I have never laughed so damn hard in all my life....

Iggy is the best...quoted from his site.

Pokerstars Is Rigged

Hello all,

I am here not to make threats, lies, or purposely arbertrate Pokerstars site integrity but listed below is an explanation of how ive come to a conclusion that Pokerstars is indeed not legitimate and in fact has hundreds of employees and software programmers scamming from the innocent players.

After 3 years of recorded hand histories, betting patterns, chat, and other related aspects to the game, I submitted all this information to a personal friend whom is a graduate from MIT. I will not post his name as he requested to keep his identity from this issue.

What he did was compile all the hands and ran a statistical analysis of these hands (1,345,978 to be exact) and found that the probabilities that resulted in the wins/losses of these hands were in fact 21.9% in difference then in actual probable odds. 21.9% May not seem like a large # but when you multiply this number by 1 million you can see the amount of hands this relates to and the amount of money lost in these hands.

I also had him carefully research and study the betting patterns of all these hands and how it correlated to the results of these hands. You will be amazed at what he discovered. Not only does he conclude that there are inside players workin for pokerstars but he also states that they use PROGRAMMED BOTS with a very high effecient A.I.(artificial intelligence)

I know most of you have heard of these so called "bots" and in fact there are places we know that use them but I will not bring there names into this for site protection. What I'm gettin at is he concludes Pokerstars with the billions of dollars in revenue has the resources to be able to pull off this scam with hi tech programmers, anti-fraud marketing campaigns, deposit bonuses, etc etc. They have the world in their hands, and being that party poker is a big competitor it onlys make sense that these greedy bastards would rob every penny they can get their hands on!

So in closing this, beware and the next time you ask yourself how did I just lose with AA to 23 os all in preflop, remember this post.

Best of Luck,

Riggedpokerstars

Another Good Run - Public MTT 11.20.2005

Hey all, sorry it has taken a while to post here again. I've been busy with in-laws, shopping, and more importantly, some poker.

I have finally gone positive not only for the month, but historically in my MTT action. I had a very long dry spell in cashing in any kind of MTT, but am now up to 4 cashs for this month, alone. And one for some decent money.

On November 20th (this past Sunday) I was on poking around on Full Tilt and noticed that a $20+2 NLHE was about to start. I usually try to stick with the $1, $5 or $10 MTTs, but thought "ah, what the hell" and registered to play.

I'm glad I did. I made my first FT in several months, and took home my second bigest cash out, placing 3rd for a $290.70 payday. That's right kids. 3rd out of 114. I should have been 1st or 2nd, but we will get to that story in a minute.

Prior to this, my biggest cash was for $480+ (don't remember the exact number) on a Limit HE $2 buy-in on PokerStars where I finished 2nd out of 400+ entrants.

So this was a significant event in my poker career. It hopefully shows a turning point in my game, as I have finally started getting ITM in some public MTTs.

I did fairly well early on, and managed to win the majority of my races. It helped that I had a big stack early on. The one thing that I have been learning and using more and more is patience. I would get bored too easily early on in tourneys, and start making dumb plays, like going up against the big stack after they made a significant raise by going all-in in coin flip situations.

I have since stopped doing this, as I realized it was the killed leak in my MTT play. Now, if I am up against a big stack, I'm not commiting before the flop, unless I am the aggressor and I have a good read. And it has to be a REALLY good read. Even then, you aren't going to do as well, but if your stack is big enough that you can make a dent in the big stack, he will most likely fold (due to FOLD EQUITY, something that I am new to learning about).

This doesn't always work, as there are a lot of donkeys out there that will NOT fold a race, no matter what. You will be able to pick these guys out easily, and watch them get a big stack, only to lose it prior to the money. This is getting long, so I'll save a Fold Equity discussion for a later thread and just talk about this MTT.

Up to the final table, I felt I played a tight, conservative, aggressive game. You can see the Hand History Here.

From the Final Table, on, I started to get more aggressive and loosen my starting hands a bit, as well as trying to push on the Big Stack, as he was a LAG. The strategy worked very well, and when we hit the final three, I managed to finally wrestle the chip lead away with a few good reads. One side note...the reads were due to the most note-taking I have done to date in any tourney. I was using notes on and off before this, but this has really made me sharped and focus my game. When we got to 2-tables, I kept the other table open to take notes on players I had not seen. By doing this, I had a good idea of playing styles when we hit the FT.

T-Bag was the LAGGY player, and had been beating people over the head with his big stack. I finally took a chunk out of him, followed by the other player and we had him on the ropes. I had 86K vs his 35K chips when I looked down in the SB to see AK off. The blinds were 500-1000, so I raised to 5K. T-bag immediately re-raised all-in from the BB. I knew this was the time to get in, as this guy made this play with anything from any PP (including 44, the lowest I saw him play) down to A9 offsuit (I saw him push with this pre-flop early on), so I called. He turned over 77, and I didn't improve.

I now had 51K, he had 70K, the other player had 50K. We went round and round for a while, until I regained the chip lead with a semi-bluff with A4 off into a board of Q 4 3. I bet it out, T-Bag raised, and I came over the top. He had to lay it down. I was back up to 62K, Bag had 61K and matt had 48K. A little more sparring, and Bag took the lead again with his LAG style. Then, the final hand. Here it is:

