2014: I Ain’t Trying to Survive, I’m Trying to Live it to The (No) Limit
Are you a winning 1/2 player?
Are you trolling me?
Sent from my SCH-I545 using 2+2 Forums
Sent from my SCH-I545 using 2+2 Forums
Honest question.
How much of this thread did you read? I'm crushing it.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using 2+2 Forums
Sent from my SCH-I545 using 2+2 Forums
As of yesterday's session I'm making $19.75 an hour through 348 hours at 1/2 during this thread. I don't have exact stats but I was definitely a lifetime winner in 1/2 before this of $15 to $20 an hour.
I guess you think I'm a huge station or something... But I tend to find the right spots to make the calls I make given pot odds and I'm capable of making big laydowns.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using 2+2 Forums
I guess you think I'm a huge station or something... But I tend to find the right spots to make the calls I make given pot odds and I'm capable of making big laydowns.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using 2+2 Forums
SSS though.
Solid winner. I think you could boost your WR by not sheriffing so much.
Yes and no... Yes to say what the winrate is definitive, but no to say I'm a winner. I think the likelihood that my true 1/2 winrate is between like $10 and $30 an hour is very very high.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using 2+2 Forums
Sent from my SCH-I545 using 2+2 Forums
You are a winner at 1/2. That is no question.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using 2+2 Forums
Being the table captain and going out of your way to make sure everyone knows it and that you do everything you can to stay that way.
I'm not sure that's what W2 meant though, W2?
Sent from my SCH-I545 using 2+2 Forums
Yeah that was just my guess.
Yeah I mean I've gotten some criticism in this thread for being too friendly so I doubt that's what he meant but we'll see. Side note I'm playing maybe the best poker of the thread today but running awful and clawing through it well. Don't want to speak too soon but I'm very proud of this session.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using 2+2 Forums
Sent from my SCH-I545 using 2+2 Forums
May 25 - "Dream chaser, keep chasin', / Grind will turn into your shine, be patient."
For 13 hours today I dodged and weaved and might have played the best poker I've played in the entirety of this thread, and maybe even in my life. Lots of hands in this update. If you feel like it's tldr, hands 2, 5, 8, 11, 12 are the most interesting. Then there's that other one at the bottom, and some life stuff outside of poker.
Hand No. 1
There's a limp and a new player posts, and I raise to $15 with AJo. The limper was a fish. Unfortunately a good tight player calls on the button, the limper folds and the poster calls.
Flop ($45): T53
The poster checks, I bet $30 and the good player calls. The poster folds. I put him on 66-99, T9+, and hearts. I'm debating barrelling.
Turn ($105): J
Well, now I'm ahead of the vast majority of his range, so I bet $65. He calls pretty quickly.
River ($235): 6
We are like $150ish behind, but I don't think he can call a shove with his Tx hands, so I bet $100. He tanks forever and folds, and says he had QQ. I'm still not sure if I believe him, and I think $75 might have been the right bet in the long run because even if he had QQ I had his range beat and he obviously was folding a lot of it to $100.
Hand No. 2
It folds to the button and I have JT and raise to $10. The SB calls, he's an old guy.
Flop ($19): 893
He checks, I bet $12, he calls.
Turn ($41): 7
He checks, I bet $30 and he raises to $80. He only has like $50 left, but I decide not to shove because lately I've been allowing people to find ways to fold in those spots. I call.
River ($201): J
He shoves, I snap call, he shows 77 for a set, I show. Dealer takes my hand and starts to muck it as I'm yelling no, no, no. She looks again and says, "Set of 7s good." I point, "No, straight is good."
I mean, I always sympathize with dealers, but there's a four straight on the board, any T makes a straight, c'mon now.
Meanwhile, the guy stands up and yells at me, "You can't beat these guys the way they f***in' play. Called 80 on the turn and gets there???"
Yessir, I called $80 on the turn with the nuts. What a donk I am. (I don't actually say any of the stuff that's not in quotes, in case you're wondering. I just let him be.)
Hand No. 3
A crazy fish raises to $13 and I call in the SB with 77. A limper in EP calls.
Flop ($39): Q53
It checks through.
Turn ($39): 3
I bet $20 and the fish calls. His range is pretty much A6+, gutshots, straight draws, 5x, 3x. He's always betting a queen on the flop and probably any pocket pairs and most 5s.
River ($79): Q
That's maybe the best card in the deck aside from a 7, because he never has it and he won't give me credit for it. He can, however, hero call with an A, maybe even a K, and any pair.
I bet $30, he looks confused, calls and slams AKo down on the table before I can even show my hand. Sorry, bro. A high no good.
Hand No. 4
In a limped pot, I'm in the BB with QJ. I check.
Flop ($12): 986
I bet $10 and get four calls.
Turn ($57): 6
I check, and a villain bets $20. It folds to me and I call.
River ($97): T
He has like $85 left. I know he has some boats in his range, but he also has trips, 7x hands and a bunch of one pair hands that might call. I shove and he tanks for about 60 seconds. He says he has a full house and he thinks I have an overfull. Finally he calls, and I tell him he's good and show my hand. He shows 68o. Not much I can do there. I could fold the turn, and would have with a naked straight draw or against a deeper opponent, but I think I played this one fine.
Hand No. 5
There are two limps and I raise to $15 with KQ. A player in the blind, a fish and a limper call. The limper is pretty solid and a TAG.
Flop ($60): K96
Two checks and the limp-caller bets $65 with about $270 behind and I cover. The other two players have 250-350, but I'm not too worried about them. I tank for a long time here, because I really can't flat call this and if I raise we're getting stacks in. That makes it a really effective bet with a wide range of hands. AK is basically not in his range very often cause he'd raise it the vast majority of the time preflop, and he could take this line with KJ or KT. He could also take it with K9 and big draws, or 99 or 66.
