Challenging Fast Eddie

Again, a celebratory PBR. This time, it's a first place finish in my Sunday home game tourney. Eight-handed, hosted by Forty Ounce Dave. We drew for seats:
1) Esther
2) Oklahoma Jeff
3) Derek
4) Forty Ounce Dave
5) Shawn
6) Albert
7) Mike (that's me!)
8) Fast Eddie

Eddie reminded me that he was on my left, just like he was for the last "regular season" PCS tourney. I reminded Eddie that I knocked him out short of the final table with my pocket queens against his 93-suited, hoping he might hesitate a little to make plays on me this time. Then, he thought I was making another blind-steal from the button, and reraised me preflop for all of his chips.

Arguably the tightest (Albert) and loosest (Shawn) players busted out first. We had six players remaining with the blinds at 300/600, which is more players than normal at that level. Derek couldn't get a break, and that devil-hand, AJ, was involved. He had it three times when it counted, losing to AQ, and mucking it preflop against Forty Ounce's all-ins with pocket kings, twice. Just to rub it in, he busted out when his opponent held AJ to beat his KQ-suited.

Forty Ounce couldn't get much going with the blinds so high, and was bounced out in fifth, leaving Esther, Jeff, myself, and Eddie. Gee, who do I fear here? Who is very capable of playing circles around me? Oh yeah, it's Eddie, overall leading money winner of the PCS since its inception. By comparison, Esther is passive preflop and straightforward afterwards (though she is slowly improving), and Jeff picks his spots poorly for his aggression.

So what works? Making Eddie react to me. I'm the one tweeking my game. I'm the one making plays, stealing blinds, and acting deceptively. I'm the one "improving", becoming less predictable and more dangerous. (Hey, that's the common perception right now. Who am I to argue?)

With all four of us having fairly even stacks and the blinds large in comparison, I figured that the table would be a little tight, and blind steals were the way to go. It was a great setup with me on the button, Eddie in the SB and Esther in the BB. Eddie had only half a bet to lose, and Esther hates to be raised, will not call without a solid hand, and will fold to a flop bet if it misses her. I probably could've gotten away with a few more button-steals. I knew Esther wouldn't play back at me, but Eddie sure would. It's about selective aggression. Pick your spots carefully, or your opponents, even the lesser ones, will react to your play.

The other fun hands with Eddie were his big blinds. I folded two or three trash hands in my small blind to set him up. I called one hand with 74 offsuit, and Eddie checked. Flop of K92. Check, check. Turn is another 2. I bet half the pot, Eddie folded, saying "Ha, seven-high is no good." I probably should've mucked my hand, but I couldn't help myself. "Maybe it was, Eddie."

Again in my small blind, I found A9 of diamonds. Four-handed it looks pretty good. Esther and Jeff folded to me, and I thought I'd do something a little deceptive. I called. Eddie made a 4x BB raise, and I went all-in quickly, over the top of him. I had him covered, but I'd be in trouble if he called and I lost. I didn't want a call, because I'd be an underdog to a hand he would call my limp-reraise with. He thought about it, put me on a middle pocket pair, then folded, showing me KQ of diamonds. After I showed my A9, Jeff praised me (though probably not meaning to) by saying "Wow, that's not a normal Mike play." A full rabbit hunt showed ace-high holding up. This hand crippled Eddie, and he never really recovered.

It might have been the next rotation, I had K7 offsuit in the small blind. I limped in, Eddie went all-in. "You should've known that was going to happen." Jeff really didn't need to remind me. I knew it when I limped, but I didn't want to commit the chips. I did the math, and it wouldn't hurt too badly. And busting Eddie again would've been nice. I thought I might be a 40/60 underdog, and I was. His AT offsuit held up, and he played on.

Eddie lost some chips to Esther's excellent slowplay (she's not always straightforward!), and was finished off by Jeff. Esther and I took turns taking Jeff's chips before knocking him out. My JT offsuit on the flop had two overcards and the openended straight draw to Jeff's pair of nines with his ace kicker. To be fair, Jeff's cards were horrible during three-handed play and Esther was hitting every flop in sight. Poor Jeff... he and I were the only ones that argued for paying the top 3 finishers. Bubble finishes hurt a little more when you were arguing for paying an extra spot at the start of the tourney.

In the money with Esther, which is where she plays her best poker. What have I learned about heads up play against someone like Esther? Raise often when you've got the button, and bet the flop at them. I started with a 3/2 chip advantage and slowly, inexorably buried her. My cards were hot, especially when I had the button. She actually told me she was getting tired of me raising her. On that particular hand, my K7 suited flopped top two pair, and Esther saw the turn with her flush draw that didn't come.

Esther would get down to desperation territory, I'd be pricing into a call with J9 suited or something similarly mediocre, and she'd double up. I'd win the next few small pots, and the cycle would continue. I couldn't put her away, but she couldn't get back to my original 3/2 chip advantage.

I listened to the Poker Gods on the hand that finished her off. She raised preflop, with the button, which told me she had AK, AQ or a pocket pair. I called with my measly JT offsuit. I had seen that very hand a half dozen other times in that tourney, mostly folding it rather than limping in early position before we got shorthanded. In fact, it was the second time I had it heads-up. I had a very small bet to call on a flop of Q92 with two clubs, and her KQ held up when my straight draw didn't come.

Once again, the flop left me openended, with a 984 rainbow. Something told me to stick with the hand, so I bet at her (rather foolishly, as she probably had an overpair). She pushed, and I called to see her set of 8's. Nice. The turn was a queen, hitting my straight, and the river didn't fill her boat.

It's a great feeling to be the aggressor and dominant chip leader when it gets down to heads up. I wonder if I would've played each hand the same if I was up against Eddie instead of Esther. I definitely gave her a little less respect because I thought only a huge rush of cards would give her the chip lead. On one hand, I was very pleased with my new aggression and position-play while heads up, but it seemed like a bit of a hollow victory against Esther, as passive as she is.

Still, a win is a win. $15 in, $90 out. The live-play bankroll is growing. Another trip to Commerce is on the horizon.