I’m A Calling Station

The 5/10 NL FTP game is very aggressive, much more so than the 3/6 game. That’s given me opportunities to make some big calls, which is always fun. Here’s a few from last night:

Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (6 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

Hero ($1416.50)
SB ($1263)
BB ($1985)
UTG ($1115)
MP ($968.25)
CO ($944.50)

Preflop: Hero is Button with Ah, Td.
1 fold, MP raises to $20, 1 fold, Hero raises to $75, 1 fold, BB calls $65, MP folds.

Flop: ($175) 6s, 5s, Jh (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $141, BB calls $141.

Turn: ($457) Th (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks.

River: ($457) 5h (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $300, BB raises to $1769 (All-In), Hero calls $900.50 (All-In).

Final Pot: $3426.50

He had 77.

This pot was against ArbianNight, who is a very good and aggressive cash game player. We were playing on a few tables and had already butted heads several times. The turn check was an accident; I was involved in a few pots on other tables at the same time and just timed out before I got a chance to bet.

On the river, I’m betting for value. Every draw (from the flop) missed, which makes it a good spot for me to bluff, and therefore a good spot for him to call me light. Based on the flop and turn action, I felt he could have either a missed draw or a pair worse than Jacks, and that he could call with the latter. With so many draws possible, I just can’t see him playing a Jack or better so passively.

I also can’t see him check-raising a Jack for value on the river. Maybe he runner runnered a flush, but I felt it was more likely he missed a draw and either put me on a bluff with a hand that was nonetheless ahead of his, or put me on a thinnish value bet and felt he could take me off the hand. I was very surprised to see him turn over 77. I wouldn’t have a problem with him calling 77 on the river, because bluffs are definitely a substantial part of my range here, but I don’t think he can put me on a better hand that will nonetheless fold to his check-raise very often.

I didn’t know anything about this next Villain, but most players in the 5/10 shorthanded games are very familiar with the squeeze play, and I expected him to play aggressively post-flop when he called my re-raise. Basically he’s passed on two opportunities to reraise but still hasn’t folded, which tells me he’s got a marginal hand but thinks I’m FOS.

Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (5 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

Button ($1077)
SB ($1005)
Hero ($1605)
UTG ($1943.80)
MP ($900)

Preflop: Hero is BB with Td, Qs.
1 fold, MP raises to $35, Button calls $35, 1 fold, Hero raises to $155, MP folds, Button calls $120.

Flop: ($350) As, Qd, 2d (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $100, Hero calls $100.

Turn: ($550) 3c (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $300, Hero calls $300.

River: ($1150) 9s (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets $522 (All-In), Hero calls $522.

Final Pot: $2194

Results in white below:

Hero has Td Qs (one pair, queens).

Button has 7h 7s (one pair, sevens).

Outcome: Hero wins $2194.

I wasn’t thrilled when he shoved for half pot on the river. I called the turn thinking he would give it up on the river if he didn’t have the Ace. But the more I thought through his line, the more I didn’t think he had one. When he just calls twice pre-flop, he’s unlikely to have a good Ace like AK or AQ, but he could have a smaller, suited Ace. But that doesn’t gel with the tiny flop bet. In a reraised pot, he’s got to expect to be way ahead/way behind with something like A7s on this flop. In that case, he’d be looking to keep the pot small and maybe get one bet from me on the turn or river. Instead, he took a line that bloats the pot from the get-go, and that just isn’t consistent with a weak Ace. A set of deuces is about the only non-bluff holding I could put him on, so after some thought, I snapped him off.

And here’s a bad call, for good measure:

Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (6 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

SB ($1722)
BB ($386)
Hero ($1731)
MP ($1001.25)
CO ($1010)
Button ($1395)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with Ad, 7d.
Hero raises to $35, 1 fold, CO calls $35, 1 fold, SB calls $30, BB calls $25.

Flop: ($140) 4h, 5d, 4s (4 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $96, CO folds, SB calls $96, BB folds.

Turn: ($332) 6c (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks.

River: ($332) 3c (2 players)
SB bets $255, Hero calls $255.

Final Pot: $842

Results in white below:

SB has 5s 5c (full house, fives full of fours).

Hero has Ad 7d (straight, seven high).

Outcome: SB wins $842.

The earlier my position, the more likely I am to fire into multiple callers on a dry flop. I raise a wide range UTG to protect my monsters, which means I have to occasionally make some strong moves even when I don’t have a big pair. Even if my opponents realize my range is wider than just big pairs, it’s hard for them to play back at me because they are so far behind the times that I do actually have the pair. Only a very few hands hit this flop hard enough to continue when I represent an overpair.

When SB calls me, he either has 55/54 or has a different medium pair but doesn’t believe me. Had I not turned an open-ender, I would have double-barreled him, but I didn’t want to risk getting check-raised off my draw. When he bets the river, though, I think I should have followed my first instinct and folded. On the flop, I put him on a full house or a smallish pair, and now several of those latter holdings have improved into full houses as well. If he has something like 8’s, he doesn’t have anything to gain by betting the river. I’m really hoping for a chop with something like 76 or 77 when I call, and in retrospect I’m pretty sure I should be folding.