Sunday, August 10, 2008
FTOPS Event 9
I went pretty deep in the $500 heads up matches, finishing in the top 64. Here's a blow-by-blow:
Round 1
My first two opponents were ridiculously soft. I polished the first off in minutes, then waited over an hour for round two.
Round 2
I was so busy playing other tables that I didn't even notice we had started up again. My opponent was happily stealing my blinds. But I got there before too long, and he was so terrible it didn't matter. He never bluffed and always revealed exactly what he had with the size of his bets. Somehow, the match still lasted forever. It had a lot with his 87s beating my ATo all-in pre-flop, then his QJ beat my KK, then he flopped a higher flush than I did. I still came back and eventually pulled off a little suckout to win with K5 > A8s.
Round 3
This was the toughest match of the day. My opponent was very aggressive, and I found myself on the defensive, which is not a good place to be heads up. It was tough to play back at him without cards, but I managed my image well and pulled off some well-timed check-raise and 3-bet bluffs. Eventually we got it all in pre-flop on a flip and my 99 held vs his AJ.
Round 4
Initially, this guy was solid but overly tight. I grinded him down and got in some good value bets. My favorite one was when I raised 43s on the button, and he called in the BB. The flop came K32, and he checked and called a bet. The turn was a K, and we both checked. The river came a Q, he checked, and I bet like 65% of the pot. He called with A5. Ship it!
I think that tilted him a bit, which actually led him to play better in some sense because he got more aggressive. I called a raise with KJ on my BB and checked and called a K64 flop. I was planning to check-call down, but then a 5 came on the turn. Not wanting to see the board check through and turn ugly, I led out for half the pot. My opponent shoved, and I called him instantly. His T8 was much weaker than I expected to see, and I knocked him out on that one.
Round 5
This guy was not good. I googled his name and one of the hits was literally for a ranking of "Most Passive Online Players". I swear I am not making that up.
Unfortunately, he was calling everything pre-flop and hitting every flop. He also wasn't that passive. He raised his button a lot and tended to bet or raise whenever he got a piece of the flop. Eventually I raised JTo on the button and he called. The flop was 983 with two diamonds (I had Jd). He checked, I bet, and he min-check-raised. He'd been doing that a fair bit, and while it meant he had something, it didn't necessarily signify a monster. I shoved, but he tanked and eventually called with K9, which held up.
The fact that he had to think with K9 was a good sign. I'm sure he would have played T9 or K8 the same way, so K9 was very much the top of his range. If he was thinking of folding that, it means my shove was definitely good. Sucks to keep getting so close, but the FTOPS has always been like that for me.
Stumble It!
Round 1
My first two opponents were ridiculously soft. I polished the first off in minutes, then waited over an hour for round two.
Round 2
I was so busy playing other tables that I didn't even notice we had started up again. My opponent was happily stealing my blinds. But I got there before too long, and he was so terrible it didn't matter. He never bluffed and always revealed exactly what he had with the size of his bets. Somehow, the match still lasted forever. It had a lot with his 87s beating my ATo all-in pre-flop, then his QJ beat my KK, then he flopped a higher flush than I did. I still came back and eventually pulled off a little suckout to win with K5 > A8s.
Round 3
This was the toughest match of the day. My opponent was very aggressive, and I found myself on the defensive, which is not a good place to be heads up. It was tough to play back at him without cards, but I managed my image well and pulled off some well-timed check-raise and 3-bet bluffs. Eventually we got it all in pre-flop on a flip and my 99 held vs his AJ.
Round 4
Initially, this guy was solid but overly tight. I grinded him down and got in some good value bets. My favorite one was when I raised 43s on the button, and he called in the BB. The flop came K32, and he checked and called a bet. The turn was a K, and we both checked. The river came a Q, he checked, and I bet like 65% of the pot. He called with A5. Ship it!
I think that tilted him a bit, which actually led him to play better in some sense because he got more aggressive. I called a raise with KJ on my BB and checked and called a K64 flop. I was planning to check-call down, but then a 5 came on the turn. Not wanting to see the board check through and turn ugly, I led out for half the pot. My opponent shoved, and I called him instantly. His T8 was much weaker than I expected to see, and I knocked him out on that one.
