Monday, June 27, 2005

A Tale of Two Cities

YTD: +$21653.53

Well I'm not poker dead yet. I've dropped down a few limits and I'm playing mostly plo8b, where in theory I should be "safer". I'm still rusty at plo8b, having given it a break for quite some time. I thought I would do a quiz of two interesting hands that I misplayed over the table, but in the post match analysis managed to come up with some better plays.

BTW, I'm a big believer in doing your serious thinking *away* from the table. There's just not enough time over the table, especially if you are multi-ing. Model hands, have a think, and look for replicable situations in the future.

Here's the quiz:

Hand 1

Seat 2: Galka888 ( $647.52 )
Seat 3: Foe 2 ( $611.1 )
Seat 4: sparkyone ( $954.9 )
Seat 5: studpool ( $563.74 )
Seat 7: ProfitBiich ( $564.3 )
Seat 8: BigDaveD_UK ( $336.6 )
Seat 10: easytime2003 ( $189.3 )
Seat 1: Foe ( $394 )
Seat 9: SOON2BCHAMP ( $406 )
studpool posts small blind [$2].
ProfitBiich posts big blind [$4].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to BigDaveD_UK [ Ah 3d Ad Th ]
BigDaveD_UK calls [$4].
SOON2BCHAMP folds.
>You have options at Table 36562 Table!.
easytime2003 folds.
Foe raises [$18].
Galka888 folds.
Foe 2 calls [$18].

Everyone else folds to you. Both these players are very tight, but that does not mean especially skilled. Action?


Hand 2

Table "Fort-de-France" (real money) -- Seat 3 is the button
Seat 1: dauni ($466.00 in chips)
Seat 2: redsword ($737.00 in chips)
Seat 3: sorbus ($141.00 in chips)
Seat 4: fival ($1,397.50 in chips)
Seat 5: MRWINGMAN ($202.00 in chips)
Seat 6: iwtymyc ($442.00 in chips)
Seat 7: sc1mitar ($394.50 in chips)
Seat 8: OttoPost ($356.50 in chips)
Seat 9: WillRoberts ($93.00 in chips)
Seat 10: Foe ($1,563.25 in chips)
fival : Post Small Blind ($2)
MRWINGMAN: Post Big Blind ($4)
Dealing...
Dealt to sc1mitar [ 6c ]
Dealt to sc1mitar [ As ]
Dealt to sc1mitar [ 2c ]
Dealt to sc1mitar [ Js ]
iwtymyc : Call ($4)
sc1mitar: Call ($4)
OttoPost: Fold
WillRoberts: Fold
Foe: Call ($4)
dauni : Call ($4)
redsword: Call ($4)
sorbus : Fold
fival : Fold
MRWINGMAN: Check
*** FLOP *** : [ Kh 3s 5c ]
MRWINGMAN: Check
iwtymyc : Check
sc1mitar: Check
Foe: Bet ($26)
dauni : Call ($26)
redsword: Fold
MRWINGMAN: Fold
iwtymyc : Fold
sc1mitar: Call ($26)
*** TURN *** : [ Kh 3s 5c ] [ Qs ]
sc1mitar: Check
Foe: Bet ($104)

The Foe here was loose to the extent of clinical insanity. In the short time I had played him he had played 90% of his hands, raising 30% of them. Probably the only hand he wasn't likely to have in this spot was A2, as he would have raised preflop with it.

Answers please on a postcard! Or the comments.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Quiz 1:

If this is a game in which I can call the raise and then raise the size of the new pot, I could make it a max of $128 to go. That sized raise would probably lead to sorely -ev postflop play from out of position if called. I have a powerhouse, and I wouldn't mind getting all-in preflop against Foe, but I don't want to put myself in a tough spot on the flop. I think the best way to accomplish my goal is to put in a min-reraise. This reopens the betting to allow Foe to put in a big re-raise if he desires, but will make my postflop decision easier if both players just flat call.

Anonymous said...

Quiz #2:

Push. You have a million outs to all or half the pot against a maniac. You have double-nut-gut, nut flush, and nut low draws. If there is any chance that Foe will fold the the best made high hand, pushing is the most +ev option. If you are called, you have plenty of ways to win the pot.

Anonymous said...

Dave,

On hand 1 I jam like the other posters said and just hope the flop doesn't come like T98r. On hand 2 though I think a raise is very bad as you don't even have a pair. Thus even if you get exactly 1 caller with a good low draw and a brick comes on the river without bringing the low, then you might get nothing and the opponent could win with bottom pair. I would just call and hope to hit a flush that brought the low and quarter someone for low. This is a very promising hand for that board, but you have nothing yet so why escalate it by assuming that everyone will fold? And given the foe's aggro tendencies he could easily have 2 pair on that board and a bad low draw which he would fold for no amount of money.

I will admit however that I no longer play plo8 because I don't think the games are that good.

BluffTHIS!

Anonymous said...

I agree with the above poster. Your hands are riDONKulously powerful, I'd pot-bet both of them, try to maximize your profits.

In the first hand, you may win without even seeing a flop. And if you do see a flop, you're in great position for high or low or both to save your butt.

In the 2nd hand, you could very well be beat, you're just on a draw at the moment. But your draw is very powerful, with the possibility of a scoop of the pot. Jam it like a mofo!

Anonymous said...

On hand #2 I would agree with "jamming it like a mofo" if I knew all the other players would call since my equity would be so high. But when you get precisely 1 caller who can beat you with bottom pair when a brick comes the river, you'll wish you hadn't. If you don't leave people in with worse draws to pay off nut draws, then you have reduced it to having to make the best hand to win, without the benefits of getting paid off by worse hands that make up for the times you don't hit.

BluffTHIS!

Big Dave D said...

Sorry folks, should have said that in hand 2, the other guy folds, so its now me headsup against the loosie.

cheers

Dave