I built a roll from scratch: Moving up to 2/5 for good in 2014
02-26-2014
, 12:58 AM
02-28-2014
, 12:30 AM
I've only played two sessions so far this week. Left Harrah's Monday night feeling a cold coming on, and that's stuck with me since. I think it's starting to wear off though. The plan is to play at Borgata tomorrow night. Actually didn't book the room though...and now can't get it comped. Oops. So I'll prob play until late and take a train back to Philly.
Not a good start to the week. Played 6 hours at Harrah's 1/3 Monday night and lost about $280. Played 3:45 at Parx 2/5 Tuesday night and lost $160, despite being up over $1000 at one point. I think I played two hands poorly in that downswing - which accounted for about half of it ($550ish). I'll post those and a few more from my 2/5 shots thus far. The first one I think is pretty blatant spew but I'm not sure how I get called down in the second.
Hand 1
V1 (1200) - 70 yo white male, ABC-TAG. Plays pretty snug preflop. Limps small pairs and hands like KQ, raises with TT+, AK/AQ. Value bets pretty straightforwardly postflop. Capable of semi-bluffing.
V2 (700) - 40 yo black male, TAG/LP. He is a bit loose preflop but plays somewhat solid postflop. Won't go broke with med-strength holdings. Value bets effectively.
Hero's Image (1350) - 25 yo white male, TAG. I've run hot to build my stack up. Only major pot I went to showdown in was with an underfull vs. trips. I've had to bet/fold a ton since then though. A couple times with c-bets and once with AQ on an AJ3r board vs. a c/r from an OMC who recently sat down.
Preflop ($7): Hero is in MP with 8
8
V1 raises to $20 from EP, Hero calls, V2 calls in BB.
Flop ($60): 5
42
V2 leads for $35, V1 calls, Hero calls.
Turn ($165): 2
V2 bets $70, V1 calls, Hero calls.
River ($375): J
V2 checks, V1 checks, Hero bets $200, V2 calls, V1 folds.
Apparently I'm still capable of betting simply because I don't think I can win if I check - which was the case here. OTF I thought V2 was leading with either a FD or a med pp like 66-TT. When V1 flats I'm more prone to put him on AK/AQ than a big PP because I would expect him to put in a raise on this draw heavy flop with the latter. I'm not sure if I'm ahead or not OTF but I decide to peel here and see what happens OTT. The turn is pretty much the best card for me besides an 8. I was pretty close to folding to the $70 bet and I'm still not sure if I should be or not. When the J hit both Villains checked fairly quickly. I thought I might lose the pot at showdown to something like 99/TT. Thought if V1 had just flat called twice with an overpair that he might fold it as well. I don't think I can justify betting this river though when a big part of my justification for the flop and turn calls was that I could be up against two drawing hands.
Hand 2
V1 (1000) - 30 yo white male, LAG - He plays LAG preflop in the sense that he's iso-raising a ton. Hasn't been 3betting that much though and he plays kind of ABC-TAG with a few moves mixed in postflop. I've 3bet him and taken it down with a flop c-bet twice now - once when I had AK on a J-high flop and once with K4s on a KQx flop.
Hero's Image (750) - 25 yo white male, TAG, tilted/losing - Was sitting on over $1500 and that has obviously been cut in half. Taking my image into account I think this play is pretty spewy but given my line, I still don't see how I get called OTR.
Preflop ($7): Hero is OTB with A
2
V1 raises to $20 in MP, Hero calls.
Flop ($47): 578
V1 bets $25, Hero calls.
Turn ($97): 9
V1 checks, Hero bets $60, V1 tank-calls.
River ($217): 2
V1 checks, Hero bets $140, V1 calls.
His c-bet is so weak (sizing) I can't ever see him having a real hand. I think he's betting $35-$40 with all of his PP's on this flop. I decided to float instead of bluff-raise since I felt like I had a bluffy image already. Thought a flat would look stronger and I think he's just giving up OTT with this type of board texture a lot of the time. Turn card looks like a good one to barrel. Tough to put him on a hand once I get called here. He tanked which made me think he might have some type of showdown value already. I also think he's double barreling with the A or K a lot of the time. He checks the river fairly quickly and I think I can realistically rep a big given my line up until this point. I thought that was the perfect card when it came out.
I'll actually cut this post here, and make a separate post for hands from my last few 2/5 sessions. Been off since Tuesday with this cold, so I'm definitely amped to get back on the felt tomorrow.
Bankroll: $8560
Not a good start to the week. Played 6 hours at Harrah's 1/3 Monday night and lost about $280. Played 3:45 at Parx 2/5 Tuesday night and lost $160, despite being up over $1000 at one point. I think I played two hands poorly in that downswing - which accounted for about half of it ($550ish). I'll post those and a few more from my 2/5 shots thus far. The first one I think is pretty blatant spew but I'm not sure how I get called down in the second.
Hand 1
V1 (1200) - 70 yo white male, ABC-TAG. Plays pretty snug preflop. Limps small pairs and hands like KQ, raises with TT+, AK/AQ. Value bets pretty straightforwardly postflop. Capable of semi-bluffing.
V2 (700) - 40 yo black male, TAG/LP. He is a bit loose preflop but plays somewhat solid postflop. Won't go broke with med-strength holdings. Value bets effectively.
