a couple of interesting hands from the Bike (5-10NL)

[riverboatking]

ok, so here is what happened and what i was thinking.

hand one:
i bet 500, he calls instantly, my hand is good, i didn't see his hand.

as i said earlier i had taken a couple of pots away from this guy by calling his pot bet in position then betting the turn after he showed weakness, and he had muttered a couple of times "i should have bet" under his breath after the hand.

so in this hand i tried to play right into that mentality.
i make the raise out of position, then flop a monster. i made what i hoped would look like a weakish bet trying to pick up the pot.

then on the turn when i check raised him, something about the way he called instantly made me think he had a made hand, i was thinking either 10-8 suited or Q10.

so on the river i wasn't (in my mind) making a blocking bet, i knew he wouldn't put me on the flush draw the way the hand played out, and 500 was about what i thought he would call me with two pair. if he had the set i think he pushes the turn.
as i said this guy was a little looseish, without realizing it. i think he thought he was much trickier/solid then he really was, and as sklansky says he was one of those guys that likes to realize things.


hand two:
i think i played this hand like a pussy. i really thought he had a weaker ace and that his bets were blocking bets, yet i still didn't raise him. i think if i raise the river to 600 (he bet 200) he would have paid me off with his A10.

the board was so non-threating on the turn that i don't think a set would lead out here, because he knows that i know he is a solid player (not tricky mind you, just solid) so i am less likely to raise him.
and the key to the whole hand, was MP actions on the flop. he looked like it was causing him so much pain to fold the flop, and he kept agonizing over it, that i think both the SB and myself put him on a weak ace, making it less likely (in our respective minds) that the other one had an ace.

i think that in the end the MP actions stopped me from raising, as i didn't think he had an ace, and so there was no hand i was beating, that would pay me off.

i thought this second hand was so interesting because it demonstrates how effective a blocking bet can be, even when your opponent (in this case me), is almost 100% sure its a blocking bet!