FullTiltPoker Game #300318396: $20 + $2 Tournament (1872795), Table 6 - 600/1200 Ante 150 - No Limit Hold'em - 13:56:57 ET - 2005/11/20
Seat 6: matt_d23 (45,836)
Seat 7: IlliniFan (57,452)
Seat 9: T-Bag176 (67,712)
matt_d23 antes 150
IlliniFan antes 150
T-Bag176 antes 150
matt_d23 posts the small blind of 600
IlliniFan posts the big blind of 1,200
The button is in seat #9
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to IlliniFan [8c 8d]
T-Bag176 raises to 4,800 Okay, he raises 4X the BB on the button, again.
matt_d23 folds
IlliniFan raises to 57,302, and is all in I'm playing this to win, so I'm going to make him make the decision. I put him on Ax, or Kx.
T-Bag176 calls 52,502
IlliniFan shows [8c 8d]
T-Bag176 shows [9c Kc] Bingo. I'm a favorite, and if I win this, I win the whole thing.
*** FLOP *** [6h 5d 9d] Crap. He hit his 6-outer right away...sigh....with K9 offsuit.
*** TURN *** [6h 5d 9d] [6s]
*** RIVER *** [6h 5d 9d 6s] [3h]
IlliniFan shows two pair, Eights and Sixes
T-Bag176 shows two pair, Nines and Sixes
T-Bag176 wins the pot (115,654) with two pair, Nines and Sixes
IlliniFan: gg all
IlliniFan stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 115,654 | Rake 0
Board: [6h 5d 9d 6s 3h]
Seat 6: matt_d23 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 7: IlliniFan (big blind) showed [8c 8d] and lost with two pair, Eights and Sixes
Seat 9: T-Bag176 (button) showed [9c Kc] and won (115,654) with two pair, Nines and Sixes

I couldn't have done anything else against this guy, except wait for him to take out the other player to get 2nd and hope for the best heads-up. But this guy had been playing some really crappy cards (I had a note that he called an all-in from a guy he had covered by less than 1K chips during the money bubble time with A4 off..he was really loose).

The good news is that after I was knocked out, Matt managed to take him out. Way to go matt!!

Complete FT hand history can be found here.

Woooooooooot!!! 11/11/2005

Finally a little swing my way. After a pretty bad read by me at the dime/quarter NLHE, I was down about $16. Then last night I hit the ring games for a while again and lost another $21. Things were looking bad. Until I entered a few more MTTs on Full Tilt. The first was the public 9pm $10 buy-in NLHE. I was up and down all night, but ended up ITM with a 24th place finish out of 348 for a $19.14 payout, a $8.14 profit. The complete Hand History is HERE.

The better game was a private tourney with 21 people. I finished here first after a few huge hands. When we got to the final table I had over half the chips in play, and there wasn't anyone else close. I had a few lucky suckouts along the way. When we got down to the final four it got pretty hairy. I donked off a few chips in some plays, by moving into a tighter mode than I probably should have with the huge stack that I was playing.

There was one particular hand that, to me was the key to my winning this thing. I finally have a hand that I am pretty proud of, so here it is with my thoughts at the time. Lefty may be ticked off here, since I still don't know if I was beat or not. Lefty, if you read this, let me know?

FullTiltPoker Game #288037093: Freaky Friday (1793759), Table 1 - 200/400 Ante 50 - No Limit Hold'em - 23:30:10 ET - 2005/11/11
Seat 1: lyndon (5,677)
Seat 2: IlliniFan (9,255) Notice, I have donked off a lot of chips. I had been as high as T20,000.
Seat 4: Wisconsin Lefty (8,882)
Seat 9: CailtyssRulien (7,686)
lyndon antes 50
IlliniFan antes 50
Wisconsin Lefty antes 50
CailtyssRulien antes 50
lyndon posts the small blind of 200
IlliniFan posts the big blind of 400
khanwoman (Observer): go CAT
The button is in seat #9
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to IlliniFan [Ks 9s]
Wisconsin Lefty raises to 1,600
CailtyssRulien folds
lyndon folds
IlliniFan calls 1,200 Okay, here's what I was thinking. I've been donking a lot of chips off with bet-get raised-fold action after the flop. Let's see if I can use that image to take some control back.
*** FLOP *** [Qc 7c Ts] Complete miss. Let's see if I can use the image and come over the top on a reraise and win it here.
IlliniFan bets 1,600
Wisconsin Lefty calls 1,600 Nope, no reraise. I'll have to push on the turn. Only way I'm going to win this hand and get back control.
*** TURN *** [Qc 7c Ts] [2d]
IlliniFan bets 6,005, and is all in Push and pray time. I'm sweating this one big time. Lefty thought about the call for a bit and I thought I was going to Donk out in 4th.
Wisconsin Lefty folds Whew.
Uncalled bet of 6,005 returned to IlliniFan
IlliniFan mucks
IlliniFan wins the pot (6,800)
CailtyssRulien: jesus
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 6,800 | Rake 0
Board: [Qc 7c Ts 2d]
Seat 1: lyndon (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 2: IlliniFan (big blind) collected (6,800), mucked
Seat 4: Wisconsin Lefty folded on the Turn
Seat 9: CailtyssRulien (button) folded before the Flop

I think that my image of being tight is what won me this hand. No idea if Lefty had an A, or had any pair that could have beat me. So, at times, it is good to play your image. Worked for me here, and is the one hand that I can point to that got me to win this thing. This wasn't an AA vs XX, which I had a few of and survived. Anyone can push with aces. I was proud to win this on a total, complete bluff.........sorry Lefty : )

Complete Hand History: HERE

Why low limits get to me...

