I played a short one-tabling session as I was practicing making a video about developing reads. The video wasn't going that well and the session was interrupted with an invitation to play a horseament. So I abandoned the practice video and went to play and win the tournament.
I'm not going to post any hands from the session because none were all that interesting.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Friday, March 07, 2008
761 Hands @ 9.97 BB/100
I'm keeping on the 100 hands/day pace, which is nice. Tonight's session featured a lot more donking and random aggression from my opponents than in my previous few sessions. It was also the first session for which I had my HUD running the way I wanted to, so that I could spend more mental energy paying attention to the action.
Hand #1
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (5 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is Button with As, Kd.
UTG calls, MP raises, Hero 3-bets, 2 folds, UTG calls, MP calls.
Flop: (10.40 SB) Ah, Jd, 7d (3 players)
UTG checks, MP bets, Hero calls, UTG folds.
Turn: (6.20 BB) 9s (2 players)
MP bets, Hero calls.
River: (8.20 BB) 3c (2 players)
MP bets, Hero calls.
Part of me thinks I played this hand right and part of me thinks I played it wrong. The reason I think I played this right is because from villain's flop donk onward, I think a raise lets him get away from his worse hands and that a call allows him to keep firing with whatever he has. In this case, he had TT and a raise at any point would probably have made him fold. But looking at the board texture, it's possible that there are enough worse hands that would get stuck calling at least the flop and turn raise, as KQ/KJ/AQ and whatever suited diamond hands he might raise preflop would be stuck. Also, a raise is a more effective way to shut out UTG from the pot in case he's chasing a 5-outer. Sometimes I think there is too much weight put on knocking out other hands in short-handed pots.
Hand #2:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Ad, Qc.
UTG raises, MP calls, 1 fold, Button 3-bets, 2 folds, UTG caps, MP calls, Hero calls.
Flop: (13.40 SB) 3s, Ac, 9c (3 players)
UTG bets, MP folds, Hero calls.
Turn: (7.70 BB) Jc (2 players)
UTG bets, Hero calls.
River: (9.70 BB) Ks (2 players)
UTG bets, Hero calls.
At the time this hand went down, I didn't have any relevant stats on villain. But this is a standard WA/WB line that I take very often when I'm against aggressive players (or players who might tip towards being aggressive) that I don't have a decent read on. Just as in the previous hand, raises may allow villain to get away from his hand if its worse. In this case, villain had QTs of the wrong suit and caught the runner-runner straight.
Hand #3:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (5 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is BB with As, Jc.
1 fold, MP calls, 2 folds, BB raises, MP calls.
Flop: (4.40 SB) 4d, 6c, 7s (2 players)
Hero bets, MP calls.
Turn: (3.20 BB) 3d (2 players)
Hero bets, MP calls.
River: (5.20 BB) Jh (2 players)
Hero bets, MP calls.
To me, the turn bet here with ace-high is pretty standard. Even though the board is very connected, it's also very low and unlikely to have hit MP's hand range very well. The low flop is also a good opportunity for worse hands like Q9 to peel one off. This makes my bet a value bet against a lot of hands. Rivering top pair turns this into a value bet on the end. I would often just check-fold UI here, but in some spots a check-call is better if I think villain is the type to bluff K/Q-high. This hand, villain limped in with the mighty 84s and I was actually chasing all the way to the end.
Hand #4
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Ac, Td.
2 folds, CO raises, Hero 3-bets, 1 fold, BB calls, CO calls.
Flop: (9.40 SB) Th, 9c, 2s (3 players)
BB checks, CO bets, Hero calls, BB calls.
Turn: (6.20 BB) 7c (3 players)
BB checks, CO bets, Hero calls, BB calls.
River: (9.20 BB) Qs (3 players)
BB checks, CO bets, Hero calls, BB folds.
Some players are a little hesitant to 3-bet with ATo. I think ATo is a very close 3-bet, as A9o is not a 3-betting hand. I messed up on the flop in this hand. Unlike the other top pair hands that came before this one, I have a vulnerable top pair hand. I would really like to see a hand like KQ go away. A flop donk here is much less likely to represent an overpair due to the lack of a preflop cap. Sometiems QQ/JJ might play timidly like this, but that's probably the exception. I took this hand down against KTo.
Hand #5
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is MP with Th, Ad.
UTG calls, Hero raises, 2 folds, SB calls, BB calls, UTG calls.
Flop: (8 SB) Jh, 6d, 3c (4 players)
SB bets, BB folds, UTG calls, Hero calls.
Turn: (5.50 BB) Td (3 players)
SB checks, UTG bets, Hero calls, SB calls.
River: (8.50 BB) Js (3 players)
SB bets, UTG calls, Hero calls.
This hand was played at one of the more aggressive tables I was at. Aggressive tables are harder because you will often be stuck making lots of marginal decisions.
The flop peel getting 10:1 is a tiny bit on the loose side, but based on the table read at the time, SB's donk didn't necessarily mean a J, nor did UTG's call. Having position on everyone is a helpful part of this hand as I wouldn't be able to check-call this if I were somehow in SB's position postflop.
The turn check by SB made me think he was on some sort of medium pocket pair, but then UTG's lead had me thinking for a while. There simply aren't a lot of Tx hands that UTG is likely to hold here. Running the hand through my head, it was conceivable that UTG was playing against SB's weakness. I was running low on time and decided that if I could get to showdown for two bets, I would do so.
The lead by SB didn't bother me at all. And when UTG flat called instead of raising, I knew I likely had the best hand, but probably not enough of a hand to raise for value. The reason is that a value raise here doesn't always get called, especially if villains are holding pocket pairs or hands of similar strength.
The results are really wacky as it was 64s and 54o against my ATo at showdown. Those hands would be in the bottom 99% of hands I was anticipating here.
Hand #6:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (4 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with Ac, 7d.
Hero raises, 2 folds, BB 3-bets, Hero calls.
Flop: (6.40 SB) Jh, As, 6s (2 players)
BB bets, Hero calls.
Turn: (4.20 BB) 9c (2 players)
BB bets, Hero calls.
River: (6.20 BB) 6h (2 players)
BB bets, Hero calls.
This was early in the session, and I had a tentative read that BB was a bit of a random-LAG. He seemed to put in bets in odd spots and his lines often didn't seem to add up to anything rational. Even at the point of the preflop call, I was considering whether I should just call down. I decided that my read wasn't strong enough that blindly calling down would be appropriate, but I did decide that any pair was getting to showdown, including if the board were paired. BB showed a mighty 82o and my random-LAG read was confirmed.
