micro limit PLO hand

[Guy McSucker]

0.10-0.25 PLO on Stars.

I am trying to rebuild my confidence by playing some small stakes stuff for a few weeks. Let's see how it works out. In the mean time, here is a hand.

I sit down with the $25 maximum, post my first BB in the actual BB, and get Tc 9 7c 4. Not too exciting. UTG calls, next raises to $1, five callers, so I decide to look for a miracle.

Presumably I am supposed to fold here? I don't think it's a big deal either way.

Flop comes Jc Ts 8c, giving me the idiot end of the straight. SB checks, I decide to check rather than firing out and getting raised, it gets checked around.

Would others bet here in an attempt to take it down?

Turn is the 9c, giving me a straight flush.

SB checks again. I bet 75c. Anyone bet more? Or check?

Next player raises the pot and it is folded around to me. A reraise will put me all-in, and he has me just covered.

Do you

- reraise all-in right now because he obviously has the nut flush, will certainly call now, but might not pay off if the board pairs?

- fear he might be bluffing, just call, and trap check on the river?

- something else?

Thanks.

Guy.

[Zag]

Since you just sat down, and it sounds like you don't play there very often so they don't know you, I would try to look like a clueless player here. Therefore, I would call, and then make a small bet on the river, like those that idiots make all the time. Hopefully, that will get him smelling blood and draw out a big raise.

The alternative would be to reraise the minimum on the turn. If this amount would be less than half of what he has left, then I would do it.

[crockpot]

pre-flop: well, i wouldn't call with it, but some say my tight play costs me some bets. change that 4 to anything remotely useful and the hand looks a lot better.

flop: i find betting out is better with this sort of hand. if you show strength and someone else raises, it is much easier to get away from. plus, you are vulnerable to any board pair, ace, king, queen, nine, seven, or club, so your hand needs protection if it is good.

turn: is your confidence back yet? i wouldn't say he 'obviously' has the nut flush, but i strongly doubt that calling and trap-checking the river will make you any money here. i don't know too many people that will go all-in in PLO as a bluff when their pot-raise has been called on the turn. if you had position, i would consider smooth calling. without position, your play is to push. whether he has a set, straight, low flush, high flush, or bluff, you're more likely to win big money by pushing in now.

[Acesover8s]

Guy,

Sorry to hear about the tough run of cards.

Some thoughts on this hand. Fold preflop, then wince when your str8frush comes in. Seriously, this is a junk hand out of position. I mean, would you call for another $8 with this hand if it were $1-$2? I have found that my results are better the higher the limit I play, most likely to avoiding lots of small mistakes like this.

On the flop I fire out here, but your play is probably better.

On the turn, I like to bet the full pot here. The reason being is a good player holding the nut flush is going to raise you, and then when you raise back he should know where you're at, given you don't have a reputation for maniacal play. Plus, if the board pairs the river you lost your market.

Sorry if I rambled.

[Guy McSucker]

Thanks for all replies.

I am sure you are all right that I should fold preflop. I remember about 18 months ago I tracked how much I was losing on preflop calls for small amounts with hands like this, which can hit the flop and still be a nightmare to play. It added up to an amount equal to my average win, so I stopped making the calls, and doubled my profit. I should remember this.

The jury is still out on what to do on the turn here. I like Zag's minimum reraise suggestion. If he's bluffing I won't get any more out of him; if he has the nut flush he will reraise all-in; if he has a set, he will likely call this reraise, and might feel committed on the river, or better yet, hit quads!

Anyway. I bet small, he raised, I decided he must have the A-flush and moved in. He called, the river blanked, I won. He claimed to have had the nut flush; the hand history revealed that he had nothing but three tens.

If I had led at the flop, I think this player would raise and I would have to fold, so I am very glad I checked and hit this miracle card! Even though I was winning on the flop, I couldn't possibly be confident in my hand.

Guy.

[Guy McSucker]

Sorry to hear about the tough run of cards.


Sadly, I've had about the usual run of cards, a bit brutal in tournaments but nothing unusual. The point is that I am playing really badly and turning good cards into money losers.

Everything about my game is off. Even in the cold light of day, thinking about hands people post here, I keep getting myself confused.

Any advice for how to get it back on track? Apart from drinking?

Guy.

[Paul2432]

Any advice for how to get it back on track? Apart from drinking?

My game goes in cycles. I'll start out totally focused. Things will go well but then both boredom and overconfidence set in. I'll start playing too many games at once, surfing the web while playing, and just generally not paying attention. I'll have a bad run, quit for a while and repeat the process. (I am talking maybe a few months for a complete cycle)

I guess what I am saying is are you sure you are playing your best? Are you playing too fancy?

Feeney writes in his book about the importance of playing well being its own reward. Too much attention to short term results can be devestating. We all know this. But do we really know it and follow it. Much easier said then done.

Here is my advice. People change their behavior when they know they are being monitored. For example, when a nutritionist tells a client, write down everthing you eat but don't change anything you eat, invariably that person will eat better without really trying. My suggestion then is then to play 100 hands with the committment that you will post all of them here perhaps in lots of 10. This will hopefully get your focus away from results and also give the people here a chance to identify the problem if there is one.

Hope this helps.

Paul

[crockpot]

what a stupid way to play his set. guys like this are why online PLO is still profitable after so many idiots have gone broke at it.

it's interesting to speculate whether he would have raised his set on the flop, considering he didn't even bet with it.

[Acesover8s]

[ QUOTE ]
Everything about my game is off. Even in the cold light of day, thinking about hands people post here, I keep getting myself confused.

Any advice for how to get it back on track? Apart from drinking?


[/ QUOTE ]

Never underestimate drinking.

However, I struggle with this a lot too, especially since I steam like crazy, after even 1 reasonable beat. I've found what works for me when I'm running bad is changing games frequently. Nothing makes you stay focused like playing a game you have no clue about. Thank god for online Tripledraw, PL draw, and 5-stud games.

The other thing I do when running bad in Big Bet games is reduce my buyin to 1/2 the max and try to focus on getting it all in preflop and flop.

Works for me, but your mileage may differ.

[Zag]

[ QUOTE ]
I struggle with this a lot too, especially since I steam like crazy, ...

[/ QUOTE ]

While it is good to have a strategy to deal with the times that you are steaming, the fact that you can say to yourself "I am steaming" and keep playing means that you are using it as an excuse to play badly. Afterwards, you just say, "That doesn't count, I was steaming." Of course, if you happened to get lucky while steaming, I'll bet you don't say "That doesn't count, I was steaming."

Anyway, don't use it as an excuse. Use it instead as a sign of immaturity. Then grow up.

(Now, if this simple and easy-to-apply advice just worked for me. /images/graemlins/smile.gif )