Good Fail
I had a pretty stupid session this week but I think it is good. I lost $200 but it was kind of a good loss.
I really played great. I also played dumb early on. I paid off an old guy, lost a buyin when I knew I was beat... However I played hard and got back up +100. Here is the dumb part though. I was like "Meh, I should leave now.. I will stay till I win another 20..".. and then as I spewed some off.. "Oh I just need to win a little more then I will leave".. and finally at 1AM in the morning.. spewed off the nice profits and booked my -200 loss.
I am treating this experience as a learning thing. So I am alright with this. Plus I am still up! Yay! I think the lessons here are --
1. Take a Watch. Never stay after 11.
I like to ALWAYS win, but I need to just book whatever loss or win I have like a pro. I also think if I am up why not leave. I mean normally my expected win for a session is like +100.. So after I hit that if I am not feeling it just leave.
2. Stop Hating Losing
I HATE to lose ever. Even $1. Even 1 hand. I am obsessed. I need to drop that shit. I need to embrace the losses and wins and just treat it all like one long session. Not my strong point. All these like "just 5 bucks more" crap things are stupid. It is a big reason I lose and screw up when I really *can* play this game sometimes.
The other lesson I learned is I SUCK right now against pre-flop/flop aggressive people. I am not sure how I should adjust.. but call $15 pre-flop.. miss the flop.. fold.. is not the way.. I really struggle sometimes about what the right play is and when I should be ok to go broke... Here is one example..
Guy raises pre- $15.. I have Jacks. I call. Flop comes low not really coordinated.. I really feel like I am ahead here. Guy bets $25.. Turn does not change anything. I decide to fold to his all in on the turn... Folding the flop is kind of weak.. but is stacking off there bad or good? I hate stacking off with an overpair or even a pair... but what do you do? These are the marginal hands that cost you a lot and win you a lot... so what is the right play? It turns out the guy had pocket 5s and outplayed me. I am okay with that. He did have a big draw on the turn... but if I saw his cards it is a definite calling situation... So I really need to figure out those types of hands.
I do not think it would be bad for me to fold all the "ok" hands to pre-flop aggressive raisers.. especially if the rest of the table is not really raising.. My strength lays in playing flops, and making money there... Perhaps I should study a bit more and see what hand sets are ok to call pre-flop... I usually like calling with big pairs, sometimes with AK... and smaller pairs that can make sets... the rest I dump except suited face cards when the high hand is active.. lol.. Ok ok.. But yeah, you do kinda have to play for the HH.
Also Mohegan Sun is no longer doing HH, so I am forced to play at Foxwoods if I want the extra EV from HH every 30-mins. I think it is worth doing. I do not really like Foxwoods.. When the HH stuff is all done with then the closest casino will be Twin Rivers which sucks... So what do you think? Travel further because I like the casino.. stay close so it does not seem like a trek... keep chasing HH deals... Ignore all that shit.. Dunno.. for now I am going to do Foxwoods and maybe Mohegan will kick in a HH again.. If there is no HH next month then probably Twin Rivers but leaning more towards Mohegan..
Any advice would be good.. I am pretty happy with my play. I think I need to play better but I am not too mad. It is more the stupid things that I do that are part of the meta-game that frustrate me.
posted by SirFWALGMan at
6:26 AM
9 Comments:
I suck at aggression too. With the jj I either 3 bet or fold. If I don't have position on the dude and I know he is going to cbet or shove no matter what I do pre I will either fold pre or consider my call a. Set mine and let it go if I don't hit. If I think a 3bet will let me take control on the flop I will do that. With a true aggro whose preflop raise cbet triple barrel range is huge not sure what else you can do unless you get some kind of read.
6:49 AM
He probably doesn't go all in if you raise after the $25 bet, but I'm not sure of the stacks so there might be pot commitment issues if he calls.
7:21 AM
Stacks are not huge... I kind of agree the best thing would have been 3-bet pre-, then if he calls I can rule out AA/KK probably... So then if he hits a 5 on the flop I get stacked but it's probably the right move if not deep.
I was thinking of shoving the turn Duggles, but I chickened out and just decided to let it go.. If he calls my all in on the turn then I am ahead and whatever happens is good...
Top Pair / Overpairs are so hard.. I think overthinking is probably killing me.. Just be willing to be stacked if I am at 1 buyin or less ($100) and accept it.. and if I am deeper ($200+) then figure out what makes sense..
9:19 AM
If you play JJ like that you might as well fold preflop. Three bet the clown all day. If he shoves you have a decision, if he calls you bury him on the flop when he checks to you.
Buying in for $100 limits your options but with JJ I three bet that hand 100% of the time.
I'm a fan of no HH games. They usually take $2 more rake from every pot and the odds of winning the HH are so low. Also it keeps so many donks from playing HH possible cards preflop and getting lucky with flops.
8:31 AM
I might have called the push from an aggro with the JJ overpair. I would have thought about it for a long time. The push looked like a bluff/draw.
10:56 AM
Some thoughts ...
1) I have to drive about 85 miles to my nearest poker room. I have often stayed too long because I didn't want to make the drive back home. Hard to leave sometimes.
2) Unless the guy you were playing against was a supernit, you got just the kind of flop you would like in the Jacks hand -- outside of hitting a set, of course. You should have repopped his $25 bet.
3) I play the closest casino because it is less of a drive. I need to get my mind right and go further to get to a better room that I like much better. Either that or make plans to stay overnight, which often is more hassle than it is worth for me.
If you just want easy money, invite Josie to a cash game. : o )
2:05 PM
In the JJ hand, I also agree that a re-raise preflop would've given you enough information to feel confident as the hand continued. That said, my real concern is that you refer to JJ as a marginal hand. The reality is (and I know you know this) that JJ is a top 5 hand. AA, KK, QQ, AK, and JJ. If JJ is marginal, then everything less than AK or QQ is marginal. So, get that out of your head. JJ is a strong hand. It's somewhat vulnerable, but so is KK. So, re-raise the flop.
11:21 AM
What is your position in the hand? Were there limpers before the raiser? Is there anyone to act after you? Has the raiser been playing a lot of hands? What is your current table image? What is the raisers playing style after the flop? Aggressive/Passive? Is the table the type that sees a lot of raised multiway pots? How big are your stacks?
3:56 AM
If there were limpers before the raiser and people still left to act after you I think it makes it even more important to 3bet here to isolate the raiser here. Probably close to a pot-sized bet. If it folds everyone including the initial raiser out so be it. If the raiser flats and you have position on him he is likely to check the flop. If he comes over the top of your 3bet you have to decide if he is the type of player who will make that play with AK. In my experience, most players at $1/2 (I assume that's the stakes we're talking here.) won't come over the top of a 3 bet with less than AA-JJ or AK, and maybe AQ unless they are extremely LAG or tricky. If I'm 4bet here against a regular ABC player I'm probably cutting my losses and mucking the jacks.
If this is a good, creative LAG or a maniac who has been hammering everyone at the table post flop with continuation bets, you are heads up with him, and he's leading into you on an uncoordinated board that you believe you are ahead of his range on then I think the passive play is right (just calling the $25 flop bet.). If you raise a good LAG here you give him enough information to get away from his hand. Let him fire if you think you're ahead but you have to be willing to gamble on your read when he commits his stack. I think a 3bet pre-flop avoids all of this though, gives you the lead, and allows you to take it down with a flop bet.
If he's anything other than a good LAG or maniac and you didn't raise preflop I agree with the others that you have to raise the flop. Most times you are going to take it down right there if you are ahead and if you get called and you have position most players are going to check the turn to you.
4:29 AM
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