Second hand at table.

1st hand chopped AcJs AQ582sss board with villain, a solid player who can get married to top pair. I know he respects my game. ~$550 effective

1 limper I raise to 20 in MO with K Q.

Villain, on button calls. SB calls


Flop: 9 T 3

Two overs and a gutter to the nut straight are good enough for me.

I bet 40 button raises 100 total I call.

Turn: A

---
Not a bad card for me. I certainly can have an Ace here.

I check with intention of semi bluff CRAI or hopefully taking a free card. I'm going to assume my Q is good if I hit the flush, as well as straight outs. Slight chance my K/Q may also be good, but unlikely if he were to call.

Flush hitting is a bit scary, and 2 pair hands are in villains range, but I didn't sense a whole lot of strength coming from his flop reraise.
---

Button bets 100. This mucks up
My plan, and I start overthinking. I expected a larger amount.

I consider all three options. With our effective stacks the only raise open to me is a shove. Shoving for >300 more seems weak to me here. There is not an amount tho that I can raise and not be forced to call off if he shoves.

I opt to flat and fire just about all rivers.
---

River 9

---
Not loving that card. And not because I necessarily think he made trips or boated up. It makes betting a flush or ace a little suspect (more so an ace)

Still, I opt to bet half my stack and hope it looks like I am trying to extract thin value. Figure this may look stronger than a shove, and I save some money to boot.

Villains tanks for about 5 minutes. We banter a bit. He keeps sayin how he was ready to call if I shoved, but this bet has him so confused.

He talks about how I always mess with his mind, how he has no idea what to do when I'm in a hand etc. He goes to call, pulls back.

Finally decides to call after table gets on his case a bit (which does irk me.)

He has t8os. Good call.

I think maybe I should have just given up after the 9. Makes my value betting an ace or even the flush a bit less believable.

Obviously in hindsight shoving the turn was the best play, and really was likely the best play regardless. I basically leveled myself into flatting. (And it turns out it would have worked in river wasn't a 9 or T... Still, pretty sure the shove works 100% given the hands.)

Here is a case where my nonstandard play comes back to bite me a bit, and part of what makes me a spewtard.

I open 20 with 88. One caller. Nitty old guy makes it 75. Player on my right tanks. If he calls, I call.

He folds. I fold. Player to my left calls. Oh well.

Flop 8t2dd.

Dammit!

Player on my right then mouths to me "I had Ten-Ten."

Nitty old guy bets and takes it.

I look down at my stack, then at TT's $600.

Thanks, Nitty Old Guy, for raising!

While there is an outside shot you cost me $80,000 (BBJ) I am pretty sure you saved me $600!

I've played with that nitty old guy. He always has it. Good fold.

Just lost 3 straight BI in hands where I was a 92%, 95% and 65% fav (the 65% was a 4-way all in $2100 pot). First 2 hands were back to back. 65% was about 25 minutes later (and the very next hand I played.)

Guess I was due for a day like this. Was up about $800. After table change now down about $900.

Looks like the steak is probably over.

Nevermind. It pays to bitch.

Whoops. Never post a chip stack pic before the session is over. 19 session winning streak is over.

Sorta coolered on 3 hands at end, lost enough to make it a losing session.

2 hand I coulda minimized losses but TBH not gonna change my play style for the sake of a meaningless streak that no one really gives a **** about.

Will post hands later.

Fish on a mega heater...a king fish even. GL man, sub'd.

Sorry yea the latter part seemed std-ish, really meant the (first) quoted above.
But regardless, glgl

Villains in this case are both solid regs. Villain B a bit on nitty side but can surprise at times, villain A a reformed nit who has been opening his game a bit. Both are very familiar with my game.


66 I raise 15 UTG at a deep table
7 callers
Flop 5 6 2

I lead 60. Player on my left (Villain A) minraises to 125. Villain B shoves 500+.

