Saturday 2 December 2006

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly - A Week at $.5/$1 NL Cash Games

The Good

The first hand to look at took place at the end of a session I was playing at 2am local time. I play on a European only site so this means that most players on at this time are tilt prone drunks or addicts like me. This hand took place against someone who I had already pegged as being a weak player. I have been continually raising hands in this game, given it is 3 handed and I think both players are weak, hoping to frustrate them and force them to play back at me. That’s what happened here:

** Game ID 632607504 starting - 2006-12-01 02:22:16

** Buber [Hold 'em] (0.50|1.00 No Limit - Cash Game) Real Money

- hero sitting in seat 3 with $103.75 [Dealer]

- xxxx sitting in seat 4 with $100.00 [Sitting out]

- xxxx sitting in seat 5 with $195.26

- villain sitting in seat 6 with $93.39

xxxx posted the small blind - $0.50

villain posted the big blind - $1.00

** Dealing card to hero: 2 of Spades, 2 of Diamonds

hero raised - $4.00

Standard button raise

xxxx called - $4.00

villain raised - $19.00

This guy re-raises it instantly; if a weak player re-raises it instantly it usually means he doesn’t have a great hand. Generally speaking weak/frustrated players will slow play anything decent here hoping to get paid. The size and speed of the re-raise tell me it’s an action made of frustration more than anything else.

hero called - $19.00

I think for a while, and come to the conclusion that I’m certainly ahead pre-flop and to call. This would be a marginal/poor decision against a solid player given stack sizes etc.

xxxx folded

** Dealing the flop: 7 of Diamonds, Jack of Hearts, 9 of Diamonds

villain bet - $21.00

He instantly bet out, like he had already decided this was his hand; weak frustrated players would not do this with any piece of that flop my read on this guy told me that he had nothing.

hero went all-in - $84.75

I think for a little while and decide that my best action is to push since I think I’m ahead and that he’s frustrated enough to call.

villain went all-in - $54.39

** Dealing the turn: King of Diamonds

** Dealing the river: Jack of Clubs

villain shows: Ace of Diamonds, 8 of Hearts

hero shows: 2 of Spades, 2 of Diamonds

hero wins $191.78 from the main pot

End of game 632607504

He missed any aces or eights and my hand holds to stack him.

The 2nd hand to look at features pocket 2s again. The way I played the hand will look risky; it is dependant on what had previously happened at the same table. I had been sitting at this particular table for about half an hour, and ten minutes previous to this hand I had laid down an over pair vs. a very solid player who had min-raised my flop bet then bet out pot on the turn on a reasonably coordinated board that could certainly have given him trips or a straight. The villain in this hand knew that I could fold an over pair and he wanted to make me do it again.

** Game ID 632825085 starting - 2006-12-01 14:54:26

** Greenville [Hold 'em] (0.50|1.00 No Limit - Cash Game) Real Money

- xxxx sitting in seat 1 with $74.95

- hero sitting in seat 2 with $303.42

- villain sitting in seat 3 with $116.07

- xxxx sitting in seat 4 with $306.32 [Dealer]

- xxxx sitting in seat 5 with $131.75

- xxxx sitting in seat 6 with $12.77

tinkasdad posted the small blind - $0.50

Imparator84 posted the big blind - $1.00

** Dealing card to hero: 2 of Clubs, 2 of Diamonds

Lockdown folded

hero raised - $4.00

I will raise pocket pairs from any position all day at .5/1NL, if I hit I’m very likely to get paid.

villain called - $4.00

Quick call from the villain. No real information gained from this.

xxxx folded

xxxx folded

xxxx folded

** Dealing the flop: 4 of Hearts, 3 of Spades, 10 of Spades

hero bet - $7.00

Standard continuation bet; the board doesn’t look scary, it is unlikely to have hit the caller range except maybe AT/KT but the chances are this flop has missed him.

villain called - $7.00

Villain calls very quickly; I interpret this as ‘This flop doesn’t look like it hit you either pal I’m not folding my over cards just yet’.

** Dealing the turn: 10 of Clubs

hero checked

Given that I don’t have any solid read as to what the villain has I decide to check and see what happens; could be considered weak, but if I do bet out a reasonable amount and get re-raised can I profitably call?

villain bet - $23.50

Hmmm…he bet very quickly and he’s a standard .5/1 reasonably weak player. There are several reasons he would bet so much so quickly – I checked, showing weakness and the board isn’t very scary to him; he could still think it’s unlikely I have anything; I have been super-LAGgy and he doesn’t like me and my continuous betting, it’s his turn to win a pot. He knows it’s unlikely I have a ten and that he can represent it since he called the flop bet.

hero called - $23.50

I called the time bank and started thinking through. This is when my opponent said ‘overpair?’ in the chat box. Ahhhh you want to bluff me out here, you think I’ve got an over pair and want to make me fold it since you’ve seen me do it before. Unfortunately given that I’ve pegged him as a weak player, I know that if he had the ten he’d check behind, hoping for a bet on the river (broadly speaking, weak players at this level play ‘in reverse’ bet big when they have nothing and slow play when they have a monster). Also, I know what he thinks I have now since he was kind enough to type in the chat box – bad move.

