A8s -- I don't know what I'm doing, half the time

Nick C · #1 06-06-2005, 07:18 AM

After a marathon Saturday night session that ended up being largely heads-up, and during which at one table I dropped 40 BBs over the course of hundreds of hands, I resolved to play more solidly tonight. I think on Saturday I had an edge and just got unlucky, but I usually don't know once things get 2-4 handed. (And, in this case, my main opponent certainly wasn't someone who was going to let me steal his blinds too much.)

So tonight I played like a rock, except when in position, but then this A8s hand came up.

Button is 55/4/2.1 after 267 hands, but like so many loose 3/6 players, he's a moving target at the table. I took a decent pot off of him much earlier during his maniacal stop-n-go phase (with just AJo, which outkicked his A7). And then later during his checkraise phase I got annoyed when he'd push me off of gutshots on the flop in multiway pots. In any event, he seems a little intimidated by my bets and raises, as 3/6 maniacs often are, and he has also calmed down a bit after dropping a number of BBs. (He had some initital success, but people simply stopped folding to his raises, eventually.) However, he's also been a little mini-rush during the last few hands, so who knows how he's playing at this point? Prior to the mini-rush in question, he had managed to find the fold button (after losing lots and lots of showdowns) over the previous 50-100 hands or so.

I don't know much about UTG+1 at all. He's 54/7/0.3 after 28 hands.

I don't know how much attention people had been paying, but when I made my last multiway checkraise, I had top two pair (with 64s from the big blind).

Party Poker 3/6 Hold'em (9 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is SB with 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. UTG+1 posts a blind of $4.
UTG calls, UTG+1 (poster) checks, 4 folds, Button raises, Hero calls, 1 fold, UTG calls, UTG+1 calls.

Flop: (9.33 SB) Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (4 players)
Hero checks, UTG checks, UTG+1 bets, Button raises, Hero 3-bets, UTG folds, UTG+1 calls, Button calls.

Turn: (9.16 BB) 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (3 players)
Hero checks, UTG+1 checks, Button bets, Hero raises . . .

I think I'll stop there for now.

What do you think so far?

Webster · #2 06-06-2005, 07:25 AM

I would have folded pre-flop to a raise. Makes it all easier when playing an easly dominated hand. AND playing 3/6 with that hand is really tough having to play $2.

Thats an easy fold in my book.

Once in the hand - I fold on the flop without hesitation.

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einbert · #3 06-06-2005, 07:30 AM

Fold preflop, fold the flop.

mtdoak · #4 06-06-2005, 07:32 AM

Hmmm. I like leading out here. After this C/R, you cannot fold. Your probably going to knock UTG+1 out, but if you don't, well your fugged. I really don't think the maniac is going to fold a better hand here. Yes, you will slow him down, but no, when you are called, your are losing 60-70% of the time. I don't mind the flop 3 bet, but I'm bet/folding the turn the majority of the time here.

Jeff W · #5 06-06-2005, 08:05 AM

Pre flop: Easy fold in the 1/3 blind structure.

Post flop: I like it. A 2.1 AF for a 55 VPIP player is ridiculously high and bad players like UTG+1 will often bet out weak hands like bottom pair(Yes, 54/7 over 28 hands strongly implies that he sucks).