Hand #7:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is SB with Ks, Kh.
UTG calls, 1 fold, CO calls, 1 fold, Hero raises, 1 fold, UTG calls, CO calls.
Flop: (7 SB) 3h, 5d, Ah (3 players)
Hero bets, UTG calls, CO folds.
Turn: (4.50 BB) 9s (2 players)
Hero bets, UTG raises, Hero calls.
River: (8.50 BB) 8d (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets, Hero calls.
This was a bad calldown. In general, the flop call/turn raise line is scary and implies strong hands unless there is a read that would suggest otherwise. No such read existed, so I should have folded my not-top-pair hand to the turn raise. But instead, I called down and lost to a set of 5s.
Hand #8:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (5 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Kc, Qd.
1 fold, MP raises, Hero 3-bets, 2 folds, MP calls.
Flop: (7.40 SB) Jh, Th, 3h (2 players)
MP bets, Hero calls.
Turn: (4.70 BB) 9s (2 players)
MP bets, Button raises, MP calls.
River: (8.70 BB) 7h (2 players)
MP checks, Hero checks.
The river check is very standard here. MP's flop lead and turn bet-call is usually an indication of some sort of high heart. The ace of hearts is often found playing this way, though sometimes it's the K or Q of hearts. I would have value bet any non-heart. Villain surprised me this time around with QTo, which was the first loose raise I saw from him at this point in the session. I am inclined to believe that he would have called a river bet.
Hand #9:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with Qh, Kc.
Hero raises, 1 fold, CO calls, Button calls, SB calls, BB calls.
Flop: (10 SB) 4d, Ks, As (5 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets, CO folds, Button raises, SB folds, BB folds, Hero calls.
Turn: (7 BB) Qc (2 players)
Hero bets, Button raises, Hero 3-bets, Button calls.
River: (13 BB) 5h (2 players)
Hero bets, Button calls.
I don't often donk the turn like this, but it is a good spot for a bet/3-bet as there are many Ax hands who will think their hand is still good and raise, then be unable to fold. The turn check-raise line is also acceptable, but if you think you can squeeze a bet/3-bet you should go for it.
Hand #10:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Jh, Kd.
1 fold, MP calls, CO calls, Hero raises, 2 folds, MP calls, CO calls.
Flop: (7.40 SB) 6d, 9h, 9c (3 players)
MP checks, CO checks, Hero bets, MP folds, CO calls.
Turn: (4.70 BB) Qs (2 players)
CO checks, Hero bets, CO calls.
River: (6.70 BB) Th (2 players)
CO checks, Hero bets, CO calls.
The more I think about this hand, the more I think that this should have been a turn check, but it's close. It is often the case that A-high hands and medium pairs that call the flop are looking to show down. Also, the 99x flop does hit a moderate amount of the limping ranges, so I think a check-raise happens here somewhat often. I was ahead of KTo the whole time in this hand, and that was probably the best case scenario for me.
Hand #11:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is CO with Qs, Jh.
2 folds, Hero raises, 1 fold, SB calls, BB calls.
Flop: (6 SB) 2d, 7s, 3d (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero checks.
Turn: (3 BB) 4c (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero checks.
River: (3 BB) 2h (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero checks.
I have to admit that I probably c-bet too often. But I found a good spot for a check behind because in order for me to win this, I would likely have to bet twice, and sometimes I would have to bet three times to fold out the wide range of A-high and K-high hands that would call to chase. So I decided to just check behind and give up UI. Strangely enough, I won against two Q6o hands here.
Hand #12:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is CO with 9h, Jh.
UTG calls, 1 fold, Hero calls, 1 fold, SB completes, BB checks.
Flop: (4 SB) 4c, Th, 2h (4 players)
SB checks, BB checks, UTG bets, Hero calls, SB calls, BB folds.
Turn: (3.50 BB) 4d (3 players)
SB checks, UTG checks, Hero checks.
River: (3.50 BB) Qh (3 players)
SB bets, UTG folds, Hero raises, SB 3-bets, Hero caps, SB calls.
Sometimes I raise this preflop when the blinds are tight, but in this case they were too loose for me to isolate against a player with lots of dead money in the pot. At higher level games, I probably don't cap the river, but at this level players very often overvalue their hands and put in too many bets with strong hands despite scary boards. He lost with K4o in this hand.
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (5 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with 6h, 6c.
Hero raises, 1 fold, Button 3-bets, SB calls, 1 fold, Hero calls.
Flop: (10 SB) 5s, 3c, Th (3 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, Button bets, SB calls, Hero calls.
Turn: (6.50 BB) 6s (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, Button calls, SB calls.
River: (9.50 BB) Qd (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, Button calls, SB folds.
If SB had not called the flop, I would have check-raised. I'm ahead of overcards most of the time here, but when the third player comes along I need to treat carefully. When the good turn card fell, I went for a bet/3-bet because a hand like AK is often going to check through and I lose too much value. Even if I just get called, it's better than not getting any bets at all. This hand is a pretty easy win, but I was surprised by what I beat. Button 3-bet me with A5s.
Hand #1
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (5 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is Button with As, Kd.
UTG calls, MP raises, Hero 3-bets, 2 folds, UTG calls, MP calls.
Flop: (10.40 SB) Ah, Jd, 7d (3 players)
UTG checks, MP bets, Hero calls, UTG folds.
Turn: (6.20 BB) 9s (2 players)
MP bets, Hero calls.
River: (8.20 BB) 3c (2 players)
MP bets, Hero calls.
Part of me thinks I played this hand right and part of me thinks I played it wrong. The reason I think I played this right is because from villain's flop donk onward, I think a raise lets him get away from his worse hands and that a call allows him to keep firing with whatever he has. In this case, he had TT and a raise at any point would probably have made him fold. But looking at the board texture, it's possible that there are enough worse hands that would get stuck calling at least the flop and turn raise, as KQ/KJ/AQ and whatever suited diamond hands he might raise preflop would be stuck. Also, a raise is a more effective way to shut out UTG from the pot in case he's chasing a 5-outer. Sometimes I think there is too much weight put on knocking out other hands in short-handed pots.
Hand #2:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Ad, Qc.
UTG raises, MP calls, 1 fold, Button 3-bets, 2 folds, UTG caps, MP calls, Hero calls.
Flop: (13.40 SB) 3s, Ac, 9c (3 players)
UTG bets, MP folds, Hero calls.
Turn: (7.70 BB) Jc (2 players)
UTG bets, Hero calls.
River: (9.70 BB) Ks (2 players)
UTG bets, Hero calls.
