Back in action

I took a bit of a break after my recent downswing. I've gone back to playing pretty ABC TAG. I'm not doing anything particularly fancy, and I'm not even stealing. I'm going back to working on fundamentals and such. Down just over a buyin on the short session, but I'm happy with that because of the following hand:

http://www.pokerhand.org/?725025

Flop was weird as hell. I figured he had an ace, maybe a diamond draw, but I kinda doubt he UTG limped suited connectors and proceeded to call a raise OOP with them. So AT+, maybe limped AK? I flat call and plan to raise the turn. I'm not sure about my turn raise - I really doubt he has a made flush at this point (Ax and JT I could see, maybe, but Ad and Jd are onboard.) but he could have Ax Qd, and I didn't raise enough to make that make a mistake. River is more or less standard since I figured I was ahead. I mean, okay, nice trap, but I dunno what I'm actually beating here. I was thinking AQ or AK at the time, but AJ fits the flop and turn action. Then there's obv AA and KK, which I discounted because of the limp no reraise. I figured he was overplaying AQ or AK at the time but now I'm actually not sure. It's an obvious cooler to some extent, but I dunno exactly how far. I mean, I don't see where I can get away from this.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?725040

This guy was insane. 54/29 and betting bottom pair no kicker. I thought he had decided to shut down when the ace came because he was on a bluff or bottom pair but vbet anyway. Shrug.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?725042

Flop minraise: hm, sketchy. Spade draw? I have ten (ish; some of my outs are spades but I figure to be ahead of a spade draw currently. Or he could have AJ/AT) outs so I call and re-evaluate. Turn, hm, looks like at least a pair, could be AJ/AT/JT/etc.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?725045

Turn is mediocre but I figure to have strong implied odds. River is slightly greedy and probably -EV; I could just pot it and expect one caller, but I bet 2/3 or so looking to get both to call, which I kinda doubt will happen. An alternative is to checkraise, but I can't see anyone calling one in a threeway pot given turn action.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?725049

I don't know how I feel about checking this turn. I'm going to call most any bet anyway, so I don't think it accomplishes much for pot control. There aren't many free cards that would annoy me other than a Q or T (and maybe a king but probably not.) so that's not a big concern. I just didn't want to fire again because I had no idea what I'd do on the river. I mean, I'm not beating much that will call down three barrels. I could check/call the river, but ew. Plus I would not be happy to call a PSB. His bet looks weak, maybe a draw or low ace. Smaller pots gives me greater confidence on the river, but no luck. Perhaps I should've checked again and let him do something crazy.

so that's that. I am not too unhappy.

-3 BI :(

Two sessions, one sad face.

Lots of bad hands follow. I'm happy with how I played ones where I won (I think I maximized value etc) so bad ones below:

http://www.pokerhand.org/?715467

Not the best call pf but meatshooter is a complete calling station and UTG is a bit loose. I think c/c lead turn is a better line here; I had intended to c/f the turn if this was called but I think leading the turn has more FE because flop checkraises are super sketch.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?715482

Um. I actually thought ace high was ahead here. He maybe has a pocket pair but I don't think he limps them preflop. So...yeah.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?715488

Preflop is semistandard. Flop is utterly standard; I almost always raise when people lead into my raises. They almost always fold. The turn is awful because usually when they call they're drawing and the flush just got there and what the fuck was I thinking?

http://www.pokerhand.org/?715493

I swear to God this works sometimes.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?715494

Like I said, usually raise these people. I'm proud of myself for not calling the river.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?715495

Heh, I thought meatshooter was drawing to hearts or had maybe ten-paint and was worried about horse. River was a block. Nice. Hand.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?715499

I fail to see how he does not have an ace here. It's that or a worse pocket pair, but I think that board is a little dangerous to be floating.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?715504

Heh. I was pretty sure I'd talked this guy on tilt; he was doing a ton of complaining about suckouts etc in small pots and I started trying to taunt him into buying in full and going after the table. Yes, I'm a bad person. Anyway, I was pretty sure that if I stacked him he'd rebuy for a lot and go hell for leather after me. Bottom two for 20 BBs is pretty standard anyway, but this didn't end well. (results: neither of us caught a hand against the other and I left)