So basically, I'm ahead of two hands, crushed by three hands (K6 is very unlikely) and more or less flipping against most of his draws. I decide his overbet makes a hand with reverse implied odds more likely, and a draw less likely, and I fold.
He doesn't show, so we'll never know, but I think it was a really good laydown.
Hand No. 6
There are two limps and I raise to $15 in LOP with KQo. I get a call from the blinds and that's it.
Flop ($30): 963
He checks, I bet $20 and he calls.
Turn ($70): A
He bets $30 and I think for a bit and raise to $90. He folds quickly. I don't think he's check-calling with A high unless it's the flush draw, and I think he is check-calling with 9x and 6x a lot, then probing on the turn. I could easily cbet Ax hands, so it's easy to rep.
Hand No. 7
The CO raises to $12, the HJ calls and I flat AJo in position. Three others call.
Flop ($72): JT7
The PFR bets $30, I call and the villain from Hand 5 calls from the blinds.
Turn ($162): 5
I plan to bomb it if checked to, and possibly jam over the PFR. Instead, the guy in the blind bets $100 and the PFR folds. He has like $120 behind. This is a weird spot for him to donk. I tank for a while. I think most of his range is two pair or better, but the 5 really can't have helped him so I'm not sure why he's donking the turn.
I fold, and he shows J. I tell him I had that, and he says I probably had kicker trouble then. I don't really know if I believe him, but again I think this is a good fold against his range. All I really beat there is him overplaying KJ/QJ, or hands with tons of outs like KQ or something.
Hand No. 8
I'm in EP and there's an LP post from a new player. I make it $12 with KQ and the post calls and the SB and BB call. The BB is the same TAG villain that donked at me before when I folded KQ on the K high flop.
Flop ($48): K86
It checks to me and I bet $30. The guy who posted raises to $60. He has $125 behind. The SB is thinking and I'm already tanking. What the hell? The SB folds, but the BB immediately reaches for chips, thinks for about 30 seconds and calls. He has $250 behind.
Now I really go into the tank. To check-call that on a dry board, he really can't have worse than KJ, and even that would be an idiotic call. I could come back over the top, so he really can't call with a draw here. I range him at KJ+, K8, K6 and sets. Meanwhile, the guy who posted has a wider range that includes more weak K hands.
I fold, and the guy who posted calls. I start rooting internally for them to get it in. The turn is a brick, they get it all in and the poster has 88 and the BB has KQ.
Hand No. 9
There are a few limps and I overlimp Q9 in the CO. There are some fish limp-folding to my position raises, which is fine, but the blinds are decent and are defending and I'd rather just take flops in position with decent hands. The button raises to $10 and everyone calls, so I do as well.
Flop ($60): Q86
It checks to me and I bet $40. It folds to UTG who insta-jams for $301. This guy's been push botting and making huge overbets. So far preflop he's had the goods, and I don't think he'd shove a club draw here, so this is a pretty easy spot to fold. I basically put him on AQ or a set, but I am curious if he'd do it with clubs since he keeps making this move. I think about 15 seconds and ask if he'll show. He says he will for $5, so I fold and toss him a redbird and he shows 88.
Hand No. 10
I pick up AA and raise to $10 and an old guy calls in position. He just picked off a small bluff of mine so that is a dynamic in play. I forget the exact preceding hand but either he raised a cbet and I insta-folded or I called to the river with a draw, bluffed a scare card and got called. Either way it was a small lost pot, but still he thinks I'm a young aggro who's full of it.
Flop ($20): T93
I bet $15 and he calls. "You could've checked it," he says. Thus, I put him on one pair.
Turn ($50): 6
This isn't a dream card, as the board is continuing to coordinate. "I told you, you can check it," he reminds me. This solidifies my read and I bet $40. He calls quickly with about 80 behind.
River ($130): 2
I don't love it, but I do have the nut flush draw blocker. I'm thinking about it, and again he says, "You can check it, you know."
From experience I know that people almost always have a weak one pair hand looking for a showdown when they say that. I move all-in for his last $80 or so, and he thinks for about 20 seconds and says, "You win."
He doesn't do anything, though. I say, "What'd you say?" He says, "You win." He still has cards, chips and action, so I wait. "I'm calling you, but you win. I call." He slides his chips forward, I show, and he says, "I told you, you win." He says he had a T and put me on an overpair but couldn't fold.
"Next time, I'll be more careful," he says. I say, "OK." He repeats it. OK, I'll keep that in mind.
Hand No. 11
UTG raises to $7 and gets five calls. I call from the BB with 45.
Flop ($45): 234r
I think for a bit before I check. UTG likely has two overs, and he's 100% betting - he's a fish just drinking and having fun and cbetting like a machine. I decide to let him fire, trap a bunch of dead money and make a big raise. He bets $20. UTG+1 calls. He's a pretty good player who calls too wide pre-flop and plays very aggressive post flop typically. I recently check-raised him and he said he knew I was bluffing (I was, I was on a flush draw, but he doesn't know that) and that next time we'd play a big pot.
It folds to me and I raise to $100. UTG folds quickly and UTG+1 thinks for about 20-30 seconds and shoves for $232 more. I tank, but ultimately I have to call here getting over 2 to 1.
Turn ($729): 3x
"Your boat is good," he says dejectedly, and I know I'm f***ed.
River ($729): 2x
He shows 56 and had me nearly drawing dead. Not good, but I think I made the right call on the flop to his shove. I discussed this hand with a couple of good players and got some interesting thoughts. One said fold preflop, which I respectfully disagree with getting 8-to-1 once you account for rake. Another, who tends to be super tight and nitty, said it's an easy call on the flop, which I kind of disagree with though I think it's right. I had someone pokerstove it for me and they said I was 31% vs a range of 22-JJ, 56, A5, A4. I think that's probably a realistic range for him given our history and what I've seen of him before. The only one that might not be in it is A4.
