Played last night and had a good night. Played two 2/4 sessions (as mentioned, I've been trying to play more at that level) and booked a small W - big news around these parts since I've been starting my weeks so terribly lately.

Had a good night last night and have actually started this week off well. The pivotal hand from the session:


PREFLOP: 1/2
BUTTON ($400) raises to $6, HERO ($400) 3-bets to $20 from the SB with AJ, BB folds and the BUTTON calls $20

FLOP ($42): 976
HERO checks, BUTTON bets $21, HERO check-raises to $71, BUTTON jams for $380, HERO calls all-in

Ok so this line is really interesting. In general, this is not a good flop for my 3-betting range, so I decide to lead with a check, which helps strengthen my checking range. Because I shouldn't be betting often on this board, when I do bet it should be pretty large, and considering the stack sizes (ie, when I check-raise it gives him the chance to make the last bet all-in), that's a case for me leading like 80% POT here instead of check-raising (I don't like check-calling with this hand out of position too much).

Anyway, when he jams, it's not a great outcome. He has a lot of strong hands here like sets, two pairs, combo draw hearts, and even the T8s straight.

Pokerstoving it, against such a range, I have about 36% equity. And I'm getting about 1.6 to 1 on a call, which means I need about 38.5% equity.

So now it looks like a slightly -EV call, but in the moment I was like f*ck it, I didn't check-raise this hand to fold it, so let's go. So in retrospect, probably not a great decision.

What seems better is leading $32 into $42, then he raises to say $140, and then I get to jam for $380 and put him in the spot, instead of me calling it off against the grain.




Lucky lucky. Nice pot to win, and definitely a good hand to study and make corrections on.

seems standard tbh

Which part? The x/r or the call off?

flop check is a pure check
raise is a mixed raise/call
call is pure

A pure merking the past two days. The week was going well, actually started off strong and then ... doomswitch

Tonight ran my Q9s on a KJT board into AQ for stacks, my KJs on a KJ9 board into JJ, and A6s on a A86Q board into AQs for stacks.

Not gonna be a good week, fellas

Indeed, it was a losing week. One last frustrating hand to finish it off.


PREFLOP: 1/2
Loose/passive UTG ($250) limps for $2, HERO (covers) in MP raises to $7 with 86, folds back to UTG who limp-calls

FLOP ($17): 966
UTG checks, HERO bets $8.50, BB check-raises to $27.50, HERO calls

Not exactly in a loose-passive's profile to check-raise with a flush or straight draw here, but certainly I'm not folding trips

TURN ($72): 5
UTG checks, HERO bets $36, UTG check-raises to $102, HERO calls

The 5 completes the open-ender, and UTG checks. Fortunately I have a blocker to the straight, and when he checks it's often a give-up.

Even so, I betting here is bad. If it's a give-up, I'm not going to get value anyway. And he can often still have a better 6 than me which decided not to bet bc of the straight.

But, because I'm a fish, I do bet, and he check-raises. This is a clear sign to fold; he's now double check-raised, and a hand like 65s or 78cc (even though there's only 1 combo of each available) make a lot of sense. What he doesn't have is 9x, and he almost never has a bluff.

RIVER ($276): K
UTG jams for $113.50, HERO calls

The time to fold was on the turn. This would also be an ok time to fold. But I don't, bc I'm a fish.



I mean, you can call it a cold-deck or a suckout or whatever, but the reality is that I played this hand badly. Should have gotten away when I got check-raised on the turn, or just checked the turn back and called the river. Either way if I play it better I lose way less, but I didn't and lost the max instead.

Taking a loss of a little more that $400 for the week. Gotta take today off, regroup and not think about poker at all, and hopefully come back tomorrow ready with a clean slate and be ready to have a good week.

JULY WRAP-UP:

Overall, a frustrating month. Even the past couple days were fairly brutal; lost a $900 pot all-in on the flop as a 78% favorite vs the spot at the table, and last night got rekt by this other insane fish who was literally VPIP'ing 100%, and who smoked me twice - once when he flat-called a c-bet and then my check-raise cold with T6 on a Q103 flop and runnered clubs on my face, and then again later when he cold-called my 3-bet with 62 and ran down my AA when we got it all-in on a 753 flop and he drilled his gutter on the turn.

I'm not one to complain often about bad beats; they're part of the game and over time even out, and generally one of my strengths is not letting them affect me. But I really went through a bad stretch this month, especially at times when I was just starting to gain momentum.

