ive watched 3 or 4 hands and can confidently say im better than Dawson. but hes CL playin for 60 stacks

Congrats to him on 3rd.

Happy to help any time, glad I was able to help!!

But thank you!! I've learned so much from your thread, and am so thankful for your insight and thought process!! I am very envious of your confidence to stick with it and inspired by your results. You're the man!!!

Hopefully we can play together again soon.

TSW

This game is so brutal!!

It's really hard to turn off the frustration and aggravation!!! Wish i cd shut it off, but having a difficult time tonight. All been thinking about this evening is the 2 outer that cost me $800 pot, and a 4 outer that cost me $500 pot. I got it in so gd today, and played perfectly all day. For my outstanding play today I was rewarded w a $300 loss.

4 outer hand...button straddles $5, I limp from middle w 33. 5 overall limps to button, button makes it $15, 3 callers I read as weak/marginal, so I squeezed to $65. Button tank calls, and every one else folds. I started w $500, and villain $250. Heads up to Flop AJ3 rainbow. I check, villain bets $75, and I shove. He calls w a gutter KQ. Boom 10.
I want the call every time, but it stings when they suck out.
Ok so I brush it off, and start building again. Then an hour later, same villain round 2.

2 outer hand...same villain makes it $15 utg, and folded to me in the sb. I look down and 2 Aces and just flat. I didn't want reveal my hand by 3 betting, and instead wanted to trap this guy otf. Villain is a novice player and if I let him think he is ahead, he just may get it in otf. I knew Villain had smithing like JJ-AA. We both have around $400. The flop is perfect for the trap 443. I check, Villain makes a pot size bet of $30, I raise to $75. Villain reraises to $175, and then I shove it all in just like I envisioned it. He calls w QQ. Perfect ima a genius, then Boom Q!

This game isn't for the weak.
Poker is not fun right now!!

The bad beats do sting. I appreciate that you needed to vent. You have to try to learn some techniques for letting go of the past and putting it behind you ASAP if you do not already have a system in place for doing so. I will take that villain all day and everyday so that I can have the opportunity for making massively positive EV plays. In life, things on and off the felt are relative.

Don't sweat it Rayz. You will bounce back tomorrow and tear it up. I like your flat on the second hand. Did the same thing the other day and stacked opponent.

Few questions for you-

1) What were the effective stack sizes in the 33 hand? Why not just call pre?
2) I imagine u think squeezing pre given reads/action is higher EV than just calling to set mine?
3) How do you expect to play postflop if called?


Squeezing may actually be the higher EV play with all the dead $. I'd be surprised tho with this particular hand. Can someone help with the math to figure this out?

i dont like the squeeze at all. what made u read the raise as weak?? this is live 1/2 nl, they are showing up with a top 15% hand minimum and u can see the raiser got stubborn with kq, the limp/raise sizing looks pretty small to, but if ur balanced with monsters i guess that can be debated. i agree tho, 33 is not a very good hand to be squeezing, it plays quite poorly postflop

@southoffish I like that, and needed it. If I put poker (my work) in perspective of real world probs, then it helps me cope. I'm blessed to b somewhat healthy, somewhat happy, and somewhat secure. It cd always b worse.

Check that: Mentally I was bat crazy in my mind yesterday. How does my only 2 shoves of the session get bad beated to a 4 outer and 2 outer? I feel I'm living right, so why ima being punished???? It's a crazy world. Brain is being squeezed. My whole life has been pushing through walls, and I'll continue to get up and move on. #autopilot.

@moaurlawn need that too. Thanks for encouragement. Damn it's hard to drive to work after losing $1500 over last few days. But been there many of times, and it's hard. But my stats say to log hrs, so that's what I'll continue to do. Log hrs and look at it in the long term. Can't say it enough, poker for me helps if I take it month to month instead of day to day. Just keep logging black months, and stay within the roll.