Hero's Image (1350) - 25 yo white male, TAG. I've run hot to build my stack up. Only major pot I went to showdown in was with an underfull vs. trips. I've had to bet/fold a ton since then though. A couple times with c-bets and once with AQ on an AJ3r board vs. a c/r from an OMC who recently sat down.
Preflop ($7): Hero is in MP with 8
8V1 raises to $20 from EP, Hero calls, V2 calls in BB.
Flop ($60): 5
42V2 leads for $35, V1 calls, Hero calls.
Turn ($165): 2
V2 bets $70, V1 calls, Hero calls.
River ($375): J
V2 checks, V1 checks, Hero bets $200, V2 calls, V1 folds.
Spoiler:
Apparently I'm still capable of betting simply because I don't think I can win if I check - which was the case here. OTF I thought V2 was leading with either a FD or a med pp like 66-TT. When V1 flats I'm more prone to put him on AK/AQ than a big PP because I would expect him to put in a raise on this draw heavy flop with the latter. I'm not sure if I'm ahead or not OTF but I decide to peel here and see what happens OTT. The turn is pretty much the best card for me besides an 8. I was pretty close to folding to the $70 bet and I'm still not sure if I should be or not. When the J
hit both Villains checked fairly quickly. I thought I might lose the pot at showdown to something like 99/TT. Thought if V1 had just flat called twice with an overpair that he might fold it as well. I don't think I can justify betting this river though when a big part of my justification for the flop and turn calls was that I could be up against two drawing hands.Hand 2
V1 (1000) - 30 yo white male, LAG - He plays LAG preflop in the sense that he's iso-raising a ton. Hasn't been 3betting that much though and he plays kind of ABC-TAG with a few moves mixed in postflop. I've 3bet him and taken it down with a flop c-bet twice now - once when I had AK on a J-high flop and once with K4s on a KQx flop.
Hero's Image (750) - 25 yo white male, TAG, tilted/losing - Was sitting on over $1500 and that has obviously been cut in half. Taking my image into account I think this play is pretty spewy but given my line, I still don't see how I get called OTR.
Preflop ($7): Hero is OTB with A
2V1 raises to $20 in MP, Hero calls.
Flop ($47): 5
78V1 bets $25, Hero calls.
Turn ($97): 9
V1 checks, Hero bets $60, V1 tank-calls.
River ($217): 2
V1 checks, Hero bets $140, V1 calls.
Spoiler:
His c-bet is so weak (sizing) I can't ever see him having a real hand. I think he's betting $35-$40 with all of his PP's on this flop. I decided to float instead of bluff-raise since I felt like I had a bluffy image already. Thought a flat would look stronger and I think he's just giving up OTT with this type of board texture a lot of the time. Turn card looks like a good one to barrel. Tough to put him on a hand once I get called here. He tanked which made me think he might have some type of showdown value already. I also think he's double barreling with the A
or K a lot of the time. He checks the river fairly quickly and I think I can realistically rep a big given my line up until this point. I thought that was the perfect card when it came out.I'll actually cut this post here, and make a separate post for hands from my last few 2/5 sessions. Been off since Tuesday with this cold, so I'm definitely amped to get back on the felt tomorrow.
Bankroll: $8560
02-28-2014
, 02:55 PM
03-02-2014
, 06:14 PM
Two more 2/5 sessions down since my last post. Took the train to Borgata on Friday and ended up putting in a short ~4.5 hour session, mainly because I ran my stack up pretty high in that short period and felt cashing out was the BRM conscious thing to do. Showed up and was given the choice between two tables - one table had 4 dudes under 30, everyone looked solid/serious etc, the other had a lineup where I was the youngest one by probably at least 10 years. So I obviously took the second one. Ended up being a good choice and I stayed here the entire session.
It wasn't a crazy table or anything - but fairly passive overall. I initially was considering getting a table change since it seemed to be a bit nitty at first, but it eventually began to open up. I had direct position on two regs - one of whom was constantly raising in LP. I started thinking about 3betting him pretty early in the session, but lately I've been thinking about image a lot and I really prefer setting up a tight image. It allows me to get into the type of gameflow I feel most comfortable with. I think playing pretty snug early in the session is best anyway, just so you can get a feel for the table dynamics.
I got some good hands to iso with in LP, and made some real hands as well which allowed me to steadily grind my stack up to about $850 after about 2 hours. Ran good in the sense that I also got good textures to c-bet, and everyone was so passive that they were working at a pretty high clip. Some quick examples:
Hand 1
V1 - 35 yo Asian male, weak/tight
V2 - 50 yo white male, loose/passive
Hero is OTB with A7
Preflop: ($7): V1 limps, V2 limps, Hero raises to $30, V1 calls, V2 calls.
Flop ($97): Q83r
V1 checks, V2 checks, Hero bets $65, V1 and V2 both insta-fold.
Hand 2
V1 - Same Asian villain as above
V2 - 35 yo white male, TAG - One of the two regs I mentioned before. He's a bit tighter than the other and not opening quite as wide though.
Hero is UTG with A7
Preflop ($7): Hero raises to $25, V1 calls MP, V2 calls OTB.
Flop ($82): TT3
Hero bets $50, both V's insta-fold.
A few spots like that in this session. I think it's common to think of "run-good" as just making big hands and getting paid off, but I think a big part of it also involves not only getting good textures to c-bet/barrel, but also relying on your opponents not catching a piece.
