folding to a call. a big lapse in attention

[bernie]

ill take the stupid play of the week award

still getting my live legs back. easing back into the 'grind'. while trying not to make it the grind i remember. meaning: having a little more fun playing. but damn it feels so relaxing to be back on a live table.

i know i played this hand bad, no need to analyze. since my comeback it seems to happen about once a session where 1 hand goes sideways. like in vegas folding the str8flush on the river. but it was kind of a funny story.

very casual table...

i flop top pair 9 with a crap kicker on a rainbow board. i bet get 3 callers.

turn Q

i bet out, get 3 callers BUT, for some reason i think an LP (preflop raiser) player, across the table, has raised. i fold saying, 'AQ is good'. the dealer, and a bunch of players stop and are looking at me. guy next to me asks, suprisingly, what im doing.

i say, "folding to a raise."

"no one raised" a couple players say, including the dealer, looking at me incredulously.

i point to the LP "he raised"

couple guys shake their head that no, he didnt. along with a few, 'no he didnt's'

i roll my eyes, opening my mouth to stretch my jaw, muster a weak sarcastic 'great...'

where's a rock i can crawl under

goes to showdown. the LP looks at me curiously as he rolls over AQ and takes the pot. telling me, nice read. and keeps looking at me as he stacks his chips. after the hand i had a conversation with the guy next to me going over the play again. we end up chuckling at the hand.

hindsight fact that doesnt really matter but was kind of interesting: i was also outkicked by another player so in effect i only had 3 outs. not that that justifies folding at all.

i seriously thought the guy raised. but i saved some chips. haha

still getting my footing back

other than that, posted the first winning session of the year! woo hoo!

you can totally blow a hand in a session and still come back and play good. reminds me kinda like blowing a hole in golf, then coming back.

seems in my comeback, im playing real well, until one hand comes up in the session where i cant play it any worse. worse than worse. worse than textbook sh*tty. like all the mistakes in a session come in 1 hand. wham!

have fun /forums/images/icons/grin.gif

b

[Bob T.]

Nice read by the way.

EP raises, MP, a very loose player calls.

Flop, A /forums/images/icons/diamond.gif J /forums/images/icons/diamond.gif T /forums/images/icons/diamond.gif .

EP bets, MP raises, EP three bets.

Turn, 5 /forums/images/icons/diamond.gif . EP checks, MP bets, and says 'do you have a diamond?' EP calls.

River 9 /forums/images/icons/diamond.gif

EP bets, MP raises, EP three bets, MP calls.

EP turns over his hand, A /forums/images/icons/spade.gif K /forums/images/icons/diamond.gif with the nut flush.

MP says '[censored]', and slaps his Q /forums/images/icons/diamond.gif 8 /forums/images/icons/diamond.gif on the table. Then the dealer pushes him the pot. Then MP gets even madder because he didn't reraise the river.

[Schmed]

I did something similar during my recent bad run. I was playing Omaha. I had top two on the turn and had called a bet from the utg player. There wasn't a lot of action so I was thinking that my top two may be good. I don't recall if there was a straight on the board. Well river comes and there is me and another guy. Action to me I throw my hand in the muck, something I rarely do. The dealer had left the players bet in front of him and I was distracted by a waitress...(how did that happen)...I had thought he bet in to me. He had a pair of stinking jacks....uhhhhhg....after that session I went on a two week self imposed card exile....I'll tell you how I come out of it on Friday....(by the way I didn't have the same fortune as you...I had one of my worst sessions in recent history.)

Initially I was pissed at the dealer for not clearing the bet and being clear if there was a bet or not but after that initial inability to take responsibility for my actions I said aloud "my fault". I was however pretty pissed. ....she is the worst dealer in the house.

[Inthacup]

i roll my eyes, opening my mouth to stretch my jaw, muster a weak sarcastic 'great...'

I'm a fan of rolling my neck in a circle and popping my jaw when I do something completely stupid. It's like I'm in between rounds in a boxing match and just got jacked a few times. Stretch your neck, pop your jaw back in place, and get your ass back in the ring.

"flopped top pair 9 with a crap kicker.... and thought that a LP PF raiser raised..." wait a minute, bernie will call a PF raiser with 9-something? am I missing something here, bernie? /forums/images/icons/shocked.gif
did not mean to analyze the hand but kind of puzzled /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

[cosmo kramer]

I did something worse. Haven't played live in about 2 months and finally ventured out to the cardroom last night. Anyway I have AJ /forums/images/icons/spade.gif , flop a flush draw and make it on the river. I bet into the preflop reraiser on my left, get raised, I reraise and get reraised again. Finally I notice the river 2 /forums/images/icons/spade.gif paired the board. Felt like an idiot for a while but after knocking off the rust made a comeback and left up $200.

cosmo kramer

[bernie]

i think i limped with 97s. the raise was behind me after a few other limpers. no way im folding a hand ive limped in with for a single raise. no matter what it is. though i do love seeing players do this.

sometimes when getting back in the groove of things ill play a marginal hand to put me in a tough spot postflop. make the ol' bean work a little harder. no, it's not a routine hand for me in this spot. though sometimes ill do it when i am in the groove of things. haha

it was actually a pretty good game. passive preflop and predictable. if the table was more aggressive i doubt id have played it. but ya never know... /forums/images/icons/grin.gif

another thing about playing a hand like that once in awhile?

it's fun! which is one thing im trying to regain a little that i lost a bit of when i was grinding.

im also only playing for 1/2 a buy-in til i get back in the groove of playing. easing back into it, if you will. though i may be back to a full buy in very soon.

b

[ResidentParanoid]

Actually, bernie, you might have just had an awesome read on the guy, but it hadn't worked its way to the surface. Maybe he gave you a tell that registered with your subconcious. All those hours at a poker table turn you into a poker machine, you know...

[bernie]

part of it was luck.

but there was a tell. his calling speed was much more rushed on the turn than on the flop. which is one reason i may have thought he raised. i could tell that the Q helped him.

bet/calling speeds can be something to look for in others plays. some guys you cant tell. good luck with grinders who play and bet monotonous no matter what they have. their are other types that are tough too

it's also worth noting your own speed at betting. example, ever bet out or raise when you get a card you like and think you did it a little too quick and gave your hand away. i notice it when i do it. that's one way to get the gist of it. and when you know why your speed changes, (like an emotional reaction), it will be easier to see why opponents speed may change.

being in tune with the ebb and flow, rhythm of the game makes it more prominent too.

an outside example...

listen to waves on a beach. they crash the sand at a certain pace. once in awhile wavering. but you notice if there is something that upsets it a little. say a splash from a rock or something. it upsets the rhythm. it catches your attention a little more than the subtle changes in the pattern. eventually, after much conditioning, youll notice more of the subtle changes in the waves without having a rock hit the water. being in tune with it.

i know, get the crystals out bern and start a chant around a tiki torch. but it does make sense if you think about it.

eventually, someday, im planning on putting a dissertation on this subject. i think it would be too long to really go into here, though. but i believe it is very valid. especially with opponents who aren't hardened to the game.

it's nothing to base one's game around, but a little extra spice to ones arsenal.

b

[SoBeDude]

Bernie,

great post. excellent insight. I like the waves image.

-Scott