I recently texted a buddy of mine, "I'm gonna smash so hard once I stop getting cold-decked". Rather than frame it as a complaint, I try to look forward to when the deck evens out, and be in the mindset of playing well when it does so that you can take big advantage - and that's my goal for August.


JULY PROFIT: $1,398


Year-to-date giraffe:

First day of the month yesterday, and it's always nice to start on a clean slate.

Alas, things started off looking the same ...


HAND 1: 2/4nl 6-max

PREFLOP:
UTG opens to $10, loose player in HJ ($300) calls $10, BUTTON calls $10, HERO ($350) 3-bets to $55 with
TT, only the HJ calls

FLOP ($136): 952
HERO c-bets $95, HJ jams for $245, HERO calls all-in

The HJ is a loose action player, so I make an exploitative sizing here on the flop. Usually with my range this is a down-bet, but with this guy, esp when he flats the UTG open and then my 3!, I just size to put him to a stack decision right here.

My thinking is that he almost never has me beat with JJ+ here, and if he has a set, such is life. But he can have a lot of pairs like 88/77/66 that he might go with, as well as some 9x with 89s and 87s.

When he jams, I snap since that was my plan when I bet this sizing.



So on one hand, happy to win 1/3rd of the pot. On the other hand, very tilting in a couple ways: One, if he just flats the flop with top set, I bink the turn and then we get it in, and I scoop the whole pot. Secondly, I would have just run it once if either he had asked to or if the system had given me the first request choice. And thirdly, just him binking top set vs my overpair in another setup spot. Such is poker.

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HAND 2: Bluffing it all off

PREFLOP: 1/2nl
MP1 ($300) opens to $6, HERO ($400) 3-bets to $20 in MP2 with AQ, BUTTON cold-calls $20, MP1 calls $20

FLOP ($60): 832
MP1 checks, HERO c-bets $40, BU folds, MP1 check-calls $40

Don't like my sizing here, and it becomes an issue on later streets. I had a good reason for sizing up my c-bet in the first hand, but here I just think betting 2/3rds is bad. Something like $25 would be way better with my whole range. MP1 check-calls the bet so he's pretty clearly got a pair of some sort.

TURN ($140): 2
MP1 checks, HERO bets $72, MP1 quickly check-calls

100% has a pair here, with a set he'd at least thought about check-raising. I really don't like my barrel here at all; I didn't pick up any equity and the bottom card pairing is one of the worst possible cards for me to try to barrel him off a pair on; even something like an offsuit King would be wayyyyy better.

RIVER ($284): 6
MP1 checks, HERO stuffs for $168, MP1 snap-calls all-in



So a couple things - one, his call-down of 3 streets again an MP vs MP 3-bettor is pretty thin and I think it's a money-losing play.

Secondly, I played this hand very poorly. I like 3-betting pre. But on the flop, my sizing was ass and as you can see, it adversely affected the SPR on the river for me. The turn was a bad barrel, and on the river I should have given it up.

------------------------------------

So first night of the month and downswinging right off the bat. So at this point I'm playing 2/4 in one club and short-handed 1/2 in another. But then everyone leaves the 1/2 except one guy, so we start playing heads-up.

I don't wanna talk like I'm some elite HU player, but I do think I'm pretty good. I have a lot of experience than a lot of recreational players from all the HU battles I've been in during my SNG days.

And me and this guy had a good battle, playing for like 45 mins, with some fun hands in there:

HAND 3: Turning flopped top/top into a merge bluff

PREFLOP: 1/2
Villain ($400) opens to $6 on the BUTTON, HERO calls in BB with AT

Certainly this hand can be 3! at some frequency, but I also like to flat with it a lot bc it dominates a lot of hands that he'd fold to a 3! and can win big pots that way.

FLOP ($12): 1065
HERO checks, VILLAIN c-bets $10, HERO check-raises to $30, VILLAIN calls $30

Good hand to check-raise for value here. I'm not too surprised when he calls; often his bigger c-bets indicated strength.

TURN ($72): J
HERO checks, VILLAIN bets $36, HERO check-calls $36

I think I should probably be betting again to get value from 10x, but in the moment I check because I think he probably just folds QT and KT, while JT jacks me up. Also he retains overpairs like JJ/QQ/KK, but he can also have T9 and 78. So it's a close spot and I'd like to see what a solver thinks here.

Obvs when he bets, I'm not folding.

