Live Grind: How to Fall Asleep at the Table (Without Getting Caught)

[Matt Vaughan]

Nailed it ^

Also, not much to report. Was in two surprisingly juicy games this weekend and won close to the min both times. Friday night uncapped 1/2 home game, made $410 in a shockingly good game. Saturday I hosted my 1/1 game with a $40-160 buyin range, with a new rule where you can top up to 75% of the biggest stack in the game. I also invited my buddy who got me into the uncapped 1/2 game.

The game had way more rebuys than usual, with there being something like $3k on the table at the end (we were 6-handed). My friend and I were the only two who walked away winners. Personally, I walked away with a solid 42bb win. And him? He won a significantly more solid 11 BI...

As a random aside, I should be starting blog writing for CC soon, so more of my writing might show up there than here. I'll try to post when things go up there so you guys can check it out if interested.

 

[Marginal]

go play some 5/10 please

 

[Matt Vaughan]

go play some 5/10 please

I should soon hopefully - last few weeks I've been playing loads Friday/Saturday so trying to spend time with the gf on Sundays. Plus they had a mix up where they told me my balance was wrong, so I wanted that sorted before I played again. They haven't cited an exact number for me yet, but the bulk of the confusion should be past now.

 

[Logan2]

As a random aside, I should be starting blog writing for CC soon, so more of my writing might show up there than here. I'll try to post when things go up there so you guys can check it out if interested.

Articles about poker or what you mean with blog writing for CC?, link when are up please.

 

[Matt Vaughan]

I've written several poker articles for CC before, but this would be more like a generic blog. So, some of it would be like this thread, sort of about my poker life and what's going on generally along with some stories. Some posts will probably be hand analysis or strategy focused.

Haven't written the first one yet but that should happen this week. I'm unsure how quickly they will go up after I post them, but I'll try to post here when they do.

 

[Marginal]

e not nearly interesting enough to have a blog

 

[Matt Vaughan]

e not nearly interesting enough to have a blog

Thanks bro. I think you're a cool guy too.

 

[Marginal]

<3

 

[Matt Vaughan]

Fun times from home game last night. What do you guys think of this line overall? Main villain, Ricky, is a pretty loose player pre, thinks about people's lines post, but tends to hero fold vs credible, aggro lines, while probably heroing too wide against lines he can't piece together.


$1/$1 home game, straddled pot to $2.

Ricky limps MP, other villain makes it $6 to go. I call with 98hh in the straddle, Ricky calls.

Flop ($19)
I check, and Ricky leads for $16. PFR folds, and I call, since I'm usually ahead of a pair plus draw kind of hand.

Turn ($51)
I check, and Ricky bets for $32 this time. I call, less confident of being ahead now. I think he MIGHT bet again with pair plus draw hands, but he'll usually check them back. He's starting to be skewed more to random pure air (shouldn't be many combos), and pretty strong hands like two pair.

River ($115)
A gutshot comes in. I don't think he has it tons though. I check, and he goes into the tank. He eventually bets $55, and just from how long it took him, it seems likely he had a two pair hand and was unsure whether he could value bet it or not. I decide it is really easy for me to rep 7x and a pair based on my line, so I x/r to $175.


Thoughts?

 

[Marginal]

yea thats fine.

 

[Mr Sandbag]

Going back and forth in my head with this hand. I feel like he would check back a ton on the river with SDV hands like two pair and top pair hands, but if he is actually betting river with those hands idk if he's gonna bet/fold them, if that makes any sense?

Most players at this level are pretty polarized when they bet that river when they could just check back though, so raising doesn't really accomplish anything except folding out hands that you beat anyway.

 

[xdeucesx]

Assuming stacks are deep and its not like this puts him all in, i like it. I think the river sizing makes it more like a b/f value bet with overpair+ two pair then a bluff. If we know he's capable of folding, I dont mind it.

 

[Matt Vaughan]

Yeah I should have specified he had enough behind to make the call and then some. Don't remember exact stack sizes but he had run pretty sick up til this point and started hand with at least $450.

 

[Mr Sandbag]

I don't like that he heros wide though. What was your image?

 

[Matt Vaughan]

We have history that is tough to sum up in a few words, so it's less about my image in the moment, or for that session. He's one of the core home game players, and he's not afraid to rebuy, so I've probably played like 30-50 hours with him at this point.

I was trying to say that he defaults to "calling station" when he can't figure out what you're repping or think your line doesn't make sense. But like if he thinks the line makes sense, he'll make weirdly heroic folds too.

Example: In that same session, he limped, I bumped it up OOP with XYo, and he flats. HU to T63r flop, and I cbet biggish. He calls fairly quickly. Turn is a brick, I cbet biggish again, and he fairly quickly folds, showing a T for TP.

 

[Mr Sandbag]

I think he'd have to put you on exactly a pair and a gutshot to fold. I doubt he's going to believe you called down with just 7x.

