Now With K10

There was a drunk LO on my right, he showed me his cards when squeezing them about a third of the time despite my warning.

This time he had a 7. He opened for 20$ from mp I called him. The tight but a bit weak player called me on my left. A good player called, an SS on the button shoved for his 50$. blinds fold, the LO called the 50, I did. The player on my left shoved and the good player folded.

Then to my surprise the LO folded too.

So now I have K10o. with 170 left. The ss, me, LO, and SS all have put in 50 so far. the good player who folded to the shove put in 20$. that 220$ in dead money. So it is 170 + 220 = 390:170 odds.

I have K10o with 170 left behind. The price was right. As it worked out the player on my left had a medium pair or so he said. The butto mucked saying he had suited connectors. I won on a A Q 10 xx board.

I took AA-QQ out of the shovers range because he would have reraised pf. Or so he should have. It looke like a medium pair after the flat and then the shove. But you never know. You can make it a correct call vs a bad call depending on how you pick the ranges for poker stove.

It was about even when I used regular ranges, of course that was the entire pot. I guess I should look for side pot vs main pot.

That being said, I shouldn't have called the 20$ because their were too many people to act behind me.

How Did I Manage This

I've been rolled up 5 times today in the 1 cent ante stud game losing 3 of them. But the variance doesn't mathcup to NLHE.

I went to CAZ to check out the thursday night action. There was a 45ish woman with a man in a suit standing behind her having a good time. She later explained that he was her driver. Okay.

Suprisingly she was not responsible for this hand. In fact the passive table played it when she got up for a break.

Someone put out a straddle. A couple players limped in. I had K7s in hearts and limped from the button. sb limped. bb completes. Straddler makes it 60, which should end it for me but the limpers called. I am facing 50 to call and I have 240 left in my stack.

With the callers I am getting more than 4:1 so I called. The sb then went all in for about 450 total. SURPISE.

The bb folded. odd.

The original limpers called. They do like to call.

I was stacking my chips and the small blind said "c;mon and gamble, the odds are great."

I called.

The board came out K K 10 8 6 10.

The SB had A10o. One of the limpers had 10 8o. They chopped a an okay side pot while I got he main. I actually think I got stiffed a bit because I finished the hand with 950$. I think the bb original raise (and he later folded) wound up in one of the side pots.

Haven't Posted Lately

My poker career is winding down and I got too distracted/tired/depressed/lazy to update both blogs these months.

I was thinking about poker and I actually decided I spent my poker time unwisely. I think after the basics are down, that one's time is best spent going over the play of actual hands or studying sample hands. I should have kept up with this more diligently.

I was thinking about it again last night at the FW 10/20. And old man check/called the clop, check called the turn, and bet the river. board 4 Q 8 Q 6. I called and he showed Q8. I wondered "Has anyone ever been caught bluffing in that line?" Every crusty old man that I have called in that spot has had at least trip Queens.

While I was contemplating that. An couple hours later I bluffed in that spot. Ihad KQhh and called from the bb. flop was rags with one h. like 2d 4h 8s, 8c, 6h. I check/caled the flop and then turn and then donked the river (into a TAG younger player who had open raised a couple limpers from the button). He showed a pure steal, 10h3h and folded. I showed him just the Kh.

So I guess some people do bluff with that line.

A Couple of Short Stacking Hands

the buy in for the MS 2-5nl is 100$ I think that is ridiculously low. Especially because I have trouble remembering specifics, which is key for short stack problems.

I had about 60$ left. folded to the c.o. who limps. I made it 25 to go with K5h. The blinds cold called. The c.o. called.

1. Flop K Js 9s. checked to me. I put my 35$ in. Both blinds called. sb had 107s for a 2-way draw. bb flopped a str8 with Q10!!


2. I had AsJc on the cutoff anda fresh 100$ stack. 3 limpers. I raised to 25$. button cold calls as do 2 limpers...

flop 6c 2 2c. They check to me. 103$ pot and I have 75 left and AJ high.

I jammed it in. any good?

The button called me. he had 64 and I failed to improve. Honestly I don't remember if it was a 64 sooted or not. Make all the difference I bet.

EDIT. They were black cards and the 6c was on the board. I think they were unsuited.

Blunted

I have no great edge in skills. I can't read people or do the math anymore than the average student of the game. And my experience level is less than the online billion-hand sample sizes.

My only edge is self-awareness. When I had a nightmare downswing, I would examine every hand street by street, sometimes here, sometimes on rgp or 4.

But in this last free fall, I didn't do it. Laziness, busy-ness, denial, I am not sure of what excuse to use. I just haven't been doing the only thing that set me apart from the crowd.

Stringing Along

I was playing 2-5 nl holdem and had raised two limpers to 35$ preflop with AhKd.

They called and I missed the flop as usual.
Flop Qs 9s 4d. they checked and I bet 75, I had been short stacking so I had less than that left.

The first limper folded the second one counted out a lot of chips and said I call the 75 and raise him 75 more. I said "I believe that's a string bet sir" Immediately the chatty players started echoing "string, string string" The quiet dealer would have told him it was a string bet, if she spoke English. Eventually the floor came by and ruled it a string.

This is exactly the situation the rule is in place for. So he was left with just a call.

Turn 5s. Well that's spiffy, on the slim chance he had a flush draw, he's there. He reached for his chips and then checked. I checked before anyone called for a balk :>

River Kc He sets me all in for about 65. (well actually he bet so I'd have 6$ left. I called so I could keep the 6$ i lost). He had JJ with the J of spades. I don't know where to start the lol and lmao on that one.

aftermath: The JJ villain went ballistic cussing out me and the entire table. Ironically he seemed most pissed off at the one player who had confirmed that it was a string bet. Shooting the messenger is still commonplace among the unrefined I guess. It worked out fine because said player busted the foul mouthed former holder of JJ on the next hand.

Villain made a speech before leaving; He's a maniac, he's a solid player [pointing to me!] and he [pointing at messenger] is a conniving bastard.For the next hour whenever the messenger made a move, I said "we know your conniving something"

Pretty Suited Connectors

cost me thousands, as posted on rgp

Foxwoods 1/2 nl HE. The table is about 7 pros/regs and 3 donks.
utg pro opens for 15, 3 callers, I call with 96s and 350 in my stack, utg covers, other stacks are all over the place.

5 to flop. Pot 65$

Flop 9 6 7. r I check, pfr checks, caller one bets 45, two folds. I check raise to 150. PFR folds. the flop bettor doesn't look concerned, in ten seconds he raises to 260. I asked for clarification and he said he raises another 110$.

That's a min raise, and I ...

I table my hand trying to get a reaction, he still doesn't look concerned. I decide I am only beating 76 and fold.

He didn't show but said he had a set of 9s. No clue if he's telling the truth.
The suited cards looked so pretty, and how the heck did I lose 165 with them and not make it to the turn?