RIVER ($144): 7
HERO bets $123, VILLAIN folds

He has some hands that I'm ahead of (10x, 78) and a couple I'm behind (JT, JJ, QQ, KK), but since I have the A blocker and the way I've played my hand is super consistent with the nut flush draw that just got there, I put out a big bet and he folds.

I'm not sure if this is good or not because I wouldn't expect him to fold some of the hands I'm behind (like JT or JJ), so I'm probably only really targeting a couple of overpairs and random Jx that he floated the flop with like QJ with a heart.

Either way, we get it through and it keeps in place the dynamic of me being the more aggressive player heads up, and keeps him folding hands that I'd imagine he'd rather not be folding.

-----------------------------

HAND 4: Binking the turn with my favorite hand

PREFLOP: 1/2nl
HERO (covers) raises BUTTON to $5 with 75, VILLAIN 3-bets to $20, HERO calls $20

FLOP ($40): A76
VILLAIN c-bets $24, HERO calls $24

Pretty nice flop for me, with middle pair and both backdoor flush and straight draws. Obv not folding.

TURN ($88): 7
VILLAIN bets $35, HERO raises to $85, VILLAIN calls

We bink the turn and he makes a pretty small bet, likely indicative of an Ace he a bit unsure about.

RIVER ($258): K
VILLAIN checks, HERO jams all-in for $217 effective, VILLAIN tank-folds

Fairly standard hand but one that kind of encompasses how the match is going, where I'm the one making big bets late in the hand and he's having to fold in big pots.

----------------------------

HAND 5: Nail in the coffin

**Villain recently re-loaded to $400 and has become noticeably frustrated. He's started raising more pre and making much more frequent and larger bets and raises than he had been earlier in the match.

PREFLOP: 1/2
VILLAIN ($412) opens BUTTON to $5, HERO defends with 98

FLOP ($10): 1076
HERO checks, VILLAIN c-bets $19, HERO check-raises to $58, VILLAIN jams for $407, HERO calls

Oh snap. We get 200+ BBs into a 5 BB pot and I have the nuts with a flush blocker. Seems good.



Very lit. It's hard to really get across in the write-up, but all the big bets and raises I'd been making throughout the match made this hand go the way it did.

It's one of the best feelings in poker to play someone heads up, dominate the match, and take them down to the felt.

All the while I was doing this, I was building my stack back up at the 2/4 to only suffer a relatively small loss instead of a big-ass one.

And at 1am, I wrap up the session up $600 after being stuck piles. Good way to start off the month.

A couple hands from last night's session:

HAND 1: To call or not to call

PREFLOP: 1/2 6-max
HERO ($400) opens to $6 UTG with KK, new player UTG1 ($300) calls $6

FLOP ($15): 752
HERO c-bets $15, UTG1 calls $15

TURN ($45): 4
HERO checks, UTG1 bets $22.50, HERO check-calls $22.50

I decide to check because in the moment I felt like as the preflop caller, this card helps his range more than mine. But bc's he's UTG1 calling my UTG open, his range should be stronger than a normal preflop call and I should probably he continuing to barrel to get value from flush draws, mid-pairs, 98s, 78s, etc, even though many of those hands will likely bet for me, trying to get me off big broadways that missed.

RIVER ($90): A
HERO checks, UTG1 bets $72, HERO tank-calls $72

I don't love calling here; the Ace is a particularly bad card, since Axhh is definitely one of the hands he could play this way, and A3s and A4s are available to him as well (though he'd have to be a decent hand-reader to bet A3s like this.

Also, because this is just a polarized spot in general, his middle and low pairs are never betting for value (although they could be turning themselves into a bluff targeting my overpairs, I wouldn't expect that often in this population).

But, I do call because A) I'm way up in my range considering how I got to this spot, and B) I unblock all flush draws he could be bluffing with.



From a theory perspective, I think it's a good call but it felt bad making it and wasn't a big fan of losing my money. Of course doubly painful to be so far ahead in the hand and get slapped on the river like that.

-----------------------------

HAND 2: Bluffing for stacks

PREFLOP: 1/2
MP opens for $5, CO ($394) calls $5, HERO ($416) 3-bets on the BUTTON to $22 with JJ, MP folds and CO calls $22

FLOP ($52): AT9
CO checks, HERO checks

Pretty neutral flop; I think both betting a checking have merit but I decide to check here.

TURN ($52): 2
CO bets $26, HERO calls $26

Don't love that he's firing, but certainly my hand is way too good to fold.

