So I sat in the red chip game

[tj00]

Every trip to the card room I consider sitting in the 10/20 game, but wuss out and play 3/6. I walk in last night and the 3/6 list is ten deep. I put my name down and take a walk around the room. I come across the 10/20 game which has an open seat. I watch 3 hands, and went to the cage for a rack of red. I play for about five hours, and end up ahead $350.

The 10/20 was just as loose as the 3/6, with about the same amount of coldcalling. It was a little more aggressive and some of the players were more tricky. The tricky players were generally too much so. Some adjustments made them easy to deal with. I just wanted to post this for the players who have been thinking about taking a shot at a higher limit. Once you try it you will be glad you did.

Here is a hand so this post is not a complete waste.

10/20 Live
Game is loose passive with spots of loose aggressive.
Main opponent (BB) is too loose, but not as much as the others. He is also one of the more aggressive players at the table.


I am on the button with J /images/graemlins/diamond.gif J /images/graemlins/spade.gif

5 Limpers and I raise, SB Folds, BB Calls, Rest Call

Flop: 6 /images/graemlins/club.gif 2 /images/graemlins/club.gif 2 /images/graemlins/spade.gif

Checked to me I bet, 3 Call

Turn: 6 /images/graemlins/heart.gif

Checked to me, I Bet, BB Checkraises, Rest fold

I should note at this point my BS detector is going off. Maybe it was the betting pattern or just his demeanor, but I was not buying what he was selling.

I Call

River 5 /images/graemlins/spade.gif

He bets, I Call


I thought later 3 betting the turn might have been superior to calling down. Comments appreciated.

[sthief09]

What did you buy in for? Thanks for the advice!

I think that he'd be likely to check-raise with an ace, hoping you'll fold overcards. But I think if you had raised the turn, he'd be likely to fold. By just calling, on one hand you induced a river bluff, but you also gave him a chance to catch his overcard. I think you should've 3-bet, hoping he'd fold his overcard, but not minding a call. By just smooth calling, you gave him infinite odds to catch.

[tj00]

A rack of red is $500

[DonWaade]

Congrats on your success at the new higher limit. Curious, I noticed that you were from Texas. Where do you play? Silver Eagle. I cannot find a game with out driving 7+ hours. Thanks

[tj00]

Lake Charles, LA

I am visiting my parents in Beaumont,TX for the week. It is about an hour drive to the riverboat.

[Barry]

Good going.

I found my transition to 10/20 back about 7 months ago to be about the same as yours. As long as you have an adequate BR I'm sure that you'll do fine.

I look forward to hearing about your next transition to 15/30 or 20/40. Of course that's after you have been consistently beating the 10/20 for several months.

Good luck and play well.

[tpir90036]

you are showing this down one way or the other...so *not* 3-betting the turn a) saves you a BB when you are beat and b) earns you a BB when you are ahead since he would likey fold to a 3-bet but now bet into you on the river. i think you got as much out of this as you could have. nice hand.

[Ed Miller]

you are showing this down one way or the other...so *not* 3-betting the turn a) saves you a BB when you are beat and b) earns you a BB when you are ahead since he would likey fold to a 3-bet but now bet into you on the river.

This reasoning is incorrect in two distinct ways.

[mike_wzrd]

Congratulations on moving up. We've been planning a trip to Louisiana (live in Houston) to gamble and play some poker, but haven't been before. Is there only one river boat. Have you played poker at any of the other casinos in LA? What limit do you usually play online? I play $3/$6.

[tripdad]

i would say that 3/6 online is as tough or tougher than the typical 10/20 B&M game. the reason is there are lots of folks that drive a ways and want to play that popular phil helmuth game and don't care about $$$. you will be able to tell pretty quickly if you are sitting with pros.

cheers! and good luck!

[tj00]

There are two riverboats in Lake Charles that have pokerooms. The is also a pokerroom at the grand casino in Kinder. Kinder will be an extra 45 min drive. The best place to play is the Isle of Capri in Lake Charles. They have the biggest room, 20+ tables going on the weekend. I think they also have free busses that run from Houston.

I would agree that the 10/20 game I played in was comparable to an online 3/6 game.

I also should note that the 3/6 game is actually a 3-6-12 game. You have the option to bet/raise 6 or 12 on the river. This is the only low limit game you will find in Lake Charles or Kinder.

[mike_wzrd]

Thanks.

[joker122]

[ QUOTE ]
I just wanted to post this for the players who have been thinking about taking a shot at a higher limit. Once you try it you will be glad you did.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks, but I'm not going to heed this advice based on your testimonial. There is no way, as of now, to decide if you can beat the 10/20 game because you've only played 5 hours worth if hands. Maybe you got great cards in that short span, or the players were especially bad, or whatever. Or, of course, maybe you really did beat that game. But who knows?

[GuyOnTilt]

Hey TJ,

Glad to hear your shot at the 10 game went well. Is this going to be a jump, or just one of a few occassional shots at a higher limit?

I thought later 3 betting the turn might have been superior to calling down.

Okay, so the BB is tricky and aggressive, so calling down is good here, especially if your BS-o-meter is peaking. But is he observant? If he is, then 3-betting the turn is definitely bad. If I were the BB and you 3-bet me on the turn, I would 4-bet you regardless of what I held, because I'd expect you to fold almost 100% of the time. You raised PF and you're a tight-aggressive player who doesn't make irrational raises. You will just about NEVER have a 6 or 2 here and will just about ALWAYS be making a "free" showdown play. So I 4-bet you with my flush draw or whatever, and you fold your overpair. I flash it and hopefully put you on tilt and from then on only check-raise you with legit hands that I want you to be calling down with.

GoT

[tj00]

Maybe I was not clear in orginal post. I had scouted that 10/20 game and felt I could beat it. I also I have the bankroll for that limit. I was just a little intimidated by the higher stakes. The post was aimed at players in a similar position.

The part about winning the money was just the end to my story, not proof of any point I was trying to make.

[tj00]

My opponent was not observant. He has no clue as to my playing style. I can easily fold to a 4 bet.


I am going to try to make this a permanent switch.

[joker122]

Well, congrats nonetheless.

[spamuell]

[ QUOTE ]

you are showing this down one way or the other...so *not* 3-betting the turn a) saves you a BB when you are beat and b) earns you a BB when you are ahead since he would likey fold to a 3-bet but now bet into you on the river.

This reasoning is incorrect in two distinct ways.

[/ QUOTE ]

I just don't see it. Maybe one of them is that you're not necessarily showing this down? And the other is that you don't save one BB by not 3-betting the turn but two because it would likely get capped if you are behind so you'd lose two extra bets? Or maybe that you don't earn a whole BB when ahead because he'll sometimes catch a better hand?

Or, perhaps, that your opponent is not going to check-raise and fold to a 3-bet that often.

Did I get either of them?

[nepenthe]

I do NOT see an opponent with the Ace folding to the 3-bet here, especially if he's loose. Just as the poster's BS detector went off enough to make the calldown, his opponent's BS detector will go off and will call down the 3-bet, if nothing than out of curiosity, hoping to chop.

That said, I would probably have called down in this spot as well. BB specials are rather common.