Reading Well

I just got done playing a sit and go, and was reading the table really well. The table played very tight and very weak. A lot of the pots were being limped and raises were getting zero respect. At a table like this, you need to be able to play well after the flop. You need to find out where you are and you don't want to get too committed to any kind of marginal hand. Players were willing to call down with second and third pair, despite not getting the right odds.
Early in the tourney, I got AK of hearts, with the blinds at 15/30. I raised to 100, and got re-raised right behind me to 170. The player behind him flat called, as did the big blind. I decided to see a flop and not get too crazy with just AK, especially with three other players in the pot. The flop came 8-7-4 with two diamonds, not great for my hand. Long story short, the player right behind me re-raised with AJ of diamonds and caught runner, runner straight. So right there I got a little line on some of my opponents. By the way, the guy who flat called on the button had 75 of hearts, and the big blind had K10 off.
So I tried to keep the pots small and was targeting the very nitty, tight players who weren't willing to commit any chips without a hand. I was sitting about average and not really getting any kind of hands. We got down to 6 handed, and I decided that since I was getting short and not seeing any kind of hand, and the table was playing so tight, that I was going to have to make a move with some kind of hand. I get 97 of hearts and only have about 9 big blinds. It folded to me, and I decided to shove in. I had a pretty tight image, and I knew that I probably wouldn't be dominated. It folded to the big blind, who called off about 2/3 of his stack with KQ of hearts. I caught a 7 on the river and doubled up. Now I'm back in the game.
I took out the 5th place guy AA vs. A7 when he was short and re-raised. A few hands later, I took out the 4th place guy when my 88 held up against his AK. This is really when my reads were at their best. Early in the tournament, I picked up a few small pots here and there with a well placed call or raise. And got away from hands when I knew I was beat. We were three handed and I had the chip lead. I had second place by almost 3:1.
The first great hand was when I was in the big blind. The small blind had been a pretty loose, aggressive player. I knew he was getting desperate, and would push with a wide range. He raised my blind to 600, I called with A10 off. I was contemplating pushing him in, but would rather play flops with these two players than race off chips. The flop comes K-Q-7 rainbow. Normally, he would be just about any flop, whether he hit or not. But he checks. I decided to check behind. The turn brought another king, and now he bet out 600. The first hand I thought he might have was a pocket pair of 8's or 9's. I wanted to find out if he had anything, so I raised to 1500. He called and the river brought a 5. He checked and I checked behind. He had J8, I won the pot.
On the very next orbit, the same player pushed all in for his last 2000. I had a little over 7600. I had K10 off, and thought about it for a second. If he had a weak ace, I was only a 3:2 dog. If he had any random hand, I was probably the favorite. I decided to call and he showed Q9 off. My king high held up and we were now heads up. I chipped away at the second place guy. I wanted to play most of my hands in position and try to get him to overcommit or outplay him on the flop.
The final hand, I raised on the button with A9 of hearts to 1000. He called and we saw a flop. The flop came Q-10-2 with two hearts. He checked and I bet out 1200 into the 2000 pot. He check-raised all in. I was forced to call with the chip lead and the odds. There was 6000 in the pot, and it was costing me 1600 to call. He had 67 of hearts. I won another one. The only reason why I'm writing this is not to brag about winning. But rather to illustrate how low stakes players will push and will overcommit before the flop and play hyper aggressively. I would make small raises and value bets, and other players would just shove in for 5 times the pot with low pairs and marginal hands like A10, AJ, and KQ. Make sure to watch the other players and try to label any players you notice overvalue marginal hands. These will be the players that will push when the table gets short with the same kinds of hands. Play flops against them and let them hang themselves.
Anyway, I'm not making much sense right now. My next blog will start a new lesson series. Keep reading, stay aggressive, play position well, and don't get down on a bad beat. See you on the tables.