After grinding up to about $850, I played what I think is the biggest pot I've played to date. There are a couple that are really close.
Hand 3
Villain (850) - 60 yo white male, TAG/nit - Plays pretty snug preflop. Usually raises when he enters a pot. I've seen him 3bet once so far in about 3 hours, but it didn't get to showdown.
Hero's Image (850) - 25 yo white male, solid TAG - I think I had an A image at this point. I had shown down a few value hands after raising preflop and they were always strong preflop holdings. Pretty much all of my c-bets with air had worked so I had a very solid/winning image.
Hero is in SB with KK
Preflop: 3 limpers, Hero raises to $30, Villain raises to $80 from the BB, folds back to Hero. Hero calls.
Flop ($175): KQ3
Hero checks, Villain bets $125, Hero raises to $275, Villain raises to $425, Hero shoves for $770 total, Villain agony-calls.
Turn ($1715): 2
River 6
Villain shows AA 
This is a really interesting hand. I did not even consider 4betting preflop here because this guy's 3bet range is air-tight. I'd say something like JJ+, AK but both JJ and AK are even borderline and I could see him flatting with those hands. I think a 4bet blows out everything but AA here. Also lollivereads but - the guy was just so shaken/nervous when he looked down at his hand. He waits til it's on him so I was looking right at him and his body language just went nuts, he fumbled with his chips - and the sizing, I really thought it was Aces preflop. That kind of changed when he 3bet my check-raise OTF. At this point I figure he has to have QQ, since that's one of the worst possible flops for AA in a 3bet pot. I also don't think anyone is ever 3bet/folding over a check-raise in a 3bet pot at LLSNL, so I figure I have nothing to lose and just jam it in. Was shocked when he showed AA.
I played for about 90 more minutes after this hand and was able to pick up about $200 the same way I built my stack mostly - a pretty even mix of c-bets and v-bets. I also made a river hero-call with A-high in a small, limped pot and was correct.
I really love playing at the Borgata man. I had taken off a couple days due to sickness so was really excited to get back out and play again, and the change of scenery really helped me focus and play well. Run-good is also fun.
Total for session: +$1393
Time played: 4.5 hours
The next day at Parx was pretty much the opposite - had difficulty sleeping Friday night so I showed up there feeling a bit fatigued from the start. Made one horrible call-down early in the session with TPTK when it was 100% painfully obvious I was up against bottom set and nothing else. Ran pretty bad after that, table changed a couple times, and eventually the poker gods smiled upon me and sent me on a huge heater for the last 90 minutes of my session. I was stuck $785 at my lowest point. Here is the big pot that turned it around:
Hand 4
V1 (2000) - 55 yo white male, spewy/LAG - Italian dude from south Philly. Very splashy. Opens a wide range from LP, calls raises IP really wide, makes nutso-kamikaze bluffs postflop as well. Definitely the biggest spot at the table.
V2 (550) - 40 yo Asian male, loose/passive - Hasn't gotten involved in a ton of pots at this point. But has been limping up front and calling a lot of raises.
Hero's Image (540) - Haven't been at this table for very long but it's probably losing at this point. I think I had about $650 when I moved to this game. I've been playing pretty snug up until this hand.
Hero is in BB with AA
Preflop ($7): V1 opens to $15 in EP, V2 3bets to $45 in MP, Hero calls, V1 calls.
Flop ($135): Q64
Hero checks, V1 checks, V2 bets $155, Hero shoves for ~$490, V1 tank/folds, V2 snap calls.
Turn (~$1120): 9
River: 5
V2 shows KK, MHIG. V1 says he folded 87 cause he thought I might be jamming a bigger FD. Dodged a bullet with my slowplay there but I still think flatting the 3bet is the right play here given the stack sizes, the fact that it can only go 3-handed, and because I want to keep V1 in the pot.
Later I make quad 2's against V2 and scoop an $800+ pot.
So after being stuck $785, I leave +$428 for over a $1200 turnaround. Felt pretty blessed to walk out of there a winner, honestly. I was feeling sick about the session and getting ready to just accept a $700 loss and call it a night shortly before I picked up those Aces. I had AA again later in the night when a dude who had been opening a ton of hands raised to $25 in EP, got 3 callers and I look down at them again in the BB. I make it $125 and everyone folds. Come on man, that looks like such a squeeze.
Overall I think I played decent in the Parx session, just made the one colossal mistake early on that kind of sank it for a while. Then I got boomswitched again.
Total for session: +$428
Time played: 5.5 hours
Monthly Wrap-Up
So February ended up being my best month of live poker ever. Which is obviously pretty awesome, even more-so when you consider that I only put in 102 hours. I have excuses for that (short month, sick days, snow days) but really that's still unacceptable. I need to start getting 120 minimum/month. I don't feel too bad about it, simply because many of my decisions to quit early were based on BRM, too much of my BR being on the table, etc. When I'm taking shots and just trying to build a sustainable roll for 2/5, I think I can give myself a bit of leeway when it comes to hours.
I've definitely been on a pretty big heater to start the year. I do think I've played well too, but obviously it's not hard to win when you crack KK with AA, then run AA into KK in back to back sessions. I think my last Borgata session was nearly flawless though - I was value-betting effectively and finding the right spots to use aggression to steal small pots. I also made it a point to set up an image which I think worked out nicely given the card distribution that day. I probably should have been 3betting the two regs more often though. I had a pristine image and they were opening way too wide in LP.