My real mistake was not leading out on the flop, which would have changed the dynamic of the hand. Likely I'd still get stacked, but it allows me to play better when I don't run into the nuts.
Hand No. 12
I'm in the BB in a limped pot with KT and check it. Seven to the flop.
Flop ($14): T85
I bet $10, UTG calls and the SB calls.
Turn ($39): 9
SB checks, I bet $25. That's a bad turn card for me and I wanted to go a little smaller. If I make it $35, they can make a big raise that prices me out. UTG folds. The SB raises to $105.
Ugh, that's a bigger raise than I wanted once he started reaching for chips. The whole plan was bet $25 and if he raises to $75ish, I can draw pretty easily.
I have to put in about 31% of the pot, which means I don't have odds to draw. He has about $80 left, though, and I can't imagine he's going to fold it on the river. Now it's much closer.
It's still a -EV call if I'm never winning this pot aside from spades, but there is always a chance he's just blowing up or going crazy with a draw. I decide that it's close enough that the spazz factor makes it a neutral call and I call.
River ($249): T
He quickly jams $79. I tank, and tell him this is the worst card in the deck for my hand. I count out the $79 in chips and stack them and glance at him and get a tell that he has a monster, which I also got on the turn. I ask if he has 67, or maybe QJ, and get no reaction. I don't think he flopped a set, but he could have T9, for example, or even 99.
I fold, and he tells me it was a good fold, but he didn't have a straight. I tell him it might not have been a good fold then, if he just had a T, and he says no, and doesn't believe me that I laid down a T. "I wish I had that much discipline against him," he says, pointing to the guy who stacked him with the set of 8s vs KQ in the earlier hand.
A few hours later we were sitting next to each other and talking a bit, and I asked him what he really had. He asked me what I had two times I had 3bet him earlier, so I told him, and he said he flopped a set of 5s. I said no way, there wasn't a 5 on the flop. He instantly and adamantly argued that there was (which there was), so I believed him. It's a good way to see if people are lying. Tell them the hand they claim wasn't on the board, and if they don't hesitate at all, they're usually being honest. I believe him.
I Keep Grinding
I continue to basically run poorly in hitting flops, and keep just grinding up and down with my stack between $300 and $500 all session. I'm extremely proud of my play, and I feel like I've been on my A+ game. The only mistake I really made was the line in the 45 hand vs. the flopped straight, but I think the flop call versus his range was fine, so the big "mistake" given his exact hand was not a mistake vs. his range as the hand was played.
Other than that, I've made some good small bluffs, chopping away at small and medium pots I felt I could grab, and that's made up for the rest of the lack of hands or bad runouts.
Then, the following hand comes up.
The Worst Hand of My Life
In 50 or 60 years, if I'm on my death bed, and someone asks me the worst hand of poker I ever played in my life, I know the answer and there's no way it's changing. After about 13 hours of just flat out brilliant play, I got owned by a drunk fish.
I'm UTG with 63. And away we go. I'm not getting action on my EP raises, so I decide to raise. Mistake #1 for those scoring at home. The SB raises to $25. He's 3bet me a couple times, and he's awful and drunk, so I call. Mistake #2. If you're scoring at home, you may need a bigger scorebook. They're going to pile up.
Flop ($50): AQ5
He shakes his head and looks perturbed. Recently, he had AA on a K high board and was stoic. Thus, I read this as him honestly not liking the A. He's also drunk and may not realize how obvious he's being. He bets $20, which looks pretty weak.
I raise to $55. Score this a mistake if you want, but this is the only action I took in the entire hand that I'm okay with. He's muttering under his breath to the people next to him, and he's at the other end of the table and doesn't seem to realize I can hear him. "Every time, the A comes out," he says. "Every time. He's either got it or he's bluffing." He looks increasingly frustrated. I am increasingly confident he has KK and doesn't know I can hear him.
He raises to $105. I think for about 30 seconds. "I knew he was bluffing. Just fold already," he says, loud enough that he has to know I can hear.
Typically a Hollywood of this caliber is followed up by a jam with the nuts, and this minraise seems suspicious to me. I call it. Mistake #4. I've now made probably twice as many mistakes in this hand as I've made all night at any point combined.
Turn ($260): Y, as in Why the f*** are we seeing the turn card in this hand? It's the Q
He shakes his head and checks. I go full-fledged Hindenburg and shove $230ish. He insta-super-fist-pump-snap-calls with AA as he slams them down on the table and mocks me for falling for it. The table erupts in laughter. I get up and leave.
13 hours of brilliance, 2 minutes of trainwreck.
Result: 13 hours, -$350
I suppose there are two upsides here. One is that I made some sick laydowns, and I think I identified some good spots to find folds I wasn't before, which ironically was being posted about again today in here after I had already made them. I think the spots I need to find more folds are on the flop... I think a lot of the calls I make that I justify with pot odds are fine, it's a matter of a) avoiding those spots when I'm behind their range and b) tightening up my villains ranges a little (not a ton, I think 2p2ers tend to make villain's ranges too narrow).
The other upside is that I probably should have lost more than $350 if I was even on my B game the first 13 hours. I had some sick spots and got away from them, and even a $360 implosion didn't undo all of the money I saved. To come out ahead or even close to even on the session would have been absolutely sick, but it is what it is. I can't undo it. When I feel like I'm on my A game I loosen up too much in EP sometimes, so that set the whole thing in motion.
Often the big pots I lose where I get into bad spots or what not start with a loose play out of position pre-flop. You could say the same of the 45 hand, but I think the pot odds do justify that call.
Memorial Day Weekend Trip
I played a total of about 33 hours and made $763. That's about $23 an hour, which is disappointing for as soft as the games were. I think my expected winrate in these games was over $40 an hour, maybe even over $50. There were stretches where I felt that it was significantly higher than that with certain table lineups. Obviously any one weekend is going to be a small sample size, but after winning more than $1,400 on the first night, I really felt like a 3K weekend was possible.
