THE PERSISTENT IRRITATION

SAGE advice for heads up play

[EDITOR'S NOTE: The Persistent Irritation is pleased to welcome guest blogger Jeff H.]

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It’s Friday night. I'm knee deep in an end game against Pedro S., a good, aggressive heads up player. In the big blind, I have Q9 offsuit, a stronger than average hand. Pedro only completes the SB, which looks weak, so I raise three times the BB. He comes back over the top and I suddenly have the sinking feeling that he is slow playing a monster. I either have to commit all my chips or fold.

How would you play it?

After hours of grueling tournament play, going heads up in the finale can be both the most important and confusing part of the game. The difference between 1st and 2nd is often a factor of two in the payoff, so half of your winnings depend on good heads up play. Yet by the time you get to heads up you are tired, you may have a few beers under your belt, and the patience that got you to this point may be waning. It can be hard to know what to do.

Luckily, there is a mathematical solution to help you out. It goes by the name of SAGE (Sit and Go Endgame), the main elements of which are simple enough to memorize or put on a 3x5 card.

Friday night is killing me

New scores are up. Don't have time for analysis right now, so feel free to weigh in via the comments section. At some point, we all need to concede that Jeff H. won the season, as we'll probably only have one more game. Of course, the fight for second place has never been closer. Where did Pedro come from? He must have been lying in the weeds all this time.

The best of Times

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Spiral Jetta, Erin Hogan's excellent travel/art book, continues to get rave reviews, most recently from the Chicago Sun-Times and the New York Times. In fact, she's getting so much good press that it's knocking my early review into the back waters of any given google search. I can't believe people would go to Hello, Beautiful before coming here for their fill of literature in review, but there you have it.

That said, don't take my word for it. Rely on the opinions of these higher authorities and pick up a copy today.

 

How would you play it?

The Persistent Irritation is back from its annual summer hiatus. Let us waste no time in analyzing some hypotheticals, shall we?

Suppose you're in a $1-2 no limit cash game, with nine players including yourself. The players are average-to-good, with a few wild players and one geezer who only plays strong hands.

You're in the small blind. Player 3 (under the gun) folds; seat 4 raises to $6 and gets 4 callers before it gets to you. There's now $27 in the pot (4 callers plus 1.5 blinds). You look down and see:

What do you do?

Would a surge be too little, too late?

Last week’s win elevates Ben into second place and puts him near striking distance of Jeff H. Pedro S. and Brent C. still have a slight chance, too, but it would take some strong play, big pots, and a few critically timed physics conferences to create any kind of an opportunity. Chris L. and Josh A. need nothing short of a miracle.

But with less than three months left in the season, time is the biggest impediment. The season ends no later than September 13; that's 13 weeks at best. Over the past nine months, RPL has held 12 games. At that pace, we can expect 4 more, but with summer upon us, three is probably a more reasonable expectation.

All about the Benjamins

Weak players got strong. Strong players got stronger. Chatty players got quieter. But in the end, all that mattered was that Ben M. got the best of everyone, taking home $159 as the winner of Game 12.

Ben's key to success still is his bluffing ability, but his increased skill in playing position is making his bluffs more of a threat. When he's near the button, there's no telling what he's got; even if you know he's got junk, it's hard to make that call when he's betting behind you.

Sean M.'s game continues to improve, as demonstrated by his second place ($80) finish. He loves inducing competitors to chase draws, reeling them in with tiny bets that give great odds but rarely produce great returns. This is Sean's second time in the money this year; he also had an $80 second place finish on December 16.

Roderick rounded out the money winners, taking $27 for third place.

Like a band of gypsies, they'll talk about going down the highway

As you know, there are no two things I like more than a good road trip and a rousing panel discussion. And so it is with great sadness that I will not be able to attend this weekend's Printers Row Book Fair, where friend of the PI and Spiral Jetta author Erin Hogan will discuss land art, traveling alone and all things farvegnugen. Hopefully, dear readers, you can go in my stead.

WHAT: "On the Road Again" panel discussion on travel memoirs

WHERE: University Center/Loop Room at the Printers Row Book Fair

WHEN: Saturday, June 7, 11:30 a.m.

WHO: Moderated by Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich, the panel also includes authors Brian Bouldry and Mary Morris

Check it out if you can.

Episode 44: A New Hope

[Read along tonight, and then let's get ready for November:]

Tonight, after fifty-four hard-fought contests, our primary season has finally come to an end.

Sixteen months have passed since we first stood together on the steps of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois.  Thousands of miles have been traveled. Millions of voices have been heard. And because of what you said -- because you decided that change must come to Washington; because you believed that this year must be different than all the rest; because you chose to listen not to your doubts or your fears but to your greatest hopes and highest aspirations, tonight we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another -- a journey that will bring a new and better day to America. Tonight, I can stand before you and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.

Get your Top Chef on

Episode 12 of Top Chef airs tonight on Bravo. If you're in the Wheeling area tonight, stop by Rick Tramanto's to watch the show where it was filmed. From the Daily Herald:

Five Top Chef wannabes, including Chicago chef Stephanie Izard, took over Tramontos Steak and Seafood during the elimination challenge that will determine the finalists, and you can watch the episode tonight at the Wheeling restaurant.

The restaurant, 601 N. Milwaukee Road, will hold a viewing party from 7 to 10 p.m.; the airs at 9 p.m. on Bravo. Televisions will be set up through out the restaurant and the upstairs RT Lounge and hors doeuvres will be complimentary.

In addition, staff will create appetizers based on the episode and develop cocktails inspired by the remaining contestants. Chef Rick Tramonto, who appears as a guest judge for both the quick fire challenge that grants a contestant special privileges and the elimination challenge, will be on hand and will sign copies of his cookbooks.

Check it out if you can. And if you can't make it up there, at least tune in at home. You just might see some familiar faces.

Free food, cheap beer, pie

Schadenfreude, Chicago's first deputy commissioners of sketch comedy, will hold their sixth and final PBR-sponsored rent party on Saturday, May 24 at the Gallery Cabaret, 2020 N. Oakley. From the website:

We wind down the PBR tour by coming back where we started. The Gallery is our home away from home and we are glad to be back in our building. We are not approaching this as a wind-down though, if anything this is our grand finale. We will use the services of Mike and Duaneonce again, but we will bring our friends Don Hall and Joe Janes in to kick you in the teeth. Did we mention the return of Jill Benjamin? She’s in the house. What’s a rent party show without our favorite stand-up in the land Robert Buscemi? And Bertha Mason comes by to bake some pies for the crowd and Gall Cab owner Kenny is going to take his shirt off. 9pm. $10. Free food.

Check it out if you can.