Flopped straight w/ redraw - I'd probably slowplay vs regs. Against regs, it's nice to avoid putting the thought in their heads that you check when you miss and bet when you have it. Early in session for sure slowplay for me. Probably not a slowplay vs tourists. Nothing wrong w/ your play though.

KK - It is nearly never correct to fold KK preflop in a 1/2 game. Maybe super deep with a read vs a player where you have a huge amount of hands played vs him. That said, if (meaning since) you aren't getting away from it later, just get it in preflop.

MDM

There are so many turn cards that pack will hate and/or will kill the action. I think calling here is pretty risky. I would have probably made a smaller raise tho; if you didn't have flush outs/flush blockers, I like your raise sizing. But I would have made it somewhere between 45-60ish

with the kk on the q97 board, why check the turn when the q hits?

6'2" 250, graying goatee. I've had more than one person say I look like Sklansky (to which my response is usually "Who is that?" then they ask if I know what 2+2 is to which my answer is "4?"). If I'm not repping the Packers I'll probably be in a flannel over a t-shirt. If I get asked if I'm a local I tell people I'm here "on a project"...which technically isn't a lie.

Watching him play I felt it was most likely he called my flop bet with a Q or a flush draw so either way I went from way ahead to drawing to my K and previous hands he had shown an tendency to bet small without the nuts. Which he did here betting $30 with his KQ (ya, that was a 2 outer) and giving me 5-1 on the draw.

Does show the real challenge of posting hands, there is so much more going on than just the cards. I guess I find it useful as I develop my "standard" playbook though.

Saturday 2/12:

Back to Planet Hollywood for some Saturday night action... and boy did it come early when before 1 orbit was complete the 7 seat throws a handful of chips across the table at the 2 seat after shove-raising all-in for $150+ with KJo on a T93 flop and catching a J on the river. Tempers flare and the 7 seat is ejected from the room. Too bad apparently was super loose and bad and did have a good sized stack.

A few orbits later the awful 8 seat (who has stood up every hand to read the board) calls an all in flop bet with AK on a J92 board, misses completely on the turn and river but sticks around to see his opponent table QT... then inexplicably leaves as the pot is being pushed to him. Floorman Chris chases him down and he returns a few hands later to distribute. Just a crazy, insane table...

As Chris is chasing down Seat 8... I find AA in the sb. Well I figure this will be a windfall or a disaster as the chaos engulfs the table. I raise 3 limpers to $15 and get one EP caller - the 7 seat who just sat down this orbit.

Flop ($35): K86

I lead out for $25 and V makes it $75 to go. I've got about $200 behind and V has me covered. Your play...



Had two interesting AK suited hands later that night. Table was very active with two friends on my right driving the LAG action...

AK on the button. The BB has $30 after taking a bad beat last hand. When one of the action twins raises 3 limpers to $12 I know how this is going to play out.... I'm going to smooth call the 12, the BB is going to shove for 30 with A2C, then at least one of the action boys will call and I'm going to drop the hammer and scoop it all. MWA HA HA HA HA!!

I smooth call, the BB shoves and all goes to plan... until the Lou Diamond Phillips look-a-like in the 1 seat limp-shoves for $96. Weak-Tight LDP has shown absolutely zero speed over the last two hours. I fold and watch the board run out AT574 and LDP scoop with a surprising 88. Well played sir.

A few rounds later I pick up AK with $575 in a straddle pot in MP. Lou Diamond limps, the tighter action brother makes it $25 to go, I call and now the button makes it $75. Folded around to LDP who shoves for $175 and now the action brother over-shoves with $500. Uh, ya I can fold here. The button thinks for a long time before calling all-in for $275.

Action brother flips AA. Button flips KK. LDP keeps to himself...

Flop is a painful KJx and the button spikes his one-outer. LDP claims to have had QQ... Sheesh!

I rack up +$255 around 2:30AM.

Planning to play Wed, Fri, Sat this week. Will be a busy tax week, but should slow down on the hours after this week and I'll get back to a more full time playing schedule. Thanks for reading and all comments.

Pack

finished reading this whole thread and its been very interesting! a great read and i'll be following your progress, good luck with your journey to living the dream

Not sure if it came up way back when during our limp/shove discussions, but the caveat to limp shoving always being AA occurs when the player is playing a good short stack strategy...

Based on your read of LDP, fold was good in that spot (despite results). However, versus a player involved in an average number of pots, or a player you recognize as a good short stacker, I'd call in that spot though.

MDM

Is folding AK suited for less than $100 really a smart move? Seems like it's scared money (and I'm a pretty big nit when it comes to playing big pots).

