Risk versus reward

I start playing again. UTG limps with 1.76, mp calls with 19.37, and 4.56, hijack calls with 3.13, , and on the button I also call with 1.95 and pocket deuces. In the small blind I look at pocket 2s…easiest call ever. I am not re-raising here as I WILL get action and WON’T like it.

The big blind checks and we take the flop 7 handed.

If I am going to play a 7-handed pot, I like hitting a set on a 10c/9d/2h flop. Two possible sets, a lot of draws, and the probability someone has an over pair. MP2 bets .37, folded to me with just one person left to act…re-raise or try to bring him along? I decide to see if I can triple up and flat, but he folds anyway.

I figure the range is one of the two aforementioned sets, J/10, 10/9, Q/K, or bigger pair. The turn is kind of ugly, the 8h, he shoves 1.34 and I know I am calling but…

If he has J/Q I am drawing thin, if he has pocket 8s, 9s, or 10s I am also in deep trouble, but other than that I look good and I am just not good enough to more than consider folding in passing. I know I am calling, even with the sinking feeling I am tossing off another 1.34 with the worst hand.

I am wrong..he has top pair, decent kicker…10h/qh. So he also has the flush draw. So he has 7 hearts that make the flush (the 10 and 9 give me a boat), plus 3 jacks for a total of 10 outs…I am a 5-1 favorite, my hand holds up and I take down a nice pot.

When my hands hold up, this game is easy!

The very next hand I make a mistake. The button limps with 6.07, the small blind completes with 4.81 and I look down at the cowboys. Not wanting to give away some of my newfound chip wealth, I over-raise to .90 and they both fold.

I played scared. I should have just made a standard raise to .25 or .30 cents and seen how it went. I had a strong hand against two weak ones, that would charge them for their draws. But I knew I would see it to the river even if obviously beat and instead of adjusting my post-flop play, I made a bad raise.

From middle position I open to .15 with Jc/Kc. This is a play I make on occasion when people are folding a lot. I mostly expect to pick up the blinds or at worst, pick up a small pot with a flop continuation bet if called by one player. The next seat calls with 3.95 and the small blind elects to come along with just .80.

The 9h/Ad/Qs flop does not make me ecstatic…with just .65 behind, I figure the small blind probably has the Ace, I am drawing to 4 tens. He checks, I make one of my rare flop checks after a pre-flop bet, and the next guy leads out for .28.

The blind takes his time, then click-raises, leaving himself just .09 behind. I think I am behind, I am getting horrible odds, and am in danger of getting hit with the squeeze play if I call. I make the disciplined and, I believe, correct fold. Guy behind calls.

The turn is hysterical…10H. I would have hit my straight. They get the last .10 in and I figure the mp guy has to have something like A/10+, maybe even pockets, something that hit the flop and big blind probably some sort of ace.

Well, big blind proves looser than expected…Qc/10c, so he called with poor odds to hit his flush. MP shows As/4h.

On the bright side, my read was correct insofar as believing I was behind. I made the correct play. But it really reminds me I might be playing too tight because players like this I want to be in more hands with.

I make a couple of standard plays that do not work, hit a few blinds and suddenly have lost 2/3rd of my stack, down to 1.26. UTG+1 I click the wrong button and raise to .10 with pocket 3s. I wanted to raise to .15. It is folded to the big blind who goes all-in 18.35.

What an idiot. On the bright side, it makes it a very easy fold for me…no matter his hand, the only thing I am ahead of is A/2 or pocket deuces, and best case scenario is a race. Enjoy that .10 win. Big risk for little gain unless you had Aces.

Of course, it is also possible he had a poor hand and got what he wanted...picking up .10 for no risk. But way too much risk for no gain.