Anything more painful than a bubble?

Stringbet's Home Game

The Stats: 27 players, 9 handed tables to start

Objectives for this session:

1. look for “yielders” (players who fold to big re-raises)
2. look for value hands (sc in LP, etc.)

50/100
Ran away from a 3 spade flop. Noticed through level 1 that some players are “closed” (like to know that are ahead before they bet) and others are “open” (like to fight for a pot). In a cash game, you cant let players roll over you, but in a tournament, you can wait for a trap opportunity.

I had JJ and the flop is Q rag rag and despite my strong bet, he calls. On the turn, an Ace comes up and I get cautious and check. He makes a big bet and I make a weak fold. (Am I a yielder?)

Flop and OESD and as I like to do, semi-bluff the flop if there are 2 or less opponents. AN ASIDE: My strategy when I flop 4 to a nut flush or OESD on the flop, I bet ½ to ¾ the pot, just like if I am protecting TP. The difference in on the turn. If I am OUT of position, and the flop got called, I check if I did not hit my draw yet. If I am in position, I will bet again if the earlier player(s) check, and make a decision based on odds if they bet.

So, I am grinding around and not much is happening for me. 3 times the player on my right stabs at a pot post flop with what I suspect is nothing. The third time, I almost reraise him and decide against it. (it turns out it was the only 1 of the 3 pots where he had something, in this case ACES!)

I then get moved to table 2. There were not one, but TWO loose players at this table and I was hopeful… Sure enough, I push my short stack all in with 88 and expect to steal or get heads up. Instead I get TWO callers. I stand up figuring I am beat and they flip over 77 and AK!!!! What??!!? Tripled me up!!!

Then, a few hands later, I play J9 from the BB and flop a straight. Now considering I had THREE strong draws today and missed all 3 (and could not force my opponent to fold), I was feeling lucky right about now. I check-call the flop, then I check-call the turn. Since this guy was loose and big stacked, I went all-in on the river. “He surprise me, he no show up.” - Chico Marx

300/600
I am UtG with AA. I think for a second and decide to bet as if I have JJ. I think for about 20 seconds, and then I make is 2000 to go. I am sad as it folds around, but the LAG BB decides not to disappoint me and re-raises me. I immediately (too fast even) re-re-raise all-in and he calls with his AKs. I double up again.

I get moved back to table 1 with an healthy and average size stack of 18k.

500/1000 (14 left)
I play Qc4c from the BB and 3 clubs flop. Is my hand good? Probably. I take the stance that since it was not a family pot, that I might be good here. I slow played on the flop because he might have the Kc or the Ace of clubs and I want to make sure that before I put him on a big decision with a single club, that his odds are 4-1 and not 2-1. The turn is a blank, and I check to see how much he will bet. He bets enough that I smooth call expecting a big payoff if a non-club hits. The river was another blank and when I check, he goes all-in. Since I never put him near a flush, I immediately called to see his KK (with a club redraw) and took down a HUGE pot. But, he had a big stack and I did not knock him out. The shock on his face though… You could see his thought process.
“What flush?!!!” (oh)
“How could he play Q4s?!?!?” (oh BB)
“How could he slow play like that?!!” (he got lucky)

But did I get lucky? Nope, I played the odds for VALUE. BIG VALUE. (see objective #2).

Again, I will tangle with this player. I have K8s in the SB and call. The flop is QQ8 and I check-and he checks. (no information) The turn is a 6 and I check-he checks. (A LOT OF IMFORMATION HERE. If he had the Queen, he would bet for value here!) The river is a 3, and this time I bet. I think I am good here. He RAISES and I think about it or a while as he might have 99 or something. I call to see a 89 and outkick him to take a second pot from him. Again, he is shocked I make that call with an 8, but look at the flop versus the turn and river. The board is getting LESS dangerous, not more dangerous. And a bigger raise might have done it, who knows.

500/1000/50 (12 left)
Here is my fatal mistake, again with the same player. I have a rule that if I flop 2 pair, I ASSUME I am going to lose the hand and try to keep the pot small. Why? Because I am not talking 2 random cards like in the BB, no I am talking a 2 gap, 1 gap or connector. As if often the case when you have two pair, the other player(s) have stright draws. But in this case, I hit bottom pair but bet the flop. I called the turn bet. The river gave me 2 pair and I had him on TP lame kicker. When he went all in, I said “I think I have to call here”. I lost ½ my stack to the st8.

I split my AQ with AT (loose giant stack call) on a 2 paired board.

I folded A9s because of a 3xBB bet at a tight table. I pat myself on the back when someone goes all-in after my fold. Of course I would have made a straight. As it was, the T9 caller (huge stack loose player) made the straight. So instead of the split, I sat out.

At the bubble (7 left), I was in 5th. BOTH shorter stacks doubled up (one of them twice) as I watched them defy the odds. Then, when I was the short stack, I ran into ACES from none other than the giant stack. Painful conclusion, as I waited to cash and was rewarded with a slap in the face.