2 In The Flesh - Results

Alright, thanks for the comments on the 2 live action hands. I got a nice range of responses.

Hand 1)
Preflop: 4 limpers, I have Ad-Ts in the BB and check. Pot is $11.
Flop: Th-6c-3s. I lead for $7, 1 MP calls, CO raises to $30. MP has $80 behind, CO has $110 behind. What's the best play here?

This is a really awkward spot. The flop is ultra-dry, and I'm getting my TPTK raised by a non-aggro villain. It looks pretty strong. At the time we were playing, I thought there had to be a good chance that he had a set of 3's or 6's. But I convinced myself that he might make this play with KT or AT, or possibly 45. After all, I'm leading from the SB, so he has to think that I may be leading a lot of T-x hands that can't stand a raise. So I called, thinking I could get away if the 45 OESD got there, or if something like a Q or K peeled and he kept blasting away. The MP girl folded.

So the pot was $78. The turn was an A, giving me top 2 but not really changing anything if my read was right. I checked, he bet another $30, and after some deliberation I decided to ship in the rest. I figured he may still call with KT, not expecting the A to have helped me. Or, he may make a bad call with 45 and try to river his straight. He tanked for a minute and then called off his last $80. He showed 3-6 for a flopped 2-pair, and the river bricked.

We jawed at each other a little bit afterwards, with him basically calling me a donkey for thinking my AT was good after his flop raise, and me countering that I didn't expect a decent player to be in there with 3-6. I told him I thought he might make that raise with a T, and he said he would never do that.

Good call by Wonka, Mojo, Meister. Bad call by me (and great turn!), and especially bad call by Hef. :)

But in all seriousness, I don't think I would ever re-pop that flop, at least not against this villain. It's a limped pot, so a 3-bet here is only getting called by better hands - sets and 2-pairs. It was a mistake to add 4-5 to his range, and that's the only hand you would want to be 3-betting for value on the flop. The last thing we want to do against KT is 3-bet and let him get away easily.

Another point on this hand is my initial comment - it's harder for me to lay down hands like this live, since the action is so much slower, and it's hard to know how long it will be until you get a hand as playable as TPTK. And since I only get 3-5 hour live action windows, sometimes I can go for entire sessions without much happening. So I force things to happen, which rarely turns out good. But this was one of those fortunate times.

Hand 2)
Villain in this hand has a small clue about how to play, but has no idea how to size his bets, and I have seen him make some random bluffs.

Preflop: I won the previous pot so I post a $5 kill and I'm on the button. 2 EP player limp and I check 45o. SB folds and BB calls. Pot is $21.
Flop: 7-8-Q rainbow. It checks around to me and I check it through.
Turn: 6. UTG limper leads for $7, UTG+1 calls, and I call. Pot is $40.
River: 8. UTG leads for $23. UTG+1 folds. It's on me and UTG has $60 behind. Hero?

I thought it was interesting how many of you are suggesting a river shove here, especially when the river card is so ugly, pairing the board and putting me behind a bunch of hands. Only Mojo seemed committed to a call, everyone else suggesting a shove. I was actually waffling between calling and folding.

Let's examine the action - UTG checks the flop and then leads the turn...this suggests a couple possibilities:
a) He had a big hand on the flop and was hoping to trap (Q8/77/88...78 less likely, since I think most people would bet to protect a vulnerable bottom 2 pair)
b) He has made a hand on the turn and wants to get value (66/76/86/9T/59/54)
c) He now feels good about a weak made hand after the flop checked through (Q-x/8-x)
d) He has decided to bluff or semi-bluff (5-x/9-x) from OOP with a small 1/3 pot bet.

Now on the river, the 8 pairs, and he leads out again from OOP, and this time for more (still only about 1/2 pot, but I think in his eyes it was a big bet). To my mind, this eliminates all of the Q-x hands in category c), and also eliminates some of the hands in category b), like 76. What's left? A bunch of boats, some 8-x hands, and the unlikely bluff. It's a small pot and I'm only in it b/c I posted a kill...do I really want to ship it here and risk dumping off 50BBs in a limped pot?

I actually thought he was strong, and had it been a bigger pot, I may well have folded. But I made what I thought was the crying call, mainly on the thought that he would be making this bet with a wide range of 8-x hands. He showed A-6, which really falls into the unlikely bluff category. Shipping wouldn't have gotten a call here, but it's worth wondering whether it would have gotten a call from 8-x.

I had a pretty solid session, starting with $160 and leaving with $410, so now I'm all psyched to get back out there again. Back home, I'm still grinding PLO, but I'm losing patience, so I may be back at the 6-max NLHE games before too long.