Round 5
This guy was not good. I googled his name and one of the hits was literally for a ranking of "Most Passive Online Players". I swear I am not making that up.
Unfortunately, he was calling everything pre-flop and hitting every flop. He also wasn't that passive. He raised his button a lot and tended to bet or raise whenever he got a piece of the flop. Eventually I raised JTo on the button and he called. The flop was 983 with two diamonds (I had Jd). He checked, I bet, and he min-check-raised. He'd been doing that a fair bit, and while it meant he had something, it didn't necessarily signify a monster. I shoved, but he tanked and eventually called with K9, which held up.
The fact that he had to think with K9 was a good sign. I'm sure he would have played T9 or K8 the same way, so K9 was very much the top of his range. If he was thinking of folding that, it means my shove was definitely good. Sucks to keep getting so close, but the FTOPS has always been like that for me.
Labels: continuation bet, FTOPS, Full Tilt Poker, heads up, NLHE, poker, poker strategy, semi-bluff, session review, short-handed, tournament
Stumble It!
FTOPS Event 8
This was a $200 6-max tournament with a $40 bounty on each player. I lasted a few hours but only won one bounty. Because it was 6-max, I was able to accumulate chips without a lot of big hands. Eventually JCarver got moved to my left, which cramped my style. I started getting blinded down, then flatted his UTG raise with AA on my BB. I check-raised all in on an 855 flop, but he had 88 for a full house. Bah.
Stumble It!
Labels: 6-max, FTOPS, Full Tilt Poker, poker, session review, short-handed, tournament
Stumble It!
FTOPS Event 6
I'm not great at PLO, but I played the $500 PLO 6-max FTOPS event because I want to get better and I was sure there would be plenty of worse players. There were. Unfortunately, they ran good:
Full Tilt Poker
Pot Limit Omaha Ring game
Blinds: $20/$40
6 players
Converter
Stack sizes:
UTG: $4660
UTG+1: $7183
CO: $4980
Hero: $4790
SB: $4870
BB: $3517
Pre-flop: (6 players) Hero is Button with :ts :tc :kc :as
3 folds, Hero raises to $140, SB folds, BB calls.
Flop: :5s :7s :th ($300, 2 players)
BB bets $300, Hero raises to $900, BB calls.
Turn: :8h ($2100, 2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $1250, BB calls.
River: :4d ($4600, 2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks.
Results:
Final pot: $4600
Hero showed Ts Tc Kc As
BB showed 6s 8s Kd Qs
Sorry it's tough to follow. I flopped top set and the nut flush draw and lost to an open-ender with a worse flush draw. Money only went in when I was ahead, though.
Eventually I busted raising JJAx from the button and calling a shove from AAKx.
Stumble It!
Full Tilt Poker
Pot Limit Omaha Ring game
Blinds: $20/$40
6 players
Converter
Stack sizes:
UTG: $4660
UTG+1: $7183
CO: $4980
Hero: $4790
SB: $4870
BB: $3517
Pre-flop: (6 players) Hero is Button with :ts :tc :kc :as
3 folds, Hero raises to $140, SB folds, BB calls.
Flop: :5s :7s :th ($300, 2 players)
BB bets $300, Hero raises to $900, BB calls.
Turn: :8h ($2100, 2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $1250, BB calls.
River: :4d ($4600, 2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks.
Results:
Final pot: $4600
Hero showed Ts Tc Kc As
BB showed 6s 8s Kd Qs
Sorry it's tough to follow. I flopped top set and the nut flush draw and lost to an open-ender with a worse flush draw. Money only went in when I was ahead, though.
Eventually I busted raising JJAx from the button and calling a shove from AAKx.
Labels: FTOPS, PLO, poker, session review, short-handed, tournament
Stumble It!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Ramping Up the Aggression
With deeper stacks (these hands are all from deep tables), you need to be, not necessarily more aggressive, but aggressive in more situations. With 100 BBs's, a 4-bet squeeze will almost always commit your stack, which means there's only a narrow range of hands with which you can make this play. Showdown equity is always important.