It's a shame I didn't run a little better the last two days when the games were probably as good as they'll be until another holiday weekend.
In Other News
I head back to Delaware tomorrow for some golf and birthday celebration. It's not going to be the happiest birthday ever given that I'm still living at home and all that stuff life-wise, but I'll still try to enjoy it and have some fun. I also have a date this week, so I snuck that in before the end of the month and hit one of the monthly goals. She seems pretty cool, but it's via online dating so who knows. My online dating game improved significantly this week with a few tweaks.
For 13 hours today I dodged and weaved and might have played the best poker I've played in the entirety of this thread, and maybe even in my life. Lots of hands in this update. If you feel like it's tldr, hands 2, 5, 8, 11, 12 are the most interesting. Then there's that other one at the bottom, and some life stuff outside of poker.
Hand No. 1
There's a limp and a new player posts, and I raise to $15 with AJo. The limper was a fish. Unfortunately a good tight player calls on the button, the limper folds and the poster calls.
Flop ($45): T53
The poster checks, I bet $30 and the good player calls. The poster folds. I put him on 66-99, T9+, and hearts. I'm debating barrelling.
Turn ($105): J
Well, now I'm ahead of the vast majority of his range, so I bet $65. He calls pretty quickly.
River ($235): 6
We are like $150ish behind, but I don't think he can call a shove with his Tx hands, so I bet $100. He tanks forever and folds, and says he had QQ. I'm still not sure if I believe him, and I think $75 might have been the right bet in the long run because even if he had QQ I had his range beat and he obviously was folding a lot of it to $100.
Hand No. 2
It folds to the button and I have JT and raise to $10. The SB calls, he's an old guy.
Flop ($19): 893
He checks, I bet $12, he calls.
Turn ($41): 7
He checks, I bet $30 and he raises to $80. He only has like $50 left, but I decide not to shove because lately I've been allowing people to find ways to fold in those spots. I call.
River ($201): J
He shoves, I snap call, he shows 77 for a set, I show. Dealer takes my hand and starts to muck it as I'm yelling no, no, no. She looks again and says, "Set of 7s good." I point, "No, straight is good."
I mean, I always sympathize with dealers, but there's a four straight on the board, any T makes a straight, c'mon now.
Meanwhile, the guy stands up and yells at me, "You can't beat these guys the way they f***in' play. Called 80 on the turn and gets there???"
Yessir, I called $80 on the turn with the nuts. What a donk I am. (I don't actually say any of the stuff that's not in quotes, in case you're wondering. I just let him be.)
Hand No. 3
A crazy fish raises to $13 and I call in the SB with 77. A limper in EP calls.
Flop ($39): Q53
It checks through.
Turn ($39): 3
I bet $20 and the fish calls. His range is pretty much A6+, gutshots, straight draws, 5x, 3x. He's always betting a queen on the flop and probably any pocket pairs and most 5s.
River ($79): Q
That's maybe the best card in the deck aside from a 7, because he never has it and he won't give me credit for it. He can, however, hero call with an A, maybe even a K, and any pair.
I bet $30, he looks confused, calls and slams AKo down on the table before I can even show my hand. Sorry, bro. A high no good.
Hand No. 4
In a limped pot, I'm in the BB with QJ. I check.
Flop ($12): 986
I bet $10 and get four calls.
Turn ($57): 6
I check, and a villain bets $20. It folds to me and I call.
River ($97): T
He has like $85 left. I know he has some boats in his range, but he also has trips, 7x hands and a bunch of one pair hands that might call. I shove and he tanks for about 60 seconds. He says he has a full house and he thinks I have an overfull. Finally he calls, and I tell him he's good and show my hand. He shows 68o. Not much I can do there. I could fold the turn, and would have with a naked straight draw or against a deeper opponent, but I think I played this one fine.
Hand No. 5
There are two limps and I raise to $15 with KQ. A player in the blind, a fish and a limper call. The limper is pretty solid and a TAG.
Flop ($60): K96
Two checks and the limp-caller bets $65 with about $270 behind and I cover. The other two players have 250-350, but I'm not too worried about them. I tank for a long time here, because I really can't flat call this and if I raise we're getting stacks in. That makes it a really effective bet with a wide range of hands. AK is basically not in his range very often cause he'd raise it the vast majority of the time preflop, and he could take this line with KJ or KT. He could also take it with K9 and big draws, or 99 or 66.
So basically, I'm ahead of two hands, crushed by three hands (K6 is very unlikely) and more or less flipping against most of his draws. I decide his overbet makes a hand with reverse implied odds more likely, and a draw less likely, and I fold.
He doesn't show, so we'll never know, but I think it was a really good laydown.
Hand No. 6
There are two limps and I raise to $15 in LOP with KQo. I get a call from the blinds and that's it.
Flop ($30): 963
He checks, I bet $20 and he calls.
Turn ($70): A
He bets $30 and I think for a bit and raise to $90. He folds quickly. I don't think he's check-calling with A high unless it's the flush draw, and I think he is check-calling with 9x and 6x a lot, then probing on the turn. I could easily cbet Ax hands, so it's easy to rep.
Hand No. 7
The CO raises to $12, the HJ calls and I flat AJo in position. Three others call.
Flop ($72): JT7
The PFR bets $30, I call and the villain from Hand 5 calls from the blinds.
Turn ($162): 5
I plan to bomb it if checked to, and possibly jam over the PFR. Instead, the guy in the blind bets $100 and the PFR folds. He has like $120 behind. This is a weird spot for him to donk. I tank for a while. I think most of his range is two pair or better, but the 5 really can't have helped him so I'm not sure why he's donking the turn.
I fold, and he shows J. I tell him I had that, and he says I probably had kicker trouble then. I don't really know if I believe him, but again I think this is a good fold against his range. All I really beat there is him overplaying KJ/QJ, or hands with tons of outs like KQ or something.
