A couple of hands vs a great player

[CrackerZack]

So I'm clearing a bonus on UB in my usual braindead function and watching one of the LOTR movies on DVD. I'm bouncing around from table to table trying to get double or 50% extra points and play with bad players. Usually easy, today, not being all that easy. So I decide to say screw multiple tables, if I'm not gonna pay attention I'll do it on one table. I sit down at a 5/10 6 max table with 3 other players. Yippee 50% extra points. One person is sitting out when I sit down and I look at the name, "Erik123", hmmm, why does that sound familiar? I check UltimateBuddy, not in there, ok, no clue why that is familiar. Then my chat window starts updating. About 3 railbirds chirp chirping, "Hey Erik, why 5-10? Broke?", etc etc. He responds, "Yes, busted out." which I took to be sarcastic, but no matter. It dawns on me, this is the guy who won WCOOP. Cool. He sits in on his BB and the game fills up. The game is semi-tight (UB style) but with some rather poor play. Last position raises steal the blinds a little less than half the times but often you take it with a flop bet. About 30 mins go by and here are the hands:

Background, I haven't been playing many hands, but I severely overplayed middle pair against an uber-fish and came off looking a bit dumb. Other than that I've been playing normally which isn't loose, isn't tight and generally isn't good. I haven't really mixed up with Erik yet as he's playing pretty tight also and most people are just taking turns beating up on the 3 and 6 seats. (we're 1 and 4 respectively)

Hand 1:

I'm c/o, erik123 is BB. I open-raise from the cutoff with Kd3d and get 3-bet by erik123 from the BB. Flop comes 654r with one diamond. He bets, I call. Turn is a 9 completing the rainbow. He bets, I raise, he folds.

Hand 2:

Erik open raises from the cutoff and I call from the BB with 88. Flop is 442 (suits unimportant), I check, he bets, I check-raise, he calls. Turn is a T, I bet, he calls, river is a J, I bet, he calls.

Thoughts? Ideas? completely standard, why is this fish posting this crap? The fact that I know the guy is a player and he has no clue if I can play mean anything?

<font color="white"> In white: I'm guess 60+% of replies have something to do with my PF raise in hand 1. </font>

Zack

[BottlesOf]

That's really cool. I always like playing with these famous players. I think you played hand 2 perfectly. (Edit: Maybe check/call the river?)

I definitely would not have played hand 1 the same, but I'm intrigued by how you played it. (I would have raised the flop.) Assuming you call the flop and he bets the turn no matter what, on what cards do you NOT raise the turn, like you did? On what cards would you have folded? Called? What do you put Erik on, and what do you think he put you on?

The fact that I know the guy is a player and he has no clue if I can play mean anything?

I'm not sure. I think it does mean something, but I don't think I'm experienced enough to say exactly what.

[bunky9590]

Nice playing Zack IMHO

Against a great player the raise on the turn looks like a completed hand. a great player can lay it down there, a fish wont. Way to adjust the play.

Hand 2 , you could be ahead here, I put him on Big cards there, probably AK or AQ. Could be 66 or 77.

He didnt raise when the Ten or Jack hit so he might be going to showdown with 66 or 77 hoping its good.

[Trix]

I like hand one.
Why not 3Bet preflop in hand2 ?

[J.R.]

Hand 1 is awesome, you know your opponent could fold and played accordingly, mimicking a slowplayed flopped staright. Ni hand, that's poker.

I don't know how aggressive he is, but given his turn fold in hand 1 you know he can lay down a hand, and given his turn call in hand 2 you know he has something (perhaps an A) becuase he was playing tight, so would it be better to induce a bluff since he may not call with a worse hand but will likely bet (unless he thinks you got tricky with a 4 on the river).

If you had been palying fast I would probably bet, since he would be more likely to make a thin call, but if he was aggressive and making thin value bets I might check to induce a bluff. But if he reads you as a busted bluff would he bet? I dunno, but shorthanded is so thought provoking. Nice post.

[CrackerZack]

shameless bump.

[Joe Tall]

I would have 3-bet Hand#2 preflop. Other than that I think it's all good.

Peace,
Joe Tall

[MaxPower]

Hand 1 - Textbook

Hand 2 - I would three bet pre-flop. I'm not sure about your value bet on the river. If he really is a good player, I can't see him calling with a hand that you can beat (maybe AK), but he might bet some hands that you can beat. Maybe he's one of these tournament guys who can't beat ring games.

[Mike]

I think he is a good player who can put his game ahead of his ego. He may not give you credit, but he gave you the benifit of doubt.

Perhaps taking it a level higher, he was setting up and creating opportunity for his opponents to think they can loosen up while his standards remain the same? He snaps a few loose holdings off and he's a winner.

[Canada Kelly]

Crazy games at the $25-50 NL UB Table.

I have never seen anything like this, Erik123, Spirit Rock, Nick Stokes playing and Erik on button,

spirit rock raises to $175. Nick goes all-in for almost $11K, spiritrock waits and calls all-in, the board comes down with 4 spades. Nick has pocket Aces, no spades. Sprit has pocket 9's with one spade, takes down a $22K pot. All nick says is omfg and leaves the table.

So then that table clears out and spiritrock is sitting there with $23K and then Joe Buttons sits down with 5K, I watch and spiritrock busts joe buttons. So joe re-buys, and I go have a shower and food, come back and joe buttons is at the table all by himself with $27K. Must have cleaned out Spiritrock. Unreal

on the other $25-50 table joe is playing with anywhere from $3-5K and then I play a couple of sitngo’s and I look back and jow buttons has over $22K at that table.

I heard he is Phil Ivey.

That was just amazing to watch.

Just to let Cracker know, that you were not playing against the real Erik123, from what I heard watching him yesterday, that he has been on vacation for some time in australia and hasn’t played. Must have had someone playing on his account