Isn’t She Beautiful!

Most poker players eventually end up with a nick name, whether they like it or not. I was blessed by a nick name falling straight from the poker gods. Ace Queen was a hand I fell in love with (isn’t she beautiful was regularly heard while I was playing my poker game.) Players would be dumbfounded: “again Cindy survives!”.Word started to spread around poker tournaments and the poker world here and QUEEN-BEE was born.

As many fellow poker players know, poem writing my poker experiences is special to me. Here is one of my favorites for you to enjoy. My hand, and QUEEN-BEE once again packing her sting! Resulting in not only saving my seat on final table, but removing a player from the poker game.

Many hours minutes later,
Final table nothings greater,
Looking down see the chance,
Whisper silently shall we dance,
Knowing she would set me free,
Winning final table is destiny,
Full of class and crisp with grace,
Most certainly Queen-Beez’ face,
Pushing her with all my might,
Finally facing shear delight,
We’ve hit the flop but don’t despair,
The turn has come we’ve hit two pair,

Not a sound to be heard,
I wonder!
Is a full house preferred?

Now all-in with confidence assured,
Queen-Beez’ destiny is my reward,
Shows the straight with a smile on his face,
Leaving Queen-Bee a huge chase,
The river flows full of emotion,
Time to reveal Queen-Bee devotion,
Heart beating eyes so bright,
Down she comes with shear delight,

Oh I love my Queen-Bee,
We always shine for you to see.

I do need to confess on rare occasions QUEEN-BEE is a naughty BEE losing me greatly. I still love her on these occasions as she is family.

POKER UNSLEPT - “Team Challenge”

Jumping into normal work mode early this morning there was a difference. Starting over facebook a team poker challenge was being formed. As I worked the day through I continually checked on facebook to find this team challenge was becoming very exciting. Could I go all night playing internet poker? This was going to be a real challenge for me as for starters the last two nights I had had minimal sleep and working flat out.

Team Challenge was to start at 11pm and the last game to register was 5.30am which had over 20,000 players (this game alone could take over 12 hours). I continued working raidbet.net while attending to the kids and preparing for an all nighter filed with poker on the agenda.

In the very early hours of the morning after the muddiest coffee ever I found my poker strategy was being affected by poker unslept. Then out of the blue a hand! The dazed look on my face was transformed into a grin, while the coffee kicked and I was buzzing again, loving every minute that poker brings to my soul.

Challenges test our limits, strengths, survival skills, determination in adverse situations. Listening to our body when it needs rest, we are able to achieve anything we set our sights on. This challenge taught me one very important lesson! I’m getting too old for such challenges Justify Fullwithout preparation. This Bee needs her zzzzzzzzz.

.1. Have you ever been faced with this challenge?
.2. What was your preparation and survival kit?
.3. What would you do different next time?
.4. If this challenge became an option for you, would you have a go at it?

POPPING BUBBLE

This comes up a lot in conversations.

Would you play this hand on or around the money bubble?

If so how would you play it?

Last month during the Melbourne Champs with 30 players left to the money.

What happened and should I have played it differently.

After 2 days of play and very low stack with 30 players left to the money bubble in dealer position, I look down at KK. My first instinct is oh know this is decision time. I scan the table and don’t really see any poker players looking strong with their hands. I run through my head do I risk my tournament on KK? Do I simply fold and try and last till the bubble pops. Do I push all-in when it’s my go. Or simply put in a raise.


Now dealer position is prime and sitting with KK, I need to use this hand to chip up. Each player folds around to me. I raise with small blind folding. Big blind re-raises. What are the chances of him having AA? Without too much thought I push all-in putting the pressure back on him. Does he want to risk his tournament? Time seemed to stand still with silence so thick a knife would surely slice through. Playing with his poker chips and realising it will leave him very short stack if his hand does not pay off.

I am feeling confident he will fold, for if he had AA he would have called instantly. With his actions I now put him on AK, Q, J or mid pockets. I am nervous now as other players have noticed the all-in action about to take place. At this point after hours and hours of play so close to bubble who would risk their stack and the chance to be knocked out. Well he did calling and turning over 99.

As soon as I saw the mid pair I knew I was done. That my poker tournament life was about to be smoked and as the flop fell with a 9, I now was fighting for my tournament life. Even turning the gut shot was still very little chance for me. As the river fell I leant over shook his hand and thanked the players on the table and the dealer. As I walked away feeling nothing, blank, silent.

Once over the emotion of being out we all seem to start playing the hand again over and over in our heads. Should I have played it like this or that or even folded.

For me this is what I decided I should have done being so close to the popping bubble. First of all not get caught up with KK as any hand can and will be beat by the river.

This is how if given the chance again I would have played the KK hand in dealer position. I would have raised small blind folded, big blind re-raised. Here I would and should just call. The flop rag, a, 9. Big blind would have checked hoping I hit my A if holding one. I would have put out a bet just to feel out this big blind player. Now he would of called giving me the idea he has hit, therefore I would not have committed any more chips and would have stayed in the game behind dealer although very low stack but giving me a chance to hold while bubble popping. Or he would have gone over the top putting me in a position of having to put him on the A or a set and me therefore folding leaving me in the game.

I had waited so long for a good poker hand. Seeing KK got my adrenaline going and seeing it as a winning hand, a chance to chip right up and smooth through the bubble. No hand is a winner till river has flowed.

How would you have played this or would you have played it like I did?

QUEEN-BEE

Always packing the sting for learning!