Subject: House Game: Juanda, Cunningham, Negreanu, Hayden
From: kidpoker@hotmail.com (Daniel Negreanu)
Newsgroups: rec.gambling.poker
Date: Tue, Feb 5, 2002 6:39 AM
Message-ID: <7220404a.0202050639.4c14f424@posting.google.com>

Ok, I promised I would post a report on this house game, so I am going
ahead with it:

  After a great dinner at the Commerce (food was great btw), nobody
really felt like sitting down in a live game.  After a few bottles of
Robert Mondavi Cab, I thought this was a great opportunity to round up
some suckers and have a little house gane freezeout.
  Originally, my plan was to play a $5000 no limit hold'em freesout
with Allen and John.  Melissa, thought it would be interesting and
decided to join us.  Well after push came to shove, we couldn't agree
on a price, so we decided on a freezout that was considerably smaller.
  I'd had a few drinks at this point and was ready to gamble!  The
level headed Juanda and Cunningham decided against such a match. 
Although, that didn't stop them from from boasting their innocent
needles:

"Are you guys serious?  I think it would only be fair if I gave you
35% back.  At least 10% anyway" John Juanda.

"You really think you have a chance in hell of winning John?  Wow,
what are you going to do when the cards break even!" Daniel Negreanu.

"Well guys, you obviously realize this is hardly fair."
Allen Cunningham

"At this point I'll tell you what the price should be on the match. 
Negreanu 1-9, Junada 7-1, and Cunningham 6-1" Daniel Negreanu

"LOL.  I would play, but I would feel bad.  Honestly, I'm about a 6-5
favorite to win it outright.  I know exactly how you both play, you
have no chance."
John Junada

  Well the banter didn't stop there, I was actually in rare form and
wemt out of my way to challenge their 'manhood' so to speak.  Anyway,
we finally got Allen out of the 200-400 hold'em game to play our $5000
freezout.
  By the time we got to the room though, the mood had changed. 
Sunddenly, nobody wanted to play for $5000, except me of course.  I
was interested in theit BEST game, anything less would be boring to
all.
  After much debate though, we decided on $1000 a piece, and Melissa
would play for $500.  It wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but I
thought it would be intersting nonetheless.
  Start: 5000 in chips, blinds of 50-50, escalating every tine a
player is elimanted (50-100, 100-200).  First hand dealt:

  Juanda comes in for 200 UTG.  I'd decided before hand that I would
have to throw John a curveball, and not play as he expected me to
play.  Being friends, he obvioisly has a good read on my play, so I
would have to avoid my tendencies and go against the grain.

  On the button, I picked up K-K.  Hoping John would be one step ahead
of me, I was hoping he would RERAISE me, thinking I'm just trying to
prove a point.  To my surprise, Melissa moved all in from the SB, and
John folded.
  In previous engagements, I've had horrible luck with Melissa, she'd
outdrawn me on several occasions in the past, and she knows that. 
Still though, I wasn't about to throw away K-K, so I called for all my
chips.  She turned over J-J, which was more than a reasonable hand
considering what she knew of the circumstances,and luckily for me the
K-K held up.  Perfect.
  Before that, and from that point on I decided I would show my peers
some respect, and play more conservative than I'm accustomed to. 
After all, I was dealing with some of the best players on the planet,
they weren't going to stand for me bullying them around, no way.
  So, I waited patiently.  Playing only the REAL hands I was dealt, as
did Allen and John.  Then, this hand arised:

  I decised after playing my button so weak for two straight rounds, I
would raise on the button with A-4 of hearts to 300.  Allen, in the
SB, made a circus act out of his decision.  He 'faked' putting ALL his
chips in.  Then he 'faked' a call.  Then 'faked' a small raise.  Over
and over for at LEAST 3 minutes.
  Finally, he raised it to 900.  At this point I was thinking 'what
the f---?"  This guy is on something funky, what was that all about? 
Finally, I decided he in fact had a strong hand, but was willing to
try to out flop him at that price, so I called.  FLOP:

  5h 8h 9s.  So I flopped the nut flush draw, and an ace draw.  Allen
bet out 1200.  After putting on a similar circus act as he had
previosuly put on, I finally raised him all of his chips which he
quickly called (two kings).  Right on the turn, he was dead, a heart
hit, so it was me and JUANDA- my nemesis:
  "I know you are afraid of me Daniel, I would say that with your
15,000 to 5,000 chip lead you are about a 3-2 favorite" John Junada

(Before I go any further, pleaze understand that this is typical
ribbing between friends, and has ZERO to do with theit overall
behaviour.  They are both gentlemen, and behave that way at the poker
table.  Among friends though, they are as ruthless as Hannibal Lecter!
 It's all in good fun, and that's the way it should be seen)

  I followed up with:

  "John.  I told you before, you never had a chance to WIN, but you
should feel proud of your second place finish.  It's quite an
accomplishment, and it's something you should get used to."  Daniel
Negreanu
  
  So we played on.  After several pots, it was clear John was
thoroughly outplaying me, but I hadn't lost confidence in my pre match
prediction.  John had closed the gap to 12,000-8,000 when this hand
came up:

  John limped on the button, and I checked it with the 7-3 of spades. 
The flop came Qh-7h-3d.  I bet out 600 right away, which John called.

  The turn, brought gin for me, the 7 of clubs.  At this point, John
had often taken me off some 'weak' bluffs that I'd made, so I thought
I'd give him yet another chance to do the same.
  The previous hand, he'd raised my bluff on a Q-8-3 of spades flop
when I raised from the BB, and bet 1200 on the flop.  I was totally
bluffing with J-5 no spade, and he obviously read that, because he
re-raised me with my own favorite hand (10-7) all-in, and he didn't
have a spade either!!
  That hand contained a lot of 'cocky' banter between the two of us,
but in the end he clearly got the best of me.  I wasn't ready to quit
yet though...

  Back to the hand: On the turn, I was pretty confident that I had him
dead, but that he still may raise me or call me with a draw.  We sold
each other through banter that we were both on a draw!  Finally, I
decided to make a 'weak' bet of 800.  He called- ooh baby, what a
sucker:-)

  The river brought the 2 of clubs, and here inlies my dilemma. 
Should I squeeze out a value bet, or show weakness by ckecking? 
Considering OUR history, I thought a check was in fact the best play. 
I tried to CONVINCE him I had a Q and would throw it away if he bet it
all.  We went back and forth with Bulls--- talk.
  After I checked, John pulled a Cunningham and went back and forth
with his bets looking for a read........finally, the trout bit!!  He
let go of his hole stack, and I excitedly said "CALL".  John turned
over Q-6, hoping he could bluff me off a better Q.  My 'plan' that
hand worked perfectly, and I won the dubious title of house game champ
amongst us....

  In the undercard, we decided to play a speed tournament, where
Melissa and I got heads up.  She went on to hang on to her chip lead
leaving only Allen and John as the only suckers...I mean losers:-)

  As meaningless as the money was to all, the win was still, ackwardly
very special to me.  I'd tried my best to put forth my best effort,
and it was comforting knowing that I could compete with them. 
Obviously I haven't had much success in the tourneys of late, but I've
been happy with my play for the most part.  I've made some 'horrible'
plays, but in turn I've also made some excellent ones.
  Anyway, if you made it this far I hope you enjoyed my silly, drunken
story, about a couple of friends enjoying themselves while they try to
strip each other of their bankrolls!

Till the next house game...

Daniel Negreanu
kidpoker@hotmail.com