But as stacks get deeper, there is more room to maneuver. You can put in more bets in more spots and still have room to fold. That doesn't mean you can go crazy against just anyone. Reads are important, as you need to know that your opponents are capable of letting go of a hand and/or having a less-than-stellar hand in the first place.
In this first one, MP and CO were both very aggressive pre-flop. I was certain they'd fold often enough to make this profitable. The only x-factor was the Button. I wasn't sure what would be his standards for cold calling a 3-bet. But he was also deep, and I figured that coming in cold for the fourth bet would get him off of even some pretty strong holdings:
Full Tilt Poker, $2/$4 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter
BB: $458
UTG: $400
MP: $1,303.30
CO: $1,099
BTN: $827.40
Hero (SB): $915
Pre-Flop: T
8 dealt to Hero (SB)
UTG folds, MP raises to $14, CO raises to $48, BTN calls $48, Hero raises to $210, 4 folds
Results: $162 Pot
Hero mucked T 8 and WON $162 (+$114 NET)
In this second one, the SB and I had both been aggressive, and this was the second time I'd seen the BB put in a cold 4-bet. This is definitely a riskier play to make, but for that reason I think it will also have better fold equity. BB and I have some history together, but I still think this is a tough spot for him if he holds QQ.
Full Tilt Poker, $5/$10 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter
UTG: $1,033.75
Hero (MP): $3,620
CO: $2,026
BTN: $1,010
SB: $2,005
BB: $4,111
Pre-Flop: J
9 dealt to Hero (MP)
UTG folds, Hero raises to $35, 2 folds, SB raises to $125, BB raises to $350, Hero raises to $1,000, SB folds, BB calls $650
Flop: ($2,125) 3
A
K (2 Players)
BB bets $700, Hero folds
Results: $2,125 Pot ($3 Rake)
BB mucked and WON $2,122 (+$1,122 NET)
While waiting for BB to act, I regretted raising quite so much. I wished I had made it 900 instead of 1000. I felt it would have put him to essentially the same decision, as I really didn't think he would ever flat call this raise. When he did, that confused me. I think he definitely would have shoved or folded AK pre-flop, and probably would have shoved in with AA and KK as well.
At the same time, this is a really bad board for him to lead out on as a bluff, and it's hard to put him on a hand that would need to bluff pre-flop. Maybe he was doing this as a probe with QQ? I don't know, it was tempting to shove in, and maybe with second pair or a gut shot or something with even a little equity against his calling range, I would have. In retrospect, floating seems like a good option, looking to bet the turn if he checks. I really don't think he could fire a second bluff if I called the flop. Meh, folding can't be that bad.
Reads didn't play as big of a role in this one, I think my hand pretty much plays itself here:
Full Tilt Poker, $3/$6 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter
MP: $692.70
CO: $1,659
BTN: $1,142.25
Hero (SB): $1,725.25
BB: $691.60
UTG: $813
Pre-Flop: A K dealt to Hero (SB)
UTG raises to $21, MP calls $21, CO folds, BTN raises to $72, Hero raises to $225, 4 folds
Results: $192 Pot
Hero mucked A K and WON $192 (+$120 NET)
If the Button shoves in, it's a crappy spot, but with AK and 20% of the effective stacks in pre-flop against an aggressive opponent (I've seen him shove in some dumb spots before), I think I've got to call it off. The more important thing is that that won't happen that often, and there really isn't a better option than re-raising with AK. Flat calling and playing out of position isn't appealing, nor is folding.
That doesn't mean I'm incapable of 4-bet/folding AK pre-flop- it just depends on the opponent:
Full Tilt Poker, $2/$4 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter
Hero (SB): $800
BB: $523.30
UTG: $974.30
MP: $936.40
CO: $150.50
BTN: $1,771.40
Pre-Flop: K A dealt to Hero (SB)
2 folds, CO raises to $12, BTN raises to $44, Hero raises to $155, 2 folds, BTN raises to $1,771.40 and is All-In, Hero folds
Results: $326 Pot
BTN mucked and WON $326 (+$171 NET)
My only regret here is that if I'm going to fold, I ought to raise a little less. $125 would probably do the trick.