Okay. I think I'm going to tighten up substantially and go back to fundamentals before I do more tricksey stuff. I'm not too unhappy with my postflop game. I think I'm screwing up preflop. I've been doing more limping and less raising (40/18/3.5) and my AF has been going down. If I saw my stats on someone else I'd probably start gunning for me. That is frowns. I'd been limping more because of deep stacks and implied odds and so forth from late position, but I think I'm going to just go back to basic TAG with a bit wider stealing range than normal. I think my preflop play is my biggest leak and I'm going to hammer it out. I still don't think I'm running well, but I think I'm trying to be too fancy and I'm pressing too hard. So, back to ABC. Will update tomorrow. (slash weekend.)

God owes me so much in EV it's not funny

I'm serious. Like, I'm getting outdrawn all over the place. No really big pots, just lots of little ones. I'm down a buyin and a half today. That includes the following hand:

http://www.pokerhand.org/?712936

Shrug, steal attempt falls ass backwards into the nuts. Is nice. The way my day was going, the cynical part of me was surprised I wasn't outflushed.

I mean, some of this involves me stealing or bluffing in situations that don't work out. Sure. Whenever such chicanery turns south I pull back from it a bit and go back to basics, but like, aces keep flopping all over the place or I go to checkraise and the guy checks behind or whatever. I'm not catching cards, and I'm not getting paid when I do. The biggest pot I played with QQ+ today was $22, and involved a short button open pushing A4 into KK and getting there. Like, the thing about bluffing, stealing, floating, etc, is that I'm pretty sure it's +ev and I'm pretty sure I'm not spewing chips all over the table. I think I'm just not running well. I'm actually breaking a rule of mine and leaving two tables that I think are excellent (maniacs who I have position on = $$$) because I'm not sure I'm playing my best. I think I am and that I'm just card dead, but I'm concerned about seeing monsters that aren't there.

Hopefully I'll go on a massive heater in the next few days and be like "bam, stacking people left and right" and be all happy and whatnot. Right now I'm happy with how little I've lost; I'm pretty sure I'd be down infinite if this had hit a month ago.

I am running god awful cold right now. I was actually having a pretty good day despite that by avoiding showdowns, but the following happened:

http://www.pokerhand.org/?710058

Preflop, I'm not going anywhere for $3 and the button. I turn broadway and fire away. I was a little concerned when he shoved, but he'd have to have kings, jacks, or quads for pf to make sense. I think that's a little unlikely on distribution, plus I have insane odds and trips is super eager to get it in. Actually trips might not be so eager because they're beating pretty much only bluffs. Hm. I don't think the average person at 50 NL would realize that, though.

Aside from that, I had kings cracked twice, and just a general poor run of cards. I had two sessions today; one was decent (+2 buyins, lots of small pots, some shenanigans but nothing too outlandish.) and one was breakeven except for the above hand. Basically, I'd make some progress and drop 30-40BBs on a medium cooler or beat and start over. Eh. I mean, I'm happy, because I havn't played any big pots (big defined as 75+BBs) as a dog, and I'm losing fairly small amounts when I'm beat and I think I'm getting better value on my hands, but still, I havn't been having much action on my big hands at all. Frowns and whatnot.

heh

I'm going to bitch even though I ended up a buyin and a half on my session tonight. I feel like I'm running poorly right now; I have had very few monsters and been involved in very few large pots, and I feel like I'm getting coolered a bit more often than is my due. I sat down and started playing heads up 200BBs deep with a guy. I was being pretty aggressive, and he played back at me a lot. I shifted into TAG looking to smash him the next time he got tricky, and got colddecked forever. The table filled up (fortunately, or I would've been bleeding blinds) and after a while I realized that the guy was a 59/3/.9 calling station who happened to hit a massive heater right when I sat down. Awesome.

Anyway, I think I'm playing well; I'm not spewing chips all over the table (in the sense that I stopped stacking off on damnfool stupidity, and now just make smaller errors usually involving bet sizing or poor river play.) and I think I'm making better value bets. I have NLTAP now, and it's awesome. Highly recommend it.

Oh, I went down to three tables for tonight's session; when I started I was headsup on one table and threehanded on another and didn't want distraction, but my pace of play was fine and I felt less frenetic playing, so I think I may remain at three at Doyle's; the software makes four just a pain in the ass.

