Update Fom Last Night

Last night went well, for the most part. Most of the night I was playing pretty horrible. I was CBETing way too much in spots where I really shouldn't have. And I was either calling down too light or playing position poorly. Once I got the mojo back, things started to look up. I was down a little over a buyin after the first hour. Here are a few hands worth noting and my thinking during the hands.

Hand #1



Pretty standard hand. Villain is playing a 33/17, but I only have a couple dozen hands on him so far. He might be limping AA UTG, but more than likely he's limping a decent ace or a smaller pair. So I ISO him and hope to get it heads up. The BB who's playing 33/13 over 150 hands calls the ISO. For the BB to call, he has to be calling with a small pair and just set mining. The UTG limper calls as well. Flop is pretty draw heavy, but for a raised pot, they are either going to hit their set or go broke with an overpair. Villain played the hand pretty bad OOP.

Hand #2



UTG+1 makes a standard raise. He's playing a 35/9 over 97 hands. With his stack, facing a 3 bet, it's time to shove. JJ rates to be the best hand right now, and you're probably in a race situation. Now is the time to shove your stack and make the other person call, rather than play a flop. Instead he flats the 3 bet, then check calls his stack off with an AK flop. For my 3 bet range and that flop, he is toast. I'm not 3 betting 10's and betting that flop with a shortstacker. Hell, I'm not 3 betting a shortstacker with anything but QQ+ and AQs+. Horrible call on the flop for his small stack.

Hand #3



This hands kind of interesting, because I thought he had either AA or KK. His stats over 520 hands are 11/6 with a 2 3 bet. I decided to take the weak line and not committ myself against such a nit for 100 BB's. If I 3 bet and he 4 bets me, I don't get to see a flop and I could get bluffed off the hand. The main reason I played it this way was because of position. If I was on the button, I would play the hand more aggressively. But because he can float me IP, then bet me off the hand later, I decided to take the conservative side. I cost myself some money on the hand, but I'm okay with how I played it. Especially because if he gets out of line on the river, I could try to sell a weak hand like an 8 or a bluff.

Hand #4



Another funny hand in which it shows how many leaks the low limit players have. Weak tight player UTG limps in, I decide to see a flop and not committ to his shove with the small pair. He's playing an 18/2, so his limp is probably the range that he shows down. His range is probably 2's-10's, suited ace up to A10, and broadways suited. I don't mind the flop bet, he could have made it a little smaller to save some money if he's beat, but to flat call the check raise is just ridiculous. To call a big portion of your stack with just top pair on a wet board is suicide. For me to check raise OOP, I either have a straight draw with a flush draw or two overs (KQ, KJ, J10, etc...) with the flush draw. If I have any of those hands, I'm a favorite. If he thinks he's ahead, he needs to shove and not flat.

Hand #5



Villain is short and is playing 59/20, so his range is fucking wide. His range is just about any connected or suited cards. He decides to min raise, big sign of weakness. I 3 bet to 4. The problem with the way he played the hand is the flat call. Best case scenario he's in a race. Again, I'm not 3 betting a shortstacker with a hand worse than KJ off. So for him to flat, I know he's making a play. If he had a small pair he would have 4 bet shoved. Hell, I've seen shortstackers limp shove with 2's-10's. When he shoves the flop, I knew it was a stop and go, and even if he had a pair I was the favorite in the hand.

Hand #6



This hand was huge for the night. Little background. Up to this hand I had been somewhat active. What they weren't realizing, is that even though I was ISOing and stealing blinds, I was not committing without a hand. So I pick up the weapons of mass destruction in the CO. Perfect spot really. Villain is playing a 28/12 with a 7.5 3 bet. With two loose limpers in early position I decide to make it look like a weak ISO, villain flats. To stick with the weak ISO image, I decided to check raise the flop to make it look like a whiffed flop or a draw. The plan worked and instantly shoved in on me. I had to think about it for a second because he might be the one with the flush draw, and I usually can't fade those...lol. But if he had a set, just unlucky me.

Hand #7



I played this hand horribly. Villain is a 37/9 and raises 4X UTG+1. I don't mind the 3 bet preflop, but I don't like the CBET. I think I should have checked back the flop, then when a blank comes for me I can get away a little cheaper. With that flop, I don't think he's folding much. Especially because he doesn't fold to 3 bets very much and even less to a CBET. So I really don't like the line I took here.

Hand #8



Just a standard AA vs. KK hand with a shortstacker. Shortstacker is playing 6/6.

Hand #9



This is the kind of hand that makes poker fun. Villain is playing 39/22 over 118 hands. Raising AJ in early position, whether suited or not, is just throwing money down the drain. It's hard to play well after the flop and most of the time when you miss, you just have to let the hand go. I love my flat here. I know the guy OTB is going to call and maybe one of the blinds. The one thing I didn't notice was that a shortstacker had just joined the game in the BB. If he shoves in this spot, I can't call. I'm not going to call off 1/5 of my stack against a SS'er. So I hit GIN on the flop. This is where the mind games start. He instantly pots it, which basically is telegraphing his hand, either AJ or KJ. I decided to flat to try and get the button to make a move or call along. I know that if I raise on the flop, he'll get passive and probably just call down. I think it would be really hard to get his stack in the pot. So by calling, I think it really makes the hand look like KJ or QJ, maybe even Q10, if he thinks I'm that weak. I couldn't ask for a better turn card. He improves to top two and now only bets 1/2 pot. At this point, I decide to make the raise for two reasons. 1) I make it look like a weak bluff with just an ace when I floated him with just overs and 2) it makes it a little easier for him to committ his stack on the river. If I don't raise a pot bet on the river looks too dangerous, but when he flats the raise, it makes it much easier to get his stack in. If he checks the river, and I put him in, he'll be getting 3:1 to call. With top two pair, he pretty much has to call. The only hands he could really lose to are 910, JJ, 88, or 77. Since he has AJ, kind of hard to believe I could have JJ, so there's really only 3 logical hands I could have. Yes I know, 96 also beats him, but look at the way the hand played out. Is there really any way I would play 96 that way? I might as well just take my bank accounts, take 10% out and burn the rest.

Hand #10



Finally, villain is playing 30/13 with a 10.5 3 bet. He makes a really small raise after the limper, and I decide to 3 bet him. The first mistake I made was making the 3 bet so small. I should have 3 bet him to $6 or $7. I don't mind the CBET, but when he flat calls, I should have known something was up. When a loose player flats the flop, he could have just about anything. That is when the sirens need to start to sound. Sure he could have nothing, an inside straight draw, a 10, but he could also have a 6. I don't mind the check on the turn when the ace hit. At this point, it's time to play a small pot, because now I have a small hand. I really hate my call on the river. First, if had bet up to $11, it would be hard not to call. But his bet looks more like a value bet and not a defensive bet. In retrospect, he's telegraphing his hand. Betting $15 into $23 is just screaming for a call.

So all in all, it was a good session. I won a couple of buyins, and got off to a good start on the month. I really need to focus on a couple of things.
1.) Play small ball and play small pots with small hands, big pots with big hands.
2.) Don't overcommitt with just one pair.
3.) Take pot odds and implied odds into account. Don't chase without the odds.
4.) Starting standards and position. Remember to play position better and tighten up in a loose game and loosen up in a tight game.
5.) Don't focus on the money, focus on the decisions.