At the time this hand went down, I didn't have any relevant stats on villain. But this is a standard WA/WB line that I take very often when I'm against aggressive players (or players who might tip towards being aggressive) that I don't have a decent read on. Just as in the previous hand, raises may allow villain to get away from his hand if its worse. In this case, villain had QTs of the wrong suit and caught the runner-runner straight.
Hand #3:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (5 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is BB with As, Jc.
1 fold, MP calls, 2 folds, BB raises, MP calls.
Flop: (4.40 SB) 4d, 6c, 7s (2 players)
Hero bets, MP calls.
Turn: (3.20 BB) 3d (2 players)
Hero bets, MP calls.
River: (5.20 BB) Jh (2 players)
Hero bets, MP calls.
To me, the turn bet here with ace-high is pretty standard. Even though the board is very connected, it's also very low and unlikely to have hit MP's hand range very well. The low flop is also a good opportunity for worse hands like Q9 to peel one off. This makes my bet a value bet against a lot of hands. Rivering top pair turns this into a value bet on the end. I would often just check-fold UI here, but in some spots a check-call is better if I think villain is the type to bluff K/Q-high. This hand, villain limped in with the mighty 84s and I was actually chasing all the way to the end.
Hand #4
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Ac, Td.
2 folds, CO raises, Hero 3-bets, 1 fold, BB calls, CO calls.
Flop: (9.40 SB) Th, 9c, 2s (3 players)
BB checks, CO bets, Hero calls, BB calls.
Turn: (6.20 BB) 7c (3 players)
BB checks, CO bets, Hero calls, BB calls.
River: (9.20 BB) Qs (3 players)
BB checks, CO bets, Hero calls, BB folds.
Some players are a little hesitant to 3-bet with ATo. I think ATo is a very close 3-bet, as A9o is not a 3-betting hand. I messed up on the flop in this hand. Unlike the other top pair hands that came before this one, I have a vulnerable top pair hand. I would really like to see a hand like KQ go away. A flop donk here is much less likely to represent an overpair due to the lack of a preflop cap. Sometiems QQ/JJ might play timidly like this, but that's probably the exception. I took this hand down against KTo.
Hand #5
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is MP with Th, Ad.
UTG calls, Hero raises, 2 folds, SB calls, BB calls, UTG calls.
Flop: (8 SB) Jh, 6d, 3c (4 players)
SB bets, BB folds, UTG calls, Hero calls.
Turn: (5.50 BB) Td (3 players)
SB checks, UTG bets, Hero calls, SB calls.
River: (8.50 BB) Js (3 players)
SB bets, UTG calls, Hero calls.
This hand was played at one of the more aggressive tables I was at. Aggressive tables are harder because you will often be stuck making lots of marginal decisions.
The flop peel getting 10:1 is a tiny bit on the loose side, but based on the table read at the time, SB's donk didn't necessarily mean a J, nor did UTG's call. Having position on everyone is a helpful part of this hand as I wouldn't be able to check-call this if I were somehow in SB's position postflop.
The turn check by SB made me think he was on some sort of medium pocket pair, but then UTG's lead had me thinking for a while. There simply aren't a lot of Tx hands that UTG is likely to hold here. Running the hand through my head, it was conceivable that UTG was playing against SB's weakness. I was running low on time and decided that if I could get to showdown for two bets, I would do so.
The lead by SB didn't bother me at all. And when UTG flat called instead of raising, I knew I likely had the best hand, but probably not enough of a hand to raise for value. The reason is that a value raise here doesn't always get called, especially if villains are holding pocket pairs or hands of similar strength.
The results are really wacky as it was 64s and 54o against my ATo at showdown. Those hands would be in the bottom 99% of hands I was anticipating here.
Hand #6:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (4 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with Ac, 7d.
Hero raises, 2 folds, BB 3-bets, Hero calls.
Flop: (6.40 SB) Jh, As, 6s (2 players)
BB bets, Hero calls.
Turn: (4.20 BB) 9c (2 players)
BB bets, Hero calls.
River: (6.20 BB) 6h (2 players)
BB bets, Hero calls.
This was early in the session, and I had a tentative read that BB was a bit of a random-LAG. He seemed to put in bets in odd spots and his lines often didn't seem to add up to anything rational. Even at the point of the preflop call, I was considering whether I should just call down. I decided that my read wasn't strong enough that blindly calling down would be appropriate, but I did decide that any pair was getting to showdown, including if the board were paired. BB showed a mighty 82o and my random-LAG read was confirmed.
Hand #7:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is SB with Ks, Kh.
UTG calls, 1 fold, CO calls, 1 fold, Hero raises, 1 fold, UTG calls, CO calls.
Flop: (7 SB) 3h, 5d, Ah (3 players)
Hero bets, UTG calls, CO folds.
Turn: (4.50 BB) 9s (2 players)
Hero bets, UTG raises, Hero calls.
River: (8.50 BB) 8d (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets, Hero calls.
This was a bad calldown. In general, the flop call/turn raise line is scary and implies strong hands unless there is a read that would suggest otherwise. No such read existed, so I should have folded my not-top-pair hand to the turn raise. But instead, I called down and lost to a set of 5s.
Hand #8:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (5 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Kc, Qd.
1 fold, MP raises, Hero 3-bets, 2 folds, MP calls.
Flop: (7.40 SB) Jh, Th, 3h (2 players)
MP bets, Hero calls.
Turn: (4.70 BB) 9s (2 players)
MP bets, Button raises, MP calls.
River: (8.70 BB) 7h (2 players)
MP checks, Hero checks.
The river check is very standard here. MP's flop lead and turn bet-call is usually an indication of some sort of high heart. The ace of hearts is often found playing this way, though sometimes it's the K or Q of hearts. I would have value bet any non-heart. Villain surprised me this time around with QTo, which was the first loose raise I saw from him at this point in the session. I am inclined to believe that he would have called a river bet.
Hand #9:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with Qh, Kc.
Hero raises, 1 fold, CO calls, Button calls, SB calls, BB calls.
Flop: (10 SB) 4d, Ks, As (5 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets, CO folds, Button raises, SB folds, BB folds, Hero calls.
Turn: (7 BB) Qc (2 players)
Hero bets, Button raises, Hero 3-bets, Button calls.
River: (13 BB) 5h (2 players)
Hero bets, Button calls.
I don't often donk the turn like this, but it is a good spot for a bet/3-bet as there are many Ax hands who will think their hand is still good and raise, then be unable to fold. The turn check-raise line is also acceptable, but if you think you can squeeze a bet/3-bet you should go for it.
Hand #10:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Jh, Kd.
