Am I a Maniac?

bruce · #1 08-23-2003, 06:19 PM

40-80 holdem in So. Cal., loose aggressive game with the action centering around a player who has been playing for over 24 hours who has gone through eight racks of chips. UTG limps, next player raises, and two more callers including the tilter who is on my immediate right. I am on the button with ATs and call. The small blind, a loose somewhat aggressive player, makes it three bets. Big blind folds and everyone else calls.

Flop comes Tc 7s 2h with six way action.

Small blind bets and three callers including myself.

Turn T 7 2 4 (suits irrelevant)

Small blind bets, tilter calls, and I call. We are now three handed.

River T 7 2 4 2

Small blind checks, tilter bets, and I raise. Small blind shows the whole table his pocket Aces as he agonizes about his plight. Results to follow.

Bruce

mike l. · #2 08-24-2003, 04:08 AM

this is a beautiful play you make here. just lovely. amazing in fact.

bruce · #3 08-25-2003, 01:23 PM

He did fold and the initial better folded. I folded my hand without turning them over and didn't say a word, however tempting it was to flip the cards over. Looking back the small blind played the hand very poorly. It's very
unlikely for me to call a raise with a deuce in it. He should have bet the river and I would have either folded or made a crying call. What's interesting is by me calling without raising on the flop and turn I was able to postion myself to make this play when the tilter got out of line.

Bruce

onegymrat · #4 08-25-2003, 01:51 PM

Hi Bruce,

I think that play was brilliant. Would you have made the same play against someone who was not on tilt? Still learning over here.

John Feeney · #5 08-26-2003, 02:05 AM

Nice play Bruce. I was wondering if you were going to raise at some earlier point, but the way it worked out you had the chance to do so at the best possible time. That ability to spot and take advantage of a momentary opportunity (the sb's check and tilter's bet in this case) is one of the marks of a very good player IMO. I think it can be developed somewhat just by remembering to look for key opportunities all the time (without slipping into fancy play syndrome.)

Josh W · #6 08-26-2003, 04:01 AM

Hmmm, against a decent player, I don't think I raise.

I mean, it sounds like a great play, and at first glance it is, but...

Let's be honest. A decent player doesn't check a better hand there, and if he does, he doesn't fold, as he knows bruce raises the turn with a set, and doesn't have a deuce.

The tilter may have a deuce, and may threebet steam, so if the tilter reraises, I think Bruce has to call.

As such, against a decent player, I think that a raise here is very -EV.

Josh

PS. I'm not saying the SB is a decent player. I just don't think this play should be advocated against decent players...

Kevin J · #7 08-26-2003, 12:35 PM

I agree.

In the meantime, are you ever gonna write another book, article, or give private lessons? I never thought I'd say this, but I'm a little bored with poker lately. I need a boost.

bruce · #8 08-26-2003, 12:43 PM

There' a very fine line between brilliance and stupidity.
If my opponent calls I look like a moron taking a shot at him. But all things considering, I took a calculated shot
at the pot. I don't have to be successful all that often for this to show a profit. I knew if I just called I had no
chance to win the pot, so what the hell and let's give it a shot. Having a tight image also helps and having a nonthinking player in the small blind certainly does also.

Bruce

John Feeney · #9 08-27-2003, 02:35 AM

[ QUOTE ]
In the meantime, are you ever gonna write another book, article, or give private lessons? I never thought I'd say this, but I'm a little bored with poker lately. I need a boost.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hi Kevin,

No plans like that for now. I'll be doing more writing for sure, but it's likely to be in areas other than poker. I'm on an extended hiatus from playing right now, and it's hard to say what the future might bring.

Might a short break from the game be a fix for your poker boredom? Anyway, I hope you're well otherwise.

Coilean · #10 08-27-2003, 03:17 AM

Wow, the SB played the river as badly as possible. First he makes a truly awful check (what, was he afraid of A2s? he has 2 of the aces! [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]), followed by an even worse fold, and to cap it all off, he shows the rest of the table he can be pushed off big hands! Nice play, you missed your two-outer and managed to win anyway by using one sucker to take advatnage of the other one. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]