FullTiltPoker Game #286544216: Table Fairfield - $0.10/$0.25 - No Limit Hold'em - 22:57:33 ET - 2005/11/10
Seat 1: bkibgnk ($10)
Seat 2: boxcaral ($25.95)
Seat 3: IlliniFan ($40.65)
Seat 4: QuatelHelix ($35.75)
Seat 5: ShagstaMan ($27.55)
Seat 6: gshack ($21.55)
Seat 7: Scarbo ($10)
Seat 8: Acidrain77 ($9.90)
Seat 9: PeterA64 ($58.90), is sitting out
IlliniFan posts the small blind of $0.10
QuatelHelix posts the big blind of $0.25
bkibgnk posts $0.25
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to IlliniFan [8d 8s]
ShagstaMan folds
gshack calls $0.25
Scarbo folds
Acidrain77 folds
bkibgnk checks
boxcaral folds
IlliniFan raises to $1
QuatelHelix calls $0.75
gshack calls $0.75
bkibgnk folds
*** FLOP *** [4h 5c 7d]
IlliniFan bets $3
QuatelHelix raises to $9
gshack folds
IlliniFan calls $6
*** TURN *** [4h 5c 7d] [2h]
IlliniFan checks
QuatelHelix bets $13
IlliniFan raises to $30.65, and is all in
QuatelHelix calls $12.75, and is all in
IlliniFan shows [8d 8s]
QuatelHelix shows [9c 9h]
Uncalled bet of $4.90 returned to IlliniFan
*** RIVER *** [4h 5c 7d 2h] [5s]
IlliniFan: ouch
IlliniFan shows two pair, Eights and Fives
QuatelHelix shows two pair, Nines and Fives
QuatelHelix wins the pot ($69.75) with two pair, Nines and Fives
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $72.75 | Rake $3
Board: [4h 5c 7d 2h 5s]
Seat 1: bkibgnk folded before the Flop
Seat 2: boxcaral (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: IlliniFan (small blind) showed [8d 8s] and lost with two pair, Eights and Fives
Seat 4: QuatelHelix (big blind) showed [9c 9h] and won ($69.75) with two pair, Nines and Fives
Seat 5: ShagstaMan didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: gshack folded on the Flop
Seat 7: Scarbo didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: Acidrain77 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: PeterA64 is sitting out


Okay, here the rub...this guy starts talking a little bit about it after the hand is over. He says "I thought I was beat, but I had to call the last $11 into the $58 pot". This is the play that irks me at low limits. He says he thinks he's beat, and so he can only beat a bluff or hope for his 5% chance to hit the miracle 9 on the river. I've been showing quality hands all night and am up big, so my reraise should be screaming that he is beat. So he takes the roughly 6:1 to hit his (what he thinks) 2 outer on the river, a 20:1 shot. Granted, it turned out to be the correct call, but I label this as a donkey play if he truly thought he was beat. If this was a higher limit table (say $1/2 NLHE) where the $11 is now closer to $50, I don't see him making this call.

I realize that I had bad position with a mid-pocket pair, but this guy had the same thing and was making some strange calls with it....thoughts?

Update 11/10/2005

Doing okay right now, had some ups and downs. For the month, I am up $7!!!! Woo hoo! I'm in the money!!

Breaking it down, I'm up $16.50 in ring games, with $15.65 coming from dime/quarter NLHE, $4.10 in PLO8 (playing nickle/dime and dime/quarter), and I'm down $3.25 in LHE (playing $0.25/$0.50 adn $0.50/$1 tables there).

I'm up $30 in SnGs, where I have 1 first, 2 seconds, and 2 out of the money finishes (one in Razz, I don't know why I even try to play that game)

So far, no money wins in any multi-table action. I have lost $39.50 there, so that brings my total down. However, I have bubbled in a few of the MTTs. I finished 11th (top 8 paid) out of 82 in a private NLHE tourney that was hosted from Fulltiltforum.com, and 44th (top 36 paid) out of 339 in another NLHE tourney.

I've been noticing that my reads are still up and down, depending on how much attention I am paying to the table. I have been doing too much multitasking (like writing here or reading other blogs/forums) and not enough note-taking. However, here's one that I am proud of:

FullTiltPoker Game #286480636: Table Fairfield - $0.10/$0.25 - No Limit Hold'em - 22:15:38 ET - 2005/11/10
Seat 1: kmagic ($9.65)
Seat 2: boxcaral ($24.55)
Seat 3: IlliniFan ($24.50)
Seat 4: QuatelHelix ($28.65)
Seat 5: ShagstaMan ($22.65)
Seat 6: gshack ($10.95)
Seat 7: jdkbld ($29.85)
Seat 9: PeterA64 ($60.95)
PeterA64 posts the small blind of $0.10
kmagic posts the big blind of $0.25
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to IlliniFan [Qc Qh] I've been playing for about 10 mins, and won the blinds once, and haven't been in many pots. I've noticed that boxcaral has been a bit aggressive since he sat a few hands ago.
boxcaral raises to $1.25 Bingo, raised in front of me again. Mid-PP or AK, AQ is my read.
ShagstaMan: wahoo
IlliniFan raises to $3 So I decided to push back a little, with position
QuatelHelix folds
ShagstaMan folds
gshack folds
jdkbld folds
PeterA64 folds
kmagic folds
boxcaral calls $1.75 Okay, let's see what we get.
*** FLOP *** [7s 9d 4h]
boxcaral checks
IlliniFan bets $6.35 Okay, he's either slowplaying or he's missed.
boxcaral has 15 seconds left to act He took a long pause here, which made my call easy. If he had gone with the immediate re-raise, or had not taken almost the full time, I may have layed this down.
boxcaral raises to $21.55, and is all in I think my read is correct. I'm guessing something like 99.
gshack is feeling angry
IlliniFan calls $15.15, and is all in No way I can get away from this now with the read.
boxcaral shows [Js Jd] Bingo!
IlliniFan shows [Qc Qh]
Uncalled bet of $0.05 returned to boxcaral
*** TURN *** [7s 9d 4h] [7c]
*** RIVER *** [7s 9d 4h 7c] [4s]
boxcaral shows two pair, Jacks and Sevens
IlliniFan shows two pair, Queens and Sevens
IlliniFan wins the pot ($46.90) with two pair, Queens and Sevens
boxcaral is sitting out
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $49.35 | Rake $2.45
Board: [7s 9d 4h 7c 4s]
Seat 1: kmagic (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 2: boxcaral showed [Js Jd] and lost with two pair, Jacks and Sevens
Seat 3: IlliniFan showed [Qc Qh] and won ($46.90) with two pair, Queens and Sevens
Seat 4: QuatelHelix didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: ShagstaMan didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: gshack didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: jdkbld didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: PeterA64 (small blind) folded before the Flop