1 fold, MP calls, CO calls, Hero raises, 2 folds, MP calls, CO calls.
Flop: (7.40 SB) 6d, 9h, 9c (3 players)
MP checks, CO checks, Hero bets, MP folds, CO calls.
Turn: (4.70 BB) Qs (2 players)
CO checks, Hero bets, CO calls.
River: (6.70 BB) Th (2 players)
CO checks, Hero bets, CO calls.
The more I think about this hand, the more I think that this should have been a turn check, but it's close. It is often the case that A-high hands and medium pairs that call the flop are looking to show down. Also, the 99x flop does hit a moderate amount of the limping ranges, so I think a check-raise happens here somewhat often. I was ahead of KTo the whole time in this hand, and that was probably the best case scenario for me.
Hand #11:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is CO with Qs, Jh.
2 folds, Hero raises, 1 fold, SB calls, BB calls.
Flop: (6 SB) 2d, 7s, 3d (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero checks.
Turn: (3 BB) 4c (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero checks.
River: (3 BB) 2h (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero checks.
I have to admit that I probably c-bet too often. But I found a good spot for a check behind because in order for me to win this, I would likely have to bet twice, and sometimes I would have to bet three times to fold out the wide range of A-high and K-high hands that would call to chase. So I decided to just check behind and give up UI. Strangely enough, I won against two Q6o hands here.
Hand #12:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is CO with 9h, Jh.
UTG calls, 1 fold, Hero calls, 1 fold, SB completes, BB checks.
Flop: (4 SB) 4c, Th, 2h (4 players)
SB checks, BB checks, UTG bets, Hero calls, SB calls, BB folds.
Turn: (3.50 BB) 4d (3 players)
SB checks, UTG checks, Hero checks.
River: (3.50 BB) Qh (3 players)
SB bets, UTG folds, Hero raises, SB 3-bets, Hero caps, SB calls.
Sometimes I raise this preflop when the blinds are tight, but in this case they were too loose for me to isolate against a player with lots of dead money in the pot. At higher level games, I probably don't cap the river, but at this level players very often overvalue their hands and put in too many bets with strong hands despite scary boards. He lost with K4o in this hand.
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (5 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with 6h, 6c.
Hero raises, 1 fold, Button 3-bets, SB calls, 1 fold, Hero calls.
Flop: (10 SB) 5s, 3c, Th (3 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, Button bets, SB calls, Hero calls.
Turn: (6.50 BB) 6s (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, Button calls, SB calls.
River: (9.50 BB) Qd (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, Button calls, SB folds.
If SB had not called the flop, I would have check-raised. I'm ahead of overcards most of the time here, but when the third player comes along I need to treat carefully. When the good turn card fell, I went for a bet/3-bet because a hand like AK is often going to check through and I lose too much value. Even if I just get called, it's better than not getting any bets at all. This hand is a pretty easy win, but I was surprised by what I beat. Button 3-bet me with A5s.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
468 hands @ 2.46 BB/100
I played a one hour session this evening. I spent a little more time trying to customize my HUD and I think I've finally gotten everything the way I want it... almost... I'm still have some issues getting PAHUD to do the preferred seating correctly, and I'm not sure what the deal is. I think I'll have to one-table for a while and mess around with the settings to see if I can get it right. I feel like it should be straight-forward, so maybe I'm just overlooking something obvious.
Hand #1:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is BB with Qc, Ac.
UTG calls, MP calls, 2 folds, SB raises, Hero 3-bets, UTG calls, MP folds, SB calls.
Flop: (10 SB) Jd, Qd, Th (3 players)
SB bets, Hero calls, UTG calls.
Turn: (6.50 BB) 7s (3 players)
SB bets, Hero calls, UTG calls.
River: (9.50 BB) 7h (3 players)
SB bets, Hero calls, UTG folds.
Final Pot: 11.50 BB
This is a pretty awful flop for me even though I have TPTK. The calldown is in the desperate hope to see KQ or 99 or maybe AJ/KJ. Since it went for 3 bets preflop, the pot is large enough that folding TPTK is essentially out of the question. I lost to JJ in this hand.
Hand #2:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is BB with Js, Ac.
2 folds, CO raises, 2 folds, Hero 3-bets, CO calls.
Flop: (6.40 SB) Jc, 3h, Ts (2 players)
Hero bets, CO calls.
Turn: (4.20 BB) 5h (2 players)
Hero bets, CO calls.
River: (6.20 BB) 8d (2 players)
Hero bets, CO calls.
Final Pot: 8.20 BB
This is a pretty standard 3-bet preflop, and postflop play is obvious. What is more intersting in this hand is that I got called down by K9s. This isn't the first K-high calldown that I've seen at this level, which is an indication of just how soft the games are at these stakes. It also means that I need to be aware of who is calling down light, so that I don't try to bet them out of the pot and so that I make sure to value bet a little lighter.
Hand #3:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is CO with Ts, Ah.
UTG calls, MP calls, CO raises, 1 fold, SB calls, 1 fold, UTG calls, MP calls.
Flop: (9 SB) Th, 2d, 5c (4 players)
SB checks, UTG checks, MP checks, Hero bets, SB calls, UTG calls, MP folds.
Turn: (6 BB) Jd (3 players)
SB checks, UTG checks, Hero bets, SB calls, UTG calls.
River: (9 BB) Kc (3 players)
SB checks, UTG checks, Hero checks.
Final Pot: 9 BB
This hand stands as an example of the types of loose flop peels I've been seeing a lot of at this level. The villain who won the pot had J6s. The other player flopped middle pair with A5o.
Hand #4:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Ad, Ts.
UTG calls, 2 folds, Hero raises, SB calls, BB calls, UTG calls.
Flop: (8 SB) 7c, Jh, 6h (4 players)
SB bets, BB folds, UTG calls, Hero raises, SB calls, UTG folds.
Turn: (6.50 BB) 6d (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, SB folds.
Final Pot: 6.50 BB
This hand was a misclick that went well for me (for a change). I thought the action was checked to me, and I was suprised and a bit annoyed to see that I had just raised a bet. When it was heads up on the turn, I decided to go ahead and treat this hand like a pure bluff, betting the turn and the river. But wait! Didn't I just say that I was getting called down somewhat lightly? Yes. But I also said that not every player was playing that way.
Hand #5:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is BB with 7d, Ad.
2 folds, CO raises, 2 folds, Hero calls.
Flop: (4.40 SB) Ks, 8d, 6d (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets, Hero raises, CO 3-bets, Hero calls.
Turn: (5.20 BB) Qs (2 players)
Hero checks, CO checks.
