Diary of an online poker player #5

[GrinningBuddha]

Day 28

One of the best things about playing micro-limit poker is the poor decisions that your opponents make. In one of my games tonight, one of my opponents who acted directly after me cold-called two of my raises with 98o and J4s. Both hands went on to win, giving him more money to throw around, which is great, if somewhat detrimental to my bankroll at the time.

I found myself on the wrong end of a lot of hands last night; both hands that I dominated and vice versa. My AQ beat by A5, my KJs beat by AJ in the blind, my KK beat by J4s (my friend I mentioned earlier). Other hands I had to fold on the river when it was clear I was beaten. As the night wore on, an early win dipped into a loss, back to even, then back down again. Hand after hand that “should” have won, didn’t. It’s not hard to see how these kinds of beats could set someone on tilt, and I’d be lying if I didn’t make a few loose calls out of frustration. I kept an eye on the table conditions to make sure I was in the right games, and focused on a few players as my “go-to” people. As long as they were at my table, I knew that I’d get paid off on my hands, assuming they held up.

I’m sure you know the type – these are the players that call 90% of the flops, and see the river with almost anything. When they hit their hands consistently, their bankrolls soar and obscenities are uttered by those victimized. When their hot streak ends, they slowly bleed chips back into the pots, and it makes it much easier for folks like me to catch up after a few early beats. Once they leave the table, it’s time to re-assess the table conditions, and perhaps move on. Game selection is more than just average pot size. It sure would be nice if Party had a flop percentage, but until then, it’ll just take some observation. It doesn’t help that I really don’t know any of the players at this point.

Hand 1: That sinking feeling

4 limpers to me on the button w/ Q /images/graemlins/heart.gif J /images/graemlins/heart.gif. I call, as do the blinds. I considered raising, but felt 5+ limpers would be better to raise with at this level.

Flop: 6 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif Q /images/graemlins/club.gif 5 /images/graemlins/spade.gif

Checked to me, I bet, the blinds call, UTG calls and MP calls.

Turn: 6 /images/graemlins/club.gif

MP bets out, I raise, SB calls and MP calls. I raised here to try and clear out any other Queens just in case I was good, but I got the feeling I was behind to a weak 6, even without a re-raise from MP.

River: 6 /images/graemlins/heart.gif

Hmmm. SB bets out, MP raises. I contemplate my chances, and lay down my full house. I felt that the chances of the case 6 being out there were a lot better than the 7.5 – 1 odds that the pot was laying me. What are people’s thoughts on this? I’ll post the results in a bit.

Hand 2: A bet saved is a bet earned

I find myself with red cowboys UTG. I get cold-callers of my raise in EMP, LP, and the blinds.

Flop comes: 9 /images/graemlins/spade.gif 3 /images/graemlins/spade.gif 6 /images/graemlins/heart.gif

At that point I made an observation to myself about the number of low flops my big pairs seemed to be hitting. I couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not. At a higher level, low flops are a premium pair’s best friend. At this level, not so much. Oh, everyone called my flop bet. Quelle surprise.

Turn: 7 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

The weenie cards continue. I raise the SB’s bet (no monsters here), LP cold-calls, SB re-raises. Hmmm. Smells of monster slobber. I call, as does LP. The SB had maniacal tendencies, but it was likely at least 2 pair.

River: J /images/graemlins/spade.gif

Didn’t help the straight, but the flush got there. What is LP calling for? SB bets out, I fold, LP calls. I folded in anticipation of the LP raise, and in the knowledge that one pair wasn’t going to beat SB. Again, results later.

In case it looks like a trend of me laying down big hands on the river, rest assured that I do my fair share of calling when the pot odds warrant it, but in these two hands, I don’t think that they did. I’d be interested if others feel the same way.

Hand 3: When it all comes together

I present this one not so much for teaching purposes, but more to demonstrate how the typical low limit player plays. In atypical fashion, I’ll present the hands before I describe the play:

SB: 98o
UTG: 65o
Me: 77
MP poster: T /images/graemlins/spade.gif 8 /images/graemlins/spade.gif

I call in MP after two limpers, 7 of us see the flop:

4 /images/graemlins/heart.gif 9 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif 7 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

Bonus. SB bets out, I raise, everyone but the button calls.