But if he's randomly folding top pair, idk. If he's really capable of betting non-straight value hands on the river, then I like raising, but he'd be an exception in the low stakes player pool.

 

[Matt Vaughan]

Arrived in Vegas late last night, and so far this morning I've worked out and made a list of things I need to do before the noon 1k NLHE. I sold several pieces, just to friends, so for my first bullet I've got 75% of myself. If I choose to fire a second bullet, the same backers will be buying a total of 20%, so I'll have 80% of myself. Can't really ever envision myself firing a third because you can only rebuy in the first 6 levels, and those first few levels are big jumps.

Going to find somewhere to buy some snacks, possibly a new shoe bag since I forgot mine at home, eat breakfast, print my new total rewards card, and then pretty much wander around the Rio until it's time to start. Will prob try to find my seat at some point too so that I don't get lost when I actually need to be there lol.

Will be tweeting semi-regular updates @MeVPoker, but will attempt to post here once in a while. Send run goodz plz!

 

[BigCountryGB]

Good luck! Look forward to following along on Twitter and here.

 

[honeycrush]

Exciting! Wishing you some super-mega rungood!!!

 

[Matt Vaughan]

Welp, I busted the 1k NLHE in level 2 (sound familiar? ), but ran pretty hot in cash games after. Played about 2.5 hours at 2/5 and was up $640, then ate dinner, and played 1/3. I was in for $600 fairly quickly when I went QQ < KK against a guy who won multiple multi-way AIPF pots. He then proceeded to leave immediately after winning that pot, chuckling and saying something about late regging a 1k event...

Anyway, after that pot, I basically went on a super heater. I'll spare you the gory details, but my peak stack was $2.6k, I cashed out $2.2k. Pretty sick session, involved quads > boat and other fun hands.

 

[Mr Sandbag]

Sawtooth....

 

[Matt Vaughan]

Sawtooth....

You have no idea. Had one of the worst sessions I ever played today the Venetian 2/5. New table opened and was mostly full of what seemed like internet players. Should have table changed but didn't. Then made several horrifically bad river calls. I also got sucked out on a couple times for medium to big sized pots, but that was no excuse to go play as badly as I did.

I was beating myself up about it a lot, but have accepted it now. Playing bad and recognizing it is how we stop playing bad in the same way. Plus, not I've got all the play- and run-bad out of my system for tomorrow! Little One for One Drop tomorrow should be sick. 10k starting stack and 1-hour levels. Will be tweeting updates again @MeVPoker. Crossing my fingers I make it a heck of a lot further than level 2.

 

[Matt Vaughan]

Busted the little drop in level 9, which was pretty sick, since that's almost exactly where I busted last year - and in very similar fashion. I ran decent in the beginning and chipped up quite a bit. But my stack peaked out at 35k, and I basically bled after that point, going card dead for 3-4 full levels. I'm talking no playable hands, and very, VERY few good steal spots. The first hand back from the last break of the night, I shoved AJs over a limp and got folds, then very next hand I look down at 66 and end up 3b shoving it. I get cold-called by AK, and the A in the window was enough to bust me.

Not much to report on the cash game side except some play bad and run bad. Had one of my biggest ever losing sessions at 2/5 today/last night. -2.4k over 11 hours. Made several losing calls, but also just never got paid on big hands.

Case in point was when I flopped a set of 8's on QT8tt in a single-raised pot out of the BB, and the flop checked around. I raised the SB's lead on the To turn, and both players basically snap folded. The SB said he had KJhh, and the other player claimed he had AT. Come ON.

Anyway, still enjoying Vegas despite the days turning into nights and vice versa (I seem to quit games around 6-7am now and then chill in room/sleep until around 2-4pm). Unfortunately I had to end my streak of cash games keeping my tournament buyins funded - I'm officially down approximately 2.5k on the trip, including buyins, airfare, and expenses. So basically before that last session I was basically breaking even - pretty sick considering I've fired over 2k at tourneys so far.

I'll also get a bit back on the first two tourneys since I sold 25% of my action on my first bullets. My third and final wsop tourney is the Lucky 7's (structure), which is a faster, rebuy version of most of the 1k NLHE tourneys. Starting stack is 5k at 25/50, and there are reentries allowed through level 6 (which would be only about 17bb).

Also, I just realized there are two flights for this tournament, so if I fire a second bullet, it would be at the second flight, so depending on when I bust out, I could potentially get a "re-do" on the tournament.

 

[Marginal]

tough stuff but you will rebound, Let me know if you need to sell any action for anything.

Also I think i still you some funds, just making sure you aint forgot

 

[Matt Vaughan]

tough stuff but you will rebound, Let me know if you need to sell any action for anything.

Also I think i still you some funds, just making sure you aint forgot

Thanks man. Def not too worried about it - Vegas ain't Vegas without some swings. Thanks for the offer on selling action. Only playing the $777 now though and already have 30% sold, but will let you know if I see anything worth playing that I would want backing for.

And I haven't forgotten - I keep meaning to play the 5/10 again and life keeps getting in the way.