113 of 141

[shipitfish]

Busted out 113 of 141 in the H.O.R.S.E. tourney. It's that second HE round, when it hits 100/200 blinds, that always gets me when I'm against strong players. I loosen up a bit too much, and one bad hand cripples an average stack at that moment. Oh well, a fun time taking a shot at $7,000 for $8.80, anyway. It helps that I won $600 at the NL HE tables a few hours before the tourney started.

Comments

[patty-bush.livejournal.com]

Not bad. It looks like there were five or six FTP pros in the game as well, since it is the highest buy-in on FTP regular MTTs. I think that says something about the level that this game was at. If it was a challenging enough game to attact that much top talent, I'd think you did well.

Maybe you should try playing the satallites more often.

[shipitfish.livejournal.com]

Yes, the field was tough; I had two of the pros at my table. However, I could have done better in the second HE round. There was a lot of blind stealing, and I got into defending from the small blind with a J9 and ended up hitting two pair when the board was paired fours and the button "stealer" had KK. A really dumb way to get crippled. Then, I had TT on the button the next hand, and ended up seeing a three flush come on the turn against the same guy and gave him credit and folded. I ended up all in with an outkicked Ace high.

I should have slowed it down and tried to get my money in during the O/8 round that followed.

[jellymillion.livejournal.com]

From experimenting with the lower stakes HORSE SNGs (up to $20) I'd say that second HE round is one to be treated with extreme caution, particularly when the O8 is (relatively) much safer to negotiate. And beyond that there's always the possibility that someone gets the stud variant wrong: I was idly watching a $50 SNG last night: saw a guy jam it all the way with what turned out to be Kings over Queens against a 6-high straight. I don't think he'd realised they were still playing Razz...

[shipitfish.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's a good point; everyone is a limit HE expert and the edges are in the other rounds. Strangely, Razz was my best round last night. I was executing low-card ante steals well (even once with (A T) A!), and I got some people to see fifth street with me while I was still drawing well even though they had bricked on fourth!

[jellymillion.livejournal.com]

Strangely enough, I have played very little LHE, being a pot limit-raised European-type person. It's a situation I plan to rectify (I'm working my way through the Jones & Miller books at present) but for now it's probably my weakest HORSE round, along with seven-stud high.

O8 leading into Razz are the parts where I really sit up and take notice, and I think I can hold my own in the Stud-8 round. Stud-high and LHE are where I have to remember to take extra time to think through the situations. HORSE is a fun way to get an introduction to the mechanics, if not the correct play of these.

I've had the pleasure/privilege/handicap of playing a couple of low-stakes HORSE SNGs with Erik Seidel (who appears to be a thoroughly nice guy, btw). Now that's a cheap education.

[shipitfish.livejournal.com]

In general, I would think all the HORSE rounds, given that they are limit, would be tough for you as a European trained in PL. Limit poker is just so different. But, it sounds like you are adapating, just as we USAmericans eventually adapt to the pot limit structures. I loved the pot limit mixed games I got to play at the Aviation club on a visit to Paris.