Hand No. 8
I'm in EP and there's an LP post from a new player. I make it $12 with KQ and the post calls and the SB and BB call. The BB is the same TAG villain that donked at me before when I folded KQ on the K high flop.
Flop ($48): K86
It checks to me and I bet $30. The guy who posted raises to $60. He has $125 behind. The SB is thinking and I'm already tanking. What the hell? The SB folds, but the BB immediately reaches for chips, thinks for about 30 seconds and calls. He has $250 behind.
Now I really go into the tank. To check-call that on a dry board, he really can't have worse than KJ, and even that would be an idiotic call. I could come back over the top, so he really can't call with a draw here. I range him at KJ+, K8, K6 and sets. Meanwhile, the guy who posted has a wider range that includes more weak K hands.
I fold, and the guy who posted calls. I start rooting internally for them to get it in. The turn is a brick, they get it all in and the poster has 88 and the BB has KQ.
Hand No. 9
There are a few limps and I overlimp Q9 in the CO. There are some fish limp-folding to my position raises, which is fine, but the blinds are decent and are defending and I'd rather just take flops in position with decent hands. The button raises to $10 and everyone calls, so I do as well.
Flop ($60): Q86
It checks to me and I bet $40. It folds to UTG who insta-jams for $301. This guy's been push botting and making huge overbets. So far preflop he's had the goods, and I don't think he'd shove a club draw here, so this is a pretty easy spot to fold. I basically put him on AQ or a set, but I am curious if he'd do it with clubs since he keeps making this move. I think about 15 seconds and ask if he'll show. He says he will for $5, so I fold and toss him a redbird and he shows 88.
Hand No. 10
I pick up AA and raise to $10 and an old guy calls in position. He just picked off a small bluff of mine so that is a dynamic in play. I forget the exact preceding hand but either he raised a cbet and I insta-folded or I called to the river with a draw, bluffed a scare card and got called. Either way it was a small lost pot, but still he thinks I'm a young aggro who's full of it.
Flop ($20): T93
I bet $15 and he calls. "You could've checked it," he says. Thus, I put him on one pair.
Turn ($50): 6
This isn't a dream card, as the board is continuing to coordinate. "I told you, you can check it," he reminds me. This solidifies my read and I bet $40. He calls quickly with about 80 behind.
River ($130): 2
I don't love it, but I do have the nut flush draw blocker. I'm thinking about it, and again he says, "You can check it, you know."
From experience I know that people almost always have a weak one pair hand looking for a showdown when they say that. I move all-in for his last $80 or so, and he thinks for about 20 seconds and says, "You win."
He doesn't do anything, though. I say, "What'd you say?" He says, "You win." He still has cards, chips and action, so I wait. "I'm calling you, but you win. I call." He slides his chips forward, I show, and he says, "I told you, you win." He says he had a T and put me on an overpair but couldn't fold.
"Next time, I'll be more careful," he says. I say, "OK." He repeats it. OK, I'll keep that in mind.
Hand No. 11
UTG raises to $7 and gets five calls. I call from the BB with 45.
Flop ($45): 234r
I think for a bit before I check. UTG likely has two overs, and he's 100% betting - he's a fish just drinking and having fun and cbetting like a machine. I decide to let him fire, trap a bunch of dead money and make a big raise. He bets $20. UTG+1 calls. He's a pretty good player who calls too wide pre-flop and plays very aggressive post flop typically. I recently check-raised him and he said he knew I was bluffing (I was, I was on a flush draw, but he doesn't know that) and that next time we'd play a big pot.
It folds to me and I raise to $100. UTG folds quickly and UTG+1 thinks for about 20-30 seconds and shoves for $232 more. I tank, but ultimately I have to call here getting over 2 to 1.
Turn ($729): 3x
"Your boat is good," he says dejectedly, and I know I'm f***ed.
River ($729): 2x
He shows 56 and had me nearly drawing dead. Not good, but I think I made the right call on the flop to his shove. I discussed this hand with a couple of good players and got some interesting thoughts. One said fold preflop, which I respectfully disagree with getting 8-to-1 once you account for rake. Another, who tends to be super tight and nitty, said it's an easy call on the flop, which I kind of disagree with though I think it's right. I had someone pokerstove it for me and they said I was 31% vs a range of 22-JJ, 56, A5, A4. I think that's probably a realistic range for him given our history and what I've seen of him before. The only one that might not be in it is A4.
My real mistake was not leading out on the flop, which would have changed the dynamic of the hand. Likely I'd still get stacked, but it allows me to play better when I don't run into the nuts.
Hand No. 12
I'm in the BB in a limped pot with KT and check it. Seven to the flop.
Flop ($14): T85
I bet $10, UTG calls and the SB calls.
Turn ($39): 9
SB checks, I bet $25. That's a bad turn card for me and I wanted to go a little smaller. If I make it $35, they can make a big raise that prices me out. UTG folds. The SB raises to $105.
Ugh, that's a bigger raise than I wanted once he started reaching for chips. The whole plan was bet $25 and if he raises to $75ish, I can draw pretty easily.
I have to put in about 31% of the pot, which means I don't have odds to draw. He has about $80 left, though, and I can't imagine he's going to fold it on the river. Now it's much closer.
It's still a -EV call if I'm never winning this pot aside from spades, but there is always a chance he's just blowing up or going crazy with a draw. I decide that it's close enough that the spazz factor makes it a neutral call and I call.
River ($249): T
He quickly jams $79. I tank, and tell him this is the worst card in the deck for my hand. I count out the $79 in chips and stack them and glance at him and get a tell that he has a monster, which I also got on the turn. I ask if he has 67, or maybe QJ, and get no reaction. I don't think he flopped a set, but he could have T9, for example, or even 99.
I fold, and he tells me it was a good fold, but he didn't have a straight. I tell him it might not have been a good fold then, if he just had a T, and he says no, and doesn't believe me that I laid down a T. "I wish I had that much discipline against him," he says, pointing to the guy who stacked him with the set of 8s vs KQ in the earlier hand.