@yolotheory
1)I started w 500, Villain 250, 3 other players who limp/called $15 had 200ish. 1 Player behind me who limp/folded the 3bet 65 had $600.
2) not really. Just thought the straddle raise of $15 didn't look like any hands 1010 through Aces, AK,AQ,AJ. I know if I straddled w pocket paint pair (PPP) and had 5 limps to me, I'm not trying to get all 5 limps to call $15. I feel any player wd want at most 3 handed going to flop w those type of hands. If I'm holding PPP, or Ak AQ in straddle and 5 limps, I make it $25ish. I wd also do that w suited connectors depending on line up. $15 from this player i felt was neither, and looked weak w 5 limps. To me it's pretty much saying it's all hands similar to what he had (910, kj, qj, j9, 78, qk, etc. it's not rags and it's not premium. So after I see the others sheepishly call, I felt really gd about the squeeze.
3) I was called and flopped a set of 3a.
Straddle tank calls 3bet preflop of $65. gives off reads that he is 50/50 folding/calling. Also, reads that tells me of hands I can further eliminate from his range. I feel I'm representing a lot of hands. This novice player is not thinking I cd b squeezing. *I feel prob puts me on premium hand. *Actually ahe asked me after hand if I had Aces or Kings.

Other part of ur question Post flop play if called pre. If heads up on most flops I wd prob lead out w a pot size bet. If called, and not improve then tank check turn. If checked behind ott, then prob jam river. If player bets turn, I wd hv to fold. this is situational to a board/how board runs out, etc. but this kind of line is poss.

Today won +$191.

I had what felt like a big cosmic FU on my last session. A dude who is usually pretty tight--I know he has folded AK pre to a single open raise before--one outered me after calling 12 pre with 72s, then calling $75 from me on the flop because he had an underflush with an under straight flush draw (I had higher flush and one of his outs in my hand). I'm feeling the bolded. I know it's irrational. I can't help it. I didn't even put any more money in after I was beat and I just feel...I feel bad. Really bad.

If I had nuts, I would feel like I've been kicked in them.

I don't know how you people do this for a living.

Derail:

Thanks for the sweat and well wishes! I wouldn't have made it this far without 2+2ers like Rayz and @harby33, and my handful of supporters! So to have that support in this event alone carried me to the FT...

Rerail

It sounds like u did smthing to this "tight guy" to piss him off. Why is he gunning for u w his 72? Seems out of norm for him.
I agree, playing 1/2, 2/5, 5/10 can b a very brutal way to make a living. It takes a special kind of person w a gd head on their shoulders. This game is full of heartbreaks.


Appreciate that Hello7027! I thought u played like a beast! U def got the short end of cards at the ft, but still managed 3rd. Impressed man. Keep up the gd work, and stay hungry.
Your support is appreciated as well!

Today: played in a big 1/2 that played like a 2/5+ w deep stacks and big straddles. I lost a little on JJ<KK. Also made a big bluff that sm how got called. And before I know it I was down $1k. Battled back, keep playing every hand the best I can play it. stayed the course, and ended up losing -$42. The 2/5nl got goin around 2p, and I wasn't able to play in it today. I had to leave early to take my daughter to her 4pm dr appt (shots).

It's been a rough month, but still a positive month.
I decided today it's not best for me to play in the Labor Day Tourney n Cincy. It means more to me and my psyche to book a winning month. If I lost a $1500 buy n, then I only win peanuts this month (few hundo). I rather hv a decent month that at least pays the bills than a junky one that pays just one bill.

Be at the felt tomo, then my Fant Ftball draft is at 9pm. It's a big one this year, so I may hv to leave work early to study up. $250 buy in, $3k prize pool. Filled w poker dealers, poker players, and a few tennis buddies.

Why not try to satty into the 1500$ event? You know your bread and butter is cash yet you play much bigger tourney's than cash.

