Hand by Hand part 3

I open from the cut-off with Ad/8d and 2.44. The button calls with 2.89. I am not overly worried…many people will call with a pretty wide range on the button planning to bet a checked flop.

The flop is pretty good for my hand…the Js/Qd/Kd. I flopped the nut flush and single shot straight draw with cards that will probably draw action. If I check here I will face a bet…a pot size might be too much to call, but would love to see half pot. However, my current flop strategy is to continuation bet the vast majority of the time.

I lead out for .20 into a pot of about .35 with the blinds and he folds. That works too. While some action would be nice, I still just have Ace high and have 12 outs to feel GOOD about the hand…any diamond or 10. Ace I like but am not ecstatic about, a paired board I hate if he calls…take the small win and move on.

From mp I open to .15 with 2.59 and Ac/Qs. I get my favored result…everyone folds and I pick up the blinds. I know that sounds strange…but an off-suit A/Q wants to play a small pot. And winning with no resistance encourages me to steal more blinds which leads me into more pots which gives me a chance to practice my flop skills…

Back down to 2.59 after a couple of blinds, I am in middle position and open to .15 with As/8s. I have been opening with a few more hands like this since they have the potential to win a nice pot if I do hit the flush…and since people again fold to my raise, thus paying my way through another set of blinds.

UTG takes their time, then click-raises with 10.78. When they have to be prompted, there are a couple of common scenarios. One is they are multi-tabling, playing more tables than they can handle and it takes them a bit to get around to the ones they are not active on.

The other is they have a big hand…usually Kings or Aces…and are trying how to mazimize value. Of course, these are not the ONLY times so going with those reads exclusively is a bad idea…but I certainly WEIGHT my reads in favor of those two.

So when he click-raises, I have 2.66 and pocket 9s and have a choice. I am not re-raising here…I am ahead of small pairs, suited connectors and stuff like A/K, A/x suited…but way behind 10/10+. I do not want to see a re-raise, with or without position on this guy…besides which, using Phil Gordon’s principle, there is a decent chance (about 25%) someone has a higher pocket pair behind me and might re-raise.

I am not folding, though…ideally, I can flat-call, get a couple callers behind, flop a set and take down a nice pot. The plan seems to be working as the next seat also calls with 3.15. The big blind comes along with 4.18 and we see the flop 4-handed…and with me now one seat off the button.

The flop is the Ks/6c/Qd. With the three opening seats all involved, there is a better than average chance one or more of us have hit the King or Queen…or both. So when it is checked to me, I weigh the odds. If I bet into three other players with an underpair, I am likely to get check-raised by A/K or K/Q. Much better to see if someone makes a move on the turn. No need to play a big pot here.

The turn is the 7c, a pretty harmless card as it hits no likely draws. Again it is checked to me and this time I bet half the pot. The big blind and utg both call, mp folds. So with three of us involved, about the only thing I can be ahead of is A/x clubs. The river is the 3s and, when it is checked to me, I have a pretty clear check.

I think I am most likely against a king or queen with marginal kickers, maybe even one of each. So I am quite surprised to see As/Jh and Ah/10h turned over and take down the pot.

I still like the check. Very seldom here will I be facing two opponents who caught no part of this flop. If I see a check-raise I absolutely have to lay it down here. As is, I saw a cheap flop, took a stab at it when everyone had thrice shown weakness, got two incidents of resistance, and got to see a cheap showdown with a hand with a small bit of show-down value that happened to be best.

UTG+1 limps with 2 even and I check my option in the big blind with 8d/Qc and 3.32. The flop is the Jh/8h/6d and I am still not excited. That hits lots of limping hands like suited heart hands, medium suited connectors, low to medium pocket pairs. I check.

He bets a nickel, my brain stops functioning and I call. I guess holding second pair, modest kicker and no draw gets me excited.

The turn is the 4s, changing nothing unless he holds something like 5c/7c in which case he made a straight. I check and again he bets a nickel. Hmm. Why is he keeping the pot so small? Either he hit a monster…say, a set of 6s or Jacks, maybe 2 pair…or he has a low pocket pair and is hoping I have something like K/2 and am on a draw. I call.

The river is the Ac. I check, if he bets a reasonable amount…say, a pot size bet…I fold. But he checks behind, shows pocket deuces and I win the pot.

His under-bets allowed me to stay in with a marginal hand. Beginning to end his play screamed “weak hand I hope I am good with” where if he played it strongly he wins the pot. A small pot, yes, but better to win 15 cents than lose 15…really a .45 swing including the 15 from the opponent you win or lose.

So now I am feeling my oats and, it is folded to me in the small blind I hold the Qd/Kc, raise it, and the big blind folds.

A bit later on I open from the hijack with 6d/7d. I probably do not call even a limp here as I am not confident in my ability to read higher flushes or big hands. But when I create pressure with the open raise, I can be the aggressor and have good things happen…like winning the blinds.
Yes, it is a very small win, but enough small pots lets me play bigger pots with better hands. Also, even if they call, they miss the flop 2/3rds of the time, I can continuation bet and win a small but nice pot that way.

UTG opens to .20 with 1.53. Now, most people open with a click-raise to .10, a 3xbb raise to .15 or a pot to .17. Normally, the bigger open is a smaller hand that is nervous about action…say a low to medium pair. So when it is folded to me on the button, I have 3.57, As/Kd, and a wish to re-raise and isolate. I bump it to .70.

Folds back to utg who goes all in 1.53. It is .83 to win 2.10, about 2.5-1 and I am most likely in a straight race…I figure he has 10/10 or worse. I pretty much have him locked into a pocket pair and there is a small chance he has Kings or Aces, but I doubt it…the over raise shouts smaller pair to me.

I had actually thought he might fold to my re-raise, he did not, the price is right, I call, and he shows much, much worse than expected…8d/6d. Too bad he then hits a straight to win the pot…but I think I made the right play. I read his weakness correctly, induced him into the mis-play, and he out-drew me.

Between the loss and a blind I dropped all the way to 1.99. This is bad as I start to get gun-shy and soon make a sub-par play. UTG+1 I have Ah/Ac. Now, the correct play here is to open to .15 as usual. But I am feeling puckish, so I make the over-raise to .25, 5 times the blind. I get a call from the middle with 8.71 and the cut-off with 4.84.

This is good and bad…it is good because they need good hands to make that call so I have a decent pot built…bad because, while the individual favorite, I am the overall dog.

The Kd/7s/7h hits. I am now drawing thin against kings…a not unlikely holding…or anything holding a seven…much less likely. I overbet 1.74, only getting called by Kings, something with a seven, or A/K…but they both fold.

I played this hand poorly beginning to end, win a small pot compared to what should have happened. A bet of about .50 would have been a better play. I am playing poorly at this point.The funny thing is…I was playing well until I had a poor result with it, then I play poorly and have a good result.

I just need to settle back in, not get all antsy and start making big bets with decent hands.