February 2014 Stats
Hours played: 102
Results: +$5832
Hourly: $57/hr
2014 YTD
Hours played: 222
Results: +$9356
Hourly: $42/hr
Was planning to play again today, but slept weird hours again and wouldn't have been able to get to the casino until around 4. With yet another snow storm coming in tonight, I decided to just take the day off. I imagine the games will become more reg-infested the later it gets. Will be off tomorrow as well, then probably grind 1/3 Tues-Thurs. I booked a room at Borgata this Friday and will definitely be there, hopefully crushing 2/5 again.
Oh and milestone achieved: my roll is now over $10k. Actually a bit less than I thought it would be cause grabbing $20s for beer money adds up, but whatever.
Bankroll: $10,160
It wasn't a crazy table or anything - but fairly passive overall. I initially was considering getting a table change since it seemed to be a bit nitty at first, but it eventually began to open up. I had direct position on two regs - one of whom was constantly raising in LP. I started thinking about 3betting him pretty early in the session, but lately I've been thinking about image a lot and I really prefer setting up a tight image. It allows me to get into the type of gameflow I feel most comfortable with. I think playing pretty snug early in the session is best anyway, just so you can get a feel for the table dynamics.
I got some good hands to iso with in LP, and made some real hands as well which allowed me to steadily grind my stack up to about $850 after about 2 hours. Ran good in the sense that I also got good textures to c-bet, and everyone was so passive that they were working at a pretty high clip. Some quick examples:
Hand 1
V1 - 35 yo Asian male, weak/tight
V2 - 50 yo white male, loose/passive
Hero is OTB with A
7Preflop: ($7): V1 limps, V2 limps, Hero raises to $30, V1 calls, V2 calls.
Flop ($97): Q83r
V1 checks, V2 checks, Hero bets $65, V1 and V2 both insta-fold.
Hand 2
V1 - Same Asian villain as above
V2 - 35 yo white male, TAG - One of the two regs I mentioned before. He's a bit tighter than the other and not opening quite as wide though.
Hero is UTG with A
7Preflop ($7): Hero raises to $25, V1 calls MP, V2 calls OTB.
Flop ($82): T
T3Hero bets $50, both V's insta-fold.
A few spots like that in this session. I think it's common to think of "run-good" as just making big hands and getting paid off, but I think a big part of it also involves not only getting good textures to c-bet/barrel, but also relying on your opponents not catching a piece.
After grinding up to about $850, I played what I think is the biggest pot I've played to date. There are a couple that are really close.
Hand 3
Villain (850) - 60 yo white male, TAG/nit - Plays pretty snug preflop. Usually raises when he enters a pot. I've seen him 3bet once so far in about 3 hours, but it didn't get to showdown.
Hero's Image (850) - 25 yo white male, solid TAG - I think I had an A image at this point. I had shown down a few value hands after raising preflop and they were always strong preflop holdings. Pretty much all of my c-bets with air had worked so I had a very solid/winning image.
Hero is in SB with K
KPreflop: 3 limpers, Hero raises to $30, Villain raises to $80 from the BB, folds back to Hero. Hero calls.
Flop ($175): K
Q3Hero checks, Villain bets $125, Hero raises to $275, Villain raises to $425, Hero shoves for $770 total, Villain agony-calls.
Turn ($1715): 2
River 6
Villain shows A
A This is a really interesting hand. I did not even consider 4betting preflop here because this guy's 3bet range is air-tight. I'd say something like JJ+, AK but both JJ and AK are even borderline and I could see him flatting with those hands. I think a 4bet blows out everything but AA here. Also lollivereads but - the guy was just so shaken/nervous when he looked down at his hand. He waits til it's on him so I was looking right at him and his body language just went nuts, he fumbled with his chips - and the sizing, I really thought it was Aces preflop. That kind of changed when he 3bet my check-raise OTF. At this point I figure he has to have QQ, since that's one of the worst possible flops for AA in a 3bet pot. I also don't think anyone is ever 3bet/folding over a check-raise in a 3bet pot at LLSNL, so I figure I have nothing to lose and just jam it in. Was shocked when he showed AA.
I played for about 90 more minutes after this hand and was able to pick up about $200 the same way I built my stack mostly - a pretty even mix of c-bets and v-bets. I also made a river hero-call with A-high in a small, limped pot and was correct.
I really love playing at the Borgata man. I had taken off a couple days due to sickness so was really excited to get back out and play again, and the change of scenery really helped me focus and play well. Run-good is also fun.
Total for session: +$1393
Time played: 4.5 hours
The next day at Parx was pretty much the opposite - had difficulty sleeping Friday night so I showed up there feeling a bit fatigued from the start. Made one horrible call-down early in the session with TPTK when it was 100% painfully obvious I was up against bottom set and nothing else. Ran pretty bad after that, table changed a couple times, and eventually the poker gods smiled upon me and sent me on a huge heater for the last 90 minutes of my session. I was stuck $785 at my lowest point. Here is the big pot that turned it around:
Hand 4
V1 (2000) - 55 yo white male, spewy/LAG - Italian dude from south Philly. Very splashy. Opens a wide range from LP, calls raises IP really wide, makes nutso-kamikaze bluffs postflop as well. Definitely the biggest spot at the table.
V2 (550) - 40 yo Asian male, loose/passive - Hasn't gotten involved in a ton of pots at this point. But has been limping up front and calling a lot of raises.