** Dealing the river: 3 of Hearts

hero bet - $45.00

Terrible card. I am now playing the board and don’t get any value with my pockets 2s. I know the villain thinks I have an over pair so my only option is to bet out and hope he folds. I’m 95% sure he doesn’t have the ten or any piece of the board and can’t call.

villain folded

Villain folds instantly. Phew.

hero mucks:

hero wins $112.50 from the main pot

End of game 632825085

The Bad

** Game ID 634116046 starting - 2006-12-02 23:07:25

** Bourdieu [Hold 'em] (0.50|1.00 No Limit - Cash Game) Real Money

- xxxx sitting in seat 1 with $95.85 [Dealer]

- hero sitting in seat 2 with $121.05

- xxxx sitting in seat 3 with $102.69

- villain sitting in seat 4 with $87.90

- xxxx sitting in seat 5 with $39.95

- xxxx sitting in seat 6 with $51.52

hero posted the small blind - $0.50

xxxx posted the big blind - $1.00

** Dealing card to hero: 4 of Clubs, 4 of Spades

villain called - $1.00

xxxx called - $1.00

xxxx folded

xxxx folded

hero raised - $7.50

This is a marginal play, no-one has shown any aggression but my hand is border-line; I’d expect everyone to fold in this situation a large % of the time, but remember the villain limped UTG indicating he isn’t a very strong player, combined with the fact that I’ve only been at this table ten minutes and I’ve raised his blind from the button a good few times already he might just want to call and try to bust me.

xxxx folded

villain called - $7.50

Villians thinks a little while then calls, this doesn’t really tell me much.

xxxx folded

** Dealing the flop: King of Diamonds, 3 of Hearts, 7 of Spades

hero bet - $13.00

Hmm this isn’t a great flop at all considering the previous action; the king is a bad card considering the weak players’ limp/call. However I don’t want to check and show weakness, maybe he has Ax and will now fold.

xxxx raised - $26.00

Alarm bells should be ringing right about now. A weak player thought for a while then minimum raised it. This is a CLEAR sign to fold and move on. Calling here and hoping for a 4 would be suicidal. The min raise should tell me that he will more than likely play his hand all in.

hero called - $26.00

What are you doing, fold you idiot.

** Dealing the turn: Ace of Clubs

hero bet - $35.00

Ah! The Ace! I can represent AK and completely disregard the fact I’ve already been min-raised by a weak UTG limper.

villain went all-in - $54.40

Villian instantly goes all-in, obviously he isn’t convinced I have AK or AA.

hero called - $54.40

What are you doing? You think he is bluffing?? Please find nearest bottomless hole in the ground to deposit money into next time you call this.

** Dealing the river: 10 of Hearts

villain shows: King of Clubs, 7 of Clubs

Obv. They were soooooted. Thank me for keeping the fish in the game and making them think limping UTG with K7s is a good move.

hero mucks: 4 of Clubs, 4 of Spades

villain wins $174.80 from the main pot

End of game 634116046

The Ugly

This hand is a good summary of why I love/hate cash games:

** Game ID 627864987 starting - 2006-11-25 00:08:08

** Heidegger [Hold 'em] (1.00|2.00 No Limit - Cash Game) Real Money

- villain sitting in seat 1 with $440.20 [Dealer]

- xxxx sitting in seat 2 with $200.00 [Sitting out]

- hero sitting in seat 5 with $211.35

- xxxx sitting in seat 6 with $198.00

hero posted the small blind - $1.00

xxxx posted the big blind - $2.00

** Dealing card to hero: Ace of Spades, 10 of Diamonds

villain raised - $4.00

hero called - $4.00

xxxx called - $4.00

** Dealing the flop: Ace of Hearts, 4 of Spades, 5 of Spades

hero bet - $11.00

xxxx folded

villain raised - $22.00

hero raised - $91.00

villain called - $91.00

** Dealing the turn: 5 of Hearts

hero bet - $117.00

villain called - $117.00

** Dealing the river: 2 of Clubs

hero went all-in - $0.35

villain called - $0.35

hero shows: Ace of Spades, 10 of Diamonds

villain shows: 3 of Diamonds, Jack of Clubs

villain wins $427.70 from the main pot

End of game 627864987

+EV

Writing a large A4 note that says ‘Slow Down & Think’ and hanging it on your other monitor.

Taking some time out from playing poker to analyze your play

Listening to mellow music while playing

Being nice to everyone at the table, complementing their plays and saying nh etc. These guys are your customers and you want them to have a good time and come back again.

Watching some Cardrunners videos if you’re running bad (The ones where GP loses lots make u feel best)

Realising that some sessions are about losing the minimum instead of winning the maximum.

I need a double cheeseburger and hold the lettuce, don’t be frontin’ son no seeds on the bun.

-EV

Ignoring the large note that says ‘Slow Down & Think’ i.e. the 44 hand

Bluffing with a bad table image / vs. calling stations

Playing tired

Trying to record videos for your blog and forgetting to turn the microphone on till you’re done

Not learning how to use pokerhand.org so that people can easily read the hand history – if I post more HHs I will do that

HP Brown Sauce on my bacon roll

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