One Wild Ride

Kevin J · #1 03-31-2003, 02:29 PM

I can't remember playing a hand this bad, yet still winning it.

20-40

I was minding my own business in the bb, when 5 people limped. I checked with 6 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] 3 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img]

The flop came 7 [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] 6 [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] 5 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img]

Certainly it can't be all bad to simply check and fold. I wasn't in love with anything about this flop. Not my 2nd pair, not my str8 draw, not my backdoor flush draw. But before I knew it, I had tossed out $20.

A very good player who was UTG called. 2 very bad players called. Another very good player raised from the button.

Rightly or wrongly, I didn't give UTG much of anything. With a decent draw containing overcards I thought he surely would have raised me. I thought there was also a good chance the button was drawing and trying for a free card. The very bad players in the middle? Who knows? I try not to sprain my brain thinking too hard about what really bad players have. At least between the two very good players, I thought there was a decent chance my pair of sixes were the best hand. If not, I could also improve on the turn, although many of my cards were iffy at best. A diamond or a six- probably good. A 3 or a 4- maybe, but maybe not.

I re-raised. Unfortunately, UTG called, 1 bad player called and the button capped it. What have I gotten myself into? I called to look at the turn.

The turn was a Q [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img] (7 [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img]6 [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] 5 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] )

Except for something like Qs,Js (AQs- KQs probably raise pre-flop), this is about as big of a blank as it gets. I figured, "Lets see how strong these guys really are. If I get raised, I can dump". I bet, UTG called, bad player called and the button called. I was somewhat relieved that the button only called. This confirmed my suspicsion he was drawing.

The river was a 9 [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img] (7 [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] 6 [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] 5 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] Q [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img] )

Well, now any eight beats me. But I didn't put UTG on an eight. The bad player or button could have an eight, but... If the bad player had a pair, he'd be hard pressed to call a bet. And if the button has a flush draw as I suspected, I could win it with a bet.

I bet, UTG folded, the bad player folded and the button raised! A great raise I thought.... Especially if he has a busted flush draw!! I considered re-raising, but decided in the end that it wasn't worth the risk. I just called praying I was right about his hand. He mucked his hand as soon as my chips hit the table.

The bb couldn't get back to me fast enough. I desperately needed a break. Did I win this one "Fish" Style?

elysium · #2 03-31-2003, 02:43 PM

hi kevin,
your bet into the field of 5 is controversial, but o.k. the thing is that you then called a 2 bet? bad kevin. that's a good way to lose a lot. when you bet into the field of 5 like that, it's a loser on the surface but could have some ev bonus points that make it something you can try once every two weeks or so on that one. but get out of these kevin when .....don't call 2 bets like that, ok?

elysium · #3 03-31-2003, 02:46 PM

kevin,
reread and ...o.k., don't call the initial raise. you reraised? i knew you did something like that. don't do that either.

Kevin J · #4 03-31-2003, 02:53 PM

Right. Just to clarify, I never called two cold. And if it's incorrect to call one more (or re-raise) when it gets back to me, then it's most likely incorrect to make the initial bet in the first place (and I won't dispute that).

mike l. · #5 03-31-2003, 09:07 PM

"I can't remember playing a hand this bad, yet still winning it."

i kept waiting for the part where you play poorly. when does that come?

ill post some hands after i go play again so you can get a better idea of what really awful play looks like. glad to give you some help as you clearly need it in that department.

Ulysses · #6 03-31-2003, 09:18 PM

ill post some hands after i go play again so you can get a better idea of what really awful play looks like.

Well, while he's waiting, I'll give him one pitiful one to consider. This was last week in a 15-30. I've just been at the table for about 10 minutes. I pick up KQo in the small blind. I complete after 3 limpers.

Flop is KQ7r. I check, UTG bets, 2 callers, I call.

Turn is 4(KQ7r). I check, UTG bets, 1 caller, I checkraise, both fold.

I'm not sure what I was thinking. I'm pretty sure I extracted the minimum here.

mikelow · #7 03-31-2003, 10:12 PM

Kevin J · #8 03-31-2003, 11:38 PM

I don't think this fits a badly played hand.

You read the situation right, (UTG DID bet again and another player called), it just turned out no one had anything.

Kevin J · #9 03-31-2003, 11:42 PM

Well, I think continuing past the flop might be poor. At the very least, it's marginal. As were all my plays in this hand.

This pot was won by a combination of sheer luck, hand reading, and nothing else. IMO-

mike l. · #10 04-01-2003, 12:16 AM

you played the hand very aggressively and because of that you may have knocked a better hand out on the end. even if that's not the case, you maxmized your earnings because of your hand reading skills.

for better or worse you decided to commit to the hand and once you did you read hands well and played the hell out of it. you played this hand excellently.