A few hours later we were sitting next to each other and talking a bit, and I asked him what he really had. He asked me what I had two times I had 3bet him earlier, so I told him, and he said he flopped a set of 5s. I said no way, there wasn't a 5 on the flop. He instantly and adamantly argued that there was (which there was), so I believed him. It's a good way to see if people are lying. Tell them the hand they claim wasn't on the board, and if they don't hesitate at all, they're usually being honest. I believe him.
I Keep Grinding
I continue to basically run poorly in hitting flops, and keep just grinding up and down with my stack between $300 and $500 all session. I'm extremely proud of my play, and I feel like I've been on my A+ game. The only mistake I really made was the line in the 45 hand vs. the flopped straight, but I think the flop call versus his range was fine, so the big "mistake" given his exact hand was not a mistake vs. his range as the hand was played.
Other than that, I've made some good small bluffs, chopping away at small and medium pots I felt I could grab, and that's made up for the rest of the lack of hands or bad runouts.
Then, the following hand comes up.
The Worst Hand of My Life
In 50 or 60 years, if I'm on my death bed, and someone asks me the worst hand of poker I ever played in my life, I know the answer and there's no way it's changing. After about 13 hours of just flat out brilliant play, I got owned by a drunk fish.
I'm UTG with 63. And away we go. I'm not getting action on my EP raises, so I decide to raise. Mistake #1 for those scoring at home. The SB raises to $25. He's 3bet me a couple times, and he's awful and drunk, so I call. Mistake #2. If you're scoring at home, you may need a bigger scorebook. They're going to pile up.
Flop ($50): AQ5
He shakes his head and looks perturbed. Recently, he had AA on a K high board and was stoic. Thus, I read this as him honestly not liking the A. He's also drunk and may not realize how obvious he's being. He bets $20, which looks pretty weak.
I raise to $55. Score this a mistake if you want, but this is the only action I took in the entire hand that I'm okay with. He's muttering under his breath to the people next to him, and he's at the other end of the table and doesn't seem to realize I can hear him. "Every time, the A comes out," he says. "Every time. He's either got it or he's bluffing." He looks increasingly frustrated. I am increasingly confident he has KK and doesn't know I can hear him.
He raises to $105. I think for about 30 seconds. "I knew he was bluffing. Just fold already," he says, loud enough that he has to know I can hear.
Typically a Hollywood of this caliber is followed up by a jam with the nuts, and this minraise seems suspicious to me. I call it. Mistake #4. I've now made probably twice as many mistakes in this hand as I've made all night at any point combined.
Turn ($260): Y, as in Why the f*** are we seeing the turn card in this hand? It's the Q
He shakes his head and checks. I go full-fledged Hindenburg and shove $230ish. He insta-super-fist-pump-snap-calls with AA as he slams them down on the table and mocks me for falling for it. The table erupts in laughter. I get up and leave.
13 hours of brilliance, 2 minutes of trainwreck.
Result: 13 hours, -$350
I suppose there are two upsides here. One is that I made some sick laydowns, and I think I identified some good spots to find folds I wasn't before, which ironically was being posted about again today in here after I had already made them. I think the spots I need to find more folds are on the flop... I think a lot of the calls I make that I justify with pot odds are fine, it's a matter of a) avoiding those spots when I'm behind their range and b) tightening up my villains ranges a little (not a ton, I think 2p2ers tend to make villain's ranges too narrow).
The other upside is that I probably should have lost more than $350 if I was even on my B game the first 13 hours. I had some sick spots and got away from them, and even a $360 implosion didn't undo all of the money I saved. To come out ahead or even close to even on the session would have been absolutely sick, but it is what it is. I can't undo it. When I feel like I'm on my A game I loosen up too much in EP sometimes, so that set the whole thing in motion.
Often the big pots I lose where I get into bad spots or what not start with a loose play out of position pre-flop. You could say the same of the 45 hand, but I think the pot odds do justify that call.
Memorial Day Weekend Trip
I played a total of about 33 hours and made $763. That's about $23 an hour, which is disappointing for as soft as the games were. I think my expected winrate in these games was over $40 an hour, maybe even over $50. There were stretches where I felt that it was significantly higher than that with certain table lineups. Obviously any one weekend is going to be a small sample size, but after winning more than $1,400 on the first night, I really felt like a 3K weekend was possible.
It's a shame I didn't run a little better the last two days when the games were probably as good as they'll be until another holiday weekend.
In Other News
I head back to Delaware tomorrow for some golf and birthday celebration. It's not going to be the happiest birthday ever given that I'm still living at home and all that stuff life-wise, but I'll still try to enjoy it and have some fun. I also have a date this week, so I snuck that in before the end of the month and hit one of the monthly goals. She seems pretty cool, but it's via online dating so who knows. My online dating game improved significantly this week with a few tweaks.
I think W2 was just having some good 'ol fashion fun here (with perhaps a sprinkle of trolling). Nonetheless, I wouldn't worry about this stuff... like ever. The best players I know are the ones who are most critical of themselves. You have been fearless in posting your mistakes and then learning from them: this is the hallmark of a successful player.
This was basically my winrate at 1/2 NLHE, and yet I was able to successfully move up to 2/5 then 5/10.
With a more aggro-style, opponents will be adjusting by playing with/back at you lighter, so you will obviously need to be calling down more light. With a nittier-style, you will be getting a lot more folds, and a lot of the money you make is by using that image to make moves where opponents cannot possibly call profitably against a nit's range. It's that whole adjustment/counter-adjustment dynamic.
With that being said, it is fair to say that you might want to tweak your call ranges slightly...you are def pushing the envelope (past the envelope) on light calls. Posting them and getting critiqued is an excellent way to effect this if you have thick skin and are more concerned with improving your game than having people tell you what an amazing player you are. The former is much more profitable.