Stumble It!
But as stacks get deeper, there is more room to maneuver. You can put in more bets in more spots and still have room to fold. That doesn't mean you can go crazy against just anyone. Reads are important, as you need to know that your opponents are capable of letting go of a hand and/or having a less-than-stellar hand in the first place.
In this first one, MP and CO were both very aggressive pre-flop. I was certain they'd fold often enough to make this profitable. The only x-factor was the Button. I wasn't sure what would be his standards for cold calling a 3-bet. But he was also deep, and I figured that coming in cold for the fourth bet would get him off of even some pretty strong holdings:
Full Tilt Poker, $2/$4 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter
BB: $458
UTG: $400
MP: $1,303.30
CO: $1,099
BTN: $827.40
Hero (SB): $915
Pre-Flop: T
8 dealt to Hero (SB)UTG folds, MP raises to $14, CO raises to $48, BTN calls $48, Hero raises to $210, 4 folds
Results: $162 Pot
Hero mucked T
8 and WON $162 (+$114 NET)In this second one, the SB and I had both been aggressive, and this was the second time I'd seen the BB put in a cold 4-bet. This is definitely a riskier play to make, but for that reason I think it will also have better fold equity. BB and I have some history together, but I still think this is a tough spot for him if he holds QQ.
Full Tilt Poker, $5/$10 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter
UTG: $1,033.75
Hero (MP): $3,620
CO: $2,026
BTN: $1,010
SB: $2,005
BB: $4,111
Pre-Flop: J
9 dealt to Hero (MP)UTG folds, Hero raises to $35, 2 folds, SB raises to $125, BB raises to $350, Hero raises to $1,000, SB folds, BB calls $650
Flop: ($2,125) 3
A K (2 Players)BB bets $700, Hero folds
Results: $2,125 Pot ($3 Rake)
BB mucked and WON $2,122 (+$1,122 NET)
While waiting for BB to act, I regretted raising quite so much. I wished I had made it 900 instead of 1000. I felt it would have put him to essentially the same decision, as I really didn't think he would ever flat call this raise. When he did, that confused me. I think he definitely would have shoved or folded AK pre-flop, and probably would have shoved in with AA and KK as well.
At the same time, this is a really bad board for him to lead out on as a bluff, and it's hard to put him on a hand that would need to bluff pre-flop. Maybe he was doing this as a probe with QQ? I don't know, it was tempting to shove in, and maybe with second pair or a gut shot or something with even a little equity against his calling range, I would have. In retrospect, floating seems like a good option, looking to bet the turn if he checks. I really don't think he could fire a second bluff if I called the flop. Meh, folding can't be that bad.
Reads didn't play as big of a role in this one, I think my hand pretty much plays itself here:
Full Tilt Poker, $3/$6 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter
MP: $692.70
CO: $1,659
BTN: $1,142.25
Hero (SB): $1,725.25
BB: $691.60
UTG: $813
Pre-Flop: A
K dealt to Hero (SB)UTG raises to $21, MP calls $21, CO folds, BTN raises to $72, Hero raises to $225, 4 folds
Results: $192 Pot
Hero mucked A
K and WON $192 (+$120 NET)If the Button shoves in, it's a crappy spot, but with AK and 20% of the effective stacks in pre-flop against an aggressive opponent (I've seen him shove in some dumb spots before), I think I've got to call it off. The more important thing is that that won't happen that often, and there really isn't a better option than re-raising with AK. Flat calling and playing out of position isn't appealing, nor is folding.
That doesn't mean I'm incapable of 4-bet/folding AK pre-flop- it just depends on the opponent:
Full Tilt Poker, $2/$4 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter
Hero (SB): $800
BB: $523.30
UTG: $974.30
MP: $936.40
CO: $150.50
BTN: $1,771.40
Pre-Flop: K
A dealt to Hero (SB)2 folds, CO raises to $12, BTN raises to $44, Hero raises to $155, 2 folds, BTN raises to $1,771.40 and is All-In, Hero folds
Results: $326 Pot
BTN mucked and WON $326 (+$171 NET)
My only regret here is that if I'm going to fold, I ought to raise a little less. $125 would probably do the trick.