So, overall the read worked. Here's where it didn't:

FullTiltPoker Game #286510322: $5 + $0.50 Sit & Go (1849223), Table 1 - 40/80 - No Limit Hold'em - 22:35:11 ET - 2005/11/10
Seat 2: BlueTurtle5 (1,350)
Seat 3: dolemite_man (4,025)
Seat 4: Kipper7 (4,220)
Seat 5: Nuggetplay13 (1,000)
Seat 7: IlliniFan (1,255)
Seat 9: VIPER9 (1,650)
BlueTurtle5 posts the small blind of 40
dolemite_man posts the big blind of 80
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to IlliniFan [Tc Td]
Kipper7 folds
Nuggetplay13 folds
IlliniFan raises to 300 Let's see what happens.
VIPER9 folds
BlueTurtle5 folds
dolemite_man raises to 640 Okay, he's the big stack. He may be trying to push me out. Unfortunately, I don't have a good read on him as I have been multitasking and not paying attention. Bad Idea. I have to stop this. I decide to push back and hope for a race.
IlliniFan raises to 1,255, and is all in
dolemite_man calls 615
IlliniFan shows [Tc Td]
dolemite_man shows [As Ah] Whoops. No race. I'm done.
IlliniFan: damn
*** FLOP *** [9h 8s Qh]
*** TURN *** [9h 8s Qh] [Qs]
*** RIVER *** [9h 8s Qh Qs] [4d]
IlliniFan shows two pair, Queens and Tens
dolemite_man shows two pair, Aces and Queens
dolemite_man wins the pot (2,550) with two pair, Aces and Queens
IlliniFan: was hoping for a race at least
IlliniFan: gg
IlliniFan stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2,550 | Rake 0
Board: [9h 8s Qh Qs 4d]
Seat 2: BlueTurtle5 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 3: dolemite_man (big blind) showed [As Ah] and won (2,550) with two pair, Aces and Queens
Seat 4: Kipper7 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: Nuggetplay13 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: IlliniFan showed [Tc Td] and lost with two pair, Queens and Tens
Seat 9: VIPER9 didn't bet (folded)

Complete Hand History for this SnG: Here

So, moral of the story...study your players and take LOTS of notes so you know what is going on. I thinkt that Harrington Vol 1 gives some great advice that you should always be studying, you should never be zoning out when playing. Such is life.

Looking back, being in 4th, the push and hope for the race with the Big Stack, in my opinion, isn't that bad of a move. If I am in a race and win, I'm ITM. If I'm out, I'm out. Have a different opinion? Let me know!

MTT Bubble 11/6/2005

I was doing okay, hanging out near the bubble, but on the right side of it. Until this hand. Talk about a passive play. How can I put him on this? It doesn't seem like a trap, but it sure took me down pretty far. I ended up out of the money, 44th out of 339 when my 88 ran into QQ. Thoughts?

FullTiltPoker Game #280527719: $5 + $0.50 Tournament (1749495), Table 4 - 250/500 Ante 50 - No Limit Hold'em - 17:17:51 ET - 2005/11/06
Seat 1: sonnyray (3,270)
Seat 2: PaulKazanchian (22,259)
Seat 3: hvaniii (31,583)
Seat 4: IlliniFan (3,435)
Seat 5: hydrodev (10,870)
Seat 6: Xaximus (16,681)
Seat 7: themerk (11,817)
Seat 8: BubbaZar (3,570)
Seat 9: fins2theleft (11,946)
sonnyray antes 50
PaulKazanchian antes 50
hvaniii antes 50
IlliniFan antes 50
hydrodev antes 50
Xaximus antes 50
themerk antes 50
BubbaZar antes 50
fins2theleft antes 50
IlliniFan posts the small blind of 250
hydrodev posts the big blind of 500
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to IlliniFan [5d Ah]
Xaximus folds
themerk folds
BubbaZar folds
fins2theleft folds
sonnyray folds
PaulKazanchian folds
hvaniii folds
IlliniFan calls 250
themerk: had top pair
hydrodev checks
*** FLOP *** [Qh 8d Jh]
themerk: good reraise
IlliniFan checks
hydrodev checks
*** TURN *** [Qh 8d Jh] [8s]
IlliniFan bets 500 Okay, I think my A must be good as he checked the flop.
hydrodev calls 500 He may just be trying to outdraw me here.
*** RIVER *** [Qh 8d Jh 8s] [8h]
IlliniFan bets 500 Okay, so he missed, right?
hydrodev calls 500 Huh? maybe he's on an A?
*** SHOW DOWN ***
IlliniFan shows [5d Ah] (three of a kind, Eights)
hydrodev shows [4s Jd] (a full house, Eights full of Jacks)
hydrodev wins the pot (3,450) with a full house, Eights full of Jacks
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 3,450 | Rake 0
Board: [Qh 8d Jh 8s 8h]
Seat 1: sonnyray folded before the Flop
Seat 2: PaulKazanchian folded before the Flop
Seat 3: hvaniii (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: IlliniFan (small blind) showed [5d Ah] and lost with three of a kind, Eights
Seat 5: hydrodev (big blind) showed [4s Jd] and won (3,450) with a full house, Eights full of Jacks
Seat 6: Xaximus folded before the Flop
Seat 7: themerk folded before the Flop
Seat 8: BubbaZar folded before the Flop
Seat 9: fins2theleft folded before the Flop

I just have a problem with him limping along. I HATE passive plays like this. Granted, it worked, but I think it is pretty bad form, late in a tourney. Thoughts?

Complete Hand History: HERE.

Pocket Pairs in a Limit Game...to cap or not to cap?

Had a guy at $0.50/$1 today tear me a new one when I reraised with 10 10 vs his KK and another players J J. My 10 hit the flop and they gladly capped it every round to the end.

So here is my question. I prefer to cap it pre-flop and then get away if I don't hit my set if the table is full of aggressive players (which this table was). If I miss, I'm out the $2. If I hit, then I know I'm going to get paid out, usually a lot.

