If everything seems to be going well, you’ve obviously overlooked something
My wife would never understand. To her - poker is a card game, a diversion. She has been really supportive, and lets me do my thing, so I really couldn’t ask for a better “poker” partner. To be honest, she’d be a great player. She is smart as a whip, wise, clever, patient and I know would kick my ass if she ever took it up. She already dominates me on the golf course so stay out of my poker world dear. The one skill she has is that she would be incredibly disciplined. Nothing crazy…guess where this blog is going.
So my story for the day. I had a pretty solid month. Add January where I started to focus “full time” to my poker - I made about 15% ROI for January and 20% for February. Yesterday I was really focused in an 8$ MTT tournament suffering a tough river 7 to lose AQ to 77 late in the tournament. A queen had come on the flop and I had shoved all my chips in. I tell this story not cause I feel its a bad beat, but more that it is a goal of mine to go out on great hands, not poor shoves. So I’ll take it - I don’t mind….and it was my best finish in a while. More importantly I am trying to judge my play on how “right” each move is - that I make the right play rather than just win the pot. And yesterday I would say I made the right move most times.lwa
I then switched to cash game, playing very well at a .25/.50 cent table. I had my super system with me and part of my project for the month is to really understand the differences between authors and the approach each has with regards to cash games/tournaments. I am excited cause my poker brother from Saginaw has mentioned he might be getting a line on the new Harrington books…..oh my.
So it comes down to one hand. I am reading and rereading Doyle’s approach to suited connecters. A german fella makes it 3x the BB and I call with 9,10 diamonds. Doyle isn’t always real clear on every hand he plays but he is pretty clear when a flush draw hits - “I play flush draws extremely slow”…well I must of skipped by that part cause I played it very fast. The other key piece of information is that I always check to see how many tables my opponents are playing - a clear tell on the types of preflop hands they’ll play. In this case, my opponent was the chip leader and playing about 6 tables. I knew in my heart of hearts, that he had a big pair down, even credit for a set like QQQ (Q on the flop). When he raised into me - I called….very weak. When the next blank hit - I thought I`d stick a blocking bet in and he pumped in $20.00 so now I was drawing to a diamond and the pot odds where 2 to 1…not great on a 3 to 1 call. But he was big stacked, and it was the last hand of the night. If I put the call on him - then I would be about even for the night - and I could live with that.
The river pairs the board, giving the board a second six. I think for a second, a six in my hand would give me trips. I shove. Why not I think…..maybe he`ll lay it down. Well he didn`t and I was pwnd. Lesson learned.
My wife would never have made that play - maybe she should take up poker after all.
Still it was a great night. I`ve got lots of poker planned this week - taking the full time plunge.
Finally, Super Nova Highway project is starting up. They have all sort of interesting stuff planned. Stay tuned to the next 2+2 pokercast and I`m sure you`ll read all about it.
I hope the cards fall just right for you this week.
