Is Powers' play really that bad?

[Nate tha' Great]

Just caught the first half of tonight's episode which I'd missed before.

Obviously he's too loose preflop.

But like a lot of "successful" loose aggressive players, he does a good job of getting opponents off their A-game, and adjusting his postflop play to his opponents' accordantly weaker hands and looser value bets and raises. LAG players who never let up on the breaks get busted quickly, and LAG players who play "normally" postflop tend to miss value in spots that an ordinary player wouldn't have. Powers seemed to have found about the right balance in his play.

The Q7 hand versus McManus hand was debatable, I suppose, but only because the blinds were large enough at that point that wasn't in much of a position to push his marginal edges. In a ring game, I think his 4-bet on the flop with middle pair, okay kicker against a tilting LP raiser would be just fine. He looked foolish but it's easy to look foolish when your opponent flops a set.

[Dynasty]

He got one player to 3-bet him with K9o and another to call a river bet with an unimproved QT. When that happens, the LAG needs to turn TAG without his opponents noticing.

[BobH42]

McManus is not the type to go on tilt like that...so Powers definitely has that going for him /images/graemlins/wink.gif

I'd say that Powers play would not be fundamentally sound UNLESS you manage to combine it with a personality that absolutely pisses people off. The other people at the table need to lower their hand values in order for his play method to work. I think you're right...if he senses that he's affected the play at the table and turned TAG he'd really clean up. He's certainly got the personality to tilt pretty much anyone if they're not careful /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[NLfool]

yeah if the guy backed it up with another gear or slowed down a bit he'd be something else. Q7 against a set of 6's was about one of the worst played hands I've seen.

[Nate tha' Great]

[ QUOTE ]
yeah if the guy backed it up with another gear or slowed down a bit he'd be something else. Q7 against a set of 6's was about one of the worst played hands I've seen.

[/ QUOTE ]

McManus raised from LP and Powers defends with Q7s, which is not fantastic but reasonable.

McManus autobets when checked to on the flop.

Powers has a piece of the board and check-raises.

McManus knows this is a good semibluffing board and 3-bets.

Powers lets him know that he really does have a piece of the board and 4-bets.

All of this is reasonable.

McManus decides to smooth call and then raise the turn, which I think is somewhat stupid since it flags that he has a big hand, but not horrible against an opponent who is unlikely to fold.

Powers calldown is somewhat poor, but understandable given their past history.

This entire sequence is recreated every day in the Party 15/30 game. The play is marginal in spots, but hardly one of the worst-played hands I've seen, much less one of the worst-played hands in this year's WSOP coverage.

[Ian J]

I agree. I think McManus may have very well played an unimproved AK or 55 the same way on the flop. So who's to say Powers' play was that bad? I agree that his image could have taken him further than it did also. Once David Chiu starts 3 betting w/ K9 and betting every street w/ K high no draw, you've accomplished something when it comes to image.

[Joe Haynes]

..."THE GUY CALLED ME WITH JACK HIIIIIGH!" /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[drewjustdrew]

Most decent players can identify when a player tightens up pretty quickly. If they don't, they aren't that good in the first place. This is probably not the best strategy. He would be better off randomizing or just staying loose aggressive.