What's your thoughts? Hitting trips on the flop is about 7.5 to 1. I'm going to pay out $15 (7.5 times 2) to win a minimum of $6 (worst case, and obvoiusly -EV). Most of my cases have been up against 1-3 players that cap it to the end (1 pays out $12, 3 pays out $36, so an average of $24, now a +EV play)

Anyone have other thoughts?

Here's the HH:

FullTiltPoker Game #277753137: Table Bradley - $0.50/$1 - Limit Hold'em - 18:26:54 ET - 2005/11/04
Seat 1: MYB ($32.50)
Seat 2: jacksorbeter ($12)
Seat 3: Terry Posey ($12.50)
Seat 4: IlliniFan ($20.25)
Seat 5: Series7_Hunter ($9.50)
Seat 6: 24TILT7 ($26)
Seat 7: Solver ($13.25)
Seat 8: mwelch370 ($4)
Seat 9: Mildew68 ($21)
IlliniFan posts the small blind of $0.25
Series7_Hunter posts the big blind of $0.50
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to IlliniFan [Tc Ts]
24TILT7 folds
Solver folds
mwelch370 raises to $1
Mildew68 folds
MYB folds
jacksorbeter raises to $1.50
Terry Posey folds
IlliniFan raises to $2
Series7_Hunter folds
mwelch370 calls $1
jacksorbeter calls $0.50
*** FLOP *** [2d 3h Td]
IlliniFan checks
mwelch370 checks
jacksorbeter bets $0.50
IlliniFan raises to $1
mwelch370 calls $1
jacksorbeter raises to $1.50
IlliniFan raises to $2
mwelch370 calls $1, and is all in
jacksorbeter calls $0.50
*** TURN *** [2d 3h Td] [8c]
IlliniFan bets $1
jacksorbeter raises to $2
IlliniFan raises to $3
jacksorbeter raises to $4
IlliniFan calls $1
*** RIVER *** [2d 3h Td 8c] [As]
IlliniFan bets $1
jacksorbeter calls $1
*** SHOW DOWN ***
IlliniFan shows [Tc Ts] (three of a kind, Tens)
jacksorbeter mucks
IlliniFan wins the side pot ($9.50) with three of a kind, Tens
mwelch370 shows [Js Jd] (a pair of Jacks)
IlliniFan wins the main pot ($12) with three of a kind, Tens
mwelch370 is sitting out
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $22.50 Main pot $12.50. Side pot $10. | Rake $1
Board: [2d 3h Td 8c As]
Seat 1: MYB didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: jacksorbeter mucked [Kh Ks] - a pair of Kings
Seat 3: Terry Posey (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: IlliniFan (small blind) showed [Tc Ts] and won ($21.50) with three of a kind, Tens
Seat 5: Series7_Hunter (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 6: 24TILT7 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: Solver didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: mwelch370 showed [Js Jd] and lost with a pair of Jacks
Seat 9: Mildew68 didn't bet (folded)

MTT Action 11/1/2005

Well, not what I wanted, at all. 139th out of 175. Two suckouts and I'm out. I thought both were appropriate plays, just bad luck. Here's all 6 hands that I played. Give me your thoughts. Anything anyone would have done different?

FullTiltPoker Game #273966731: $10 + $1 Tournament (1707487), Table 5 - 15/30 - No Limit Hold'em - 16:01:00 ET - 2005/11/01
The button is in seat #9
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to IlliniFan [As 2s]
DLOOO folds
northernplayer folds
DiggaDog raises to 60
showboat74 folds
firedevil200 folds
snopro87 calls 60
threadman calls 45
IlliniFan calls 30 Note-this is the first hand in the tourney, so I wanted to see the flop
*** FLOP *** [Jd 7c Qd]
threadman bets 240
IlliniFan folds I'm out, but noticed the action and used it later
DiggaDog calls 240
snopro87 folds
*** TURN *** [Jd 7c Qd] [Th]
threadman bets 720
DiggaDog calls 720
*** RIVER *** [Jd 7c Qd Th] [Qc]
threadman bets 480, and is all in
DiggaDog folds
Uncalled bet of 480 returned to threadman
threadman mucks
threadman wins the pot (2,160)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2,160 | Rake 0
Board: [Jd 7c Qd Th Qc]
Seat 1: threadman (small blind) collected (2,160), mucked
Seat 2: IlliniFan (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 3: DLOOO didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: northernplayer didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: DiggaDog folded on the River
Seat 6: showboat74 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: firedevil200 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: snopro87 folded on the Flop



FullTiltPoker Game #273968095: $10 + $1 Tournament (1707487), Table 5 - 15/30 - No Limit Hold'em - 16:02:12 ET - 2005/11/01
Seat 1: threadman (2,640)
Seat 2: IlliniFan (1,440)
Seat 3: DLOOO (1,500)
Seat 4: northernplayer (1,500)
Seat 5: DiggaDog (480)
Seat 6: showboat74 (1,500)
Seat 7: firedevil200 (1,500)
Seat 8: snopro87 (1,440)
IlliniFan posts the small blind of 15
DLOOO posts the big blind of 30
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to IlliniFan [Jc Th]
northernplayer folds
DiggaDog calls 30
showboat74 folds
firedevil200 calls 30
snopro87 folds
threadman calls 30
IlliniFan calls 15 worth a call with the limpers
DLOOO checks
*** FLOP *** [Qh Qc 9h]
IlliniFan checks
DLOOO checks
DiggaDog checks
firedevil200 checks
threadman checks
*** TURN *** [Qh Qc 9h] [7h]
IlliniFan checks
DLOOO checks
DiggaDog checks
firedevil200 checks
threadman checks
*** RIVER *** [Qh Qc 9h 7h] [7c]
IlliniFan checks
DLOOO checks
DiggaDog checks
firedevil200 checks
wallygator62 sits down
wallygator62 adds 1,500
threadman bets 30
IlliniFan folds nope, I don't have an A, so I'm not even going to call the small bet
DLOOO folds
DiggaDog folds
firedevil200 calls 30
*** SHOW DOWN ***
threadman shows [6s 5s] (two pair, Queens and Sevens)
firedevil200 shows [2d Ah] (two pair, Queens and Sevens)
firedevil200 wins the pot (210) with two pair, Queens and Sevens
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 210 | Rake 0
Board: [Qh Qc 9h 7h 7c]
Seat 1: threadman (button) showed [6s 5s] and lost with two pair, Queens and Sevens
Seat 2: IlliniFan (small blind) folded on the River
Seat 3: DLOOO (big blind) folded on the River
Seat 4: northernplayer didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: DiggaDog folded on the River
Seat 6: showboat74 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: firedevil200 showed [2d Ah] and won (210) with two pair, Queens and Sevens
Seat 8: snopro87 didn't bet (folded)