We all take beats but how do you go on? Of course the old adage is if you can't stay the course, if you can't handle all the cycles being up and down maybe this game isn't for you. This is what i tell others and of course what i tell myself all the time. Poker and golf can be such cruel games. You do all the right things, make all the right moves, and yet it's that damn river card that gets you every time. You trap your opponents so hard and in the end you get the bad end. They chase you down so hard and on one aspect you don't want to bet them out of a hand so you bet just enough to coax them in and set them up. It seems like with me, no one beats me pre, no one beats me post or on the turn, but it's the river. They can only beat me on the river. In fact that's the only way they can beat me. AK flats my raise pre (QQ) and i check raise him on a dry board. I bet huge on the turn and he calls. K rivers out so i check call his big bet and say "show me your AK" and sure enough. And i'm thinking "WTF". He had nothing, he was absolutely crushed but yet they just keep chasing and chasing. In one hand i knew i had him and didn't want to shove on the flop or turn and chase him out. But i made big enough raises and bets to let him know i meant business, it's not like i was making min bets or min raises.

So besides telling me to jump into the next game or enter the next tourney, what's your advice?

If you know he has AK don't call his river bet...

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forgot to say gl in cinci this weekend!

Because no one would call those big bets on both streets with
2 high cards and a 6 outer.

At least 1 person will. Maybe they were floating you to try and set up a river bet regardless of what it came?

The only float he knew of is an ice cream float...He was clueless. .

QUOTE=tswpoker1;44433081]At least 1 person will. Maybe they were floating you to try and set up a river bet regardless of what it came?[/QUOTE]

Ok so what about this hand from today...

I bought in for $300, and was down $100 first hour. I added another $100 to my stack and the following hr, I'm up $50. I play for a little bit longer until I switched to a juicier table w little deeper stacks.
My stack now is $450 and after an hr into this table I'm starting to get better reads on a couple players I've played w a few times. It was a gd mix of Tag, Lags, and a few fish.

so the hand...

1/2nl full table.

Me: HJ w 1010 $450 stack.
Button: $200 stack, previous orbit called an all in w 72 for $35, day drinker, 25 yr old wearing a wrist band, and tilts easy.
Lady: mp w $300 stack. thinking player, previously 3 bet $60 w AK and open ships $150 on a Jhi dry flop. I only know this because she was called by the same hand for a chop.
Villain: on my right w $425 stack. 30yr old, lag, wide range, loves to get involved, aspiring pro, seems he has smthing to prove.

Tilty Button straddles $10 and folded to the Lady in mp who calls. Villain on my right calls, I raise to $55 w 1010. Buttons angrily folds, Lady confidently calls, Villain calls. The flop is K35 not bad for 1010 when it's checked to me. So I make a little less than half size bet of $80. Lady folds, and villain tank calls. The turn is a J Villain pause checks, and I tank check. The river is a 4, and Villain tank shoves $290. I tanked for awhile, and finally said "How much?" hoping Villain would talk. Instead the dealer intervened, and wasn't able to get any vocal reads or expressions. Dealer responds, "$290." making the pot total $625. Villain is sitting there w a stoic look, his head resting on his fist, elbow on the table, arms making a 45d angle. I glance over 30 secs later, and still same expression w blank face. Then out of nowhere my brain starts racing w all the poker ups/downs from this week. Every crucial hand from the week shoots through my mind as I'm trying to making this decision. Once I clear the clouds in my mind, I say "This is very close, and just not sure." I ended up...

thoughts on folding or calling?

I'll let ya know tomorrow.

Normally a fold, but with the image you described he could be making a move. Even if he reads you weak with the check behind would he shove or just make a smaller bet? You just can't beat much of anything he could call $55 and then the flop bet with. Gutter balls get there too.

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Sick spot. His line don't make a lot of sense but we don't beat some of his bluffs. I would probably fold and find a better spot. Not the worst call if you called and lost. Think you will be good at least 25% of the time.

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You only have to be good 1/3 of the time to make the call +EV.

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Still feel like it would be a good decision to play the 1500 event on Friday...there is so many clueless cash game players that have won seats. Friday is going to be full of them. I think you will snap your 0-12 streak and cash!

I hate that spot the hand you posted. Really only beating a hand with a 3 or 5 like 56, A3, A5 and such. Maybe 67 got there with the gutter ball. I guess there is a small chance he limps with 33 or 55.

I fold on river bet
What is villains range calling 55 preflop?