2.5 hours into a 4/8 w .5K game. There are some older guys at the table who act like they're the sh*t – they think they're seasoned veterans. It always kills me when people at the 4/8 act as if they're so much better … I'm always thinking you're playing 4/8 – if you were any good at all, you would have climbed out of the 4/8 brigade strictly on understanding how the rake affects your results. Plus, anyone who continually plays low stakes can't be good because all one needs to do is bankroll management. You're either a winning player who moves up or you're not. If you're not, you need to work on your game.

Anyways, I've been playing 4/8 for over 15 years of recorded results - 3000 hours played. So I'm in the NOT camp. But I guess it depends on how you count to be honest.

So, a newer old guy sits down about a half hour ago. I've played with him before. Pretty nice guy. But pretty much an ABC player. I'm in the lo-jack with 44. Guy on my right, a foldy type player limps, I raise intending to flop quads! Errr, I mean intending on getting it heads up since it doesn't look like anyone is too interested in their hole cards. The Big Blind, the newer old guy, calls as does the guy on my right.

Big Blind checks in the dark.

Flop: 743r

Checked to me. I bet. Big Blind calls. Other guy folds.

Big Blind checks in the dark.

I bet in the dark.

Turn: 743 Q

he raises, I re-raise, he 4!, I 5!, he 6!, I call.

River 743 Q T

He bets. I call.

Now that I write this, it feels sort of standard. Did I spazz? I mean these guys can easily get fed up with all my raising and call a pfr with 65. Or maybe he has QQ and checks in the dark? Is there a point where I should start thinking about that and slow down?

It's also rare that I make a play like this with 44. But my image was tight and I thought I had a good read on what was going on.

lol the guy limp/folded? what the heck

I think the 5bet is a bit much against an abc player. I would stop raising after 4bets and call down.

If your hand was good which I highly doubt you won the maximum and if your hand was no good you lost the maximum.

Once you were check raised when the Queen hits I would either fold or just call down. I have no idea what you were thinking with two more raises. There’s virtually no chance the villain will fold a better hand and you could have been drawing dead against a flopped straight.

Based on how you played this hand I would happily play 56 from the BB and I’m not trying to be mean.

Most 4/8 players are not very good but in some casinos that’s the only game they offer and some older players (and some of them are decent) for a variety of reasons have no desire to play higher and you shouldn’t stereotype them and assume they suck.

If you fold to the c/r ott, what are you putting him on? Isn't that mubsy?

If you call down to the c/r ott, what are you putting him on?

Looking back, I spazzed on this hand. I like the call down. But at game speed it's harder than the 20/20 hindsight. I was value raising ott (admittedly owning myself) , not hoping he'd fold a better hand. What better hand than a set is he going to fold? I flopped a set - I'm not drawing dead against a flopped straight.

I think you missed the fact that I flopped a set. If so, do you change any of your response?

I appreciate the input - you can always say anything you want - constructive criticism is appreciated, destructive criticism is not.

I think you misread the hand he flopped a set

stop betting in the dark and stop pumping in money when the other player is repping the nuts

My bad. I misread post and thought OP had JJ and I was like “WTF”.

Flopping a set when opponent flops a bigger set, straight, or flush is supposed to be painful 99% of the time.

I call the c/r and c/c down. But I am still learning.

I wondered about the bet in the dark after he checked dark. What is this telling the villain?

Also, I have people limping with 56o UTG and will call my EP/MP raises from the BB with worse all day long at my 4/8 game.

"I've already put in 4 bucks, no way I'm folding"