Folded to me I shove all in (villain A may have a bit more
Than Villain B, but was close.) If either flopped a straight meh I have equity.

Villain A open mucks QQ.

Turn 7
River Q

Villain B flips 55, I scoop.

This was a really strange hand. I may have the preflop action slightly wrong. Didn't write it down at the time because I was a bit stunned after, and really just chalked it up at the time as a "standard" beat.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was probably blog-worthy. While no matter how I would have played this, the results would have been the same, I really butchered this hand, particularly on the river.

I have 55 UTG. Raise to 15. Someone along way makes it $35 (I think button) to go and 8 of us call.

Flop 2 4 5

Everyone checks.

Turn 4

The rungood continues.

Checked to button, who thankfully bets $100. I call, player on my left (villain A, above) calls. Everyone else folds.

River 6

I go to bet but then notice Villain A breathing very hard. I know he hit that river, but I don't know how hard. I get MUBS and fear I just let 66 get there.

Stupidly, I check. Villain A checks.

Eff me.

Button then shoves for his last 145.

Sigh. I look at villain A who has about $325 behind. I have both covered. Obviously I can't fold here even tho I do consider it. I have a bad feeling about Villain A.

Still, I reluctantly call, and not to trap. Villain A says I can't fold now... And just calls. I sigh and say "do you have 66?"

Before he can answer, button, who I basically discounted from the hand says "you both called??? Cool!" And he flips 44 for quads.

I just kind of stare at the board for a second. Wasn't expecting that. I mean for whatever reason I was expecting to lose, just not that way.

I play back hand in my head and wonder... if I really suspected Villain A had a bigger boat, can I fold there? I mean, obviously I was wrong (he had 33 for a rivered str8, so the river DID hit him).

So my read was off a bit, almost made a horrendously bad fold for all the wrong reasons that would have saved me money via poor play.

Even given my concerns about Villain A, I think my worst mistake is not reshoving river. Dunno if he ever checks 66 on river hoping button bets. Then again, does he call an overshove with just a str8 there?

I guess in hindsight no matter how I play it I lose the same amount, but I really hated how I played this hand.

In fact, this whole week has been filled with more mistakes than usual. (And that is saying something.)

I think I have been pressing a bit trying to keep the silly win streak alive. And honestly at best I rate my play this week a 'B' and today in particular a C at best, despite the coolers.

Tomorrow should have a good lineup. Lots of new faces at the tables today, and that is always welcome.

Time to refresh and start a new streak for June tomorrow.

Another poor play on my part from yesterday.

I had just gone on a mini rush, and climbed out of a $900 hole to be up around $5-600. I had been raising a good amount and perhaps getting a bit greedy with steals and light call downs.

Villain is a player I don't recall playing with. He came to the table with about ~900. I know he wasn't on the 2/5 table I had hit transferred from, so I think he may have snuck the extra chips from a 1/2 session. Regardless, I noticed this when he sat down and opted to say nothing. Could very well be legit and if floor/dealer don't have an issue, I'll never be one to demand chips come off the table.

This becomes partly significant for a few reasons

1) is he shot taking 2/5? Will he be scared?
2) is he someone who has come to table to bumhunt someone at a deep table? (Me or another player)
3) chip stack becomes an issue in the hand

I may be slightly off on my preflop action as well as exact small card that came on flop. At the time the hand seemed rather insignificant and I hadn't planned on reviewing it, and the exact action/board is somewhat insignificant. However as I was going over mental notes from the day I realized I made a critical error in the hand, and basically was trapped into making a play that I'm often trying to induce from my opponents.

The play itself wasn't awful I guess, but mybapproach to it was.

1 limper before me, I make it 20 in EP with QQ. 1 or 2 callers? Villain repops to 85 in SB. Folded to me I call. We are heads up.

Flop 8 7 3

Villain checks to me. I check to hide hand strength.

Turn 8

Villain bets 100, a fairly weak bet in my opinion. I raise to 250.