RIVER ($104): 3
CO bets $76, HERO shoves all-in for $390, CO folds

Is this smart? I'm not so sure. CO bets pretty big, but because I have the J there's really only one way he can possibly have the nuts (KQ), while I can have the virtual nuts several ways. So he can't really have the nuts and it's actually pretty hard for him to have a flush at all with the A, J, T, and 9 of clubs all accounted for; we're talking maybe 3 combos (KQ/87/76) of flushes he could have. He also can't have a set of Aces.

The problem is that I can certainly get looked up by sets of 9s and Ts, plus ATs. I don't expect him to have A9s often and he can have T9s but that hand is put in a pretty tough spot, maybe he calls and maybe he doesn't.

So I'm still not sure if this was a good shove; it could be that because he's naturally polarized on the river, I should just be calling; there's not many hands, if any, that are betting for value that are folding. I'm just kinda thinking aloud as I type this.

In the moment I was just like, I have more nuts than him and I have a good blocker, it's gonna be tough for him to call off his stack, Leeeeroooyyyyy!!! But the more I think about it, the more I'm questioning this play.

Either way, it gets through and I escape punting off 200 BBs.

---------------------------------

Up a little bit through the first couple days of the month, still idling and hoping to get in gear soon tho

Let's go over some bluffs some last night!


HAND 1: Hopeless or unlucky?

PREFLOP: 1/2, .1 ante
SB raises to $6, HERO defends in BB with A7

FLOP ($12.80): QJ8
SB cbets $6.40, HERO calls $6.40

Yeah, folding is the standard play here (and for good reason). But with the Ac in my hand, I decide that there's going to be really good bluffing opportunities later in the hand, and this player is very wide and aggressive so his range is also quite wide here.

TURN ($25.60): 7
SB bets $12.80, HERO raises to $51.20, SB tank-calls

So, getting a little off the rails here. My thinking in the moment was based on seeing him size up in this spot when he had strong hands, so a half-pot bet felt weak and fishy, and I decided to pounce on it. However, without good blockers or anything (besides the Ac), my hand really isn't a great candidate here. And, if I'm gonna use my Ac blocker, I should be waiting until a club falls to raise - not this fairly safe looking card.

RIVER ($128): 9
SB checks, HERO bets $116, SB calls

I was thinking of just giving up on the river, but I felt this card presented a really good bluffing opportunity, because - what Tx does he have? Possibly the Tc with a flush draw like T8 or AT, but really that's a small portion of his range. QT and JT likely aren't able to call a big raise on the turn like that, with a pair + weak kicker + gutter. So I decide to bomb it ... but I get snapped off.



Welp. He had a hand I really didn't think could make it to the river there. So I feel like it's kinda unlucky that he had a Ten here, however, I also don't think the way I structured this bluff was very good, and it cost me.

-------------------------------

HAND 2: Better this time

PREFLOP: .5/1, .1 ante
Rec ($134) opens from CO to $3, HERO ($277) 3-bets from the CO to $13 with AJ, CO calls $13

FLOP ($28.90): T62
HERO c-bets $13.95, CO calls $13.95

This is a decent flop for me where the turn should bring a lot of cards that I can continue barreling on.

TURN ($56.80): 9
HERO checks, CO bets $28.40, HERO check-raises all-in to $112.53, CO folds

I like this. The stack sizes were such that continuing to barrel would have been a little awkward, so I decided to check-raise all-in and fortunately he obliged with a bet (and a fold!).

Certainly it's far more congruent with how I'd play a value hand like AJ and has good blockers to rep it (and take away his flush combos), so overall just a way better job of structuring a bluff than in the first hand.

-------------------------------

HAND 3: Trying to get one through vs Johnnie Vibes

PREFLOP: 1/2
Vibes ($400) opens to $6, loose recs in LJ and HJ call, HERO calls in CO with J9

FLOP ($27): 985
Vibes c-bets $19, LJ and HJ fold, HERO calls $19

With top pair and backdoor straight and flush draws, I'm of course taking a turn here. But I also think Vibes' bet is interesting into a multi-way field; this flop should be so much better for the field calling range than his MP opening range that I'm a little suspicious. Of course, because he shouldn't be betting this flop all that often, he bets bigger which is prudent.

Vibes is a really good player; out of all the bigger-name vloggers, I think he's by far the most seasoned and sophisticated player. So for sure he doesn't just have missed overs here; I basically range him on big overpairs, sets, and big flush draws.

Obviously my hand isn't doing great against those hands, but the board texture is such that is vastly favors the in-position player, and I think there can be some really good opportunities to put his range in very tough spots moving forward.

