Cash game analysis

Notice how I rarely bring up the tournaments I've been playing in such as the MATH or the Fifty Fifty? Yeah, cuz I suck in those. Tournaments are for donkeys anyways... :) Ok, so I'm bitter. But whatever.

This post will be relatively long as I go over 4 different hands in the cash games from last night but for those of you that regularly visit my blog (thank you), I would assume you're getting used to the drawn out, wordy posts... so, without further ado, here it goes. The sections will be broken out as follows:

Hand #1 - Making a stand against an active player
Hand #2 - Even donkeys think playing Ax out of position is a bad play
Hand #3 - AA is just one pair after all
Hand #4 - Overbet for value/playing against a known big pair is soooooo easy

Hand #1 - Making a stand against an active player

Full Tilt Poker Game #2771974967: Table Karina Jett - $2/$4 - No Limit Hold'em - 0:08:44 ET - 2007/06/26

The game was 6 handed with 3 empty seats - the villain here has been fairly active, aggressively raising and following through with a pot sized bet on the flop. And both the villain and I had similar stacks close to the buy-in.

*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RecessRampage [6c Ac]

Villain raises to $14 <--- from UTG +1
RecessRampage calls $14 from the button
BB calls $10

After so many preflop raises, I felt that someone needed to apply the brakes to this guy. And for a little bit, he was successful because this was a full ring table that happened to only have 6 people in it. Some of the players (myself included since I was multitabling and didn't notice it was down to 6 handed) were playing like it was a 9 handed table (ie stronger starting hand requirement). Well, once I noticed that and started paying attention to what this guy was doing, I knew that he was raising with a very wide range so Ax suited from the button was good enough for me to call the preflop raise.

*** FLOP *** [2d 4c 5s]
BB checks
Villain bets $44
RecessRampage calls $44
BB folds

Villain lives up to his aggro nature and puts out a pot sized bet. He bet the pot amount EVERY SINGLE TIME. Floating here was a no brainer, especially with this flop that I didn't think helped him much. I could be wrong here but I'm drawing to a gut shot straight and a runner runner flush draw.

*** TURN *** [2d 4c 5s] [8h]
Villain has 15 seconds left to act
Villain bets $90
RecessRampage has 15 seconds left to act
RecessRampage raises to $210
Villain folds
Uncalled bet of $120 returned to RecessRampage
RecessRampage mucks
RecessRampage wins the pot ($309)

I'm impressed that the villain had enough balls to fire out another bullet. But I felt that his "15 seconds to act" was not an act and instead a hesitation of betting. He fires out $90 into a pot that contains $132. Plus, I floated his flop bet with the intent of taking it down on the turn (as long as it was a safe card) so I stuck with my read and decided to pop him back, putting him to a decision. Plus, the turn card was kind and now I have a double gutted straight draw. If he indeed had a hand and came over the top, I'm pot committed and I'd have to call but I'd have 8 outs (most likely). Well, he folded right on cue.

Hand #2 - Even donkeys think playing Ax out of position is a bad play

This hand came up when I decided to join a table where my friend "JT" was playing. The stakes are generally not my playing range but actually, I made a very donkish play that I think illustrates why playing a hand like AJ (which a lot of people think is a good hand) out of position is a bad idea. I won't edit this one, since I'm the donkey here.

FullTiltPoker Game #2771492136: Table Mesa Peak - $0.10/$0.25 - No Limit Hold'em - 23:22:14 ET - 2007/06/25
Seat 1: InigoMontoya76 ($14.85)
Seat 2: Mingmin12 ($9.70)
Seat 3: theenergy ($9.20)
Seat 4: schadenfroid ($26)
Seat 5: RecessRampage ($23.90)
Seat 6: Emperor_Lex ($16.50)
Seat 7: SuAp ($25.85)
Seat 8: JokertheGiraffe ($23.55)
Seat 9: Saint66 ($31.50)
theenergy posts the small blind of $0.10
schadenfroid posts the big blind of $0.25
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RecessRampage [Ad Jd]
RecessRampage calls $0.25
Emperor_Lex folds
InigoMontoya76: d@mn recess, you got 8 eyes like spider. how many tables can you play?
SuAp folds
JokertheGiraffe raises to $1
Saint66 folds
RecessRampage: 4
InigoMontoya76 folds
Mingmin12 folds
theenergy folds
RecessRampage: it's killing me though
schadenfroid folds
RecessRampage: that's why I'm leaving
RecessRampage calls $0.75
*** FLOP *** [Ac 2h 7s]
RecessRampage checks
JokertheGiraffe bets $2
RecessRampage calls $2
*** TURN *** [Ac 2h 7s] [9s]
RecessRampage checks
JokertheGiraffe bets $20.55, and is all in
RecessRampage: crap
RecessRampage has 15 seconds left to act
RecessRampage: oh well, here's a donation
RecessRampage calls $20.55
JokertheGiraffe shows [Ah Kd]
RecessRampage shows [Ad Jd]

My last statement said it best... nice overbet for value sir... I think I heard a bunch of donkeys laughing in the background. And for those of you that thought "you gotta fold that", let me ask you this. If you're gonna fold to a lot of pressure when you hit your top pair 3rd kicker, what the hell are you doing playing it in the first place?