Overall though, your thinking style is consistent with how winning players think at limits higher than 1/2. Sure, you'll tweak your ranges a little and make some line adjustments as you go along, but that will happen organically. Just keep building your bank and enduring the variance rollercoaster (without letting it screw with your head), and you'll be just fine.
With that being said, it is fair to say that you might want to tweak your call ranges slightly...you are def pushing the envelope (past the envelope) on light calls. Posting them and getting critiqued is an excellent way to effect this if you have thick skin and are more concerned with improving your game than having people tell you what an amazing player you are. The former is much more profitable.
Overall though, your thinking style is consistent with how winning players think at limits higher than 1/2. Sure, you'll tweak your ranges a little and make some line adjustments as you go along, but that will happen organically. Just keep building your bank and enduring the variance rollercoaster (without letting it screw with your head), and you'll be just fine.
Sorry...sheriff = calling station
I really think your results would improve if you quit talking yourself into marginal calls.
No trolling here. I think OP has ability to crush if he focused on value betting rather than being a hero.
I really think your results would improve if you quit talking yourself into marginal calls.
No trolling here. I think OP has ability to crush if he focused on value betting rather than being a hero.
Good update. The 54 hand from the BB was a spew. You didn't have to play a monster pot if you donk the flop or not.
The biggest flaw I've noticed in hero's game is assuming that random villians' pf 3betting and flop/turn raising ranges at 1/2 are as wide as his when in reality its QQ-AA and nut-type hands 90% of the time. When you play a LAG style you need to realize that players aren't usually going to just "play back" at you because they are getting frustrated, they will just wait to up a strong hand and think you will pay them off. You will win lots of small-medium sized pots against them but they assume you play so recklessly that they can wait to get a big hand to try and stack you. Unless you are sure villian is a maniac, you need to make sure that if you give action to any of their postflop raises that you are basically nutted.
Last session you made several good folds, although a lot of those are standard folds in the 1/2 games I'm used to. If you make a habit of folding those types of those hands in those spots, your winrate will definately go up.
Last session you made several good folds, although a lot of those are standard folds in the 1/2 games I'm used to. If you make a habit of folding those types of those hands in those spots, your winrate will definately go up.
The biggest flaw I've noticed in hero's game is assuming that random villians' pf 3betting and flop/turn raising ranges at 1/2 are as wide as his when in reality its QQ-AA and nut-type hands 90% of the time. When you play a LAG style you need to realize that players aren't usually going to just "play back" at you because they are getting frustrated, they will just wait to up a strong hand and think you will pay them off. You will win lots of small-medium sized pots against them but they assume you play so recklessly that they can wait to get a big hand to try and stack you. Unless you are sure villian is a maniac, you need to make sure that if you give action to any of their postflop raises that you are basically nutted.
Last session you made several good folds, although a lot of those are standard folds in the 1/2 games I'm used to. If you make a habit of folding those types of those hands in those spots, your winrate will definately go up.
Last session you made several good folds, although a lot of those are standard folds in the 1/2 games I'm used to. If you make a habit of folding those types of those hands in those spots, your winrate will definately go up.
Your point is valid though, especially with weaker players. They will adjust by waiting for hands they expect to get paid off. Stronger players will adjust by calling wider and playing back lighter. I suppose at 1/2 there will be more of the former tho...
It's true that villians will attempt to trap more when hero is playing LAG, but they will also open up their ranges as they believe hero doesn't rep much as he keeps firing away.
Your point is valid though, especially with weaker players. They will adjust by waiting for hands they expect to get paid off. Stronger players will adjust by calling wider and playing back lighter. I suppose at 1/2 there will be more of the former tho...
Your point is valid though, especially with weaker players. They will adjust by waiting for hands they expect to get paid off. Stronger players will adjust by calling wider and playing back lighter. I suppose at 1/2 there will be more of the former tho...
My Biggest Leaks
1. Lack of Table Selection - I have never asked for a table change in my life. I think this is a combination of two problems. One is that I am hyper competitive and want to prove to myself that I can beat any table, even if it's a bunch of nits. I believe I can do that, but that doesn't mean it's going to give me my highest winrate. I am also shy in asking for things and hate to cause extra work for others, so I dread going to the floor to ask for a table change. That's got to change.
1. Lack of Table Selection - I have never asked for a table change in my life. I think this is a combination of two problems. One is that I am hyper competitive and want to prove to myself that I can beat any table, even if it's a bunch of nits. I believe I can do that, but that doesn't mean it's going to give me my highest winrate. I am also shy in asking for things and hate to cause extra work for others, so I dread going to the floor to ask for a table change. That's got to change.
TBD... I'm hoping to get out there 7-10 days in July.
Thanks man!
Yeah just to be clear here, I am 100% sure that I am a winning player at 1/2, regardless of whether it's statistically proven yet. I have zero doubt whatsoever that I crush 1/2. That's not cockiness, or arrogance, it's just stating facts and I'm extremely confident in my game and ability.
I think I make too many calls in some spots, but I also believe a lot of 2p2ers are giving away money by not making some calls. Part of this you learn from calling too much, but people show up with really weird stuff sometimes that you'd never see coming. I believe it was Harrington who said 10% of someone's range is complete air. Even if you only make it 5%, it's there. But I am working on identifying the right and wrong spots to make those calls. The KsTs hand is a good example. I folded to the T on the river, which was a really tough laydown getting a good price, but I believe the right one. However, with a K on the river, I might call, because I stack up better relative to his range.
I disagree on this one. I'm not trying to nit it up and make $10 an hour at 1/2, so I can't pass up spots that are +EV but difficult. I mean, if I donk the flop there and get raised am I supposed to just fold top pair + the high end of the OESD? That's way way way too tight. I don't have to come back over the top, but I think it'd be right against his range because it has a ton of fold equity vs. overpairs, making it way +EV... As played I applied some pressure to his range, but allowed him to return the favor, which is the real mistake.