Bigbamboom
PokerStars Game #15676016607: Hold’em No Limit ($0.25/$0.50) - 2008/03/02 - 00:22:03 (ET)
Table ‘Pikelner II’ 9-max Seat #3 is the button
Seat 1: tomchap ($71 in chips)
Seat 3: kolondont ($66.60 in chips)
Seat 4: mikeee777 ($12.40 in chips)
Seat 5: seadragon68 ($9.25 in chips)
Seat 6: jwo316 ($62 in chips)
Seat 7: Paidtostunt ($29.25 in chips)
Seat 8: anygro ($50.40 in chips)
Seat 9: bigbamboom ($64 in chips)
mikeee777: posts small blind $0.25
seadragon68: posts big blind $0.50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to bigbamboom T♦ 9♦
jwo316: folds
Paidtostunt: folds
anygro: folds
bigbamboom: raises $1 to $1.50
Loki49 joins the table at seat #2
tomchap: folds
kolondont: raises $1 to $2.50
mikeee777: folds
seadragon68: folds
bigbamboom: calls $1
*** FLOP *** 3♦ Q♥ 6♦
bigbamboom: checks
kolondont: bets $4.50
bigbamboom: calls $4.50
*** TURN *** 3♦ Q♥ 6♦ 2♣
bigbamboom: bets $4
kolondont: raises $20 to $24
bigbamboom: calls $20
*** RIVER *** 3♦ Q♥ 6♦ 2♣ 6♥
bigbamboom: bets $33 and is all-in
kolondont: calls $33
*** SHOW DOWN ***
bigbamboom: shows T♦ 9♦ (a pair of Sixes)
kolondont: shows A♠ A♥ (two pair, Aces and Sixes)
kolondont collected $125.75 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $128.75 | Rake $3
Board 3♦ Q♥ 6♦ 2♣ 6♥
Seat 1: tomchap folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 3: kolondont (button) showed A♠ A♥ and won ($125.75) with two pair, Aces and Sixes
Seat 4: mikeee777 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 5: seadragon68 (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 6: jwo316 folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 7: Paidtostunt folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 8: anygro folded before Flop (didn’t bet)
Seat 9: bigbamboom showed T♦ 9♦ and lost with a pair of Sixes
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Comments
Bluffs need to make some sense to work usually. It really doesn’t make any sense that you’d have a six there. Just ask your wife 
The turn is the only part of this hand I object to. The rest is fine: raising with T9s, calling a min-raise, even a check-call on the flop. Given how much you had committed, a shove on the river is fine, you just don’t have enough chips to make him fold an overpair. But I would have let this hand go on the turn. Calling one $4.50 bet on the flop for a shot at the big stack is OK, but after that you’re toast without position.
I play similar stakes in NL cash games on Full Tilt. That pre-flop min-raise = aces (or maybe kings) 99% of the time. I’m GLAD to call with T9s there since I’m almost positive he has a big pair in the whole that he won’t fold. But out of position on later streets, this becomes a check-fold a lot of the time. Your equity went way down when the 2c came on the turn, you’re now a 4:1 dog. If you were feeling bold, you could try an all-in check-raise here, but there aren’t many legitimate hands you could have… 54? 22? Q6?
2+2ers generally dislike super/system because it’s not mathematically based, and because #2 is a weak, overpriced retread of the first one. Super/System 1 is not my favorite book but for cash games, the NL advice is not bad at all: basically, don’t be afraid to move in with draws to make TAGs fold. Although if you watch Brunson play on television, he doesn’t even approximate that style anymore, he’s practically a nit on high stakes poker.
I won’t comment on the play of the hand, as I have certainly made worse plays than that myself, but I will comment on the most important line of the analysis:
“and it was the last hand of the night. If I put the call on him - then I would be about even for the night - and I could live with that.”
As soon as you let external factors impact your poker decisions you going down a road you don’t want to travel. You might as well listen to Doyle’s SS advice on ESP. Or decide to raise all in when you know you are behind but feel “lucky”. Chasing a winning (or break even) session will cost you in the long run. Even the best players in the world don’t win every time… I like to say: “Might as will quit wile I am still on marginally behind”.
As for the assesment about your wife, I feel the same way. My wife is super smart and good at math. One time I had her play a 10 person $10 limit sit n go, to show her how well she could do. Having no interest, she was pretty aggressive and before I knew it… she won the whole thing… her first time playing poker ever! Alas, that was the highpoint of her poker career, because despite this success she has refused to play again and thus breaking her winning record. I wonder if this makes her the winningest player in poker history?
Great point Greedo.
As part of my penalty - I forced myself to reread the Miller/Malmuth/Sklansky Winning Low Limit Poker and found the biblical reference that put the light on.
Its in the third chapter about Positive Expectation and how it should guide your play. Now I am starting to be a “ROCK” its worked for me. My SNG ROI is at 305% and my hour of cash games is +2.5 buy ins so far so good.
I am learning and learning a lot - almost have Delayed Muscle Soreness and need some rest but not before I take down my first MTT….
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthread.php?t=139332&page=3
Interesting thread on Super System 1 and 2… basically saying its crap. lol.