Labels: 3-bet, 4-bet, 5-bet, 6-max, Full Tilt Poker, NLHE, poker, poker strategy, session review, short-handed, squeeze play
Stumble It!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
What's in a Name?
I was playing a bit lower than usual tonight, as I'm wont to do when on a downswing, and that means that I was up against a lot of players I'd never seen before. When trying to get a read on unknowns at a 6-max table, there are some really basic questions I am looking to answer about their level of knowledge and the plays in their arsenal. I'm thinking of stuff like the following:
1. Does he 3-bet light out of the blinds?
2. Does he 3-bet his button aggressively (especially important to know at Deep tables)
3. Is he capable of making a light 4-bet?
4. Does he know what a squeeze play is? Does he make squeeze plays? Does he play back at squeeze plays?
5. Can he fire multiple barrels?
6. Does he check-raise bluff dry flops?
7. Does he isolate limers
Usually, it takes some substantial observation to figure this stuff out. But sometimes players are nice enough to choose screennames that make their level of knowledge very clear. This is just giving away free information and helping me play better against them. For instance, here's a hand I played against "MyNameisBusto".
For those who don't know, "busto" is slang for a poker player who has lost his bankroll. It's very likely that a player who chooses a name like this is a serious player, quite possibly a professional. Moreover, the fact that he chose to take his screenname from popular poker culture suggests that he's somewhat immersed in this culture, probably as an active participant on 2+2 or another big poker forum. Thus, I'm going to expect him to be up on popular plays like the squeeze play, the continuation bet, and the CiB:
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $4 BB (5 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
UTG ($1721.30)
Hero ($951.30)
Button ($798)
SB ($847)
BB ($269.60)
Preflop: Hero is MP with Ac, 7c.
UTG raises to $14, Hero calls $14, 1 fold, SB raises to $72, 1 fold, UTG folds, Hero calls $58.
Flop: ($162) 6c, 6s, 4c (2 players)
SB bets $100, Hero raises to $279, SB raises to $458, Hero raises to $879.3 (All-In), SB folds.
Final Pot: $1499.30
I would usually throw this away pre-flop against an unknown, but since I figured this guy's range could be quite wide, and we were deep, I planned to take it away post-flop. Then I get a sweet flop, and I nearly made a pot-committing raise on the flop, but then I thought, "Let's see if I can get this guy to make another crazy play." Sure enough, he clicked it back, then folded getting a gazillion to one, allowing me to win a huge pot with no showdown.
Stumble It!
1. Does he 3-bet light out of the blinds?
2. Does he 3-bet his button aggressively (especially important to know at Deep tables)
3. Is he capable of making a light 4-bet?
4. Does he know what a squeeze play is? Does he make squeeze plays? Does he play back at squeeze plays?
5. Can he fire multiple barrels?
6. Does he check-raise bluff dry flops?
7. Does he isolate limers
Usually, it takes some substantial observation to figure this stuff out. But sometimes players are nice enough to choose screennames that make their level of knowledge very clear. This is just giving away free information and helping me play better against them. For instance, here's a hand I played against "MyNameisBusto".
For those who don't know, "busto" is slang for a poker player who has lost his bankroll. It's very likely that a player who chooses a name like this is a serious player, quite possibly a professional. Moreover, the fact that he chose to take his screenname from popular poker culture suggests that he's somewhat immersed in this culture, probably as an active participant on 2+2 or another big poker forum. Thus, I'm going to expect him to be up on popular plays like the squeeze play, the continuation bet, and the CiB:
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $4 BB (5 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
UTG ($1721.30)
Hero ($951.30)
Button ($798)
SB ($847)
BB ($269.60)
Preflop: Hero is MP with Ac, 7c.
UTG raises to $14, Hero calls $14, 1 fold, SB raises to $72, 1 fold, UTG folds, Hero calls $58.