River: (5.20 BB) Ah (2 players)
Hero bets, CO calls.
Final Pot: 7.20 BB
Here is a bit of hand reading. When a player who generally aggressive player goes for 3 bets on the flop but then checks behind on the turn, he was either playing a draw or playing a medium-strength hand and wants to showdown for one bet. I believe it is more often the medium-strength hands because an aggressive player will hope to bluff you off your hand by betting the turn. So on the end, you shouldn't be bluffing very often, but you should be value betting anything from flopped middle pair with a strong kicker and up. In this hand, he had 98o.
Hand #6:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is Button with 6d, As.
UTG calls, MP calls, 1 fold, Hero calls, 1 fold, BB checks.
Flop: (4.40 SB) Qs, Ah, 8c (4 players)
BB checks, UTG checks, MP checks, Hero bets, BB raises, UTG folds, MP folds, Hero calls.
Turn: (4.20 BB) 7h (2 players)
BB bets, Hero calls.
River: (6.20 BB) 7c (2 players)
BB bets, Hero calls.
Final Pot: 8.20 BB
This table was playing pretty loose preflop and pretty bad postflop, so I decided to go ahead and take a flop with a weak ace. Against one limper, I would decide between raising and folding.
In this hand, BB had Q8o for flopped two pair and played it pretty badly. You should be leading your strong hands out of position because check-raising minimizes the amount you can win from weaker hands when the bet comes from late position. And in a 4-person pot, there's no particular reason to believe that someone will even bet it for you.
And yes, I sucked out.
Hand #7:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with 6s, 6d.
Hero raises, MP calls, 1 fold, Button 3-bets, 1 fold, BB calls, Hero calls, MP caps, Button calls, BB calls, Hero calls.
Flop: (16.40 SB) 8s, 8h, 9d (4 players)
BB checks, Hero checks, MP bets, Button calls, BB folds, Hero calls.
Turn: (9.70 BB) 3c (3 players)
Hero checks, MP bets, Button calls, Hero calls.
River: (12.70 BB) 9c (3 players)
Hero checks, MP checks, Button checks.
Final Pot: 12.70 BB
Here's a big pot that I nearly won, but the board didn't cooperate with me. The preflop 3 bet was far more worrisome than the preflop cap. The cap comes from a player who plays a lot of hands, and could be capping for no reason other than he wants to cap. Usually, coldcall cap hands are not strong hands, but those medium-strength drawing hands and pocket pairs.
Looking at the flop size and texture, I felt there was a pretty reasonable chance I was ahead, plus I had a couple outs for which I was almost getting immediate odds to chase. On the turn, there was no reason to think that anyone's hands changed, so I called another bet, looking for the river to tell me what to do. I would check-fold to an A or K on the river and I would often check-fold if it were bet and called in front of me. I lost to ATo (3-bettor) and A3s (capper).
I would post a couple more, but it's getting late and I should go to bed.
Hand #1:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is BB with Qc, Ac.
UTG calls, MP calls, 2 folds, SB raises, Hero 3-bets, UTG calls, MP folds, SB calls.
Flop: (10 SB) Jd, Qd, Th (3 players)
SB bets, Hero calls, UTG calls.
Turn: (6.50 BB) 7s (3 players)
SB bets, Hero calls, UTG calls.
River: (9.50 BB) 7h (3 players)
SB bets, Hero calls, UTG folds.
Final Pot: 11.50 BB
This is a pretty awful flop for me even though I have TPTK. The calldown is in the desperate hope to see KQ or 99 or maybe AJ/KJ. Since it went for 3 bets preflop, the pot is large enough that folding TPTK is essentially out of the question. I lost to JJ in this hand.
Hand #2:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is BB with Js, Ac.
2 folds, CO raises, 2 folds, Hero 3-bets, CO calls.
Flop: (6.40 SB) Jc, 3h, Ts (2 players)
Hero bets, CO calls.
Turn: (4.20 BB) 5h (2 players)
Hero bets, CO calls.
River: (6.20 BB) 8d (2 players)
Hero bets, CO calls.
Final Pot: 8.20 BB
This is a pretty standard 3-bet preflop, and postflop play is obvious. What is more intersting in this hand is that I got called down by K9s. This isn't the first K-high calldown that I've seen at this level, which is an indication of just how soft the games are at these stakes. It also means that I need to be aware of who is calling down light, so that I don't try to bet them out of the pot and so that I make sure to value bet a little lighter.
Hand #3:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is CO with Ts, Ah.
UTG calls, MP calls, CO raises, 1 fold, SB calls, 1 fold, UTG calls, MP calls.
Flop: (9 SB) Th, 2d, 5c (4 players)
SB checks, UTG checks, MP checks, Hero bets, SB calls, UTG calls, MP folds.
Turn: (6 BB) Jd (3 players)
SB checks, UTG checks, Hero bets, SB calls, UTG calls.
River: (9 BB) Kc (3 players)
SB checks, UTG checks, Hero checks.
Final Pot: 9 BB
This hand stands as an example of the types of loose flop peels I've been seeing a lot of at this level. The villain who won the pot had J6s. The other player flopped middle pair with A5o.
Hand #4:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Ad, Ts.
UTG calls, 2 folds, Hero raises, SB calls, BB calls, UTG calls.
Flop: (8 SB) 7c, Jh, 6h (4 players)
SB bets, BB folds, UTG calls, Hero raises, SB calls, UTG folds.
Turn: (6.50 BB) 6d (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, SB folds.
Final Pot: 6.50 BB
This hand was a misclick that went well for me (for a change). I thought the action was checked to me, and I was suprised and a bit annoyed to see that I had just raised a bet. When it was heads up on the turn, I decided to go ahead and treat this hand like a pure bluff, betting the turn and the river. But wait! Didn't I just say that I was getting called down somewhat lightly? Yes. But I also said that not every player was playing that way.
Hand #5:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is BB with 7d, Ad.
2 folds, CO raises, 2 folds, Hero calls.
Flop: (4.40 SB) Ks, 8d, 6d (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets, Hero raises, CO 3-bets, Hero calls.
Turn: (5.20 BB) Qs (2 players)
Hero checks, CO checks.
River: (5.20 BB) Ah (2 players)
Hero bets, CO calls.
Final Pot: 7.20 BB
Here is a bit of hand reading. When a player who generally aggressive player goes for 3 bets on the flop but then checks behind on the turn, he was either playing a draw or playing a medium-strength hand and wants to showdown for one bet. I believe it is more often the medium-strength hands because an aggressive player will hope to bluff you off your hand by betting the turn. So on the end, you shouldn't be bluffing very often, but you should be value betting anything from flopped middle pair with a strong kicker and up. In this hand, he had 98o.