To have odds, Pack would need to have at least 40% equity in the pot, since he's putting just under $100 into a $150ish pot. That would mean pack would (roughly speaking) have to assign villain's range as being better than QQ-AA, AK or JJ-AA to make the fold correct. If, as he said, the guy was just sitting there waiting for a super premium hand, it's reasonable to suspect villain is KK/AA or QQ-AA. Nothing wrong w/ the fold vs this opponent.

Keep in mind that if you assign the villain 88-AA, AK, then AsKs still only has 44% equity. To make this anything but a marginal spot, you have to assume villain can make that play w/ AQ or worse, which is highly unlikely IMHO.

MDM

I actually forgot to include the all-in short stack in the analysis. I treated his $30 as dead money instead of a side pot. One more person to beat in order to scoop the whole $250ish pot, so even less equity for Pack than I mentioned... Folding even more ok...

Read the thread and think its great what you are doing.

From the 2/12 sesh

AA: In most 1/2 games I think $15 is too small pre since a lot of times you'll get 3-4 callers but I think post is played well. What do you do if he jams the turn?

The first AK hand is close but a call unless you're being a big nit. Almost everyone knows the BB is super wide so limp shoving ranges are going to be wider than normal. I think a good calling range would be TT+/AK

glglglglgl

IDK. I see so many people ship with such marginal hands when they have less than 50 BBs or so.

I had TT last night in the BB. Button, a tight player, made a standard raise and SB ships for $70ish. I tank, decide to fold. Limper calls and button goes over the top for $200 ... SB had KQo. They make this move all the time. (Button had AA).

I agree with you. As I said, vs a good short stacker or a player giving an average amount of action, it's a call. However, Pack went out of his way to mention that this guy was very tight, so presumably he didn't think he had the ability to make a move like that. In my time reading Pack's blog, I've accepted he's pretty good at making reads (however, he could just be a good writer that makes it seem like he's good at it) - Either way, I take his reads at face value, and share my views of hands based on them being accurate.

MDM

Friday 2/18:

Was planning on hitting Green Valley Ranch tonight. The Station Casinos have a $300K freeroll on April 16/17 for everyone who plays 30 hours at any of their rooms. Everyone who qualifies gets $75 and first prize is $40K so I'll likely give them a few nights play over the next few weeks once I know I can get those dates off of last minute tax work.

But, since I wasn't sure I headed over to P-Ho for some Friday night action. First hand KK - raise pf and take it down with a c-bet. 2nd hand AK raise pf get one caller - flop 973. C-bet gets called. I check-call the blank turn and lose to TT when the river blanks and goes check-check. I'm never ahead again for the whole night.

Few orbits later I open-raise to $11 on the cutoff with QJ. Button, SB & BB all call.

Flop ($40): 89t

Checked to me and I bet $25. Button (an apparent obvious player) calls.

Turn ($90): A

I bet $45. Button sighs loudly (uhoh) and calls.

River ($180): A

Your play...



Two more hands like that one and I'm in the game for my $600 max with $275 in front of me. A super aggro has taken the seat to my left and has forced me to release several hands when I pick up AA in the sb.

3 limpers and I make it $15. The super-aggro in the BB makes it $45 and its folded to me. I consider laying a trap but feel that if I make it like $120 it would look like I'm sick of him pushing me around with his position. Now he ponders and talks for a while... I tell him I'm sick of him pushing with 85o (which he has)... he thinks long enough for me to know that he has KK/QQ and its about f-ing time I'm on the right side of that BS.

He shoves (covers). I call. Its the first time in 4 months that I've been on the right side of AA vs KK. I've been on the wrong side 4 times.

The door card is a K

Its 9PM on a Friday night and I've hit my stop loss.

F you. Seriously. F you poker gods. I can legitimately count over $6000 of pots that I've lost to 2 outs or less. You know how many times I have shoved my stack in bad with two outs and some miracle card has saved me so I can scoop some $500+ pot?

None. Seriously. None. Ok, maybe one. But I sure can't remember it right now. So None is the story I'm sticking with. So F U.

You know how many times I held set over set? None. You know how many times I've held set under set? At least 3 from memory. F U

Are you F-ing kidding me? Kiss my <censored> <censored> <censored> and take a <censored> <censored> up my <censored> <censored> <censored> you <censored> <censored>.

I guess I'll be back at it tomorrow... but this crap is getting old. Thanks for reading.

Pack

pack, it is very likely you should have been barreling that AKhh hand on the turn and river.

and dont tell people you have aces next time sir.