Finally, a session with some hands to discuss!
V in this hand is a whale. Seeing every flop for almost any price. He's talked about playing bigger games, and if he does, I'll chase him there. He seems to at least understand the game, despite having no preflop discipline. He starts the hand with about $140 and I cover. The hand immediately before this I raised with ATo, he called, I c-bet him heads up and he folded.
6-handed, hero UTG with K
T
raises to $10. V calls OTB, heads up to the flop.
Flop($20)Q
T
7
Hero bets $10, V snap calls.
Turn($40) Q
T
7
2
Hero checks, V bets $20. Hero calls.
River($80) Q
T
7
2
Q
Hero checks. V snap jams for $100. I've been wrong about live tells before but everything about this guys behavior in the hand is he FOS. I just don't believe he has Qx here. It was a drawy board and they all bricked out. I normally preach a don't bluffcatch at 1/2 strategy, but I don't always practice what I preach, and I think that advice doesn't translate as well to hands that I'm actually playing and watching the body language and table dynamic. I call, and he mucks.
Later in the session I'm sitting at about $375, and a somewhat competent but too loose V is sitting at around $350. We're 8 handed and I pick up Q
T
UTG.
A quick aside here. These types of hands in EP are controversial. Old TAG wisdom is to fold. However some pretty good 1/2 players I respect will open any two suited broadways from any position. They can play well both heads up and multiway, and can make monsters on action boards. One thing that pushes me towards playing this hand is that I'm at a deep table with some pretty big fish.
Hero raises UTG to $10 with Q
T
I get 5 calls (this was a bit excessive).
Flop($60)A
4
2
Blinds check, hero goes with a $25 c-bet. Someone will usually have an ace here, but if not, I can often win right now on this board. If not, I'm usually setting a nice price for myself to see the turn. That plan fails quickly as a short-stack with $80 behind jams. V OTB initially throws out $25 like he's only trying to call my first bet, but quickly realizes he's now on the hook for $80. He completes it. Folds to me, and this is interesting. I can call getting a great price 3-ways. Or just jam and try to knock V out of the pot and go heads up with an overlay. V isn't too aggressive, so I think I'll get a free look at the river a lot on a flat, and I want to go for some value if I can. I call.
Turn($300)A
4
2
J
Bink! With about $250 back, I just rip it in. V says something like "Sure, I like action" and calls.
River blanks out, but V flips K
9
for the massive 175BB cooler gut punch. Ouch. I'm pretty sure the only way I don't get stacked here is to fold pre. I don't want to base my preflop strategy off of a nut vs 2nd nut flush cooler, but maybe these hands deserve a deeper philosophical discussion. I think this might make a good LLSNL thread.
Maybe it's my style of play, selective bias, or bad luck, but I feel like I've been on the wrong side of coolers way more than I should be. Flush over flush. 2 pair vs. set. Trips vs boat. Set vs flush. I know we've all been there, but it feels like the universe is out of balance right now.