2 In The Flesh

After negotiating my way into a night of live poker ($1-$2NLHE), I found myself in a funny but familiar position - having just a few short hours to balance my desire to get in as much action as possible with the need to play a smart, winning game.  This is such a common story for me as a poker hobbyist (an enthusiast, but still, given the short shrift of time poker gets, ultimately just a hobbyist).  I love the nuance of the live game, but the online game gives me the fully immersive action of multi-tabling and having the action come by spitfire.

Anyways, keep that in mind as you considering these two hands I played.  What's the right action in these spots?

Hand 1) 

The CO in this hand is a Middle Eastern guy that I've played with many times.  He plays a lot of hands but is a thinking player.  He's not terribly aggressive but limps with a wide range and may continue with a wide range, especially in a small pot.  MP is a young Asian girl playing a short stack who I have never seen get out of line post-flop.  I expect her play to be very straightforward.

Preflop: 4 limpers, I have Ad-Ts in the BB and check.  Pot is $11.

Flop: Th-6c-3s.  I lead for $7, 1 MP calls, CO raises to $30.  MP has $80 behind, CO has $110 behind.  What's the best play here?

Hand 2)

Villain in this hand has a small clue about how to play, but has no idea how to size his bets, and I have seen him make some random bluffs.

Preflop: I won the previous pot so I post a $5 kill and I'm on the button.  2 EP player limp and I check 45o.  SB folds and BB calls.  Pot is $21.

Flop: 7-8-Q rainbow.  It checks around to me and I check it through.

Turn: 6.  UTG limper leads for $7, UTG+1 calls, and I call.  Pot is $40.

River: 8.  UTG leads for $23.  UTG+1 folds.  It's on me and UTG has $60 behind.  Hero?

Trio of Trouble Results

So this trio of hands ended up having a common strain, one that I didn't recognize until after I had posted them up.  The common theme is misjudging your opponents' ranges.  I sometimes get into trouble by projecting a standard range on a nonstandard player... the most common mistake is to remove strong hands from a villain's range when that villain plays them passively.

H1)
No stats at the time.

Full Tilt Poker, $0.25/$0.50 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter
SB: $88.80
BB: $28.30
Hero (UTG): $76.55
MP: $39.80
CO: $50
BTN: $101.25
CO posts $0.50
Pre-Flop: Q A dealt to Hero (UTG)
Hero raises to $2.25, MP raises to $5, 4 folds, Hero calls $2.75

Flop: ($11.25) Q 8 3 (2 Players)
Hero checks, MP bets $7, Hero calls $7

Turn: ($25.25) 9 (2 Players)
Hero?

This is a weird spot because my hand seems strong, but given my opponent's awkward stack size and your lack of position, it isn't easy to know what to do.  I think it's really tempting to lead out, but what would be the purpose?  I.e., what worse hands to we expect to call us here?  Well, we have to start with the small 3-bet, which I interpret as pretty strong, meaning only pairs (probably TT+) and AK.  The kind of regulars who 3-bet with suited connectors and other weaker hands will always make bigger 3-bets than this.  Given this range, the only worse hands would be J-J or T-T.  99/QQ+ all have us beat, meaning that we are just getting more money in behind. 

In a deeper stacked game, I think we would definitely check, since we don't mind having it checked behind (free draw to nuts, plus it means we are probably already good), and if villain bets, we can make a big, scary check-raise to push opponent off of a better or equal hand like AA/KK/AQ.

But here, with a $25 pot and our villain having $27 behind, we have to make a decision now whether we are willing to stack off or not.  Basically, if we plan to check/call the turn, we are almost forced to call off on the river.  So if we concede that we are getting it in either way, we might as well lead out to ensure that we get value from TT/JJ/AxKh.

I waffled back and forth on this one several times, but I end up feeling like the best move here is to lead out on the turn and call off if villain shoves.  And it so happens that that's what I did...
Hero bets $16, MP raises to $27.80 and is All-In, Hero calls $11.80

River: ($80.85) A (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: $80.85 Pot ($3 Rake)
Hero showed Q A (two pair, Aces and Queens) and LOST (-$39.80 NET)
MP showed 8 8 (three of a kind, Eights) and WON $77.85 (+$38.05 NET)

So I'm fine with my play, but clearly I misjudged my opponent's range, since I certainly didn't expect him to make a small 3-bet with 88.

H2)
I didn't have any stats at the time, but villain ended up 23/12/1.4 over 69 hands.

Full Tilt Poker, $0.25/$0.50 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter
UTG: $71.75
MP: $81.65
Hero (CO): $50.75
BTN: $50
SB: $48.20
BB: $53.80
Pre-Flop: A J dealt to Hero (CO)
2 folds, Hero raises to $1.75, BTN folds, SB calls $1.50, BB folds

Flop: ($4) 5 J 4 (2 Players)
SB bets $2.50, Hero raises to $6.50, SB calls $4

Turn: ($17) T (2 Players)
SB checks, Hero bets $8, SB calls $8

River: ($33) 6 (2 Players)
SB checks,
Hero?

