Turbo Sit & Go $20, 10 seats. Starting chipcount: 1500. Blinds increases every 3 minutes.

I’m now back for some more blogging I’m going back to Expekt from Party Poker for good now, didn’t like things there.

Not a very good start… Got AJ and hit nothing on flop, lost like 300 to CherryStar. Bad bluff…

Hmm, same guy that’s won the last hand when I had AJ bets again and goes all-in in the end. No cards on the table this time either…

Playing A8 at 40. 6 10 Q shows up… Fold. Lol, one had 106 and the other one AA. All-in and a full house for the 106 hand…

Ah, AK now. 140 bet with half the table before me. Two callers. 9k8 shows up, good. I bet half the pot, giving the signal of a middle pair. Good call, a Q which he has comes up. I go all-in with a small stack I get my call. Double up Chip Count about 2000

Call blinds at 40 with 109. 61010 shows up. CherryStar bets 300, I just call. A 9 shows up on turn, full house now. CherryStar bets again 300. After a long wait I call… On river he checks and I raise to 900. He folds… Maybe to much for a bluffer like him.

Another hand won, got AK as BB with one raiser to 200 infront of me (900 stack). Rasied to 400 and got a call. I king shows up and we both go all-in, he had A3. Chip count 4275. Going great this, getting some good cards too.

Blinds at 100/200. Playing 710 suited. Nothing good comes up.

JK. Low board, CherryStar bets 800 and takes the pot. Slow playing him will be real fun.

7 players left. Several stacks with around 1000 chips. Will be a close one this.

KQ, raise to 400. Everyone folds.

Ah 1300 all-in… Got 44 as BB with 300. Fold, easier to take blinds.

Blinds at 150/300, 6 players left. Quite many, but now the blinds will be to big for some.Must be ready to go all-in now with  a call.

Yepp, all-in with about 1000-1500 chips all the time now from players. 3 of 6 players is in that range.

BB 400 with A2. Raise to 1200 in early position… Fold.

Damn… Raised to 800 SB, but the BB went all-in with 2000 chips. Fold… Chip count 3200.

I’m out. Raised with A10 suited, and called an all-in from the guy next to me who had raised all-in alot. He had 88. Got a flush draw on flop but missed everything…

Summary: Well, not all bad. Would have had 6k if I had won that last hand, and with that winning the tournament would be much easier. So quite good, just didn’t have the luck in the end.

Turbo Sit & Go $20, 10 seats. Starting chipcount: 1500. Blinds increases every 3 minutes.

Start out with 77. Raise before me to 40. Flop 455. Good. Four players is in this flop so I bet pot 240. Everyone folds. Not much won.. 190 only.

Win another medium pot with two pair K8. Straight and flush draws where out.

Another pot won with nothing… Not an aggressive table this.

Lol, not aggresive was the word. Hit a straight King high on flop, waits until river and no one bets with QK9AA on the board. So I bet the pot of 180 on the river (last player). No one calls…Chip count 2300.

88 as BB. Some probably slow played me, as two Aces showed up on flop and one on turn. But he didnt bet, I did it for him. But then on river he bets 750. Chip count 1275…

Blinds at 200/400. 8 players left! Heads going to roll soon… I really have to use my chips wish now, all-in is the only bet that works now. 6 hands to my 400 BB.

Folds A6… SB went all-in after me. Hard call. Hate weak aces.

A5 suited… wtf. And hand left before BB.

QQ! First I just call, to get some action. One moves all-in after me with about 1k, and the BB with about 600 in total. Their cards 88 and AK. I won! Chip count 3800. 6 players left. I’m actually chip leader with my quite weak stack (300/600 blinds)

Really need to play hard now. 600 in blinds is really high.

5 players left. Down to 2400 after losing blind, all-ins every hand now.

4 players left.

Dammit got 9K after BB… Folded.

800 blinds… 95 suited. Fold. Chip count 1200.

All-in with A5. Won on a flush.

9K all-in, everyone folds. Chip count 3200

All-in lost, added 300 to my BB but lost. Chip count 2500

1k blinds!

Out in fourth place. Had 1,5K left with a BB at 1k at the table. Got Q8, called as I could not fold. Would have been nothing to play with later even if I got a hand. The big stack raising got JQ…

Summary: Dispite good flops no one called me in the beginning, leaving small pots. The slow paced game started to knock people out with the blinds. This is turbo SG at it’s worse, luck completly takes over. Had some luck catching QQ and won a big hand. But then I was to passive, I should have pushed more all-in with my KX and AX cards. Now I got stuck while another dude did this and won several blinds not doing anything. Lessoned learned…

Turbo Sit & Go $10, 10 seats. Starting chipcount: 1500. Blinds increases every 3 minutes.