Hero's Image (540) - Haven't been at this table for very long but it's probably losing at this point. I think I had about $650 when I moved to this game. I've been playing pretty snug up until this hand.
Hero is in BB with A
APreflop ($7): V1 opens to $15 in EP, V2 3bets to $45 in MP, Hero calls, V1 calls.
Flop ($135): Q
64Hero checks, V1 checks, V2 bets $155, Hero shoves for ~$490, V1 tank/folds, V2 snap calls.
Turn (~$1120): 9
River: 5
V2 shows KK, MHIG. V1 says he folded 8
7 cause he thought I might be jamming a bigger FD. Dodged a bullet with my slowplay there but I still think flatting the 3bet is the right play here given the stack sizes, the fact that it can only go 3-handed, and because I want to keep V1 in the pot. Later I make quad 2's against V2 and scoop an $800+ pot.
So after being stuck $785, I leave +$428 for over a $1200 turnaround. Felt pretty blessed to walk out of there a winner, honestly. I was feeling sick about the session and getting ready to just accept a $700 loss and call it a night shortly before I picked up those Aces. I had AA again later in the night when a dude who had been opening a ton of hands raised to $25 in EP, got 3 callers and I look down at them again in the BB. I make it $125 and everyone folds. Come on man, that looks like such a squeeze.
Overall I think I played decent in the Parx session, just made the one colossal mistake early on that kind of sank it for a while. Then I got boomswitched again.
Total for session: +$428
Time played: 5.5 hours
Monthly Wrap-Up
So February ended up being my best month of live poker ever. Which is obviously pretty awesome, even more-so when you consider that I only put in 102 hours. I have excuses for that (short month, sick days, snow days) but really that's still unacceptable. I need to start getting 120 minimum/month. I don't feel too bad about it, simply because many of my decisions to quit early were based on BRM, too much of my BR being on the table, etc. When I'm taking shots and just trying to build a sustainable roll for 2/5, I think I can give myself a bit of leeway when it comes to hours.
I've definitely been on a pretty big heater to start the year. I do think I've played well too, but obviously it's not hard to win when you crack KK with AA, then run AA into KK in back to back sessions. I think my last Borgata session was nearly flawless though - I was value-betting effectively and finding the right spots to use aggression to steal small pots. I also made it a point to set up an image which I think worked out nicely given the card distribution that day. I probably should have been 3betting the two regs more often though. I had a pristine image and they were opening way too wide in LP.
February 2014 Stats
Hours played: 102
Results: +$5832
Hourly: $57/hr
2014 YTD
Hours played: 222
Results: +$9356
Hourly: $42/hr
Was planning to play again today, but slept weird hours again and wouldn't have been able to get to the casino until around 4. With yet another snow storm coming in tonight, I decided to just take the day off. I imagine the games will become more reg-infested the later it gets. Will be off tomorrow as well, then probably grind 1/3 Tues-Thurs. I booked a room at Borgata this Friday and will definitely be there, hopefully crushing 2/5 again.
Oh and milestone achieved: my roll is now over $10k. Actually a bit less than I thought it would be cause grabbing $20s for beer money adds up, but whatever.
Bankroll: $10,160
03-02-2014
, 07:59 PM
03-02-2014
, 09:10 PM
03-05-2014
, 05:11 AM
Decided to update while it's fresh for a change. Went back to Harrah's for the first time in a week tonight. Was not feeling it there at all. One of the few times it's truly felt like I was on the clock. My mental game wasn't off or anything - it just felt like a grind and I was looking forward to "getting off" - told myself I would play til at least 1. Was going to push for 2 but the game started to get short-handed and I was up $400 even after being stuck $20-$150 most of the session, so I racked up around 1. 5:45 which isn't terrible but I definitely want to start gradually upping my hours - going to shoot for 7 tomorrow.
Did a ton of bet/folding today - pretty even mix of "having it" and not. One of those sessions where no one thought I ever had it, though. I guess that probably has something to do with the bet/folding. I was playing fairly tight though and not really getting out of line. Just c-betting good board textures and having to fold to a check/raise - a couple of times where I value bet and had to fold to raises. I did make one squeeze which was an interesting hand:
Hand 1
V1 (500) - 30 yo Asian male, TAGfish - This guy open raises more than he limps but his sizing is way too small - he's raised almost every button after several limpers but only made it $11 every time. He shoved with AQ on an A64dd and said he did it as a bluff
V2 (750) - 30 yo Asian male, loose-passive - This guy is a semi-reg and he's playing loose passive this session though previously he's played more tight. He will raise PF but it's a pretty narrow range - he'll limp up to 99 from most positions. He seems to be tilting.
Hero's Image (475) - 25 yo white male, LAG - even though I've been playing pretty tight. Just the fact that I've bet/folded so much, plus the fact that people just default think I'm FOS all the time makes my image pretty LAG. I've also played with V2 several times before and know he always thinks I'm FOS - one of the first hands I played with him I made a really spewy bluff when he limp/called AK and hit top two. V1 probably doesn't think I'm quite as spewy since he's only briefly been at the table.
Preflop Hero is in BB with A5
5 limps to V1 OTB who raises to $11, SB folds, Hero raises to $46, V2 calls from MP, V1 calls.
Flop ($150): K84r
Hero bets $90, V2 folds, V1 folds.
