Uppercut
07-24-2003, 07:07 PM
I have often read that you win money at poker by capitalizing on your opponents' mistakes. The following hand illustrates this point perfectly, I think.
I was recently playing a .50-1.00 game at Paradise. It was fairly loose, with 5-6 players seeing each flop on average. The average pot was between $6-9, that is, until a maniac joined the game. He immediately started betting and raising every hand he played. He stole a few pots until the rest of the table realized that he often was raising with total crap. Then, everyone started calling him. I was very patient, hoping for a solid hand with which to punish the maniac. When it came, it was more than I had hoped for in my wildest dreams.
I received a pair of tens in early middle position. The first three to play before me each limped in. I raised. A call and a fold after me, and then a person two off the button reraised. Two more calls and the maniac, who was in the small blind, capped the pre-flop betting. The big blind folded, but the first three limpers all called the three raises. Of course, I called as well, as did each of the other previous betters. Eight of us saw the flop with 33 small bets in the pot!
I was hoping to flop a set, and my prayer was answered when the flop came 10,7,2 rainbow. Not only did I flop the top set, but there wasn't even a hint of a straight or flush draw to beat me. The maniac in the SB bet, I raised, and the other pre-flop raiser called. Maniac re-raised, I re-riased as well, and the poor guy caught in the middle called, as did the maniac. The turn was a K of spades, which bothered me slightly, since if anyone had a pair of kings in their pocket, I was in big trouble. I was almost positive that the maniac didn't have this hand, but I couldn't be sure of the other pre-flop raiser. (In hindsight, this card earned me another 8 bucks.) Maniac once again lead out, I raised, the other guy called, maniac, re-raised, and I capped the betting, with the other two calling. The pot is now getting huge, especially for a penny-ante game.
Fifth street brings a 5 of clubs. The perfect card for me. No possible straights or flushes, and again my only fear was the slight chance that someone had KK in the hole. The betting pattern was exactly the same as the previous two rounds, with me once again capping the bet. Maniac turns over Q6 offsuit, giving him a hand of King high. (I guess he tried to bluff me out of the pot for four straight rounds, although I really had to wonder why he bothered calling my re-raise on the river with a King high!) The only fellow turned over AK offsuit for top pair with Ace kicker. Turns out he had been drawing dead since the flop hit. I wondered what he possibly thought I had that had me reaising and re-raising for four rounds. I turn over my set of tens and collect a $46 pot, which is unheard of in such a small money game. I'm still shaking my head at how easy this particular hand was. /images/graemlins/grin.gif
I was recently playing a .50-1.00 game at Paradise. It was fairly loose, with 5-6 players seeing each flop on average. The average pot was between $6-9, that is, until a maniac joined the game. He immediately started betting and raising every hand he played. He stole a few pots until the rest of the table realized that he often was raising with total crap. Then, everyone started calling him. I was very patient, hoping for a solid hand with which to punish the maniac. When it came, it was more than I had hoped for in my wildest dreams.
I received a pair of tens in early middle position. The first three to play before me each limped in. I raised. A call and a fold after me, and then a person two off the button reraised. Two more calls and the maniac, who was in the small blind, capped the pre-flop betting. The big blind folded, but the first three limpers all called the three raises. Of course, I called as well, as did each of the other previous betters. Eight of us saw the flop with 33 small bets in the pot!
I was hoping to flop a set, and my prayer was answered when the flop came 10,7,2 rainbow. Not only did I flop the top set, but there wasn't even a hint of a straight or flush draw to beat me. The maniac in the SB bet, I raised, and the other pre-flop raiser called. Maniac re-raised, I re-riased as well, and the poor guy caught in the middle called, as did the maniac. The turn was a K of spades, which bothered me slightly, since if anyone had a pair of kings in their pocket, I was in big trouble. I was almost positive that the maniac didn't have this hand, but I couldn't be sure of the other pre-flop raiser. (In hindsight, this card earned me another 8 bucks.) Maniac once again lead out, I raised, the other guy called, maniac, re-raised, and I capped the betting, with the other two calling. The pot is now getting huge, especially for a penny-ante game.
Fifth street brings a 5 of clubs. The perfect card for me. No possible straights or flushes, and again my only fear was the slight chance that someone had KK in the hole. The betting pattern was exactly the same as the previous two rounds, with me once again capping the bet. Maniac turns over Q6 offsuit, giving him a hand of King high. (I guess he tried to bluff me out of the pot for four straight rounds, although I really had to wonder why he bothered calling my re-raise on the river with a King high!) The only fellow turned over AK offsuit for top pair with Ace kicker. Turns out he had been drawing dead since the flop hit. I wondered what he possibly thought I had that had me reaising and re-raising for four rounds. I turn over my set of tens and collect a $46 pot, which is unheard of in such a small money game. I'm still shaking my head at how easy this particular hand was. /images/graemlins/grin.gif