FullTiltPoker Game #273971095: $10 + $1 Tournament (1707487), Table 5 - 15/30 - No Limit Hold'em - 16:04:56 ET - 2005/11/01
Seat 1: threadman (2,580)
Seat 2: IlliniFan (1,410)
Seat 3: DLOOO (2,370)
Seat 4: northernplayer (1,320)
Seat 5: DiggaDog (450)
Seat 6: showboat74 (780)
Seat 7: firedevil200 (1,650)
Seat 8: snopro87 (1,440)
Seat 9: wallygator62 (1,500)
northernplayer posts the small blind of 15
DiggaDog posts the big blind of 30
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to IlliniFan [6h Ah]
showboat74 folds
firedevil200 calls 30
snopro87 folds
wallygator62 has 15 seconds left to act
wallygator62 is sitting out
wallygator62 has timed out
wallygator62 folds
threadman calls 30
IlliniFan raises to 130 one off the button, let's see how married people are to their limping hands
wallygator62 has returned
DLOOO folds
northernplayer folds
DiggaDog calls 100
firedevil200 calls 100
threadman folds
*** FLOP *** [7c 2h Ts]
DiggaDog bets 320, and is all in okay, this guy is the guy who chased to the river the first hand and crippled himself. I'm not going to give him any more chips, and I missed.
firedevil200 folds
IlliniFan folds
Uncalled bet of 320 returned to DiggaDog
DiggaDog mucks
DiggaDog wins the pot (435)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 435 | Rake 0
Board: [7c 2h Ts]
Seat 1: threadman folded before the Flop
Seat 2: IlliniFan folded on the Flop
Seat 3: DLOOO (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: northernplayer (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: DiggaDog (big blind) collected (435), mucked
Seat 6: showboat74 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: firedevil200 folded on the Flop
Seat 8: snopro87 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: wallygator62 didn't bet (folded)



FullTiltPoker Game #273977734: $10 + $1 Tournament (1707487), Table 5 - 15/30 - No Limit Hold'em - 16:10:56 ET - 2005/11/01
Seat 1: threadman (3,390)
Seat 2: IlliniFan (1,280)
Seat 3: DLOOO (2,370)
Seat 4: northernplayer (1,815)
Seat 5: DiggaDog (635)
Seat 6: showboat74 (720)
Seat 7: firedevil200 (1,460)
Seat 8: snopro87 (360)
Seat 9: wallygator62 (1,470)
firedevil200 posts the small blind of 15
snopro87 posts the big blind of 30
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to IlliniFan [9c Ks]
wallygator62 folds
threadman folds
IlliniFan calls 30 I know, loose call. Should I raise here with this in early position? I just wanted to see the flop cheap with marginal cards.
DLOOO folds
northernplayer folds
DiggaDog folds
showboat74 folds
firedevil200 folds
snopro87 checks
*** FLOP *** [8s 9h Td] but I hit 2nd pair, decent kicker.
snopro87 bets 330, and is all in
IlliniFan calls 330 In my opinion, worth the call.
snopro87 shows [Jh 5d] Good, he's on a draw. 8 outs. I can live with that.
IlliniFan shows [9c Ks]
*** TURN *** [8s 9h Td] [Tc] Good
*** RIVER *** [8s 9h Td Tc] [Qd] Ick
snopro87 shows a straight, Queen high
IlliniFan shows two pair, Tens and Nines
snopro87 wins the pot (735) with a straight, Queen high
PoeticTragdy (Observer): good clal
The blinds are now 20/40
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 735 | Rake 0
Board: [8s 9h Td Tc Qd]
Seat 1: threadman didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: IlliniFan showed [9c Ks] and lost with two pair, Tens and Nines
Seat 3: DLOOO didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: northernplayer didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: DiggaDog didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: showboat74 (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: firedevil200 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: snopro87 (big blind) showed [Jh 5d] and won (735) with a straight, Queen high
Seat 9: wallygator62 didn't bet (folded)