Hand #6:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is Button with 6d, As.
UTG calls, MP calls, 1 fold, Hero calls, 1 fold, BB checks.
Flop: (4.40 SB) Qs, Ah, 8c (4 players)
BB checks, UTG checks, MP checks, Hero bets, BB raises, UTG folds, MP folds, Hero calls.
Turn: (4.20 BB) 7h (2 players)
BB bets, Hero calls.
River: (6.20 BB) 7c (2 players)
BB bets, Hero calls.
Final Pot: 8.20 BB
This table was playing pretty loose preflop and pretty bad postflop, so I decided to go ahead and take a flop with a weak ace. Against one limper, I would decide between raising and folding.
In this hand, BB had Q8o for flopped two pair and played it pretty badly. You should be leading your strong hands out of position because check-raising minimizes the amount you can win from weaker hands when the bet comes from late position. And in a 4-person pot, there's no particular reason to believe that someone will even bet it for you.
And yes, I sucked out.
Hand #7:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with 6s, 6d.
Hero raises, MP calls, 1 fold, Button 3-bets, 1 fold, BB calls, Hero calls, MP caps, Button calls, BB calls, Hero calls.
Flop: (16.40 SB) 8s, 8h, 9d (4 players)
BB checks, Hero checks, MP bets, Button calls, BB folds, Hero calls.
Turn: (9.70 BB) 3c (3 players)
Hero checks, MP bets, Button calls, Hero calls.
River: (12.70 BB) 9c (3 players)
Hero checks, MP checks, Button checks.
Final Pot: 12.70 BB
Here's a big pot that I nearly won, but the board didn't cooperate with me. The preflop 3 bet was far more worrisome than the preflop cap. The cap comes from a player who plays a lot of hands, and could be capping for no reason other than he wants to cap. Usually, coldcall cap hands are not strong hands, but those medium-strength drawing hands and pocket pairs.
Looking at the flop size and texture, I felt there was a pretty reasonable chance I was ahead, plus I had a couple outs for which I was almost getting immediate odds to chase. On the turn, there was no reason to think that anyone's hands changed, so I called another bet, looking for the river to tell me what to do. I would check-fold to an A or K on the river and I would often check-fold if it were bet and called in front of me. I lost to ATo (3-bettor) and A3s (capper).
I would post a couple more, but it's getting late and I should go to bed.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Hands from March 1
I'm going to try to get back in the habit of posting hands that I find interesting giving some commentaries on them.
Hand #1:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (4 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is BB with As, 6s.
UTG calls, Button calls, SB completes, Hero checks.
Flop: (4 SB) 3c, Ac, Tc (4 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, UTG calls, Button folds, SB calls.
Turn: (3.50 BB) Kc (3 players)
SB checks, Hero checks...
When I see this flop 4 handed, I assume that someone is holding a club. If it were 2 handed, I think such an assumption would be irrational, and if it were 3-handed, I think it's dicey, but I don't think you should assume that you're automatically beat by a club. If you assume that there's a 25% chance of each of villain's hole card being a club (a false assumption because you already know 3 clubs out, plus 2 non-clubs), you'll find the following probabilities for there being a club against you:
1 villain: 44%
2 villains: 68%
3 villains: 82%
The assumptions here tend to overestimate the chances of being against a club, but I think for 2 and 3 villains, getting called on the flop generally skews the probabilities towards clubs (medium clubs, usually), so I think they're pretty safe numbers to be using.
Ironically, after I checked, this got checked through and the river was a 5th club. Nobody bet at it, and nobody had a club and it got chopped 3-ways.
Hand #2:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is SB with 3c, As. MP posts a blind of $0.25.
UTG calls, MP (poster) checks, 2 folds, Hero completes, BB checks.
Flop: (4 SB) Kd, Ah, 4c (4 players)
Hero checks, BB checks, UTG checks, MP checks.
Turn: (2 BB) 6c (4 players)
Hero bets, BB folds, UTG calls, MP folds.
River: (4 BB) Ac (2 players)
Hero bets, UTG calls.
Final Pot: 6 BB
This is a classic spot to "check and see" when out of position with a medium-strength hand. I could be persuaded to bet here, but I think checking is correct. I might end up writing a short article for the 2+2 micros, so I don't want to spend a lot of time now typing out my thoughts. Here are the considerations when deciding between betting and checking:
* How many other players are in the pot?
* What are the chances of this being bet by worse hands?
* What are the chances of getting raised by worse hands?
* What draws are available?
* What are the chances that a free card would sink your hand?
As these variables change, you should become more or less inclined to lead out instead of checking.
Hand #3
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (5 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with Kd, Ks. MP posts a blind of $0.25.
Hero raises, MP (poster) calls, Button calls, SB calls, BB calls.
Flop: (10 SB) Jd, 9s, 5d (5 players)
SB bets, BB folds, Hero raises, MP folds, Button calls, SB calls.
Turn: (8 BB) Kc (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, Button raises, SB calls, Hero 3-bets, Button calls, SB calls.
River: (17 BB) 7s (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, Button calls, SB folds.
Final Pot: 19 BB
This is more of a brag hand. Button ended up here with KT, and his turn raise is very very bad given the action. I'm not sure what SB had here, but my best guess is something like QJ.
Hand #4
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (5 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is MP with Ks, Qs.
1 fold, MP raises, 2 folds, BB calls.
Flop: (4.40 SB) Ac, 2s, 4h (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets, BB calls.
Turn: (3.20 BB) Qd (2 players)
BB bets, Hero calls.
River: (5.20 BB) 2c (2 players)
BB bets, Hero calls.
Calling down from the turn donk is standard. I lost to Ax, but I think folding the turn or river without a good read is a bit too weak, especially because if he were an aggressive villain, he may well be betting a worse Q there. A more interesting problem is how to respond to a check-raise on the turn if I bet the turn. I would like to say that I would fold, but I'm not sure that's entirely true.
Hand #5
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is MP with Jc, Ks.
1 fold, MP raises, 2 folds, SB calls, BB calls.
Flop: (6 SB) 8h, 2c, 2h (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets, SB folds, BB calls.
Turn: (4 BB) Js (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets, BB calls.
River: (6 BB) 6h (2 players)
BB checks, MP bets, BB raises, Hero calls.
Final Pot: 10 BB
Results:
BB has 7h Kh (flush, king high).
Hero has Jc Ks (two pair, jacks and twos).
Outcome: BB wins 10 BB.