JT would make sense here, but I would expect JT to make itself known here, either by raising the turn or leading the river.  I know we can't completely discount that or a hand like 56 or even a set, but I think it is ultimately a mistake to check back and forego the opportunity to get more value from J-x hands.  I like making a small value bet, like $10-$13, and folding to pretty much any raise.  Ain't no J-x hand raising this river, there's no way I'm giving a random credit for a river bluff raise here.

But somehow I chickened out, which turned out to be a good thing...

...

Hero checks

Results: $33 Pot ($1.65 Rake)
Hero showed A J (a pair of Jacks) and LOST (-$16.25 NET)
SB showed Q Q (a pair of Queens) and WON $31.35 (+$15.10 NET)

Once again, I misjudged my opponent's range, thinking that there was no way he wouldn't 3-bet QQ+, and if he did slow play these hands PF, he would certainly make a raise somewhere in the hand.

But ultimately, I think this is a spot where, despite the good outcome, I made a mistake by checking.  The majority of the time, I'm passing up a big river value bet.

H3)
Villain was 29/6/5 over 35 hands.

Full Tilt Poker, $0.10/$0.25 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter
Hero (SB): $33.83
BB: $14.56
UTG: $8.85
MP: $63.59
CO: $25
BTN: $31.14
Pre-Flop: T T dealt to Hero (SB)
3 folds, BTN raises to $1, Hero raises to $3.25, BB folds, BTN calls $2.25

Flop: ($6.75) 6 8 4 (2 Players)
Hero bets $4.50, BTN raises to $27.89 and is All-In,
Hero?

I guess it's pretty standard to call off here, but I wanted to see if anyone makes the fold here, just on the "find a better spot" principle or something similar. 

My line of thinking here is that there's no way the villain has a monster like a set or straight, since he wouldn't just ship it all in.  But Scazmatic makes a good point here - some villains really don't know any better than to shove it all in.  But in general, this is one of those spots where you should be more scared by a smaller raise (and much more likely to fold), while the big raise just doesn't make any sense if he has a monster.

I could be up against something like JJ or QQ, but it seems just as likely that I'm up against a pair + gutshot hand like 87/67/65/77/55, or even 99.  So I snap it off without much hesitation...
Hero calls $23.39

Turn: ($62.53) A (2 Players - 1 is All-In)
River: ($62.53) Q (2 Players - 1 is All-In)
Results: $62.53 Pot ($3 Rake)
Hero showed T T (a pair of Tens) and LOST (-$31.14 NET)
BTN showed J J (a pair of Jacks) and WON $59.53 (+$28.39 NET)

Trio of Troublesome Hands

Been pretty busy around here, between fantasy football drafts (2 last week), friends visiting and visiting friends. But I got in enough poker last night to find myself in a good bit of trouble. What do I do in these 3 spots?

H1)
No stats at the time.

Full Tilt Poker, $0.25/$0.50 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter
SB: $88.80
BB: $28.30
Hero (UTG): $76.55
MP: $39.80
CO: $50
BTN: $101.25
CO posts $0.50
Pre-Flop: Q A dealt to Hero (UTG)
Hero raises to $2.25, MP raises to $5, 4 folds, Hero calls $2.75

Flop: ($11.25) Q 8 3 (2 Players)
Hero checks, MP bets $7, Hero calls $7

Turn: ($25.25) 9 (2 Players)
Hero?
Obviously a nice turn card, but how best to play it here?


H2)
I didn't have any stats at the time, but villain ended up 23/12/1.4 over 69 hands.

Full Tilt Poker, $0.25/$0.50 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter
UTG: $71.75
MP: $81.65
Hero (CO): $50.75
BTN: $50
SB: $48.20
BB: $53.80
Pre-Flop: A J dealt to Hero (CO)
2 folds, Hero raises to $1.75, BTN folds, SB calls $1.50, BB folds

Flop: ($4) 5 J 4 (2 Players)
SB bets $2.50, Hero raises to $6.50, SB calls $4

Turn: ($17) T (2 Players)
SB checks, Hero bets $8, SB calls $8

River: ($33) 6 (2 Players)
SB checks,
Hero?
Is this a must-bet spot? If so, how much?

H3)
Villain was 29/6/5 over 35 hands.

Full Tilt Poker, $0.10/$0.25 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter
Hero (SB): $33.83
BB: $14.56
UTG: $8.85
MP: $63.59
CO: $25
BTN: $31.14
Pre-Flop: T T dealt to Hero (SB)
3 folds, BTN raises to $1, Hero raises to $3.25, BB folds, BTN calls $2.25

Flop: ($6.75) 6 8 4 (2 Players)
Hero bets $4.50, BTN raises to $27.89 and is All-In,
Hero?