Not a good start. Call a raise with K10 suited and get the flush draw, one guy a high pocket pair probably goes all-in with 1k. I fold. Got 66, two all-in before me with 77 and QKs. I folded that one pre-flop. Down to 1300. A 46% flops showed, 6 hands. Got nada, don’t think I even have seen a pair.

Blinds at 50/100. Yippi, won a pot with a pair 3s… Chip count 1500.

Collected another pot, Chip count 1900. A9 suited raise.

Blinds at 100/200. 5 players left. Need a double up now before my stack runs out.

Only four left, but I’m the small stack with 1k.

66 as BB. All-in called! 410 vs 66, won! Chip count 2,5K. Back on track.

All-in won again with 66! A8 vs 66.

All-in lost my 56s vs K3s (same suited cards, hearts). Chip count 2,5K

Yes! One guy is down to 400. I should earn the money now.

Yep, I did.

Out in third place… Check as BB 400 with 46. 435 shows up, I raise and he calls. A shows up, I go all-in and he calls with 2J…

Summary: Overall a good game as I earned the money. Didn’t have any really good cards to play with, didn’t hit the flops in the beginning leaving me with a really small stack in the end. With some all-in luck I managed to stay and earn the money, but nothing more. Maybe with some more patient in the end I could have won…

Haven’t played on Party Poker for years and decided to make a try. Went down a level to nearly mico SG so I could spend some time learning the new table and how the game works here. And boy, how different is it was at Party Poker! I lost half my stack I had deposited of $200. First of all, the “thinking time” is much shorter at PP and a SG starts at 2000 chips and not 1500 as at Expekt. This produces ultra aggressive play, and really loose raises and all-in with nothing. I was so used to Expekt so I tilted away half of what I had put in.

Anyway, after some thoughts  and the tilt had gone away this kind of play can’t be that hard to tackle.

Here’s my PP tactic:

- Play ultra tight in the beginning. No  bluffs, you will only get called 80% of the time.
- If you get a good hand preflop, raise 5x the blinds minimum. You will get your call.
- When the blinds are up to 300-400, and quite few players still remain, go on offensive.
- In the end slow playing can be good as usual, as these players tend to be somewhat better and more tight.
- Identify the loose players! Easy come easy go as they say… Exploit their loose style with some slow play.

Actually played a $10 SG at PP while writing this, and won

Turbo Sit & Go $10, 10 seats. Starting chipcount: 1500. Blinds increases every 3 minutes.

Going for a $10 game today only.

Never call in early position with bad cards… Especially not in Turbo SG, I would say the chance is over 50% that someone raises after you.

Called a 160 bet as BB with K10 suited. No luck. Did I do the right thing? I probably was the underdog, but hitting something on the flop with mean a quite huge pot.

QQ, before SB. Raise to 80, to callers. 78J shows up (possible flush draw, two hearts). A raise before me and I reraise, he goes all-in. I call. The guy has called with 7J and hit two pair… I’m out.

Summary: Good thing for me I didnt feel lucky and went for the lower $10 SG The last hand was just bad luck, he could have been holding a flush draw / straight draw or AJ. Two pair with that flop just seemed far away… I guess he doesn’t last long in that tournament with whose calls.

Turbo Sit & Go $20, 10 seats. Starting chipcount: 1500. Blinds increases every 3 minutes.

Bad start, down to 1220. Need more patient.

Trying with 910, 100 blinds in early postion. Raise to 400… Fold. Idiotic to do that call, 50% of a raise that I can’t call.

Down to 900, with BB at 100 placed. 9 players left. SB goes all-in… I had 94.

QQ as SB. Aggressive player as BB… A guy before me raises to 300, so I go all-in with 900. He calls with 4J suited? I win, full house. Chip count 1900.

A9, raise to 400. SB, fast call. Four players to the flop… Lol, everyone goes all-in but me,  two hitting but pair a 10 but one with Q10 and the other with 10J. I actually had the best hand preflop. The third hand was A5.

Down to 1k after losing blinds. Two all-in before me, had QK. Actually would have won that one, but was 20% underdog preflop if I would have called.

Had to go on toilet, the hand after I folded AQ. When I came back I had BB and J4 and only 640 left, one all-in. I call, he had JK. I lost… So bad.