Villain insta shoves for 550 more.

And here is my problem. Look above at my reasons for the check and bet...

There were none. There was no real thought behind any action I made in the hand. I just acted to act. And now, with no gameplan, no reason behind my actions, I'm ****ed.

Is villain shoving here because he has seen how loose and spewy I can be? My showdown hands haven't exactly been monsters.

Does he think I'm a player who can lay down a big PP here and is making a play with ATC or using AK as blockers? Does he think I'm a station or sticky player who he can extract value with by vbetting KK+ here? Does he know about this thread? Does he even know how to tie his shoes?

I don't know what action he expects from me because I made a "standard" raise without putting any thought behind it. What action did i hope to affect with my bet? Get a better hand to fold? Get a worse one to call? Build a pot where I can snap off bluff attempts on the river? Hadn't seen him get out of line yet so far (small sample), so why should I think he doesn't have it?

Don't ask me, I don't know. I just bet.

And to me that is one if the most critical flaws you can make in hold'em, someone any current or past student/strat partner knows is basically my mantra... KNOW WHY YOU ARE BETTING.

I opened up the pot for a player I have virtually no info or read on to steal a bunch of dead money from the spewy loud fish in the corner. Impossible for me to say since I don't know how he's viewing me. I don't know why I bet, let alone why he bet.

I try to get him to give me more info. Does he want me to call? What do I have? Wanna show one perhaps? Blah blah blah. I'm lost in the woods and the trail of breadcrumbs is gone. I surrender. I made my bed and now here you go take it enjoy it **** it I'll sleep on the floor.

After the hand/session I just chalked it up to typical over aggression by me, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that either I let someone trap me into spazzing the turn, or I trapped myself.

Though it was fun playing against some new faces. Gotta remind myself that when I'm playing deep and not really on my A (or even B) game, it's often best to just walk away and live to fight another day.

And there goes another rambling steam of conscious wall of text. Sorry in advance for all the typos and iPhone autocorrect pseudo-language substitutions. And has anyone actually even bothered to read this far?

I read that far.

So you folded the QQ I'm guessing?

Yup. I deserved to have that pot taken away from me.

Still reading. Don't beat yourself up too much...one hand from one session out of thousands is nothing but a learning experience for the future

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using 2+2 Forums

$15 straddle 6 way. I call J 4 on button.

Flop 8 9 7

EP bets 30. I flat, Straddler calls.

Turn 6

Checked to EP who bets $100. I call.

We are HU

River T

He checks, I bet 325 (my greens and a stack of red) he instacalls, shows KT. I scoop.

A real peeve of mine is piling on after someone takes a beat, particularly when it's me who has taken the beat.

When pushed too far, I do not tilt.

Instead, I just plug my headphones in both ears, zone out, focus on nothing but the game and block out all other noise. Get back to the bare essentials.

I look for no audio clues. I do not hear you. I do not want to hear you. I listen to the music.

And I decimate.

There is nothing in the room at this point but my cards, your body language, and our stacks. I know when I do this I look like I am tilting. I am not. I know when I do this people may chuckle at my expense. I do not care. I know there is a world beyond the cards, beyond the table, and beyond the music. It becomes meaningless to me.

When I am in this zone, I have absolutely no feelings. No empathy. No emotion. Neither hungry nor sleepy are my weaknesses.

Everything becomes clear. The cards. The chips. The obstacles.

If you can beat me, then beat me.

Otherwise, get the **** out of my way.

Very nice and eloquent post above me. Sums up exactly how I feel when im on my A game online. I just put on my playlist and zone out. Winning or losing no longer matters only the correct play does.

What is Standard?

I'm not a big proponent of "standard" hands. If standard hands are standard amongst good players then why do some "good" players crush while others merely survive?

Sometimes, I wonder if we take these seemingly standard spots for granted. Is my "standard" the same as another players, or am I just assuming we are approaching the situation the same way.