Hand #3 - AA is just one pair after all

This is starting to become a ritual that I like - bloggers cash table.

FullTiltPoker Game #2771730507: Table Plunging Falls - $1/$2 - No Limit Hold'em - 23:44:53 ET - 2007/06/25

*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RecessRampage [Ad As]
toJongbraNdon folds
Narena calls $2
pvanharibo folds
Fuel55 folds
cracknaces calls $2
hoyazo folds
MiamiDon folds
RecessRampage raises to $10
bayne_s folds
Narena calls $8
cracknaces has 15 seconds left to act
cracknaces calls $8

I don't know if the Chad's delay was because he thought about making a weird resteal squeeze play but it would've been nice if he did... And I did what I continue to rant that I hate doing... raising from the small blind, indicating that I have some sort of a hand... I don't mind doing that when I don't have a hand but I hate indicating I have a hand, when I do have a hand... Donkey lives here...

*** FLOP *** [3d Jd 4s]
RecessRampage has 15 seconds left to act
RecessRampage bets $20
Narena calls $20
cracknaces has 15 seconds left to act
cracknaces folds

As this hand was unfolding, I was on the girly chat with Sia (Pouringreign) and I told him "watch this. I'm in trouble." The guy in EP who limped then called my raise preflop obviously has something when he called my bet on the flop. I don't know anything about this guy (or even if he/she is a blogger) but I knew I was gonna put the brakes on the moment he called.

*** TURN *** [3d Jd 4s] [Kc]
RecessRampage checks
Narena bets $26
RecessRampage calls $26

I'm trying my best now to keep the pot to a minimum. The $26 "call me" bet into a $70 pot is fishy as is...

*** RIVER *** [3d Jd 4s Kc] [6s]
RecessRampage checks
Narena has 15 seconds left to act
Narena has requested TIME
Narena bets $68
RecessRampage calls $68

If I were a true player, I'd make the laydown here. All signs pointed to a set. One day, I'll be able to make this fold. Classic "wait till the time ticks down because I'll let him think my hand may not be good" bet... always a monster in this instance. I know this and yet I call...

*** SHOW DOWN ***
Narena shows [4h 4c] three of a kind, Fours <--- of course, what else???
RecessRampage mucks
Narena wins the pot ($257) with three of a kind, Fours

Considering that I didn't fold, I think I kept my losing to a minimum. But again, folding on the river was probably the right play. Oh well. In a few minutes, the poker gods will reward me...

Hand #4 - Overbet for value/playing against a known big pair is soooooo easy

FullTiltPoker Game #2772044944: Table Plunging Falls - $1/$2 - No Limit Hold'em - 0:15:40 ET - 2007/06/26

toJongbraNdon posts the small blind of $1
Narena posts the big blind of $2

*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RecessRampage [Ad 3d]
pvanharibo calls $2
Fuel55 calls $2
raisinchips folds
hoyazo folds
MiamiDon calls $2
RecessRampage calls $2 from the CO (bloggers are bunch of limping fools!)
bayne_s folds <--- Bayne, what did you fold!?
toJongbraNdon raises to $15 <--- there's a man with balls... and a good hand... :)
Narena folds
pvanharibo folds
Fuel55 calls $13 <--- thank you!
MiamiDon folds
RecessRampage calls $13

Admittedly here, when the villain raised to $15, if Fuel didn't call, I couldn't call. I'm actually surprised Don didn't call but maybe he had a hand like KQ or QJ where it could be easily dominated against a raise (in this situation, you'd rather have lower suited connectors, IMO)... but that's just me.

*** FLOP *** [3s 8h 3c] <--- to steal Fuel's phrase... GIN!
toJongbraNdon has 15 seconds left to act
toJongbraNdon bets $45 <--- when he did this, I told Sia "watch this, he's going busto"
Fuel55 folds
RecessRampage raises to $212.60, and is all in <--- overbet for value!
toJongbraNdon INSTACALLS $167.60
RecessRampage shows [Ad 3d]
toJongbraNdon shows [Qs Qh]

*** TURN *** [3s 8h 3c] [8c]
*** RIVER *** [3s 8h 3c 8c] [4h]
RecessRampage shows a full house, Threes full of Eights
toJongbraNdon shows two pair, Queens and Eights
RecessRampage wins the pot ($473.20) with a full house, Threes full of Eights

I obviously got lucky but the villain could not have made it any more obvious about what he had. To his credit, he didn't stick around to call me names and all that stuff but I'm sure he was pounding his fist into the keyboard and looking in disbelief when I flipped over A3... hey, I woulda been happy with a 2-4-5 flop too. Now why shove on the flop? Well, it probably wouldn't have mattered but I didn't want a card to come on the turn that would slow him down. From the sequence, I knew he had a high pocket pair. If I called and let's say an ace hits the turn, it could kill the action unless he trips up. So, instead, I overbet and he instacalls. He should at least given some thought to what I had... I mean seriously. The only time I would shove there against a guy who showed that kinda strength pre and post flop, would be if I had a 3, 88, or AA.