Was just waiting for a blocker so I could 3bet one of V1's BTN raises, I had one here and a good bit of dead money in the pot so I thought this was a good spot. Think I should have sized it a bit bigger. Was pretty surprised when V2 limp/called $46. I think his range is mostly small-med pairs and possibly some SC's with how spewy he's been playing this session. I think V2 has a similar range along with a lot of Axs hands, AT+, KJ/KQ.
V2 was visibly pissed when V1 folded, and said something about how he would have shoved if he knew he was folding. Then this happened the very next hand:
Hand 2
Villain (700) - Same as V2 above
Hero (580)
Preflop: Hero is in SB with 94
The whole table limps. Usually a fold here obviously but I complete because if I bink some stupid ****, I'm gonna get paid off.
Flop ($27): 544r
Checks to V in MP who bets $20, folds back to Hero who raises to $60, one limper tanks and folds, V quickly calls.
Turn ($147): 8r
Hero bets $90, V snap-calls.
River ($327): 3
Hero tank/bets $175, V tank-calls. MHIG.
Obviously a dream scenario when I get heads-up with the same V2 going to the turn with trips - ten seconds after he flipped out about folding to my bluff. One of the worst run-outs I could ask for though since a couple different straight draws got there. Was definitely bet/folding on both the turn and river. When he insta-calls the turn I know he can't have a straight - or even trips or a boat really. I think he's 100% always raising with a straight OTT and probably with his trips as well. If he's trying to "trap" me with one of those hands he's at least going to hollywood it. Pretty sure he has something like 66/77/99 when he snap-calls. FOS Image can be fun though. I somehow get paid off by worse on that board in a limped FAMILY POT.
No major hands after those two - or before them really. Everything was pretty straightforward tonight. Was pretty card dead for stretches - and had to bet/fold during others. Definitely felt like work today but it felt good to walk out with a solid win - was expecting to take a moderate loss towards the end of the session.
Bankroll: $10,560
Did a ton of bet/folding today - pretty even mix of "having it" and not. One of those sessions where no one thought I ever had it, though. I guess that probably has something to do with the bet/folding. I was playing fairly tight though and not really getting out of line. Just c-betting good board textures and having to fold to a check/raise - a couple of times where I value bet and had to fold to raises. I did make one squeeze which was an interesting hand:
Hand 1
V1 (500) - 30 yo Asian male, TAGfish - This guy open raises more than he limps but his sizing is way too small - he's raised almost every button after several limpers but only made it $11 every time. He shoved with AQ on an A64dd and said he did it as a bluff
V2 (750) - 30 yo Asian male, loose-passive - This guy is a semi-reg and he's playing loose passive this session though previously he's played more tight. He will raise PF but it's a pretty narrow range - he'll limp up to 99 from most positions. He seems to be tilting.
Hero's Image (475) - 25 yo white male, LAG - even though I've been playing pretty tight. Just the fact that I've bet/folded so much, plus the fact that people just default think I'm FOS all the time makes my image pretty LAG. I've also played with V2 several times before and know he always thinks I'm FOS - one of the first hands I played with him I made a really spewy bluff when he limp/called AK and hit top two. V1 probably doesn't think I'm quite as spewy since he's only briefly been at the table.
Preflop Hero is in BB with A
55 limps to V1 OTB who raises to $11, SB folds, Hero raises to $46, V2 calls from MP, V1 calls.
Flop ($150): K84r
Hero bets $90, V2 folds, V1 folds.
Was just waiting for a blocker so I could 3bet one of V1's BTN raises, I had one here and a good bit of dead money in the pot so I thought this was a good spot. Think I should have sized it a bit bigger. Was pretty surprised when V2 limp/called $46. I think his range is mostly small-med pairs and possibly some SC's with how spewy he's been playing this session. I think V2 has a similar range along with a lot of Axs hands, AT+, KJ/KQ.
V2 was visibly pissed when V1 folded, and said something about how he would have shoved if he knew he was folding. Then this happened the very next hand:
Hand 2
Villain (700) - Same as V2 above
Hero (580)
Preflop: Hero is in SB with 9
4The whole table limps. Usually a fold here obviously but I complete because if I bink some stupid ****, I'm gonna get paid off.
Flop ($27): 544r
Checks to V in MP who bets $20, folds back to Hero who raises to $60, one limper tanks and folds, V quickly calls.
Turn ($147): 8r
Hero bets $90, V snap-calls.
River ($327): 3
Hero tank/bets $175, V tank-calls. MHIG.
Obviously a dream scenario when I get heads-up with the same V2 going to the turn with trips - ten seconds after he flipped out about folding to my bluff. One of the worst run-outs I could ask for though since a couple different straight draws got there. Was definitely bet/folding on both the turn and river. When he insta-calls the turn I know he can't have a straight - or even trips or a boat really. I think he's 100% always raising with a straight OTT and probably with his trips as well. If he's trying to "trap" me with one of those hands he's at least going to hollywood it. Pretty sure he has something like 66/77/99 when he snap-calls. FOS Image can be fun though. I somehow get paid off by worse on that board in a limped FAMILY POT.
No major hands after those two - or before them really. Everything was pretty straightforward tonight. Was pretty card dead for stretches - and had to bet/fold during others. Definitely felt like work today but it felt good to walk out with a solid win - was expecting to take a moderate loss towards the end of the session.
