Fast ball or change up? Did I throw the right pitch?

[jat850]

This post will be fairly lengthy because it involves 2 hands and the subject of not giving people a clean read on your second hand. Earlier this week there was a good post by a fellow who put his villian on a specific hand. The ability to do so was debated and analyzed. Our basic books tell us to change things up from time to time so I am sharing last night's experience of what I thought was a good change up to see if anyone disagrees or would handle it differently. If a general discussion of when to change up or not develops, great. That could be useful to me and other readers.

Commerce 2/4 9 people. I have been playing for about 1 hr. and just won my first hand w/ QJ filling a straight. I am the tightest player in terms of pre-flop played percentage. The table is pretty wild. Over 1/2 the hands are raised pre-flop and if they get there, they often went to the CAP pre-flop. The table had 4 people who were perfectly willing to raise with almost anything. Two were true maniacs, one fellow just liked to build pots (the LET'S GAMBOWL! type) and the most dangerous one who was more selective on my immediate right, thankfully.

The first hand sets the stage so I'll shorten the story. I am in LP with AA. I 3 bet the pre-flop. It was my first 3 bet at the table. The round gets capped. I 3 bet the next round and it gets capped, still 5 players. I raise the turn after a lead out bet from BB (our leading maniac). This generates a comment from CO: "Please bust him (the maniac) - he's been raising on nothing all afternoon." BB is finally scared enough that he checks the river and I bet, he calls and two others fold for me to win a nice pot showing AA against the maniac's KK.

Less than two orbits later, I get AA again and again in LP. My maniac friends again put me in position to 3 bet pre-flop with the same hand. Here is where I chose the change up and just call. I am looking at 6 players in the hand and 11sb.

Flop is KQJr - Now I uhoh a bit. My pre-flop raiser this time isn't the total maniac - he's the pot builder. I am only probably still ahead and have ton's of outs against me. Right now, I do not like my change up. PFR bets and 4 people, including me call, but it is odd that no one raises on this kind of flop. All the easy raisers are in the hand and two are behind me.

Turn is a 7. Pre-flop raiser now chickens out and checks and it is checked to me! I bet.

To shorten things, the only person to call me down at showdown is a fresh fish holding Q2s for a pair of ladies.

While this was a nice outcome, especially busting a maniac when he had good cards, the bigger issue is the change up play itself. I felt that if I 3 bet pre-flop the second time it would be too easy to put me on AA again. I decided not to give that picture to others on the second hand. Right? Wrong?

Now a broader context for discussion. I like to start my live sessions with a tight image. I do not care if people think I am a rock to start. This AA slowplay opportunity is phase two of my "ideal" table strategy. Phase three of my ideal table strategy is to step up the aggression after a slowplay opportunity and I get aggressive from both out of the blinds and in late positions to keep people from getting a good handle on my holdings and increase playing opportunities when I have established an image edge. The cards don't always let me get my plan established, but I am sharing my game plan as part of this discussion.

What's wrong with this game plan? What is your game plan?

[crunchy1]

[ QUOTE ]
What's wrong with this game plan?

[/ QUOTE ]
Your starting hands are going to dictate how you can accomplish your game plan. If you catch bad starting hands you'll never get to slowplay or be aggressive. If you catch good starting hands you're going to miss value (as you did in the second AA hand) by not getting enough bets in or protecting your hand.

[ QUOTE ]
What is your game plan?

[/ QUOTE ]
Sit down. Observe players. Attack the weak spots.

[Bill C]

If you haven't read SSH by Ed Miller, get a copy and read it. You won't call with your Aces in this spot after you read it.

The way you told of the first hand, not even mentioning what cards fell on the flop and turn, suggests you get kind of fixated on your own hand and not thinking of other hands. We all have done this when we began, but you want to get past that.

SSH will help you a lot.

bc