TURN ($65): 2
Vibes bets $44, HERO calls $44

My plan to bluff takes a hit when the turn bricks. I consider folding, which is probably the best play here. But in the moment, I take this card off still thinking the river can come really good for me to make a bluff, or if he's barreling with overcard diamonds, for him to give up the river if it misses.

RIVER ($153): Q
Vibes checks, HERO bets $101.33, Vibes snap-calls

I was more hoping for a 6, 7, 9, or J, but the Queen gives me a somewhat decent bluff opportunity since I have a Jack in my hand. So, I decide to go for it thinking my hand is almost never good here, but thinking about it now, it's pretty flawed logic.

Yes, I block the straight draw, and mayyyybe I could've played JT this way, but honestly with the flush draw out there, the turn is a just fold with JT for most good players.

And what am I trying to get him off of? He's not folding sets, not folding QQ/KK/AA, and honestly might even snap off with TT or JJ because he himself blocks the straight and I could have missed diamonds.

And, I already beat missed FDs like KJ/AJ/AK of diamonds, so all I need to do is check back against them. So I think turning my pair into a bluff here is pretty flawed.



Interesting snap call by him. From his perspective, I shouldn't have many bluffs here, since he blocks a ton of the missed diamonds himself (I can still have Axdd tho). Although possibly it makes some sense for me to have 87 or 56, but those are really thin calls on the turn also. And I don't think he'd expect me to turn my good pairs like what I have into a bluff.

At the same time, what I'm repping for value is super thin too; JT, sure, but with his hand he also blocks the straight. And if I'd flopped the straight or sets/2prs, he should expect me to be raising the turn with great frequency instead of calling twice and then bombing the river once he checks. It's a fishy line and he snuffed it out; I think bluffing this hand is far more credible if I raise the turn and the bomb all-in, which I should be choosing to do when certain hearts fall.

All in all, it was a miscalculated by me bluff and a well-played hand by him.

Just gotta post this one hand from late last night:


PREFLOP: 1/2
HERO ($400) opens to $6 from MP with 87, BUTTON ($1600) 3-bets to $19, HERO calls $19

FLOP ($41): 953
HERO checks, BUTTON bets $13, HERO check-raises to $40, BUTTON calls $40

I've been working on mixing in check-raises with 3-flush+3-straight hands on boards like this that should miss the majority of the unpaired region of the button's 3-bet range. Unfortunately here it doesn't get through.

TURN ($121): 6
HERO bets $88, BUTTON calls $88

Oh, well hello there

RIVER ($297): K
HERO stuffs for $253, BUTTON calls all-in



Not much else to say besides sometimes the Poker Gods throw you a bone.

Just played this hand:

PREFLOP: 1/2
HJ opens to $6, HERO ($410) 3-bets to $22 from CO with AK, unknown SB ($353) cold 4-bets to $52, HJ folds and HERO calls $52

Don't love to see that; usually a cold 4! in these games almost always means an elite hand. Of course, getting nearly 3:1 and being in position after the flop with AKs, I'm never folding, but I think a call here is far better than 5!ing.

FLOP ($112): A97
SB bets $58, HERO calls $58

Great flop for me - far better than a King-high flop. Now only the case AA beats me; It's just so rare that you'd see a small cold-4 here OOP with 99 or 77.

Nothing to do here but call obvs, don't wanna blow him off JJ-KK type hands or suited broadway bluffs that he might continue barreling with on favorable turns.

TURN ($228): 4
SB checks, HERO bets $44, SB check-raises all-in for $243, HERO calls

Great turn, giving me the backdoor nut flush draw. Unfortunately he checks, so I make a really small bet trying to keep his pocket pairs in.

Then he check-raises all-in, which was unexpected. I'm certainly not folding, but I'm hoping he has a hand like 87 and not a hand like AK or even worse, one of the two combos of A4s left.

Coulda been a really good session tonight but it didn't quite go that way, mostly bc of a couple hands where I had KK. Here they are:


HAND 1: Could I play any worse? The answer is a resounding no.

PREFLOP: 1/2nl
Tight player ($235) UTG1 opens to $5, MP calls $5, HERO (covers) raises to $20 from the CO

UTG1 4-bets to $86, CO folds, HERO calls $86

This call leaves us with less than a pot-sized bet behind. I considered jamming pre, which I should have done. I just didn't want him to be able to fold QQ. But that logic is flawed bc if he has a hand like AK, if he doesn't hit there's a pretty good chance he won't stack off post but will pre.