I suppose online, which is definitely more a math-based game, there truly are more "standard" spots. But live... I'm still not convinced.

One thing I like to do on occasion is pose a somewhat standard situation to a group of players on an individual basis, ask how they would play it and why, tabulate the data and pass it among the participants (usually with names removed).

Here is an example of question I posed to a group of players with widely varying levels of skill:

You have KJ in the BB, and it is limped 5 ways. What do you do? If it is suited does that change your action?

PLAYER A:
I don't believe in defaults. Basing decision on our image, stack sizes etc. If we are solid image and deep, I'm raising both a good chunk of the time, but nothing all the time, especially if I can get heads up from there. Shallower stacks I'm more likely to see a flop. ****ty image, or table where flop bets win, etc. More likely to check offsuit, raise suited. Build pot suited, etc.

PLAYER B:
King jack I raise probably half the time King jack suited probably 80 percent.

Raise to 35 or 40 to thin the field to one or two.
It makes it easier to hand read
It is a hand that is easily dominated and is easy to get away from; I am hoping to actually take it down preflop.

I will continue on with Queen 10 flop, King jack flop, kkx or jjx.
If I can thin the field to one or two I will probably c bet 100 percent of the time.

PLAYER C:
Basing decision on our image, stack sizes etc. If we are solid image and deep, I'm raising both a good chunk of the time, but nothing all the time, especially if I can get heads up from there. Shallower stacks I'm more likely to see a flop. ****ty image, or table where flop bets win, etc. More likely to check offsuit, raise suited. Build pot suited, etc.

PLAYER D:
I am more apt to raise with KJo then kjs. I hate guessing where I am in a hand post flop OOP. Looking to play a small pot here. KJs has more opportunity for nut hands and semi bluff opportunities w/equity when called, so I am more comfortable with that hand if limped in.

If I have little fold equity at table then I check most of the time. If table is folding to my raises then I'll probably raise 6-7x pre. Cbet % will depend on table dynamics and who called. With KJo there is virtually no flop aside from nut hands where I can play the hand with total comfort.

PLAYER E:
My standard play would be to check. However if I'm more likely to raise out the blinds kj os and try to play hu. I like just callin with kj suited because it presents the opportunity to flush over flush someone.

So many play the small suited connectors. In general the hand dominates people limping range which I think frequently consists of jx
If you decide raise it needs to be a large raise 7(x) or so because you want to play hu or three ways

PLAYER F:

Depending on plyrs but i will most likely take a free flop ~75% and raise maybe 25% time to mix it up for balance, really depending on read, KJ suited or not is tricky to play out of position.

Player G:
I check both. I think too many players limp with hands that dominate your hand and never fold Kings I don't mind building a pot though since it plays well multiway

A Standard, common situation with some Different ways to play it. While I personally feel some answers are better than others, who's to say I'm right and they are wrong?

And even if there is a "correct" play here, it's still good to look at common situations from different viewpoints.

I just try not to take "standard" situations for granted. If there is a way to improve upon the standard, why just accept a "good play" as the "best play?"

Playing in a $1500 added freeroll. Some people have actually bought in for $100.

About $1k up top, 56 entrants.

Starting stack 1k, 15 minute levels. 1st level 25/50.

I plan on playing full aggro****** and either being out or monster stack by level 4.

Player A and C say exact same thing bar the opening sentence?

100/200 level
2 limpers I make it 500 on button with 33. BB Calls.

Flop Q Q J

I bet 800 BB calls.

Turn 9

I bet 1200 BB calls

River 4

I check BB bets 1k. I call. He mucks.

Prob a bad cut and paste. Was combining 2 groups of text on a smart phone and I'm not smrt.

Copied over original it appears. Whoops.

Damn plumbers talk too much.

always talking **** too

how'd the freeroll go?

2nd in chips with 14 to go. Out before final table. Standard.