I have to admit that I'm not thrilled with paying off this river raise. It's a flush very often, followed by a very slowplayed trips, and then 66. Worse jacks would normally have raised on the turn. I think this is a spot where folding top pair second kicker is probably the correct play, despite the pot size. Villain would have to be incredibly bold to check-raise a worse hand on the end.
Hand #6
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is SB with Kc, Qs.
UTG calls, 1 fold, CO calls, Button calls, Hero raises, BB calls, UTG calls, CO calls, Button calls.
Flop: (10 SB) Jc, 2s, 5c (5 players)
Hero bets, BB folds, UTG folds, CO calls, Button calls.
Turn: (6.50 BB) 4c (3 players)
Hero checks, CO bets, Button calls, Hero calls.
River: (9.50 BB) Qd (3 players)
Hero bets, CO folds, Button calls.
The flop bet here is probably wrong. Too many players, not enough chance of getting them all to fold, and not enough chance of getting them to fold the turn the 85% of the time I do not improve to a pair.
The turn check-call should be standard. Betting again will not make hands with a single club fold, and I don't often have the best hand anyway.
The river donk is standard because an overcard to the board will tend to freeze up players from making value bets on the end, especially when a check will often get them to showdown for free.
Hand #7
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (5 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is BB with Js, Qs.
UTG calls, 2 folds, SB completes, Hero raises, UTG calls, SB calls.
Flop: (6 SB) Kh, 4s, 2s (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, UTG calls, SB calls.
Turn: (4.50 BB) Qc (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, UTG calls, SB calls.
River: (7.50 BB) 9c (3 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, UTG checks.
The preflop raise with QJs is something I didn't do for a while, but now I think it's standard. QJs flopping top pair in a shorthanded pot is usually best, and flopping flushes and straight draws are also very good.
The turn bet here seems standard to me because the flop calls don't mean much of anything at this level, but when they both call me, I have to reconsider the value of my hand on the river. The spade draw missed, meaning that I'm not likely to pick up any bets from them unless they have the 9 of spades. I could be against a weaker king, which is bad for me. But besides that, because the second and third cards on the flop were so small, I don't think I gain a lot from a bet. I probably do check-call this because of the chances of a missed draw trying to pick up the pot, plus potentially worse queens like QT or Q8 might think their hand is good. (There are more hands might bet than hands that might call, which is generally a recipe for check-calling.)
Hand #8
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is SB with 9c, Tc.
1 fold, MP calls, 1 fold, Button calls, Hero completes, BB checks.
Flop: (4 SB) 6c, 9s, Qs (4 players)
Hero bets, BB calls, MP raises, Button folds, Hero calls, BB calls.
Turn: (5 BB) 7d (3 players)
Hero checks, BB checks, MP bets, Hero calls, BB calls.
River: (8 BB) 8c (3 players)
SB bets, BB folds, MP calls.
This is another standard river donk like in the above hand. The board has gotten scary, and the chances of the bettor wimping out on the end is quite large. To add to the problem (something I didn't mention above), a check-raise here almost certainly drives out BB, whereas he is more likely to call one bet if I lead.
Hand #1:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (4 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is BB with As, 6s.
UTG calls, Button calls, SB completes, Hero checks.
Flop: (4 SB) 3c, Ac, Tc (4 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, UTG calls, Button folds, SB calls.
Turn: (3.50 BB) Kc (3 players)
SB checks, Hero checks...
When I see this flop 4 handed, I assume that someone is holding a club. If it were 2 handed, I think such an assumption would be irrational, and if it were 3-handed, I think it's dicey, but I don't think you should assume that you're automatically beat by a club. If you assume that there's a 25% chance of each of villain's hole card being a club (a false assumption because you already know 3 clubs out, plus 2 non-clubs), you'll find the following probabilities for there being a club against you:
1 villain: 44%
2 villains: 68%
3 villains: 82%
The assumptions here tend to overestimate the chances of being against a club, but I think for 2 and 3 villains, getting called on the flop generally skews the probabilities towards clubs (medium clubs, usually), so I think they're pretty safe numbers to be using.
Ironically, after I checked, this got checked through and the river was a 5th club. Nobody bet at it, and nobody had a club and it got chopped 3-ways.
Hand #2:
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is SB with 3c, As. MP posts a blind of $0.25.
UTG calls, MP (poster) checks, 2 folds, Hero completes, BB checks.
Flop: (4 SB) Kd, Ah, 4c (4 players)
Hero checks, BB checks, UTG checks, MP checks.
Turn: (2 BB) 6c (4 players)
Hero bets, BB folds, UTG calls, MP folds.
River: (4 BB) Ac (2 players)
Hero bets, UTG calls.
Final Pot: 6 BB
This is a classic spot to "check and see" when out of position with a medium-strength hand. I could be persuaded to bet here, but I think checking is correct. I might end up writing a short article for the 2+2 micros, so I don't want to spend a lot of time now typing out my thoughts. Here are the considerations when deciding between betting and checking:
* How many other players are in the pot?
* What are the chances of this being bet by worse hands?
* What are the chances of getting raised by worse hands?
* What draws are available?
* What are the chances that a free card would sink your hand?
As these variables change, you should become more or less inclined to lead out instead of checking.
Hand #3
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (5 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with Kd, Ks. MP posts a blind of $0.25.
Hero raises, MP (poster) calls, Button calls, SB calls, BB calls.
Flop: (10 SB) Jd, 9s, 5d (5 players)
SB bets, BB folds, Hero raises, MP folds, Button calls, SB calls.
Turn: (8 BB) Kc (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, Button raises, SB calls, Hero 3-bets, Button calls, SB calls.
River: (17 BB) 7s (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, Button calls, SB folds.
Final Pot: 19 BB
This is more of a brag hand. Button ended up here with KT, and his turn raise is very very bad given the action. I'm not sure what SB had here, but my best guess is something like QJ.
Hand #4
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (5 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is MP with Ks, Qs.
1 fold, MP raises, 2 folds, BB calls.
Flop: (4.40 SB) Ac, 2s, 4h (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets, BB calls.
Turn: (3.20 BB) Qd (2 players)
BB bets, Hero calls.
River: (5.20 BB) 2c (2 players)
BB bets, Hero calls.
Calling down from the turn donk is standard. I lost to Ax, but I think folding the turn or river without a good read is a bit too weak, especially because if he were an aggressive villain, he may well be betting a worse Q there. A more interesting problem is how to respond to a check-raise on the turn if I bet the turn. I would like to say that I would fold, but I'm not sure that's entirely true.
Hand #5
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is MP with Jc, Ks.