FLOP ($180): AT6
UTG1 bets $90, HERO folds

His sizing is pretty weird; he went 4.5x pre and the bets half pot here leaving himself only $60 behind - not very consistent with AA.

AK makes plenty of sense, but of could there's only 6 combos of that left since I have two Kings and there's an Ace on board. But, this doesn't really jive with QQ either.

So at the end, I fold my Kings thinking AK is really the only hand that makes much sense here.



Ayaaaaah. So, something I tend to do poorly as a player is to mentally give to much value credit to 3!s and 4!s. It isn't as much of a weakness for 4!s specifically bc they tend to be heavily weighted towards value in general, but the point remains.

In this hand I made a big mistake by not just jamming pre, and then compounded it by not really considering he might have air post, which probably changes my decision since AK is the only value hand that makes much sense and the combos of that available are really scarce.

Feels bad to get completely owned like this lol

--------------------------------

HAND 2: Feels bad man

PREFLOP: 1/2
UTG opens to $6, UTG1 calls $6, MP calls $6, HERO ($550) is on the button with KK and raises to $36, tight player in the SB ($245) cold 4-bets to $108, folds back to HERO who is determined not to misplay his hand like before, so HERO jams for $245 effective, SB calls all-in



Welp; sucks too bc it's somewhat likely one of the other players folded an Ace, though that's just a guess.

----------------------------

HAND 3: Small pot but big annoying

PREFLOP: 1/2nl
UTG1 limps for $2, short-stacked fish jams for $22 from MP, HERO has KK in the SB and iso's to $66, everyone else folds



Not a big pot but still $50, after losing the first two pots with KK it just felt like the Poker Gods needling me haha

Despite the latest debacle session I wrote up, I ended the week pretty solidly with just over a $1.4k profit. Haven't had a lot of smash weeks since starting on Bros (I get the impression the games are becoming less juicy as time goes on) and I'm not sure this qualifies as one, but I'll take it.

Just played this hand that I thought was fun:

PREFLOP: .5/1nl (.10 ante), 4-handed
Good Tag in CO ($222) opens to $3.50, loose player on BUTTON ($204) calls $3.50, HERO ($188) completes in BB with Q7

I considered 3-betting here with the extra caller who has a capped range, but my hand doesn't have quite the blocker strength or post-flop barrel-ability that I like in my 3-bet candidates.

FLOP ($11.80): K43
HERO checks, CO c-bets $6.40, BUTTON folds, HERO check-calls $6.40

There's also a case to check-raise here, mostly bc we expect the CO to likely c-bet often but not connect a lot here.

But I decide to check-call for 2 raesons:

1) Since if I'm check-raising this hand my range is just too far weighted towards draws instead of value. I think check-raising combo draws like A2 or 67 is good, while just check-calling the rest.

2) There are just so few value combos to rep on this flop (basically just 44/33 and mayyybe the two combos each of K4s and K3s left)


TURN ($24.60): A
HERO checks, CO bets $14.90, HERO check-raises to $41.70, CO folds

A really interesting card falls on the turn, and the CO bets again. And frankly, I'm just not sure about this one. With this bet, he's saying he c-bet with a hand like AJ and then smashed the turn, but it's even more plausible that he has QJ/JT/QT (and he can have all offsuit combos of these) and is using the Ace as a bluff card.

He could also have hands like A5 and A2, and is trying to get thin value from Kx that check-called the flop.

At any rate, a check-raise is devastating to all of these holdings. And if he does have a strong Ax, I still have an escape hatch with a spade on the river.

This time he folds and I get the pot. I liked this hand because I passed up a couple questionable spots to get aggressive and when a really good spot finally presented itself, I pulled the trigger.

Just played this hand:

PREFLOP: 2/4NL
Looser player in LOJACK ($700) opens to $10, HERO ($650) has AK in the HIJACK and 3-bets to $35, LOJACK calls $35

FLOP ($76): J43
LJ checks, HERO c-bets $25, LJ check-calls $25

TURN ($126): 6
LJ checks, HERO bets $75, LJ check-calls $75

RIVER ($276): Q
LJ checks, HERO bets $185, LJ tank-folds

I know on paper this is a fairly "standard" spot to bluff, but in practice it's not always that easy to unload the clip. But here I was able to, leveraging the fact that I have AA/KK/QQ and the nut flush, whereas he's pretty capped in not having any of those hands. And I like my sizing here, since the pot is big enough on the river that a 2/3rds pot bet is both large enough to be really scary but also look like value-bet sizing when compared to the size of the pot.