Turn: 6 /images/graemlins/club.gif

SB bets out again with his top pair and open ender, UTG calls with his pair and open ender, EP folds, I raise again, MP poster calls with his nut straight (oh my), CO folds, SB and UTG call. At this point I thought I had a good chance of being in the lead, but felt a little uneasy about the board.

River: 9 /images/graemlins/spade.gif

Yummy. SB bets out for the third time, this time with trips. UTG calls with his all-powerful two pair, and I raise once more. Mr. Nut Straight cold calls again, and SB and UTG call one more.

Yes, Virginia, there is money to be made at these tables (27.5 BB on this hand). This is why hands that can stand heat when you hit are important to play. You never know what kind of hands will try to run you down. Oh, and as for the evening, I managed to battle my way back from a 15-20 BB deficit to bank a $1.50 win for the evening (6 hours later). Was I chasing my losses? Perhaps. However, given the game conditions I feel it was a case of continuing on in a +EV situation rather than a –EV one, which makes it less of a chase and more of a continuation of ‘the one big game’.

Thoughts on the folds before I post the results?

[rayrns]

Hand 1: I have to make a crying call here as SB may have hit 6's full of 5's making your full better.
Hand 2: Tough to lay down top pair. SB's raise could be A-9o or K-9o as well. LP is the unknown but could be playing the A-x as well. Seen to many A's making a winning hand, (pair)when they hit, on the river. At lease at these limits. I may have made a crying call here also.
Hand 3: Very nice hand. (PS) UTG has the ignorant end of the straight on the Turn.
Keep the reports coming. I am enjoying them.

[davidross]

Nice Post GB,

I would find both folds difficult to make in the Party 3/6 games, so probably impossible to make in micro games. Having said that you probably made the right play in both situations, and I feel even more strongly that you need to believe your reads.

[GrinningBuddha]

Hand 1:

SB shows 99 for 6s full of 9s and MP shows 64o to justify my read here. I couldn't think of anything he would bet out with on the turn other than trip 6s, since .50/1.00 players don't generally bet into aggressive players with flush draws. There was a small chance he was betting a nine that had now improved to two pair in his world, but I felt that chance was minimal with his river raise.

Hand 2:

SB shows 85o to take it down, LP shows 87o. I guess he felt he needed to play policeman on the river with me folding. <shrug>

The action on these hands told me that I was beaten, but I wanted to see if others read it the same way. I don't know if I can remember folding a full house before, and I doubt I will again anytime soon. Even as I clicked the fold button, I was asking myself, "Do you know what the hell you're doing?" I've found this forum provides avenues of thought that don't always occur to me, so hopefully this diary will continue that trend.

Cheers!

[GrinningBuddha]

UTG has the ignorant end of the straight on the Turn.

UTG never did make his straight, it was the MP poster that made a straight to the ten and didn't raise. It would have just lost him more money in this particular case, but I suspect he didn't recognize that he had the nut hand.

Thanks for the feedback, I hope they continue to be interesting reports. It seems a session doesn't go by that you need to make some questionable decisions. It's always nice to be able to play like you have 50 people playing your hand with you, even if it is after the fact.

[southerndog]

Aren't the chances greater that you are ahead once you see the third six.. The probabilty another six is in one of the four cards of your opponents decreases. Wouldn't the odds be 10.25:1 ? I realize there is raising going on and stuff, but I would call here.

[GrinningBuddha]

The relative chances of someone having the case 6 would warrant me calling the river given the pot odds, yes. However, I have to take into account the action before the river. It's like saying the odds of my neighbor being a martian are about 50 billion to one, but if he has green skin, tentacles, and a spaceship in his yard, you'd be hard pressed for me to take you up on a $100 bet. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Given the action on the turn, where I was bet into, can anyone come up with a enough reasonable options worth betting other than a 6 to make my river call a good one? I'd like to know if I'm missing other alternatives.