1 fold, MP raises, 2 folds, SB calls, BB calls.
Flop: (6 SB) 8h, 2c, 2h (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets, SB folds, BB calls.
Turn: (4 BB) Js (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets, BB calls.
River: (6 BB) 6h (2 players)
BB checks, MP bets, BB raises, Hero calls.
Final Pot: 10 BB
Results:
BB has 7h Kh (flush, king high).
Hero has Jc Ks (two pair, jacks and twos).
Outcome: BB wins 10 BB.
I have to admit that I'm not thrilled with paying off this river raise. It's a flush very often, followed by a very slowplayed trips, and then 66. Worse jacks would normally have raised on the turn. I think this is a spot where folding top pair second kicker is probably the correct play, despite the pot size. Villain would have to be incredibly bold to check-raise a worse hand on the end.
Hand #6
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is SB with Kc, Qs.
UTG calls, 1 fold, CO calls, Button calls, Hero raises, BB calls, UTG calls, CO calls, Button calls.
Flop: (10 SB) Jc, 2s, 5c (5 players)
Hero bets, BB folds, UTG folds, CO calls, Button calls.
Turn: (6.50 BB) 4c (3 players)
Hero checks, CO bets, Button calls, Hero calls.
River: (9.50 BB) Qd (3 players)
Hero bets, CO folds, Button calls.
The flop bet here is probably wrong. Too many players, not enough chance of getting them all to fold, and not enough chance of getting them to fold the turn the 85% of the time I do not improve to a pair.
The turn check-call should be standard. Betting again will not make hands with a single club fold, and I don't often have the best hand anyway.
The river donk is standard because an overcard to the board will tend to freeze up players from making value bets on the end, especially when a check will often get them to showdown for free.
Hand #7
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (5 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is BB with Js, Qs.
UTG calls, 2 folds, SB completes, Hero raises, UTG calls, SB calls.
Flop: (6 SB) Kh, 4s, 2s (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, UTG calls, SB calls.
Turn: (4.50 BB) Qc (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, UTG calls, SB calls.
River: (7.50 BB) 9c (3 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, UTG checks.
The preflop raise with QJs is something I didn't do for a while, but now I think it's standard. QJs flopping top pair in a shorthanded pot is usually best, and flopping flushes and straight draws are also very good.
The turn bet here seems standard to me because the flop calls don't mean much of anything at this level, but when they both call me, I have to reconsider the value of my hand on the river. The spade draw missed, meaning that I'm not likely to pick up any bets from them unless they have the 9 of spades. I could be against a weaker king, which is bad for me. But besides that, because the second and third cards on the flop were so small, I don't think I gain a lot from a bet. I probably do check-call this because of the chances of a missed draw trying to pick up the pot, plus potentially worse queens like QT or Q8 might think their hand is good. (There are more hands might bet than hands that might call, which is generally a recipe for check-calling.)
Hand #8
PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (6 handed) Poker Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: HTML)
Preflop: Hero is SB with 9c, Tc.
1 fold, MP calls, 1 fold, Button calls, Hero completes, BB checks.
Flop: (4 SB) 6c, 9s, Qs (4 players)
Hero bets, BB calls, MP raises, Button folds, Hero calls, BB calls.
Turn: (5 BB) 7d (3 players)
Hero checks, BB checks, MP bets, Hero calls, BB calls.
River: (8 BB) 8c (3 players)
SB bets, BB folds, MP calls.
This is another standard river donk like in the above hand. The board has gotten scary, and the chances of the bettor wimping out on the end is quite large. To add to the problem (something I didn't mention above), a check-raise here almost certainly drives out BB, whereas he is more likely to call one bet if I lead.
Project for the month of March
Totals: 198 hands, $4.95 profit
This blog is coming back again, but I'm starting something new. I've played very little online poker over the last few months, but I would like to get back into it. So I've set up a little project to encourage myself to play more online. I have four tasks I want to accomplish in March:
1) 3100 hands playing 1-3 6-max tables @ .25/.50
2) 30 minute one-tabling video on the first 30 minutes at a new table: Establishing initial reads quickly
3) 30 minute one-tabling video with general hand commentary
4) 45 minute two-tabling video with no audio
I started off this afternoon by just playing a short 3-tabling session to get PAHUD and PT working properly on my new computer. I played for about 40 minutes and got in 200 hands, which is more hands than I was anticipating. Today's session went at a rate of 300 hands/hour or 100 hands/table-hour, but I was only expecting about 75 hands/hour when I was figuring out how much time it would take. If I were more ambitious, I'd increase the number of hands to 5000. But I'm not.
A couple of general observations from today:
1) .25/.50 6-max tables look quite soft. There's a lot of open-limping going on, and a lot of players who do not properly value their hands postflop.
2) There is still a wide range of players. I saw some very aggressive and some very passive players. This should keep things interesting.
3) I feel like I've forgotten how to multi-table. A couple times I got lost in a hand and couldn't even remember the previous action. I blame part of this on messing around with the PAHUD/PT/Stars settings to get it the way I wanted it.
4) I've been playing too much HUHU because a couple times I opened with extremely marginal holdings from the button that I normally wouldn't have opened.
This blog is coming back again, but I'm starting something new. I've played very little online poker over the last few months, but I would like to get back into it. So I've set up a little project to encourage myself to play more online. I have four tasks I want to accomplish in March:
1) 3100 hands playing 1-3 6-max tables @ .25/.50
2) 30 minute one-tabling video on the first 30 minutes at a new table: Establishing initial reads quickly
3) 30 minute one-tabling video with general hand commentary
4) 45 minute two-tabling video with no audio
I started off this afternoon by just playing a short 3-tabling session to get PAHUD and PT working properly on my new computer. I played for about 40 minutes and got in 200 hands, which is more hands than I was anticipating. Today's session went at a rate of 300 hands/hour or 100 hands/table-hour, but I was only expecting about 75 hands/hour when I was figuring out how much time it would take. If I were more ambitious, I'd increase the number of hands to 5000. But I'm not.
A couple of general observations from today:
1) .25/.50 6-max tables look quite soft. There's a lot of open-limping going on, and a lot of players who do not properly value their hands postflop.
2) There is still a wide range of players. I saw some very aggressive and some very passive players. This should keep things interesting.
3) I feel like I've forgotten how to multi-table. A couple times I got lost in a hand and couldn't even remember the previous action. I blame part of this on messing around with the PAHUD/PT/Stars settings to get it the way I wanted it.
4) I've been playing too much HUHU because a couple times I opened with extremely marginal holdings from the button that I normally wouldn't have opened.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