Anyway, hands for the last few days. I try to keep them in time order, but, um, lazy, so instead I'm just pulling up some big ones from PT. There are a lot of them. Sorry; they're arranged roughly in order of interest. (I think they all have some merit, but some moreso than others. I do have an entertaining call down with BPNK at the bottom.)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?707772

God, I finally make what I think is a great fold and I miss what would've been a 300BB pot. I should've made it at least $15 to go on the flop, probably $18-20, but still, when the guy flat calls, then calls a raise and a reraise, and there's the other guy who raised and called a third bet, I am utterly convinced someone has ten-paint. And then on the turn QJ gets there. I mean, I am screaming a ten, and can't see how anyone would call with a worse kicker. My odds on the river are awesome, but it's an overcall and I still think I'm beaten there more than 4:1.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?707786

Heh. I should've bet/folded the turn here, but raising the flop and betting the turn is so obviously strength I kinda just missed it and thought he was getting clever. I'm pretty sure he was not. I had checked with the intention of calling a small value bet from A9, AT or a bluff, but when he shoved I went away with tail tucked firmly between my legs. I think he had a set or AK. Mostly this hand tipped me off to the fact that yes, people call when you raise the flop and lead the turn. I'm so doing that with monsters instead of c/c or c/r or similar foolishness.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?707801

Man, QQ calling a fourth bet is pretty loose. I can see it with AK (flipping most of the time with dead money, only seriously screwed against aces, and there are dumb people with Ax) although I think AK is better to call a threebet push with smaller stacks. Both of us were terrified of aces and just checked it down. I'm not sure if betting postflop is right, because I basically can't ever call a raise. I could use that logic to make a raise, but I think villain has AA the vast majority of the time.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?707769

Kinda standard; dude was super aggro and I thought threebetting him and betting the flop would make him go away. It didn't, but that was kosher because I flopped a combo draw. Flop is basically standard. Combo draws are much easier to play with ~100BB stacks. Much deeper and the third bet is a significant overbet.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?707774

I'm trying to value bet rivers more. I'm beginning to realize that on KQJTx, someone has the ace just about every time.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?707782

Villain is the aforementioned calling station. This is prior to my realizing that he's just very passive. Considering I thought he was a LAG trying to float, I think I made out okay here.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?707793

This hand was weirdness. I dunno what my logic on the flop was but I assume it was stupid; I probably thought I had ten outs. I think he either has spades or AT/AQ/AK on the flop, maybe QQ/KK/AA. When he leads into the turn I'm pretty clearly crushed.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?707796

I thought that was a good board to double barrel unless he is drawing to hearts. Kinda unfortunate he flopped middle set; bit difficult to bluff that.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?707798

I don't stack off overpairs any more. <3 me. I think this is queens really a lot of the time, or 44/66. It might be kings or AK of spades, but it is quite clear I have TPTK crushed and it is equally clear she doesn't care.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?707800

Like I said, trying to value bet the river more these days. I was a bit concerned, but AJ/AQ are unlikely on distribution, and if he has AK he played it really wierd.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?707804

I was a little concerned about that queen, but I figured one of them was on a club draw and one of them had TPTK or an overpair, but probably no higher than jacks because QQ+ should threebet preflop. Checking behind on the river because I can basically only win crying calls from A7, and that is clearly behind.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?707805

I've been trying to threebet preflop more often, particularly in situations where I am out of position postflop and a 3b/cbet can often take it down. I checked the flop for the free card, figuring it looked super sketchy and trappy. I probably would've gone for the check-raise given the opportunity. Turn and river: yep. Should've bet a little more on the river though - $22-$25.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?707809

check/calling every street with BPNK for value (100% no lies, I was convinced I was ahead) is how I roll. Villain was super aggro, especially in bsb confrontations. I'd floated him a few times (actually preflop is sketch because I had to show down 86o earlier, but that was several orbits ago) and figured to do it again, but I honestly thought he was drawing to six outs on the flop. Looking back on it, I think the T and Q randomly pair a rag in a lot of his holdings (figure he raises any T8+, Q9+ from the button) but as the hand unfolded I had total faith in my deuces.