Bankroll: $10,560
Last edited by JBlaze; 03-05-2014 at 05:20 AM.
03-05-2014
, 05:24 AM
03-17-2014
, 01:36 AM
03-17-2014
, 01:54 AM
good work subbed gl! 
03-19-2014
, 03:17 AM
Some 2/5 Hands
Hand 1
V1 (405) - 55 yo white male, loose passive
V2 (1200) - 30 yo white male, TAG - Seems like a regular in the room
Hero's Image (1000) - 25 yo white male, TAG
Hero is in MP dealt JJ
Preflop ($7): Hero opens for $25, V1calls in MP, V2 calls in HJ
Flop ($76): KJ5
Hero bets $50, V1-V2 call.
Turn ($226): 6
Hero checks, V1 bets $125, V2 calls, Hero calls.
River ($601): 6
Hero checks, V1 bets $206 and is all-in, V2 calls, Hero raises to $500, V2 folds.
I think I should bet a little bigger OTF here since a K is always calling a PSB, plenty of draws who will also call big bets. I think $65-$75 is better. OTT it's obvious at least one has a flush (and at the time I thought both did) - so pot is $475 and it's $125 for me to call - plus V1 has $206 which I know is going in OTR, and assuming V2 does indeed have a flush - he's going to be calling that bet. So I think I can safely assume $412 more in implied odds if I did boat OTR. Not sure if he would have called a min check-raise here...I think I likely got max value in this spot.
Hand 2
V1 (2000) - 65 yo Indian male, badLAG. Will push his draws as hard as he can. Will also habitually take stabs at pots when shown weakness. Pretty typical "action player". A regular in the room and one of the bigger rec-fish.
Hero's Image (800) - 25 yo white male, TAG
Hero is UTG+1 dealt KK
Preflop ($7): Hero opens for $25, V1 calls.
Flop ($52): K52r
Hero checks, V1 bets $35, Hero calls.
Turn ($122): T
Hero checks, V2 bets $65, Hero calls.
River ($252): J
Hero checks, V2 bets $75, Hero raises to $225, V1 calls.
A bone dry flop here and I find it hard for him to have much of anything, so I just check hoping to induce. I seriously consider c/r OTT here since he could have picked up a bunch of straight draws and is spewy enough to call a c/r with some of those. I think I made a small mistake by just calling. OTR I'm pretty sure he's always betting again since he usually seems to bet 2/3 streets as thin as second pair. I hated being OOP in this hand and think it was kind of a tricky spot as far as getting max value for my hand.
Hand 3
V1 (1800) - 60 yo white male, TAG - haven't been at the table long but he seems like a regular just by the way he handles his chips, his general demeanor etc.
V2 (450) - 35 yo Asian male, loose/passive
Hero's Image (500) - 25 yo white male - only been at the table 15 minutes, haven't opened a pot
Hero is in MP dealt AJ
Preflop ($7): Hero opens for $25, V1 calls in SB, V2 calls in BB.
Flop ($75): A54
V1/V2 check, Hero bets $55, V1 calls, V2 folds.
Turn ($185): 9
V1 checks, Hero bets $100, V1 raises to $250, Hero folds.
Hesitated and considered checking this turn back but decided to get value from draws. I don't think there are too many outkicked Aces in his range. It's an obvious b/f all the way on the turn if I do bet - I think it's close though and a check back might not be a bad play.
Hand 4
V1 (675) - 60 yo Australian male, loose/passive
Hero's Image (950) - 25 yo white male, TAG
Hero is OTB with A2
5 limpers, Hero limps, 7-way to flop.
Flop ($35): 722
Checks to V1 who bets $10, Hero raises to $45, folds back to V1 raises to $110, Hero shoves for $675 effective, V1 calls
This villain had a limping range going down to any suited gapper, and any suited face card. So he could show up with K2s/Q2s/J2s here, and 23s/24s/25s/26s. I still felt pretty gross shoving here and just had a bad feeling about it. But I never expect someone to bet/3b this flop since most loose/passive players will slowplay in a spot like this. I think the money is going in on this board regardless and it's probably just a pretty standard cooler.
Hand 5
V1 (800) - 35 yo white male, ABC/loose-passive
Hero's Image (510) - 25 yo white male, tight. Haven't played a pot yet in about 30 min at the table.
Hero is in CO with T9
3 limps, Hero limps, BTN limps, 7-way to flop.
Flop ($35): J87
Checks to V1 who bets $35, Hero raises to $95, folds back to V1 who calls.
Turn ($225): 5
V1 checks, Hero bets $125 V1 calls.
River ($375): 8
V1 thinks and checks, Hero tanks and sigh-checks.
His exact PSB OTF made me think he was betting to protect an already made hand. I think I made a mistake by not raising large enough here. Turn bet given the size of the pot is good I think - I suppose he could show up with a FD here but I don't think it's especially likely. When he calls I think he might have something like AJ/KJ/QJ with a. OTR I had about $290 left and seriously considered shoving but the flush hitting and board pairing were two of the last things I wanted to see and I'm not sure if he calls me with a top pair/diamond hand that missed the flush so I check it back. After playing with this guy a little more, I'm pretty sure he would have folded to a shove FWIW.
Back on the grind tomorrow after the past two days off. Playing around Philly for the next few days and hitting up Maryland Live over the weekend to take another shot at their 2/5 games.