FullTiltPoker Game #273982822: $10 + $1 Tournament (1707487), Table 5 - 20/40 - No Limit Hold'em - 16:15:37 ET - 2005/11/01
Seat 1: threadman (3,150)
Seat 2: IlliniFan (880)
Seat 3: DLOOO (1,430)
Seat 4: northernplayer (1,635)
Seat 5: DiggaDog (1,195)
Seat 6: showboat74 (1,520)
Seat 7: firedevil200 (1,665)
Seat 8: snopro87 (715)
Seat 9: wallygator62 (1,310)
IlliniFan posts the small blind of 20
DLOOO posts the big blind of 40
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to IlliniFan [4s 3s]
northernplayer calls 40
DiggaDog folds
showboat74 calls 40
firedevil200 calls 40
snopro87 folds
wallygator62 folds
threadman calls 40
IlliniFan calls 20 I'd like higher suited connectors, but it is cheap to see the flop. I don't think a raise from the SB is appropriate with this hand.
DLOOO checks
*** FLOP *** [8h Qd Qs]
IlliniFan checks
DLOOO checks
northernplayer checks
showboat74 bets 240
firedevil200 folds
threadman folds
IlliniFan folds Now I can get out cheap.
DLOOO folds
northernplayer calls 240
*** TURN *** [8h Qd Qs] [Tc]
northernplayer checks
showboat74 bets 720
northernplayer raises to 1,355, and is all in
showboat74 calls 520, and is all in
northernplayer shows [9s Js] These guys are crazy...he called a huge bet on the flop against possible trips or a FH, for a gutshot, and hit it. Bad play, in my opinion.
showboat74 shows [Jh Th]
Uncalled bet of 115 returned to northernplayer
*** RIVER *** [8h Qd Qs Tc] [Jc]
northernplayer shows a straight, Queen high
showboat74 shows two pair, Queens and Jacks
northernplayer wins the pot (3,200) with a straight, Queen high
showboat74 stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 3,200 | Rake 0
Board: [8h Qd Qs Tc Jc]
Seat 1: threadman (button) folded on the Flop
Seat 2: IlliniFan (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 3: DLOOO (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 4: northernplayer showed [9s Js] and won (3,200) with a straight, Queen high
Seat 5: DiggaDog didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: showboat74 showed [Jh Th] and lost with two pair, Queens and Jacks
Seat 7: firedevil200 folded on the Flop
Seat 8: snopro87 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: wallygator62 didn't bet (folded)


FullTiltPoker Game #273989010: $10 + $1 Tournament (1707487), Table 5 - 25/50 - No Limit Hold'em - 16:21:13 ET - 2005/11/01
Seat 1: threadman (3,070)
Seat 2: IlliniFan (840)
Seat 3: DLOOO (1,350)
Seat 4: northernplayer (2,995)
Seat 5: DiggaDog (995)
Seat 6: ZDubs12 (3,575)
Seat 7: firedevil200 (1,305)
Seat 8: snopro87 (995)
Seat 9: wallygator62 (1,950)
DiggaDog posts the small blind of 25
ZDubs12 posts the big blind of 50
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to IlliniFan [Kc Jd]
firedevil200 folds
snopro87 folds
wallygator62 folds
threadman raises to 100 he's been playing with suited connectors, etc. I have position on him. I'm thinking I can outplay him or hit the flop with this hand.
IlliniFan calls 100
DLOOO folds
northernplayer folds
DiggaDog calls 75 Great. This guy is a calling station
ZDubs12 folds
*** FLOP *** [Td 8d Jh]
DiggaDog checks
threadman bets 350
IlliniFan raises to 740, and is all in Okay. I have top pair, 2nd kicker. In the 1st hand this guy went very aggressive, so I want to push him out. I don't think he has AJ.
DiggaDog folds
threadman calls 390 Uh oh...maybe he does.
IlliniFan shows [Kc Jd]
threadman shows [Qh Ac] Nope. Just the gutshot, and an A. 7 outs
*** TURN *** [Td 8d Jh] [4s] Still okay unless he hits his his 9 or A
*** RIVER *** [Td 8d Jh 4s] [Ah] Of course
IlliniFan shows a pair of Jacks
threadman shows a pair of Aces
threadman wins the pot (1,830) with a pair of Aces
IlliniFan stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1,830 | Rake 0
Board: [Td 8d Jh 4s Ah]
Seat 1: threadman showed [Qh Ac] and won (1,830) with a pair of Aces
Seat 2: IlliniFan showed [Kc Jd] and lost with a pair of Jacks
Seat 3: DLOOO didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: northernplayer (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: DiggaDog (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 6: ZDubs12 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 7: firedevil200 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: snopro87 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: wallygator62 didn't bet (folded)

So, how did I do? I thought this was just a case of bad luck. Looking back, I did have the loose call with K9 that ended up costing me quite a bit, and then the KJ. But I see a lot of people playing these hands for cheap and then getting away after the flop. Am I too loose with these plays?

Complete Hand History: HERE

SnG #2 - 11/1/2005 key hand

Okay, now I'm feeling better. Won the second one. Here's the key hand. This guy has been Uber-aggressive the whole time, so I took a chance on a trap.

FullTiltPoker Game #273866467: $5 + $0.50 Sit & Go (1765382), Table 1 - 100/200 - No Limit Hold'em - 14:24:12 ET - 2005/11/01
Seat 3: IlliniFan (5,540)
Seat 8: JoeyJacks (7,960)
JoeyJacks posts the small blind of 100
IlliniFan posts the big blind of 200
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to IlliniFan [Ah 5h]
JoeyJacks raises to 600 (typical raise from him. He's tyring to push me around with the big stack)
IlliniFan calls 400
*** FLOP *** [4h Jh Ad] (Sweet, top pair with the flush draw!)
IlliniFan checks (Let's see if we can hook him)
JoeyJacks bets 500 (Okay, his typical post flop bet is 4XBB if he hits his top pair, less if he misses. Aren't notes good?)
IlliniFan calls 500 (So from my notes, I'm gathering that he missed. Let's set the hook to reel him in.)
*** TURN *** [4h Jh Ad] [7c]
IlliniFan checks
JoeyJacks bets 800
IlliniFan raises to 3,000 (The old check-raise, made it huge to make him think I was desperate and trying to steal)
JoeyJacks calls 2,200 (hooked)
*** RIVER *** [4h Jh Ad 7c] [5c] (well, now if he had a bigger A, I have sucked out. I still don't think he has an A. I would guess a J)
IlliniFan bets 1,440, and is all in
JoeyJacks calls 1,440
*** SHOW DOWN ***
IlliniFan shows [Ah 5h] (two pair, Aces and Fives)
JoeyJacks mucks
IlliniFan wins the pot (11,080) with two pair, Aces and Fives
The blinds are now 120/240
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 11,080 | Rake 0
Board: [4h Jh Ad 7c 5c]
Seat 3: IlliniFan (big blind) showed [Ah 5h] and won (11,080) with two pair, Aces and Fives
Seat 8: JoeyJacks (small blind) mucked [Kh Jd] - a pair of Jacks (Bingo, he had second pair, my read was good. I went on from here to take him out)


Complete Hand History: HERE

SnG #1 - 11/1/2005 ending hand

Finished 7/9 not a good start..here's the hand that did me in.

