I don't play very much but it seemed like forever since I walked away from a table with more money than I started. It was getting depressing. I couldn't point to coolers exclusively (though they contributed). I attempted to look at my game to plug a geyser of a leak.

The more I went over hands in my head, the more I was blaming passive play. Instead of betting draws, I was calling hoping they would hit. I was limping hands that played well in position but I wasn't in position. My three-bet range was QQ+. I was folding Kings whenever an Ace showed up on the board. I took pride on playing tight, but I was even worse than weak-tight, I was cowardly.

So I watched some $1/2 Vlogs on YouTube and saw how aggression and position was getting players to take down pots without a hand. Okay, I needed to see that. Even at $1/2 you can get people to fold if I picked my spots.

Aggressive!
Position!

I was psyched when I went into the poker room this afternoon. I was not even going to play $1/2 but the casino I went to wasn't doing their daily AM tourney because of a two-day event. The higher buy-in didn't scare me but I work 50 hours a week so it didn't seem likely I could escape for a day two. So I bought in for $300 and helped open a brand new $1/2 game.

And it was going to be a brand new game alright! I was going to be aggressive. I was going to use position. I was going to play skillfully instead of hoping to stack the second nuts with the nuts.

It started off splendidly when I saw an 89o in the cut-off. The old me would fold or maybe limp in. But no, I raised to $15 and got only one caller.

Flop came out J7x rainbow. A gutter ball straight draw? In the past I would hope to make my draw and meekly table a nine-high if I missed. Not now! I c-bet that flop. He called. Turn is an Ace and he checks. Take the free card? Hell no! I bet $20! And what does he do? Fold! He folded!

I win with a nine high, without having to hit my draw. This is skillful poker, this is playing aggressively, this is how you win playing $1/2 No Limit Texas Hold 'em! This was me getting off the schneid!

I win a couple more hands and it doesn't even piss me off that my AK in the blinds were beat despite a PF raise in an unraised pot and a C-bet on the flop (he won with deuces - I didn't have position!) and I am up for the first time in seemingly forever! Only $25 but it feels like to much more because I feel I am earning my pots and it had been so long since I won them by any means!

And then this happens...

I am in the cut-off and there are two limpers and I look down at a hand I would have never played before I got pumped up watching $1/2 YouTube pros: T6. "Fold preflop," I would have condescendingly said had someone mentioned it in a 2+2 thread.

But I am aggressive!
I am using position!
I am playing skillfully!

I raise to $15.

I get a call from the button (um, about that position...) and an old tight guy who limped in. I got the other player to fold at least.

Flop could have been worse: T34, one club. Ready to make my continuation bet and... The tight old guy bets into me $25, about a half pot-size bet. Hmm... What would those aggressive YouTube Vloggers do?

I can't fold - if I am going to play T7s I can't fold on this flop - but I am not happy raising here so I call. The button also calls.

Turn is a J. Another good card for me; now I have second pair and a flush draw. Ready to make a skillful play!

Tight old guy bets $100 leaving himself only about $50 behind. Damn, this it not what I expected! I know I have no fold equity and I am increasingly unsure that my trips or two-pair outs will actually be good for me here.

Calling is terrible given his pittance left. I have $275 left and the button (did I mention he was still in the hand?) has me covered. "That turn was a good card for me," I mumbled to myself. I knew I was behind but I am drawing live. Even talking myself into the unlikely possibility that another Ten or Six gives me a ton of outs, the math is terrible.

Yet, right as I was about to make the smart fold and start kicking myself for getting into that mess, I shoved all in. I am not even sure I did it. It felt like some apparition suddenly took over and violated the one-player-to-a-hand rule. But there I was, shoving in all of my chips knowing full well that the man was committed for his last $50.

And then the Button who covered me called.

I was pretty sure my face dropped so low it needed to be picked off the floor. Tight old guy shows a set of tens (yes, the case ten came out). The button has a set of treys. I went from being the skillful player using position and aggression to being the idiot who has his entire stack in the middle in terrible, terrible shape.

The dealer then peels off... The 5.

I stack up my chips, feel the same angry stares that I am used to giving to a luck-box who got it in terrible and got there.

"I sure played that skillfully," I said to nobody in particular.

Hmmmm.

So you're telling us you're a fish?

i would never read this

Never ever post again OP. That story was one of the worst things I've ever read.

NO ****ING THANKS

wow I won with 106d's vs k7off for a 450 pot the other night, flopped flush vs flopped two 2. 10 6 is a good hand, you've learned so much from me.

^ Someone needs to be culled from BBV

Chastised by my own peers, Baptized by my own tears.

Sure.

You'll never pass the pop quiz...

You should read more. Have someone buy you a Kindle.

tl;dr I won.

Also, your image didn't post. I took a step of opening it from the URL. I suggest you post better.

(That bit was only 20 words.)

Were you the apparition I spoke of? Thank you.

Come on Mr. Piddle, it wasn't that bad.

Sorry, Sheep86, I was padding my post count so that maybe Collin_Piddle could have to rank his "worst things I read" list with several posts of mine to choose from.

Passive aggression followed up with direct aggression is verboten, please select one method and stick with it, sir.

Very fishy of you.

It is really really bad. Pretty sure OP posted this same story or a very similar story under another gimmick account a couple of years ago.

Aggression gets a big increase in value in hold'em because it is difficult to make a pair. Pair is a strong hand in hold'em. Your outlier aggression is going get caught qualitatively and you will lose. Semi bluffing gives you bluff equity and the equity you got from your odds. I enjoy check raise semi bluffing. Besides that your post was too long and you see not to understand the game to be playing at 300NL. Start at 2NL and see if you can move up.

That was the worst accusation I ever read.

Can you direct me to a casino that offers $.01/$.02 NLHE?

Absolutely!

ACR.

Bye now.

https://poker.bovada.lv/

Softest and Saftest games available. Also when you play live you break your $300 buy in into 40BB buy-ins get a feel for the table and if there is sucker players you add on to max. If there are no suckers you must leave as cash game is already risky and waste of money without donkeys at table.

Stay away from cash game until you develop enough skills and a feel for how handds play out against certain opponets if you are ahead.

Also stay away from ACR they have pro's at 2NL and 5NL.

BBV be all like:



And OP be all like:

DangtheRiver wins the thread