Hand 1
V1 (405) - 55 yo white male, loose passive
V2 (1200) - 30 yo white male, TAG - Seems like a regular in the room
Hero's Image (1000) - 25 yo white male, TAG
Hero is in MP dealt J
JPreflop ($7): Hero opens for $25, V1calls in MP, V2 calls in HJ
Flop ($76): K
J5Hero bets $50, V1-V2 call.
Turn ($226): 6
Hero checks, V1 bets $125, V2 calls, Hero calls.
River ($601): 6
Hero checks, V1 bets $206 and is all-in, V2 calls, Hero raises to $500, V2 folds.
I think I should bet a little bigger OTF here since a K is always calling a PSB, plenty of draws who will also call big bets. I think $65-$75 is better. OTT it's obvious at least one has a flush (and at the time I thought both did) - so pot is $475 and it's $125 for me to call - plus V1 has $206 which I know is going in OTR, and assuming V2 does indeed have a flush - he's going to be calling that bet. So I think I can safely assume $412 more in implied odds if I did boat OTR. Not sure if he would have called a min check-raise here...I think I likely got max value in this spot.
Hand 2
V1 (2000) - 65 yo Indian male, badLAG. Will push his draws as hard as he can. Will also habitually take stabs at pots when shown weakness. Pretty typical "action player". A regular in the room and one of the bigger rec-fish.
Hero's Image (800) - 25 yo white male, TAG
Hero is UTG+1 dealt K
KPreflop ($7): Hero opens for $25, V1 calls.
Flop ($52): K52r
Hero checks, V1 bets $35, Hero calls.
Turn ($122): T
Hero checks, V2 bets $65, Hero calls.
River ($252): J
Hero checks, V2 bets $75, Hero raises to $225, V1 calls.
A bone dry flop here and I find it hard for him to have much of anything, so I just check hoping to induce. I seriously consider c/r OTT here since he could have picked up a bunch of straight draws and is spewy enough to call a c/r with some of those. I think I made a small mistake by just calling. OTR I'm pretty sure he's always betting again since he usually seems to bet 2/3 streets as thin as second pair. I hated being OOP in this hand and think it was kind of a tricky spot as far as getting max value for my hand.
Hand 3
V1 (1800) - 60 yo white male, TAG - haven't been at the table long but he seems like a regular just by the way he handles his chips, his general demeanor etc.
V2 (450) - 35 yo Asian male, loose/passive
Hero's Image (500) - 25 yo white male - only been at the table 15 minutes, haven't opened a pot
Hero is in MP dealt A
JPreflop ($7): Hero opens for $25, V1 calls in SB, V2 calls in BB.
Flop ($75): A
54V1/V2 check, Hero bets $55, V1 calls, V2 folds.
Turn ($185): 9
V1 checks, Hero bets $100, V1 raises to $250, Hero folds.
Hesitated and considered checking this turn back but decided to get value from draws. I don't think there are too many outkicked Aces in his range. It's an obvious b/f all the way on the turn if I do bet - I think it's close though and a check back might not be a bad play.
Hand 4
V1 (675) - 60 yo Australian male, loose/passive
Hero's Image (950) - 25 yo white male, TAG
Hero is OTB with A
25 limpers, Hero limps, 7-way to flop.
Flop ($35): 7
22Checks to V1 who bets $10, Hero raises to $45, folds back to V1 raises to $110, Hero shoves for $675 effective, V1 calls
Spoiler:
This villain had a limping range going down to any suited gapper, and any suited face card. So he could show up with K2s/Q2s/J2s here, and 23s/24s/25s/26s. I still felt pretty gross shoving here and just had a bad feeling about it. But I never expect someone to bet/3b this flop since most loose/passive players will slowplay in a spot like this. I think the money is going in on this board regardless and it's probably just a pretty standard cooler.
Hand 5
V1 (800) - 35 yo white male, ABC/loose-passive
Hero's Image (510) - 25 yo white male, tight. Haven't played a pot yet in about 30 min at the table.
Hero is in CO with T
93 limps, Hero limps, BTN limps, 7-way to flop.
Flop ($35): J
87Checks to V1 who bets $35, Hero raises to $95, folds back to V1 who calls.
Turn ($225): 5
V1 checks, Hero bets $125 V1 calls.
River ($375): 8
V1 thinks and checks, Hero tanks and sigh-checks.
Spoiler:
His exact PSB OTF made me think he was betting to protect an already made hand. I think I made a mistake by not raising large enough here. Turn bet given the size of the pot is good I think - I suppose he could show up with a FD here but I don't think it's especially likely. When he calls I think he might have something like AJ/KJ/QJ with a
. OTR I had about $290 left and seriously considered shoving but the flush hitting and board pairing were two of the last things I wanted to see and I'm not sure if he calls me with a top pair/diamond hand that missed the flush so I check it back. After playing with this guy a little more, I'm pretty sure he would have folded to a shove FWIW.Back on the grind tomorrow after the past two days off. Playing around Philly for the next few days and hitting up Maryland Live over the weekend to take another shot at their 2/5 games.
Last edited by JBlaze; 03-19-2014 at 03:36 AM.
03-19-2014
, 04:06 AM
03-19-2014
, 04:24 AM
, 76s compared to AK, AQ, A9... yea definitely more combos of weaker hands than stronger handsthat whole value betting thing is actually really important
03-19-2014
, 04:29 AM