How would you play this hand?

Live Cash Game Hand from my home game 1/2 NL

I am the big stack at the table with about $400 behind and is SB with JJ
UTG calls with about $80 behind
EP makes it $10 with about $25 more behind
EP +1 smooth calls with about $35 more behind
Button smooth calls with about $40 more behind

What do you do.

Call and see the flop?
Push, but be certain you will get called by all 3 of the short stacks and possibly the EP limper?
Fold?

Live Poker -- Tourney Series Wrap Up

For Part One of this series go here and part deux here .

Last night was the 5 player SNG freeroll for the 6 week series we had been running. I was 2nd in points so I had $2k less in chips than the 1st and $2k more than 3rd. The 20 min blinds started $400/$800 and I had$18K to start. So the structure was decent but with only 5 people you could get blinded off pretty quick. I got AA on the 3rd hand mad a standard raise and got one caller but took it down with Cbet on 844 board. A few hands later I got involved in a big hand with. I QQ on the button and made a 4x raise, SB insta pushes and I ask for a count, I have him covered by about $6K and I didn't think he would have played AA or KK that hard pre flop so my read is AK and I know that if I win this race I should be able to the payouts (top 2 earn the tourney seats) I call he flip AQ, I somehow avoid the Ace and I am control.

I did have the point series winner to my immediate left and I had to avoid him as he did me. He and I laid waste to the small stacks as we were both catching some big cards, the small stacks would raise and either he or I would would have big pairs or big aces and set them all in. We weren't playing with each other but we weren't playing against each other as well. We just played smart poker with flat payout structure.

I eliminated the 4 th place player when I caught a Q on the river with my Q9 vs his Ace rag, and the other big stack eliminated the bubble boy when he sucked out on the river with J8 vs JQ on J high flop.

The tourney is supposed to happen at the Fire Lake Grand Casino in either August or October with a guaranteed $50k with a buy in of either $300 or $400. It will be a nice free roll.

The think tank Full Tilt must have seen their rake drop in the Oklahoma City area and thought that bonus to the donkey to rule all donkeys would generate the required rake they need to feed the 123 pros they support. And yes I am bonus slut and yes I have plowed through necessary points to get 40% of that bonus in 2 days. I am such bonus whore.

Hey has anyone used this service Rakebackpros.com ? I like so many other bloggers didnt have a rakeback when I signed up fulltilt so many years ago. I did some research on 2 plus 2 here is link and here is a link to FTPDoug on 2 plus 2 and this is a legit. I signed up with them on June 2nd and I waiting with crossed fingers to see the rakeback. So for all of you needing a rakeback this my be the answer to prayers.

Live Poker - The Seqel

Ok so Thursday night is my Live Game, for a recap of my score last go here . This was the last week to determine the top 5 for a SNG where the top will score a $400 freeroll entry in a Tournament at Fire Lake Grand Casino later this summer. I came into last night tourney tied for 2nd and one point behind the leader but 7 points ahead of 4th. All I needed to do was final table and I was in.

We started off the night with 22 runners and instead of playing 3 tabled we agreed to play 2 table at 11 handed. First round everyone was playing real tight due to the larger than normal players per table and the added pressure of knowing that basically 2 spots were still up for grabs maybe more. However, I new anytime I entered a pot I would be guaranteed a caller, if not a reraise by a few of the players out the running, in other words there was $400 bragging rights bounty on my head.

First hand I played was this hand midway through the 3rd round, blinds 100/200, MP player is LAG and has lost about half his stack (probably has about$2000) makes $500 to go, I look at 2 black queens and ponder folding but just can't. I have about $3500 so I make it $1300 knowing that if he pushes I will call, but I didn't plan on LP LAG to just smooth call my re-raise. So it gets back to the original raiser and he goes All In and now I have a decision. I just don't know what the LP could have to just smooth call, I think for a good 2 minutes and finally push All In which will cause the LP to call off 95% of his stack and he snap calls. Damn, but wait ........... he snap called with 1010 and original raiser pushed with 99 and wait my hand holds up and boooooooooooooooooom I am cruising. Yum Yum.

That hand and the fact the deck just hit me in the face allowed me to bust 6 people from my table and come into the final table with 2:1 chip lead to my nearest competitor. I had one sick suckout when I bullied from the button with 9c8s and the BB woke up with QQ, I justified the call with over 2:1 odds, flopped trip 9s turned a boat from there cruised to the final 3, blinds were getting big and I went card dead, ended up getting heads up with about even stacks and about M of 15 so we chopped for $370 apiece and I called it a night or in this case an early morning.

We are having our 5 person SNG Monday night so hopefully I can freeroll into a seat. Have a great weekend and remember Okie-Vegas is just around the corner

Live Poker

While I have swore off the online felt, I will, I must still go to my home game for some fun yum. I have been playing in this game for about 3 years. We have a $50 freeze out (starting stack $3700, blinds start at $25/50 doubling every 20 minutes) and as the players bust we will start a $1/2 (plays more like $2/5) table. We will average 20 players with a high of 33 and low of 10, so it not really a small game. But we are really selective about who can come because we have a great mix of guys (and occasionally gals) that play in this game. We have fun, there is lots of gambool but I have a pretty good read on the guys so I change gears as much as possible.

We are currently in a 6 week series where the top five TLB after the 6 weeks will play poker superstars format SNG for 2 seats in local casino $50,000 guarantee. Everyone must drop one weeks score so if you have a bad week or go out of town (as I had to last week) you will still be in the running. Going to last night I was in 6th position but only 6 points behind the leader. (Points are determined solely on where you finished. For example if there where 20 runners, 20th would get 1 point and first would get 20 points.) Long story short I won it for the 2nd time during this series, so I should barring a major metldown make the top five.

Recap was as such, absolutely nothing the first 3 levels. Early in the 4th I woke up with Js10s and made it 3x in MP, 4 callers flop is Jd10d3d, nice flop more than likely ahead but could be drawing to only 4 outs. It checked to me I make a pot sized bet which is roughly 1/2 my stack I get called be a loose player with a KdJc and bingo bongo he catches K on the river.

I had 2 big suckouts. I am short stacked, 5 people limp so do I on the button 5c7c, SB pushes folded to me, I call all in because the pot is laying me 4:1 and I just cant put him a big pair. He turns over AJo and I catch a 7 on the flop that holds and now I double up but still only average. we get down to 12 handed and the blinds are getting huge, $400/$200, and I have about $3500. I look down ant Jd7d in EP and decide I need to make a steal, I push BB wakes up with QQ and I turn a flush. When we combined for the final 9 I was still only about average, I won a big race 6 handed when my AdKd out raced 1010 and this allowed me to cruise into the final 3. Heads up only lasted 2 hands. We were pretty even in stacks at about 47K to 40K so we thought about a chop but then decided to play for a bit. Blinds were $1300/$2600/200, one the 2nd hand I called a raise in SB with Qd8d, flop Js10c3d, I check called a pot sized bet with gutshot banking that if a diamond came I might be able to check raise semi bluff and win a big pot, then turn was a beautiful 9 and we got it all in with my straight and his 2 pair and river was beautiful 4c.

I played very little cash since it was getting late and I had to be at bright and early. However I was able to double my $100 buyin when I flopped trip aces on AdAsJd3d and the button didnt catch his flush on the river. I cashed out soon after for a tidy $550 profit.