Also I think it's important to keep in mind in that hand that the PFR and cbetter was a really bad player who was totally recreational, so I wasn't just looking to mix it up with another decent player, I was really looking to come over the top of the bad player. He had made weird calls with A high and stuff. I kind of left that out in here and focused more on the eventual all-in decision.
I appreciate the opposing view, though. I'm in a study group with two really tight players and another LAG and one more in the middle so we get awesome discussions, and I think it's good to be pushed from the other side.
Thanks man!
Yeah just to be clear here, I am 100% sure that I am a winning player at 1/2, regardless of whether it's statistically proven yet. I have zero doubt whatsoever that I crush 1/2. That's not cockiness, or arrogance, it's just stating facts and I'm extremely confident in my game and ability.
Also I think it's important to keep in mind in that hand that the PFR and cbetter was a really bad player who was totally recreational, so I wasn't just looking to mix it up with another decent player, I was really looking to come over the top of the bad player. He had made weird calls with A high and stuff. I kind of left that out in here and focused more on the eventual all-in decision.
I appreciate the opposing view, though. I'm in a study group with two really tight players and another LAG and one more in the middle so we get awesome discussions, and I think it's good to be pushed from the other side.
With a more aggro-style, opponents will be adjusting by playing with/back at you lighter, so you will obviously need to be calling down more light. With a nittier-style, you will be getting a lot more folds, and a lot of the money you make is by using that image to make moves where opponents cannot possibly call profitably against a nit's range. It's that whole adjustment/counter-adjustment dynamic.
With that being said, it is fair to say that you might want to tweak your call ranges slightly...you are def pushing the envelope (past the envelope) on light calls. Posting them and getting critiqued is an excellent way to effect this if you have thick skin and are more concerned with improving your game than having people tell you what an amazing player you are. The former is much more profitable.
With that being said, it is fair to say that you might want to tweak your call ranges slightly...you are def pushing the envelope (past the envelope) on light calls. Posting them and getting critiqued is an excellent way to effect this if you have thick skin and are more concerned with improving your game than having people tell you what an amazing player you are. The former is much more profitable.
Overall though, your thinking style is consistent with how winning players think at limits higher than 1/2. Sure, you'll tweak your ranges a little and make some line adjustments as you go along, but that will happen organically. Just keep building your bank and enduring the variance rollercoaster (without letting it screw with your head), and you'll be just fine.
Also keep in mind that marginal calls aren't necessarily bad. For example, let's say you're folding in spots that are +5% ROI or less in avoiding all those marginal spots, but I'm calling down to -3% ROI. Those are all marginal spots, but I'm gaining more than I'm losing by calling in all the +1% to +5% spots, more than offsetting the losses from the bad calls, and also making me tougher to play against.
Now, obviously I'd love to cut down the bottom end of those calls, which is what I'm trying to do.
The biggest flaw I've noticed in hero's game is assuming that random villians' pf 3betting and flop/turn raising ranges at 1/2 are as wide as his when in reality its QQ-AA and nut-type hands 90% of the time. When you play a LAG style you need to realize that players aren't usually going to just "play back" at you because they are getting frustrated, they will just wait to up a strong hand and think you will pay them off. You will win lots of small-medium sized pots against them but they assume you play so recklessly that they can wait to get a big hand to try and stack you. Unless you are sure villian is a maniac, you need to make sure that if you give action to any of their postflop raises that you are basically nutted.
Last session you made several good folds, although a lot of those are standard folds in the 1/2 games I'm used to. If you make a habit of folding those types of those hands in those spots, your winrate will definately go up.
Last session you made several good folds, although a lot of those are standard folds in the 1/2 games I'm used to. If you make a habit of folding those types of those hands in those spots, your winrate will definately go up.
It's true that villians will attempt to trap more when hero is playing LAG, but they will also open up their ranges as they believe hero doesn't rep much as he keeps firing away.
Your point is valid though, especially with weaker players. They will adjust by waiting for hands they expect to get paid off. Stronger players will adjust by calling wider and playing back lighter. I suppose at 1/2 there will be more of the former tho...
Your point is valid though, especially with weaker players. They will adjust by waiting for hands they expect to get paid off. Stronger players will adjust by calling wider and playing back lighter. I suppose at 1/2 there will be more of the former tho...
If you are at a 1/2 table with 2 or more strong players, I would table change immediately. While it can be fun and mentally stimulating to get into sick leveling wars with strong players, our goal is to make money. And the best way to do that is to play with weak, predictable players.
1 - Fish
2 - Good LAG
3 - Fish
4 - Good LAG
5 - Fish
6 - Fish
7 - Hero
8 - Weak-tight
9 - Weak-tight
10 - Weak-tight
I'm going to be able to iso the fish, and open wider in the CO and HJ because of the weak-tight players behind me, and the good players aren't in a position to exploit that in position. That would be a great table despite having the really good players.
A typical weak player will adjust to hero's LAG style by calling down wider, but not by 3betting wider or trying to rebluff him on the flop or turn. Their lolbad bet and raise sizing make their hands transparent. I valuebet the hell out of these players, and proceed with extreme caution when they make a strong raise. If we end up getting all the money in, theres a really good chance I have the best hand.
I have never asked for a table change either, but I have changed tables many times. I just go put my name on the list and then wait for it to get called. if no list I just go ask for a seat. If they try to put me at the table I am currently at I say I want a different seat. Simple. If you don't have more than the max buy in in front of you why would you bother talking to the floor about a seat change?
The amount you have on the table doesn't matter, because you can't table change and come in with more than the max anywhere I've played. You basically can come into the new game for whatever you want between the min and max.
Also, you are missing the opportunity to scout for the best game. I'll walk around now if my table isn't good, find one that looks good with an open seat and ask for a change to that game specifically.
Feedback is used for internal purposes. LEARN MORE