No summary needed. Don’t know why I couldnt wait to go until after I had the BB? So strange. Bad session

Turbo Sit & Go $20, 10 seats. Starting chipcount: 1500. Blinds increases every 3 minutes.

New game. Been going quite good lately, after a great bankroll increase I have now started to go more even. If I win this one, I woulld really hit new heights on the other hand.

Starts out with J10, only a call (20). As I’m out of position. Good call, one guy raises with 160 and all-in on flop (469). Smells big pocket pair.

65 BB with 4 players to flop, perfect. A23 comes out, but one bets 550 on a 180 on the river so I fold.

Four players call a raise to 80 along with me with 55. 337 comes out, but two players are betting really hard before me so I take the safe road.

Alot of players attending to every pot. Look at this beauty:

I did not attend to that round but I really strange all-in with QK only with one all-in before and a raise after positon. But it looked quite good after the cards had been showed

Chip count 1360. Blinds at 50/100, I have only played two hands (18%). No good hands and lots of raising here…

Puh, raised to 400 SB with A8. BB calls. 933 shows up, I go all-in (only had 800 left), had to take the chance. He folded

Chip count 1660.  Blinds at 100/200. Lol, sad table this one. Another all-in situation, QQ vs KK

KK! Raise to 600 in early position. Small stack called with 800 left, I call. A2 vs KK, won.

Chip count 2580. Great position to advance further.

Another all-in with good cards, AQ vs KK. Really strange that everyone is catching big pocket pairs and get the all-in situation.

4 players left! Chip count 2000. I’m the small stack.

Hard one folded J3s against a raise as BB (200/400 blinds). Now I have to go all-in soon..

All-in won! My 96 vs 108. Hit my 9.

Blinds taken, chip count 3500 now. After this we where only three left, so my live logging lags behind. I took alot of screenshots because I was quite lucky here an there, take a look:

99 as BB, won all-in. What a hand, quite lucky:

Chip count 6k. Going for the win!

All-in lost 33 vs my A8 against fragglerock73. We are really going heads up now, with many hands played against each other with 3 all-in situations. Down to 1600 after this, with a BB at 600 placed. Not good.

All-in… Big pot. Back on track with about 5k. This is real luck:

And the last all-in above against fragglerock73… Now heads-up.

Won heads-up! What a game… Was really a great one.

Last hand. My 87 against his JK, just a call  pre-flop. 88Q shows up, I slow play and he bets 2k. Now he only has 1,6k left and 4k is in the pot so I go all-in. Not much for him to do but call.. And I won

Summary: When I look through the screenshots above, was I really that lucky? After the flop I was really lucky, but if we take the last four all-ins the odds pre-flop I don’t think I was that much underdog. 99 vs QK about 50/50 (won), A8 vs 33 50/50 (lost), Q5 vs A2 35/75? (won). And when the last one, 99 vs 8J 75/35. If we look at it from the all-in perspective, it’s really a coin flip if I would have won or not. Never the less, great one. Was a bit lucky but you have to be that to win a tournament.

Turbo Sit & Go $20, 10 seats. Starting chipcount: 1500. Blinds increases every 3 minutes.

Going for a Turbo SG, seems to suit me better nowadays (getting inpatient all the time).

Not a good start. Check as BB with 36 suited, 3JQ shows up. Two hearts which I have, so both pair and flush draw. I bet 80 on flop but get raised to 120. On flop a 6 shows up, now I got two pair. I check, and he bets 300, I call. The river is a meaningsless 5 so I miss the flush. But I should have the better hand? He bets 400 and I call, he shows JQ… Down to 500 chipcount.

Really need to win an all-in now. Tried with AQ but no one called…

Still trying… Blind’s now at 200, so I’m pretty toast  if I lose one of those.

Went all-in with 500 chips as SB with Q10, only one had called BB before me so I took the chance that BB folds. He did but the other guy called and had QJ… so that didnt go to well. Out in seventh place. The QJ again that cracked me

Overall I’m quite satisfied with this one. I was just unlucky and that’s life sometimes.

Sit & Go $20, 10 seats. Starting chipcount: 1500. Blinds increases every 7 minutes.

Second round, pocket JJ. Four people raises to 80 (4x bb), so I decide to raise to 300 as BB. Everyone folds. Free chips

Strange hand…. Called BG with K8 and hit high pair 8. The two other guys bets 80, so I raise to 160. Then both goes all-in with around 1500 chips… I fold someone has to have a high pocket pair. Nope, one got nothing and the other one got 85 plus a flush-draw which he didn’t hit. Maybe I should play at higher levels? Chipcount 1200.