2 hands I played tonight, both against the same villain who's directly on my right. Villain is a decent reg, strikes me as the kind of player who would be a slight winner in your local live 2/5 game. Doesn't seem very studied or structured and has big leaks (like playing too many hands, paying off too much, etc), but capable enough that he's better than all the fish out there.

(That's my online read of him anyway lol)


HAND 1: Hero Calling

PREFLOP: .50/1, .10 ante
MP limps, Villain in CO ($260) limps, HERO ($205) raises to $5.50 on the BUTTON with 76, MP folds and Villain calls

FLOP ($15.10): T62
Villain checks, HERO bets $6.50, Villain check-raises to $17.50, HERO calls $17.50

This is a weird check-raise, and almost assuredly some BS. He's basically repping sets or something like AT here, but he didn't raise pre so TT is out, I have a 6 so sets of 6s are basically out, and AT feels like a stretch too since he didn't raise.

So, this is likely a set of deuces or some sort of airball gutter like 54s or 98s.

But I actually don't think I did the right thing here; I think I should be 3-betting the flop. This puts his Tx in a horrible spot and denies equity to 98-type hands.

TURN ($50.10): J
Villain bets $25.50, HERO calls $25.50

I pick up a diamond draw, and I still think he's mostly FOS, so I call again.

RIVER ($100.20): J
Villain bets $100.20, HERO calls $100.20

I have third pair and no kicker, so of course I have to call this pot-sized river bomb. Seriously though, I don't see him making this polarized bet with Tx, so really I think we're down to deuces full or air.



Welp. I had the right read but he got there in a hard-to-read way. I think the one thing I could have done better is 3-bet the flop.

--------------------------------

HAND 2: Hero Folding

PREFLOP: .50/1, .10 ante
Villain ($577) opens to $4 from UTG1, HERO ($212) calls in MP with KQ, CO calls $4, SB calls $4

FLOP ($18.80): QQ7
Action checks around

I can definitely bet this flop, but I think the hands that call if I bet will bet themselves when I check after the pre-flop raiser checks - hands like 88/99, 7x, and flush draws. So this way I disguise my hand without missing out on much value imo, while also incentivizing the CO to take a stab with some air.

TURN ($18.80): A
SB checks, Villain checks, HERO bets $13.53, CO and SB fold, Villain check-calls $13.53

This is a really nice card for me, esp when Villain as the pre-flop raiser check-calls - his holdings are weighted hugely toward Ax hands.

RIVER ($45.86): J
Villain checks, HERO bets $22.93, Villain check-raises to $65.79, HERO folds

I go for value against Ax, and when he check-raises the river, I do NOT want to fold. I just lost a big pot to this guy and now I've flopped top trips with a big kicker against him.

But in the end, I just couldn't find any bluffs for him. And this line really just screams value, especially when both Qx and flushes are squarely in my range and he shouldn't expect me to fold those. So I think he prolly just made this line with a cautiously played Ax or something and got there, and I made a teeth-gritting fold.


------------------------------

HAND 3: Bonus bluff

PREFLOP: .50/1, .1 ante (all players have $150+)
UTG limps, MP limps, HERO checks his option in the BB with J5

FLOP ($4.70): 943
Action check around

TURN ($4.70): 6
HERO bets $3.13, UTG folds, MP calls $3.13

RIVER ($10.96): 9
HERO checks, MP bets $7.50, HERO check-raises to $25, MP folds

I check to give up, but when he bets he gives his hand away as having no showdown value. If he had 9x he's betting the flop as the last to act, and if he had a set or 2pr he's raising the turn. I also unblock both missed flush draws and the 78 straight draw, so the more I think about it, the more this is just a slam-dunk check-raise. I pull the trigger and get the fold.

A hand I played today that I didn't like:


PREFLOP: 1/2nl
TAG ($202) in MP opens to $5, HERO in LJ (covers) 3-bets to $17 with AK, MP calls $17

FLOP ($37): K44
MP donks for $18.50, HERO calls $18.50

Interesting donk from this guy; it ranges him pretty hard on mostly flush draws and KQ/KJ-type holdings (if they're suited, not many of those available).

I decide to call instead of raising in position, I can let him fire again on the turn with all of these hands instead of folding any out.

TURN ($74): 7
MP leads for $52, HERO calls $52

Villain makes a substantial turn bet, leaving him about $114 behind.

I'm obviously going to the felt here, so I can call and let him barrel off on the river or raise all-in here.