Flop: ($162) 6c, 6s, 4c (2 players)
SB bets $100, Hero raises to $279, SB raises to $458, Hero raises to $879.3 (All-In), SB folds.
Final Pot: $1499.30
I would usually throw this away pre-flop against an unknown, but since I figured this guy's range could be quite wide, and we were deep, I planned to take it away post-flop. Then I get a sweet flop, and I nearly made a pot-committing raise on the flop, but then I thought, "Let's see if I can get this guy to make another crazy play." Sure enough, he clicked it back, then folded getting a gazillion to one, allowing me to win a huge pot with no showdown.
Labels: deep stacks, NLHE, poker, poker strategy, session review, short-handed, Two Plus Two
Stumble It!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
May
15K hands at -2.5 BB/100 is the short version of the story. And despite a final table appearance in an FTP $100 rebuy, I lost money on tournaments as well, thought I didn't play that many. I very nearly rallied on the last day of the month, only to get myself into some flush trouble. This first one may just be bad luck. It was against Jason Strasser. Though we'd never sat together before, I have some idea of how he plays, and I'm pretty sure this is a reasonable line to take against him. Guess I'm just going to lose some money when I hold the third nuts to his nuts:
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $20 BB (5 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
SB ($3338.50)
BB ($2272)
Hero ($5000)
MP ($4314)
Button ($11909)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with Ks, Kd.
Hero raises to $70, 1 fold, Button calls $70, 2 folds.
Flop: ($170) 8s, Qs, Js (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $120, Hero calls $120.
Turn: ($410) 3s (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $320, Hero calls $320.
River: ($1050) 7s (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $800, Hero calls $800.
Final Pot: $2650
Results in white below:
Button has 9s Ts (straight flush, queen high).
Hero has Ks Kd (flush, king high).
Outcome: Button wins $2650.
This one I believe I played badly, though not for the reasons you might think:
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $20 BB (6 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
UTG ($5459.50)
MP ($6787)
Hero ($9459.75)
Button ($1582)
SB ($4198)
BB ($3796)
Preflop: Hero is CO with 2s, 4s.
1 fold, MP calls $20, Hero raises to $90, 3 folds, MP calls $70.
Flop: ($210) Qs, As, Jc (2 players)
MP bets $200, Hero raises to $819, MP calls $619.
Turn: ($1848) Kh (2 players)
MP checks, Hero bets $1550, MP calls $1550.
River: ($4948) Ts (2 players)
MP bets $2020, Hero raises to $7000.75 (All-In), MP calls $2308 (All-In).
Final Pot: $16276.75
Results in white below:
MP has 9s 6s (flush, ace high).
Hero has 2s 4s (flush, ace high).
Outcome: MP wins $13604. Hero wins $2672.75.
Note that we are nearly 350 BB deep here. You'll also need to know that my opponent was absolutely terrible and loved to play loose and passive from out of position. I was happy to oblige by raising roughly 90% of his limps, potting most flops, and then proceeding from there. So I think raising him with 42s is actually fine/good.
He didn't lead into me that often, though, and I'm not a fan of my flop raise. He isn't very likely to fold, and he'll probably pay off if I hit my flush, so I'm almost surely better off calling and keeping stacks deeper for later streets. Having raised flop, I guess the turn bet is OK. There's probably a good-sized gap between his range for calling the flop and his range for continuing on this turn, and I'm 99% sure he's not raising with anything less than a pretty unlikely straight.
Alarm bells went off when he led the river, though. I really hadn't been thinking enough about his range, but this is very consistent with his having a flush draw. Yes, I'd seen him check call pot on the turn with a bare flush draw and no plans for bluffing the river. If there weren't a straight on the board, I wouldn't even thinking about jamming on him. But here there is both a plausible reason for him to bet this river without a flush (even if I do call he's probably chopping, since my hand doesn't look very much like a flush) and a good reason for him to call a shove with less than a flush, since a chop is so likely.