Blinds at 30/60.

Pocket 1010. Raise to 120 right after sb. Two went along, 348 shows up. I bet half the pot, 200, one guy goes all-in (small stack). I take the chance he has a flush-draw. He has 64 only? So I win in the end, some really loose play here. Chipcount 2000 chips.

Probably tried to bluff to many pots now, just won one and lost another on a bluff. I get quite good cards all the time, but never hit the flop. Anyway, let’s take advantage of this (always bet with good hands instead ).

Blinds at 50/100. Chipcount 1615 after a all-in push from another player preflop I had to fold.

What an end… Decided to slow play a high pair (K) with a KQ hand and nothing dangerous on the flop (K86). On the bet half the pot on the turn and the shows a 4. He bets 500, here I should have been more cautions. But I wasnt and went all-in, and he calls with 57… Bad game from me.

Sit & Go $20, 10 seats. Starting chipcount: 1500. Blinds increases every 7 minutes.

Calling 87s (suited) in wrong position (two after BB), BB raises to 100 (5x BB) so I fold. Lucky for him two 8s show up on the flop and a 7 on the river .

Same thing, folds AQ in a late position and QQ4 shows up on the flop. The stakes where at 10x the BB preflop…

Open straight draw try, no luck on the turn and a 270 bet after that card so I folded. Chipcount 1370.

7 players left, blinds at 20/30. Chipcount 1130.

Just missed flush-draw, up and down straight draw plus a pairs. Unfortunately a queen of spades showed up on river… Down to 800 now. Screenshot below:

Yea. Won an all-in. BB with 85 and hit my 5 with a 25Q flop. The big stacks bets the pott, 200, but I can feel the bluff so I go all-in. He calls with just 8k and I win after flop/river. Chipcount 1700.

6 players left, blinds at 100/200. Quite even game with two big stacks and four around 1500 chips.

Calls with the position after SB with J10, manage to bet out the BB on flop with an inside straight draw. The Buyin tactic succeds

4 Players left. Chipcount 1700. Now the hard stage begins. Two big stacks and two small ones.

No good cards at all… Down to 960 after losing some blinds on big raises.

Steals some blinds, all-in preflop with K8s. Chipcount 1400.

Goes all-in BB with AK against a raise with 33… no luck. Am out in fourth place. Hate that position…

Summary: Well, quite good. Played many hands (20%) but didnt hit anything good. Had no great pocket cards either, best one was 99 and AK in the end. Came out with a solid stack (1700) in the end, but didnt have the luck. Maybe I could have had waited a little longer but on the other had he could have raised with AQ/AJ so it was a good call. Next time maybe…

There are many and varied types of poker strategy for playing the game. Each of them has merit when it comes to particular playing style and individual gaming sessions. One of the best strategies in some situations is the ”Chicken” strategy.

The intriguingly named chicken strategy is best employed when playing online poker against an opponent that seems weak in general or only wants to bet or raise when they have an excellent hand. They generally fold or call the rest of the time.

What exactly is the chicken strategy you might ask? Generally you, the would-be strategist, will have to recognize the chicken, a weak or overly cautious player. Once you have done so it is time to continually put gambling pressure on the chicken in question.

The simplest version of this is to raise against the opponents blinds and wait to see if they’ll be too cautious so you can snatch the hand quickly. This works well until they get tired of this and start betting back, or another player realizes what you are doing and sticks their finger in your proverbial cool-aid to try and get in on the action.

To avoid this it may be prudent to relax a while and seem to call off your assaults every few hands. Don’t set any specific intervals; just be aware that others might recognize what you are doing.

A few more advanced versions of this clever poker theory involve what is known as the limp check, or check-raise. This can be a bit more difficult to pull off and if the other player was getting wise to you already they may use this as a means to draw you out and win a bigger hand.

Generally, though, later in the hand this ”chicken” player will usually check to you and you are then able to simply place a normal bet that you’ll usually win outright. The normal weak player will assume you had a strong hand, and it’s entirely possible that you may have had nothing but garbage.

The purpose of chicken strategy is to constantly be on top of the ”chicken”, the weaker player. With careful consideration of their actions you can normally come out on top with proper levels of aggression or simple minimal risk strategies that allow you to swoop in and carry off the pot most of the time.

It should be noted that while this is perfectly fine for poker tournament play, doing this with your friends and relatives at friendly in-house games, legal or not in your area, can lead to bad blood between you all. It is a smart strategy to make money, but an even better one if you wish to lose friends.