Coffeehousing:Why it matters

I had a plan: I would play 2 blind levels to the best of my ability, then play virtually every hand and bust out before the end of the third blind level. I had places to be.

First hand I played I limped from the small blind with 4 callers behind with my A/8. Flop came ragged, A/9/5. No reasonable straight or flush draws, I decided to bet it and see what happened. Only one caller, an old guy I have played before and he is pretty wild. He actually reraised me. Effective stacks of 5K, about 400 in the pot and his raise of 100 over my 100...I called. I blind checked the turn. It was a blank, he raised 100. Call. River, another blank, I considered raising but decided to play smart; if I raised, he would reraise no matter what he had and I had him probably on an Ace with a marginal kicker...much like my own. I checked, he raised 100, I wanted to see it...he had pocket 5s. I did not feel bad about it, I actually think (other than playing the hand at all...) I played it pretty well.

I have played with this guy before and he tends to think blind aggression is good. I have seen him with 20BB get 80% of his stack in on a Jack high...several times. He will bet and reraise whenever he is in a hand even with third pair or just a paint card so against him if I have even a pair I pretty much check and call because I want to see a showdown. I got out of this one pretty cheap.

The very next hand, on the button, I picked up pocket 5s. I nearly folded them because you only hit a set 1 in 8 times. But after 4 limpers I came to my senses...cards have no memory. I had a 1 in 8 chance of hitting my set and if I did I would make a lot more than 8-1...so I limped. Sure enough, K/7/5. I did not like the potential straight draw but after it was checked around I raised the pot. 2 callers, one Todd's wife, whom I have not played with before. Turn was a blank, I raised, they folded, I showed because I thought it was funny.

My next hand I picked up K/10o, a hand I usually don't play, but this time I called from late position to see a flop. Here is why it is a bad idea. I hit top pair on the flop and there were 2 diamonds. Someone raised, 3 callers. I merely called. Turn gave me a flush draw...the NUT flush draw. So with the same raiser/3 callers I came along for the ride. I missed my flush and with the raiser again raising and 2 callers I knew my 10s were no good and no way would they all be bluffed out. I folded. The guy raising all the way along? 2/3 diamonds...he hit the flush. I had everyone until the river, pretty funny stuff.

Raised an A/J, couple callers, low flop, lots of action, folded.

Then I started blinding down a bit. After a while, blinds now 50/100, the table had loosened a lot with heavy action on virtually every hand. On the button, I had3750 left, a couple 1 limper, I raised to 500, Paul agonized for a while before calling from the big blind, the maniac old guy called pretty quick.

I briefly considered blind raising but elected not to. Flop was ugly, 4/5/8, 2 diamonds. I was going to bet the pot, 2K. I knew Paul would call and so would the old guy...but that would only leave me 1250. I decided to try to pick up the pot as it was. I went all in. Paul went into the tank for a long time. He hated to give it up but with someone after him...he was out of position and folded. The old guy went in the tank for a long time. When he did I wanted him to call...he probably had 2 court cards or some ridiculous draw. Finally he called...and he was in shape than I would have believed, 5/6 diamonds. He could hit a 5,6,7, or diamonds...but blanks rolled off the turn and river and I was way up. Oh, and Paul pulled back his cards and showed pocket Jacks.

I am not sure about my play on this hand. Had I raised just the 2K that was in the pot...or less...I would still have been committed to it but might have made more as he probably would have called. On the other hand, I really don't want 3 of us seeing a turn card and I don't want anyone reraising me there. I need to think about that a bit. Did I want them to call? I was kind of going with my, "Any hand where you win the pot and don't show your hand is a good one." I often tell people I teach how to play that the best hands you play are the ones where you win without a showdown because THERE IS NO WAY TO LOSE THE HAND IF YOUR OPPONENT FOLDS! So I would not have minded them folding...

Although I hit a cold run of cards, I did see one interesting hand that would matter later and it was one I was not involved in. Flop came Q/2/2. Forrest led out, pretty small bet. Paul called. Turn was another Queen, Forrest led small, maybe 300 or so, and Paul called. River was a King. Forrest now led for 1K. Paul went into the tank.

I have seen Forrest play a few times and this betting pattern means he has something. His bets at least alluded to the size of the pot. He could have a deuce, he might have the Queen, or he could have a pair higher than the deuces. He could also have the King. I knew he had something because if he had nothing he would have made a HUGE bet.

Meanwhile Paul has something too. He wasn't on a draw as there were no flush or straight draws. His reaction made me think maybe he had pockets higher than Deuces but he was afraid of the King. Then he started coffee housing. "I am going to bet you DON'T have the boat." And he re-raised.

As soon as he said that I knew he had the boat, possibly the Queen, maybe the deuces. I knew he had the queen or deuce in his hand. And when Forrest merely called I knew he was beat. Sure enough, Forrest rolled over the King and Paul flipped up Q/8.

In every big hand he was involved in Paul tried to engage the other person. When I had the Rockets he looked at me for a long time and I basically ignored him, leading to his fold. I should have looked over at him, he probably would have called. In this hand he tried to talk Forrest into a call with his challenge. I would use this later.

Anyway, did not play another hand before the break. Now my goal was to call off my chips in 20 minutes.

First hand picked up A/Qo. Blinds 1/200, raised to 800. 2 callers. Flop was j/9/j. Forrest checked, I raised a weak 1500. Paul called, Forrest called. Turn was an 8. Now I had a gut shot straight draw...though to anyone with 9/J I was drawing dead. I underbet again, both called. River was a blank. I thought about going all in for my last 4K but there was over 10K in there and all I could beat was a bluff. I checked, Paul went all in...I had him covered by 100. Forest folded.

I know Paul is capable of a bluff. After all, he raised every street with a 2/3. He is a pretty solid player, somewhat tricky. But what bluffs could he be on at this point? A/K has me beat, 10/Q has me beat, A/Q we split, any Jack has me beat...really, the only thing I can beat is a weak Ace or low suited connectors, neither of which I believe he held. I actually went into coffee house mode a bit. "No flush...you could have a missed flush. Would you stay with q/10? Maybe." thought about it a bit more and then did the smart thing. He had at least a pair. I folded.

The next dealer accidentally flashed his cards as he was scooping them up...9/10. If I was playing solid I would have said I misplayed. On a dangerous flop like that with 2 callers I should have been done there on the flop. However, it was a good hand for me...I got rid of almost half my chips with a hand I was not upset to have played.

Next hand, pocket 6s. Limped along with about 4 others. Flop was A/7/4. Raise and call in front of me, I folded. Turn was an 8. River was a 5. I started laughing as the showdown had the old guy maniac showing A/2, another guy showing 2 pair...and then everyone realizing the old guy had the nut flush.

6/8o, limped from button to see what would happen. Hit nothing on the flop, folded.

3/8off, checked from big blind. Flop was 8/5/3, 2 diamonds. Bet the pot. Todd's wife called, guy to my right went all in. Now, I was going all in regardless here, but first I decided to see how close I could come to his hand.

He was a weak-tight player. The first hand he played was j/7...because he had seen nothing better. Still no excuse to play that trash. So he will play bad hands. And he played it for a couple streets. But then he played a K/10 and on a 10/3/3 flop with Todd raising, his wife calling, and a raise past that, he laid it down. Rightfully so, as said raiser had trip 3s. So he had some skills. He looked a bit desperate so I finally put him on a draw. Sure enough, he had 2 diamonds. And he turned the flush so I was done in 4 hands, none of which did I feel bad about. Well, maybe the 6/8o....if I were playing serious I would not have played that. Oh, and the best part? That hand finished 1 minute before my goal...