That's what should be the case. But this guy was bad and predictable and I was just pretty damn sure he had a better flush. But I convinced myself I was being a wuss and shoved the last 100 BB into the pot. I got to tell you, as much getting bad beat out of a big pot sucks, losing a monster because of your own mistakes is ten times worse. Ugh, if I had just called the flop, I could have avoided such a catastrophe.
Stumble It!
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $20 BB (5 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
SB ($3338.50)
BB ($2272)
Hero ($5000)
MP ($4314)
Button ($11909)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with Ks, Kd.
Hero raises to $70, 1 fold, Button calls $70, 2 folds.
Flop: ($170) 8s, Qs, Js (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $120, Hero calls $120.
Turn: ($410) 3s (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $320, Hero calls $320.
River: ($1050) 7s (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $800, Hero calls $800.
Final Pot: $2650
Results in white below:
Button has 9s Ts (straight flush, queen high).
Hero has Ks Kd (flush, king high).
Outcome: Button wins $2650.
This one I believe I played badly, though not for the reasons you might think:
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $20 BB (6 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
UTG ($5459.50)
MP ($6787)
Hero ($9459.75)
Button ($1582)
SB ($4198)
BB ($3796)
Preflop: Hero is CO with 2s, 4s.
1 fold, MP calls $20, Hero raises to $90, 3 folds, MP calls $70.
Flop: ($210) Qs, As, Jc (2 players)
MP bets $200, Hero raises to $819, MP calls $619.
Turn: ($1848) Kh (2 players)
MP checks, Hero bets $1550, MP calls $1550.
River: ($4948) Ts (2 players)
MP bets $2020, Hero raises to $7000.75 (All-In), MP calls $2308 (All-In).
Final Pot: $16276.75
Results in white below:
MP has 9s 6s (flush, ace high).
Hero has 2s 4s (flush, ace high).
Outcome: MP wins $13604. Hero wins $2672.75.
Note that we are nearly 350 BB deep here. You'll also need to know that my opponent was absolutely terrible and loved to play loose and passive from out of position. I was happy to oblige by raising roughly 90% of his limps, potting most flops, and then proceeding from there. So I think raising him with 42s is actually fine/good.
He didn't lead into me that often, though, and I'm not a fan of my flop raise. He isn't very likely to fold, and he'll probably pay off if I hit my flush, so I'm almost surely better off calling and keeping stacks deeper for later streets. Having raised flop, I guess the turn bet is OK. There's probably a good-sized gap between his range for calling the flop and his range for continuing on this turn, and I'm 99% sure he's not raising with anything less than a pretty unlikely straight.
Alarm bells went off when he led the river, though. I really hadn't been thinking enough about his range, but this is very consistent with his having a flush draw. Yes, I'd seen him check call pot on the turn with a bare flush draw and no plans for bluffing the river. If there weren't a straight on the board, I wouldn't even thinking about jamming on him. But here there is both a plausible reason for him to bet this river without a flush (even if I do call he's probably chopping, since my hand doesn't look very much like a flush) and a good reason for him to call a shove with less than a flush, since a chop is so likely.
That's what should be the case. But this guy was bad and predictable and I was just pretty damn sure he had a better flush. But I convinced myself I was being a wuss and shoved the last 100 BB into the pot. I got to tell you, as much getting bad beat out of a big pot sucks, losing a monster because of your own mistakes is ten times worse. Ugh, if I had just called the flop, I could have avoided such a catastrophe.
