp-called his late position all-in squeeze from UTG, holding QQ vs AK; he is now the table shortstack.  I have shown very few hands, mostly premiums, so I should have a rather tight image. (It may be relevant to note that I had also doubled up on the first hand of the tournament by limping UTG with 65s.)

I am dealt QQ. The bigstack folds UTG and I am next to act. My stack contains approx 32BB, which is above average for the table. In a “minefield format” competition such as this, I always feel a dilemma when holding a big hand in early position. I tread a fine line between sticking to the standard opening strategy for value (this works best vs the decent players) and setting traps for the volatile and/or inexperienced players who are willing to pay me off with their dead money. Several stacks are currently in the 12-20BB range and probably looking to shove over a raise or a limp. I feel that if I limp, feigning weakness, it is possible that someone may try to isolate me from the consequent parade of limpers-behind (maybe even the shortstack BB player); however, the fact that I just executed that move makes it less likely to catch anyone by surprise this time. It would also be a tragedy if no one takes the bait and the action is never opened.

I decide to raise to 900, hoping to confuse my observant opponents by playing it straightforwardly. This way I can still get all the chips in against anyone who spastically shoves an ace or a pair in an attempt to double up. To my surprise, the new guy on my left reraises all-in for just over 10K chips (from UTG+2); placing everyone else all-in who still has cards. The action folds around to me. Not believing I am beat, but somewhat upset at having passed up the chance at a lower-variance outcome, I make the call for my remaining ~8700 and lose a race for approx 20th place chips. Safe flop, killer turn.

What happened in the Mutiverse… He might conceivably have folded if I had elected to limp-reraise, though probably not. I would never have merely limp-called if he had made a standard raise, so we would still have raced. The only other way to win the pot was if my open had been cold-called, allowing me to c-bet my overpair; but not even that is guaranteed since some players never fold Big Slick post-flop.

"Story of My Life"

Richie is Montrealed out!

Here's a post I made on P.Savvy and 2+2 titled Chronic C-betting

Chronic C-Betting

Hi my name is Jungstar and I have a C-betting problem. When playing MTT's I used to C-bet almost 100% of the time against up to 3 callers. Recently I have toned it down a bit and I obstain from C-betting on middling flushy flops; ex:9T7 as I reali'ze that this type of flop hits so many hands that would call a raise in the 1st place. Any flush or str8 draw can check raise me off my hand. I've been known to raise pre-flop a fair bit especially if I have 50+ BB's in which case I will raise 2-2.5x w a pretty wide range of cards from any position. At the stakes I play (20-30$ buy-ins) if my table is overly tight and get scared once I continue raising and C-betting It seems they're strategy is to wait for a big hand to flat with, knowing that I will C-Bet. In this case I proceed very cautiously and check back a lot more flops especially broadway cards. Plz. note that I play on a lot of European sites; Ongame, Ipoker etc. where ppl. call pre F. pretty wide so C-betting and second barreling often becomes more advantageous as opposed to say Full Tilt or Pokerstars. If I raise w/ Ax from the High Jack on FullTilt and I get called by two ppl. should I check the flop if it comes say:KJx

orKQx? when should I try a delayed C-bet on the turn? When should I be checking my A down for showdown value? What if I raise w/ a speculative hand like67 and the flop comes:TA2 or should I just give up? I kow that every situation is unique, but generally speaking what is a good percentage to C-bet? I'm sure I C-bet 90+% (no exact stats), I believe somewhere closer to 80-85% would be better. When I watch the P.Savvy pros playing Mtt's it seems they talk a lot about pot control and while they often raise it seems that they don't C-bet unless they have good reason i.e.the fl op only has one high card or they have some type of draw, or a specific read, or HUD stat.

I need to exercise better pot control, PLZ HELP!

P.S. I also like to lead out with draws , when should I check and see a free card as to avoid getting raised off my hand.

Jungstar

Percent chance of no overcard, flop:

• K,K – 77%

• Q,Q – 59%

• J,J – 43%

• T,T – 31%

• 9,9 – 21%

• 8,8 – 13%

• 7,7 – 08%

• 6,6 – 04%

[Ed. note: In other words, chance of holding top-set or an overpair, after flop.
Never hurts to keep these numbers in mind]

from "Tweets from @CharlesHORSE"

@CharlesHORSE Lukas aka Coolhands

Came ridiculously close to my largest score yet http://fb.me/RMuL28ai

30 Jan via Facebook

Lukas aka Coolhands

 @CharlesHORSE Casino de Montreal

...Wading through streams of consciousness, on the unrelenting pursuit of unthinking fish. Life can be understood as one long gamble to gain immortality...