If he's got Kx (like KQ or KJ) it's probably a bit better to just call. He'll probably shut down on the river but likely have to call my river shove in case I have missed clubs.

If he's got clubs, it's better to jam here. He'll either have to forfeit his equity share or get it in against the grain.

I think it's far more likely he's got clubs; there are many more combos of flush draws available and they're more likely to try to take an aggressive line like this, whereas Kx is usually more content to check-call and see what develops.

So in retrospect I think jamming turn is far better ... but in-game I just called.

RIVER ($178): 3
MP jams for $114.50, HERO calls $114.50

Terrible card and I know it, but I think maybe he's got AK himself or maybe is even value-owning himself with like KxQ



Weeeelp. No one to blame but myself here, I played this hand really poorly and paid for it.

I had a prime opportunity to put this guy's donk-betting ass in a vice on the turn, but instead I let him off the hook and realize his equity on his terms. THEN I paid him off on the end when I knew my battleship was sunk.

Tough hand to lose, but a good hand to learn from.

Wrapped up the week up about $1.1k, it's my second straight week with a 1k+ profit, which isn't anything huge but it is nice to get a little momentum going for the first time in what feels like forever.

The goal was to have a smash August (idk what that means exactly but anything over $4k would be great) and so far I'm pacing to do that - just need to keep grinding and trying to play well.

Great read man!

Where are you geographically that there are consistent cash games? Vegas?

Thanks dood - I'm in the SF Bay Area, but all my action has been online since March

Ooooh solid! What sites? Ignition?

I thought your recent hands were live and thus figured you'd be outside of the USA or maybe braving Vegas.

For you personally what will be the point where you feel safe playing live again?

Sent from my EML-L09 using Tapatalk

Nah, I've been exclusively live for the past two years (had a thread last year as well that was all live and this one started out the same) but obvs Covid has changed a lot of things.

I've been playing on the club sites, first King's Club and now Poker Bros. Can't say I care for the Bros platform too much but it is what it is.

I'm think a pretty big underdog to play live poker again in 2020. Taking a wait-and-see approach but I have a new daughter and with our 70+ year-old parents in our immediate bubble as well, I feel it's my responsibility to be pretty careful when it comes to these things.

Had a good day to start off the week, but there's a hand I didn't play well which was pretty frustrating. Here it is:

PREFLOP: 1/2nl
Tough reg ($350) opens to $5 in MP, HERO flats in BB with QQ

I like to flat at a small frequency in the BB with big hands, especially against tough players. The reason beings that:

A) To keep some big hands in my flatting range for meta purposes
B) Better players tend to be good hand-readers, so being uncapped in spots where they expect you to be capped can pay off big at times

FLOP ($11): TT3
HERO checks, MP bets $6.50, HERO check-calls $6.50

TURN ($24): Q
HERO checks, MP bets $10, HERO check-raises to $40, MP calls $40

I hit complete gin on the turn, make a solid check-raise, and am quite happy to get a call.

RIVER ($104): 5
HERO bets $100, MP tank-folds, showing the T

So a couple frustrating things about this hand. First off, obviously if I 3! here he probably calls his Txs, but folds his offsuit Tens like AT/KT/JTo. So he'll fold a decent amount but the times he doesn't, I cold-deck him and win his whole stack. Alas, not going to dwell on that too much bc the theory behind this play is sound as long as it's an occasional thing (which it is for me) and not a play you make a lot.

But mostly, I misplayed the hand on the river. Once the flush card hits, he's really only paying off big bets with Tx and flushes; Qx likely isn't paying off and there's only one Queen left in the deck anyway.

But I don't think big-betting is the move here; I think a smaller bet or a check is best.

If I check, he'll bet all his flushes and then maybe even call a check-raise, whereas when I bet big I think he just calls down with the paired board, even with the nut flush.

With his Tx, he certainly might check back his weaker ones like T9s and JTs, but I think he'd have to go for a bet with KTs and ATs. And then he probably folds them all at a high frequency to my check-raise.

When I bet medium, he can call with Tx and all his flushes, and maybe even raise many of his flushes thinking I have Tx (which would be very consistent with my actions). Then I get a lot of money out of him.

So, while my initial thought was "damn I should have checked", writing it out now I actually think more of a smallish sizing like 40-50% pot would have been more ideal.

As it was, I completely cold-decked the guy and won the stone minimum. Obv the flush card coming on the river sucked and killed the action, but I could have won more if I'd played this hand better regardless.