Monday, April 16, 2012

Sunday, Bloody Sunday

The title is appropriate. It was a bloody Sunday session for me this weekend. After grinding out decent winners early in the weekend, I had high hopes for adding to it, on Sunday which is historically my best day by far. Unfortunately, the results were not good.

A great start

A fish/donkey raises to 10 UTG (he has 100 behind - have played with him a lot recently and typically he flushes 300+ per session with awful overplays/bluffs/etc.), an older woman calls, and normally I would try to isolate the fish on the button with AQs, but decided to flat this time, to try to let him make a bigger mistake if I hit the flop. A woman in the blinds called as well. Flop is Q93. Fish bets 25, old woman folds, I flat call with the hope of letting him fire a final barrel at it. I am probably calling any card on the turn, with the lone exception maybe being a King. The blind folds as well. Turn is a 9, and he shoves the rest of his chips in. I call and hold against his KJ, so up an early 120.

They love their top pair

Tattooed guy limps, there is another limper and I make it 14 on the BTN with KsJs. Tattoo calls and rest fold. Flop Ax8s3s. Tattoo donks 15, I make it 50, and he pretty quickly calls. He has 125 or so behind. Turn is a low blank. Tattoo checks, and I check behind....I've pretty much decided he is married to his hand here and not likely to fold. River blanks out, he checks, and I give up and he shows A7o. I feel really good about this hand, as I think a turn/river shove is fruitless.

Good bluff

After a few limpers, I limp 6d4d in the CO, lady on btn limps, and we see flop 6 handed. Flop Tc8d5d. Flop flush draw (gutshot straight flush draw). Checks to me, I bet 10, the button puts 10 in the pot almost in unison, making me think she thought action was on her and she was betting 10. I get 2 other calls. Turn is a 3s, making my straight draw now open ended, along with my flush draw. Checks to me, I bet 40 - the small flop bet followed by a large turn bet has been a recipe for nice profit in the past. The button quickly calls (about 125 behind), rest fold. River Ah. I debate what I think is my standard amount of time, and then declare all-in. She almost snap calls with JhTh....for flopped top pair. She claimed to be agonizing over it, but the call was literally within 10 seconds of my bet. I do like how I played this hand, but one thing to consider when discussing the hand with Ryan, is why bother even playing it, despite my great position. I need to hit the board hard, and at the same time have somebody else make 2 pair for me to get paid.

Very next hand - Hello overplay!

I have topped off my stack to $200, and I raise Kc9c to 12 in the HJ. Older guy on button calls (210 behind), and fish from first hand calls (73 behind). Flop is KQ4r. Fish donks 15, I raise to 60, and surprisingly the button calls, and then the donk calls. My plan was to iso the fish, but the button calling 60 is a huge warning sign. For some reason though, I was strongly putting him on a draw like JT. Turn is another 4, donk shoves his last 13, and based on previous action I need to just call here. Instead I shove and he snap calls with KQ. River is an A, which means I would have won with AK or AA, two of the hands I was repping. Unfortunately I didn't have those.

In hindsight, I think just calling the flop bet was the way to go. That way, I give the donk rope, and also get to learn more about the buttons hand cheaply. Basically flushed 140 there.

Very next hand - WTF!!

I again top off to $200, and limp 97o in MP after 2 limpers. No excuse for the play, but obviously steaming a little. We see a flop 7 ways, and the flop comes A97, giving me bottom two. Tattoo from the A7 hand bets 12. Folds to me and I raise to 50. Folds to Tattoo and he re-raises to 90. God it feels like he has two pair here, but hands like A9, 99, 77 and even A7 are sometimes raising from the SB, so I slightly discount those. Based on the fact that it could look like I am steaming, and his prior play with only top pair, I elect to shove, and he snaps with A9 and holds up.

This hand I am on the fence on. In an ordinary spot, I think I could simply fold this, but with my steaming/losing dynamic, I think there are a lot of players that will go to war with just an ace here. Curious to hear other thoughts on this one.

The final hand

My stack is at about 175 on my final rebuy, I have been quiet for about 30 minutes. Two limpers and I make it 14 with AA. Button (150 behind) calls, and one of the limpers calls (200 behind). Both were new players, so they don't know how I have been running/playing/steaming. Flop is Q88. When the flop came out I was watching the button and he shook his head, which I took as a huge suggestion of strength. The limper leads out for 25 now. I flat, and the button flats. Turn is a 7, limper checks, I check, and button checks (????). River is a 4. Limper bets 25, I am 100% sure I am ahead of him, but fight off the urge to raise as I am still suspicious of the button. Button now raises to 100. Limper folds, and I go into the tank. I tell him this is the most obvious 8 in the world, and he laughs saying something like "You guys were betting it for me." I mutter something about running so bad today, and then fold my aces face up. He shows me 88 for flopped quads!!! So while I feel bad about the result, I feel very good about actually making the professional play when I was steaming and laying it down to obvious defeat. I'm fairly sure I lost the absolute minimum here.

Overall a really bad session after a promising start. The cards definitely weren't co-operating. I had AA and 99 once, lost them all, and in fact I can't recall winning a single hand with a pair, though I didn't have many either. But the main problem was I got caught bluffing once, made a total overplay in the K9 hand, and then the 97 hand that I am still on the fence on.

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