FullTiltPoker Game #273814314: $5 + $0.50 Sit & Go (1765237), Table 1 - 40/80 - No Limit Hold'em - 13:28:05 ET - 2005/11/01
Seat 1: andpmoney (1,105)
Seat 2: speks00 (2,860)
Seat 3: IlliniFan (1,365)
Seat 6: Arenato (3,665)
Seat 7: Btrap86 (1,035)
Seat 8: thoroughbred01 (2,135)
Seat 9: Gandhee (1,335)
speks00 posts the small blind of 40
IlliniFan posts the big blind of 80
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to IlliniFan [Qs 6d]
Arenato calls 80
Btrap86 folds
thoroughbred01 calls 80
Gandhee folds
andpmoney folds
speks00 calls 40
IlliniFan checks
*** FLOP *** [Qh Tc 3s]
speks00 bets 250
IlliniFan calls 250 (not the best call, I should have raised here. That was my downfall, I believe)
Arenato folds
thoroughbred01 calls 250 (see? now we have 3 players. I'm not happy)
*** TURN *** [Qh Tc 3s] [8s]
speks00 checks
IlliniFan bets 500 (okay, I'll take a shot)
thoroughbred01 has 15 seconds left to act
thoroughbred01 raises to 1,200 (uh oh. now i see the str8 draw. but i'm committed, in my mind. Would you have folded?)
speks00 folds
IlliniFan calls 535, and is all in
thoroughbred01 shows [9d Jc]
IlliniFan shows [Qs 6d]
Uncalled bet of 165 returned to thoroughbred01
*** RIVER *** [Qh Tc 3s 8s] [Ac]
thoroughbred01 shows a straight, Queen high
IlliniFan shows a pair of Queens
thoroughbred01 wins the pot (3,140) with a straight, Queen high
IlliniFan stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 3,140 | Rake 0
Board: [Qh Tc 3s 8s Ac]
Seat 1: andpmoney (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: speks00 (small blind) folded on the Turn
Seat 3: IlliniFan (big blind) showed [Qs 6d] and lost with a pair of Queens
Seat 6: Arenato folded on the Flop
Seat 7: Btrap86 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: thoroughbred01 showed [9d Jc] and won (3,140) with a straight, Queen high
Seat 9: Gandhee didn't bet (folded)

Complete Hand History: HERE

Okay, so let's get started. I'll post my thoughts in the thread

FullTiltPoker Game #273832986: Table Count Diero - $0.10/$0.25 - No Limit Hold'em - 13:48:49 ET - 2005/11/01
Seat 1: maleny52 ($12.35)
Seat 2: dirt_mcgirt9 ($15.60)
Seat 3: tbonegdp127 ($0), is sitting out
Seat 4: Race4Cup ($25)
Seat 5: IlliniFan ($26.40)
Seat 6: Gary F16 ($7.75)
Seat 7: slinging22s ($32.05)
Seat 8: lisa55 ($23.10)
Seat 9: firewall ($10.10)
Gary F16 posts the small blind of $0.10
slinging22s posts the big blind of $0.25
tbonegdp127 stands up
Race4Cup posts $0.25
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to IlliniFan [8d 8s]
lisa55 folds
firewall raises to $0.50 (He's been doing this for the last 5 hands, and seems like a LAG player)
maleny52 folds
dirt_mcgirt9 folds
Race4Cup folds
IlliniFan raises to $1.25 (so i push back)
Gary F16 folds
slinging22s calls $1
firewall calls $0.75 (Pot is now $3.95)
*** FLOP *** [2c Tc 5c]
slinging22s checks
firewall bets $1.25 (I can't see where this helped him, so I smooth-call. A reraise here isn't going to give me any more info, this guy is too aggressive. That's my read on him--LAG)
IlliniFan calls $1.25
slinging22s folds
*** TURN *** [2c Tc 5c] [3c]
firewall bets $2 (again, I choose to call. He may have the flush, but I doubt it. I have him on A-rag now from previous plays)
IlliniFan calls $2
*** RIVER *** [2c Tc 5c 3c] [4d](uh, oh. If my read was right, he has the str8 now. I struggled with the call. I finally decided to save the $3 for another day)
firewall bets $3
slinging22s: whos got the big flake
skeebunee22 sits down
IlliniFan has 15 seconds left to act
skeebunee22 adds $20
IlliniFan folds
Uncalled bet of $3 returned to firewall
firewall mucks
firewall wins the pot ($10.10)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $10.60 | Rake $0.50
Board: [2c Tc 5c 3c 4d]
Seat 1: maleny52 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: dirt_mcgirt9 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: tbonegdp127 is sitting out
Seat 4: Race4Cup folded before the Flop
Seat 5: IlliniFan (button) folded on the River
Seat 6: Gary F16 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 7: slinging22s (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 8: lisa55 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: firewall collected ($10.10), mucked

So, Would you have called the $3 into the $10 pot. With my A-rag read, I just couldn't do it. I think I was right, as 3 hands later he did the same pattern and got trapped by a guy with AA and lost his stack. Comments?

November Tune Up

Okay, I'm going to post my day-to-day activities for November, because I am looking to tune up my game. Table, Game, Limit, Starting Roll, Ending Roll. Sit-N-Go activities, the whole bag. So, if anyone out there is still reading, please feel free to take a look and give me some advice. I'm looking to improve my game, and I'm hoping this will help. I'll post endgame hands for SnGs as well. Heck, I'll even post my total hand histories if anyone out there thinks it will help me. Comment away......