Foxwoods $1-2 No Limit ($100 max buy-in table)

[BarronVangorToth]

AH... What a night at Foxwoods. My 5-10 limit table breaks up and I'm up + $210 after only a few hours... Great night and yet ... I'm wide awake so I don't go home. Instead, due to zero 5-10's open, I go on the waiting list for 10-20. Okay, fine, I'll play a little 1-2 No Limit for a while.

It's a $100 max buy-in and I go through my first stack in like a half-hour after raising significantly pre-flop with AK, getting called by two guys, getting A-5-7 on the flop, going all in, getting called by a guy who called for no apparent reason with 5-7 offsuit (perhaps he heard The Song -- I don't know, he had Crazy Young Guy Syndrome).

Okay, buy-in for another $100, keeping my $10 profit safely in my pocket (profit? I go through almost $10 worth of gas these days on the round trip to Foxwoods -- ugh!).

I'm down to about $80 in front of me when this hand comes up.

6 limpers ahead of me for $2 apiece, one of which is a 2+2 guy (shockingly enough, the only guy who knew what the hell he was doing at the table -- and I'm including myself, as I'm certainly not a no-limit cash player, despite my buddy Bruce being an amazing NL player and constantly coaching me on plays).

I look down and find

K [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] J [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

I raise to $10

Five callers, putting a little over $60 in the pot and I have about $70 left.

Flop is

2 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 4 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] J [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

Checked around to me.

I have the flush draw AND top-pair second kicker. I think about making a small wager but then decide I just want to take it down. So I go all in.

One caller, who flips over 44 and I don't hit my flush and I'm busted out (I think about buying in for another $100 -- but, I'm getting tired, and while the game is ridiculously juicy, I'm certainly not playing the way I want and whenever that happens, I leave immediately, especially since I can write +$10 in my book when I get home, and fight another day a little more fresh and NOT getting hit like this).

The first $100 I dropped was just moronic on my opponent's part and I wouldn't change anything about the play as it was just the two limpers ahead of me and I made it $15 to go and it's borderline psychotic to call an extra $13 with 5-7 -- but what about this latter hand.

Thoughts or just random bad luck with running into the set? Misplayed on my part? What would you have done differently?


Barron Vangor Toth
www.BarronVangorToth.com

[fimbulwinter]

he made the right play and you made the right play.

assuming he was one of the last callers of your $10 bet, and assuming he had 90 left after that, he was 1/8 to flop a set and probably double if not triple up if he hits. i'm sure there was at least 200 in the stacks that called you and yours combined, so he had to call by the 5/10 rule. you pushed with what was probably the best hand at the time, especially because you had one pot sized bet in you, i don't see how you could get away. if you had 10K behind, sure, but not 60 bucks.

hmmmm. 5 callers of a 5xBB PFR? and i thought the LA games were loose...

fim

[SlyAK]

I would only limp PF... KJs isnt so great and it seems to me it plays better in multi-person pots, (your looking for 2-pair or a draw, top pair is always vulnerable with this hand).

Once you flop top pair and the flush draw get the money in. Too bad that he had you beaten, but going all-in on the flop was the right decision.

Sly

[BarronVangorToth]

re: the 44 hand -- it was the small blind, the first person to call the $10 raise from my button bet (granted, the small blind was a whole dollar, so it was only $9 more to call).

Barron Vangor Toth
www.BarronVangorToth.com

[Gator]

Just want to say it was good to meet you Barron at the tables. You introduced yourself to me and I realized you were a poster on 2+2. Had quite a few wild rides T and W at the 1/2 game NL game. See you at the tables.

[Murph]

[ QUOTE ]
6 limpers ahead of me for $2 apiece, one of which is a 2+2 guy (shockingly enough, the only guy who knew what the hell he was doing at the table -- and I'm including myself, as I'm certainly not a no-limit cash player, despite my buddy Bruce being an amazing NL player and constantly coaching me on plays).

I look down and find

K J

I raise to $10

Five callers, putting a little over $60 in the pot and I have about $70 left.

Flop is

2 4 J

Checked around to me.

I have the flush draw AND top-pair second kicker. I think about making a small wager but then decide I just want to take it down. So I go all in.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sometimes, the better bet to take it down in that game is the smaller bet. I have seen many times people taking an all-in bet to be a sign of weakness rather than strength, thus resulting in a call. It does depend a lot on the mood and folks at the table.

I think that $1-$2 game is one of the most extreme tables in the casino, where you can have fearless idiots making wacky calls.

In other words, it is a tough table to make a semi-bluff because many players lack the experience to appreciate your bet.

[NaobisDad]

[ QUOTE ]

Sometimes, the better bet to take it down in that game is the smaller bet. I have seen many times people taking an all-in bet to be a sign of weakness rather than strength, thus resulting in a call. It does depend a lot on the mood and folks at the table.

I think that $1-$2 game is one of the most extreme tables in the casino, where you can have fearless idiots making wacky calls.

[/ QUOTE ]

Isn't that the weirdest thing. I've seen this before, people rationalizing it with the thought: if he best big he wants you out so he must have nothing; if he best small he wants you in, so he must have a monster.

I love these games, opponents are easy to read; my value bets are big and get payed off, and my draws and bluffs are cheap! Hahahahaha...how wonderful.

[ QUOTE ]

In other words, it is a tough table to make a semi-bluff because many players lack the experience to appreciate your bet.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, really making it a value bet.


Also, I think I would've played the KJs a little more conservative myself. For the reason that you will likely get in much of a pickle later in the deal with a hand that is perfectly fit for making second best of everything.

[schwza]

[ QUOTE ]

Also, I think I would've played the KJs a little more conservative myself. For the reason that you will likely get in much of a pickle later in the deal with a hand that is perfectly fit for making second best of everything.

[/ QUOTE ]

this is exactly why getting all-in on the flop is great. if you hit a club, you could be behind the nut flush, and if you hit another K, you could still be behind KQ or a set. but if you get all-in, then you don't have to play guessing games - you can just be confident that at least some of your outs are good (except of course in the horror situation of getting called by the nut flush draw and a set).

also, there's a chance you'll get called by a smaller K here. it wouldn't be a good call, but it could happen.

the push was barely any bigger than a pot-sized bet. there's no point in putting 2/3 of your stack in on the flop and the other 1/3 in on the turn. the push was fine - you just happened to be unfortunate enough to run into a set when you also had a strong hand (and you still had a lot of outs).

FWIW, i definitely would not raise that pre-flop.

[NaobisDad]

There is something to be said for raising preflop in a game with a lot of loose bad players, it sounded like that kind of game.

In that situation I would much sooner make it 20 preflop, leaving me 80 behind, which I would probably push into the middle as soon as I hit the flop.

[Big O]

It was just a perfect flop combination for both of you. U have top pair and almost top kicker + the flush draw. Him having the set... well thats just right combo to make the pot huge.
in the end you made the right call betting the allin with 70 left and 60 in the pot, perfect move.