Labels: 6-max, Full Tilt Poker, poker strategy, session review, short-handed
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Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Suicide Bluffs
I like trying to bluff into multiple players. Not only do I sometimes surprise myself with the fold equity I have, but it's also nice for balancing my ranges and helping me to get paid off the many times that I have big hands in these spots. Here are two from tonight's session:
Full Tilt Poker, $5/$10 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 8 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter
MP2: $2,916.40
CO: $492.60
BTN: $579.50
SB: $1,813.20
Hero (BB): $2,057
UTG: $1,002
UTG+1: $1,803
MP1: $470
Pre-Flop: 7 A dealt to Hero (BB)
4 folds, CO raises to $28, BTN folds, SB calls $23, Hero calls $18
Flop: ($84) 8 9 K (3 Players)
SB checks, Hero checks, CO checks
Turn: ($84) 5 (3 Players)
SB bets $49, Hero raises to $229, CO calls $229, SB calls $180
River: ($771) J (3 Players)
SB checks, Hero bets $550, CO calls $235.60 and is All-In, SB raises to $1,100, Hero folds
Results: $2,106.60 Pot ($2,106.60 Rake)
CO showed Jd 9d and LOST
SB showed Th 7h and WON
On the river here I'm bluffing into two people, one of whom is getting better than 3:1 to call given his stack size. But based on the turn action and CO's stack size, I was very sure they were both looking to catch on the river. If CO liked his hand on the turn, he would have stuck the rest of his chips in. And if SB liked his, he would have done the same, since CO was clearly drawing and going to call. The Jc on the river missed all the obvious draws, but unfortunately my opponents had some non-obvious draws. That's the price of doing business.
Full Tilt Poker, $10/$20 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter
SB: $2,000
BB: $1,975
UTG: $501
MP: $4,509
Hero (CO): $2,895.50
BTN: $2,030
Pre-Flop: J 9 dealt to Hero (CO)
2 folds, Hero raises to $70, BTN folds, SB calls $60, BB calls $50
Flop: ($210) 4 Q K (3 Players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $175, SB calls $175, BB calls $175
Turn: ($735) 2 (3 Players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $550, 2 folds
Results: $735 Pot ($3 Rake)
Hero mucked J 9 and WON $732 (+$487 NET)
This one really isn't suicidal at all. BB never has a monster here, and SB could have 44 or KQ, but it's way more likely he's got one pair. I don't think either of them is going any further with less than two pair, and obviously I've got plenty of outs even if I am unlucky enough to run into a big hand (or a stubborn opponent).
Stumble It!
Full Tilt Poker, $5/$10 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 8 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter
MP2: $2,916.40
CO: $492.60
BTN: $579.50
SB: $1,813.20
Hero (BB): $2,057
UTG: $1,002
UTG+1: $1,803
MP1: $470
Pre-Flop: 7
A dealt to Hero (BB)4 folds, CO raises to $28, BTN folds, SB calls $23, Hero calls $18
Flop: ($84) 8
9 K (3 Players)SB checks, Hero checks, CO checks
Turn: ($84) 5
(3 Players)SB bets $49, Hero raises to $229, CO calls $229, SB calls $180
River: ($771) J
(3 Players)SB checks, Hero bets $550, CO calls $235.60 and is All-In, SB raises to $1,100, Hero folds
Results: $2,106.60 Pot ($2,106.60 Rake)
CO showed Jd 9d and LOST
SB showed Th 7h and WON
On the river here I'm bluffing into two people, one of whom is getting better than 3:1 to call given his stack size. But based on the turn action and CO's stack size, I was very sure they were both looking to catch on the river. If CO liked his hand on the turn, he would have stuck the rest of his chips in. And if SB liked his, he would have done the same, since CO was clearly drawing and going to call. The Jc on the river missed all the obvious draws, but unfortunately my opponents had some non-obvious draws. That's the price of doing business.
Full Tilt Poker, $10/$20 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter
SB: $2,000
BB: $1,975
UTG: $501
MP: $4,509
Hero (CO): $2,895.50
BTN: $2,030
Pre-Flop: J
9 dealt to Hero (CO)2 folds, Hero raises to $70, BTN folds, SB calls $60, BB calls $50
Flop: ($210) 4
Q K (3 Players)SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $175, SB calls $175, BB calls $175
Turn: ($735) 2
(3 Players)SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $550, 2 folds
Results: $735 Pot ($3 Rake)
Hero mucked J
9 and WON $732 (+$487 NET)This one really isn't suicidal at all. BB never has a monster here, and SB could have 44 or KQ, but it's way more likely he's got one pair. I don't think either of them is going any further with less than two pair, and obviously I've got plenty of outs even if I am unlucky enough to run into a big hand (or a stubborn opponent).
Labels: 6-max, full ring, NLHE, poker, poker strategy, session review, short-handed
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