Last 2 weeks or so; Lost Value

11/21/13-Home Game

5:00 1/2 Mixed (Mostly Big O and NLHE) -$1,100

11/26/13-MD Live

25 mins 2/2 PLO +$653
11:10 2/5 NLHE +$542
11/29/13-MD Live

10:23 2/5 NLHE +$1,557

The theme of this post is lost value. I feel like the last two sessions I have played well but not optimally. In particular this last session I may have played a bit too conservative in a spot or two. I will post some specific hands.

Overall though, November continued to end well. I ran really poorly in the home game session (my bi-weekly Thursday night game) losing flips, getting coolered, etc. No big deal as it was all mostly standard stuff. The stacks get deeper as the night goes on and some big pots are often played.

Anyway here are the hands.

Welcome to the Table

I had doubled up on my first table and then the fish went broke and the table got really bad. So I immediately asked for a table change and got one. Problem is on a table change you can only buy in for the table max-$500. So I had to pocket the table 1 profit. Anyway I got moved to a new table and unwittingly got the God seat. Both of the competent big stacks on my immediate right with 2 big stacked mega fish on their immediate right. Probably the best seat I could ask for. This hand is totally standard though.

First hand I am dealt, one of the competents is walking around so I am in the BB. Few limpers and BTN who is a terri-bad fish raises to $35. I peel JJ and decide to 3b to $125. He is a massive losing fish that I have played with before and will call with a lot of hands...I figured any pair he would set mine, any 2 broadways, and AT+, etc. Folds to him and he calls.

(Pot ~$270) Flop QJ4 I lead $150, he ships and I snap obv. River runs out clean and he says "Your Kings are good". I table and he says "Oh god, you got lucky sir...nice hit". I'm sorry what? If KK is good then I was good the whole way...lol. I'm assuming he had AQ. Of course, he played the hand like the fish that he is (by flatting pre-flop) but that is beside the point.

I posted the next hand on 2p2 and everyone agreed a flop flat was in order. Here it is:

Flop the World

There are 2 massive donators in this game. They are SB and BB in this hand. They each are sitting on 1.2k+ and I cover. They are running like 100/10 both and show down hands like K3o, J6o, etc. Once they make a pair postflop regardless of the action they simply aren't folding. Anyway I overlimp in LP with A8 SB completes, BB raises to 20, 2 limpers call, I call, SB calls-5 to flop. (Pot ~100) Flop 679 Blinds check, UTG bets 35 with only 125 behind. Limper #2 folds and on me. Obv smashed the flop and given deepish stacks with the 2 fish and their stickiness I'm thinking raise to 125-ish? Anyone want to flat and for sure keep them in? Again if they have a pair they are likely to call anything...If they have 2 overs (ie KQ, KJ) they are literally 50/50 to peel if I flat.

I elected to flat the 35 as did one of the fish. Turn was K. Short stack shoved, I called and fish folded. I held for a medium sized pot that probably should have/could have been bigger.

I just wonder if I can get more $$$ in there even by doing something dumb on the flop like min-raising and getting the fish stuck in a bigger pot. There is not a single hand he can have that I am scared of obviously and deep stacked I just wonder about building pots here.

Flopped Set on Drawy Turn

I think I probably lost value here too. I was playing really TAG due to the 100% VPIP of the 2 fish in the game and their complete inability to fold post flop with any pair. Just had to adjust and felt this was the optimal way to play them. For whatever reason, however, I decided to play this pre-flop a little un-TAG.

Few limps to me and I decide to raise 77 in the c/o to $25. Not sure how good this is given the stickiness of the table but I wanted BTN to fold as he had just sat down and was a good player. Both fish call as does one other limper. 4 to the flop.

(Pot ~$110) Flop 723 All check and I bet $75...only the two fish call.

(Pot ~$335) Turn 8 First fish leads at the pot now for $125. Second fish jams $450 total. First fish has about $725 behind. If I flat he will have ~$400 behind if he flats. If I jam I think he will have a hard time calling without 2 pair +. However, if I flat he can easily fold any combination of all of his draws unimproved on the river. So that coupled with his lead just convince me that he is not folding, so I rejam. He tanks and finally folds claiming he had 69. IDK if that is true but if so I made the right play jamming. Really hard to put him on a hand there that is not a draw but I guess he could just be clicking buttons.

Anyway I hold vs. A5 versus fish #2 and win a nice sized pot.

Perhaps I am overthinking the hand with respect to Fish #1 but I just wonder if flatting could have yielded more value. Even if he flats the $450 and folds river I still pick up an extra $325.

Any thoughts here?

Overpair in a 3b Pot

I've been watching some Bart Hanson videos at night and watched one on bloated 3b pots. It made a lot of sense and got me thinking if I played this hand a little too fast.

Fish #1 from above opens to $25 and gets 2 callers. I 3b to $110 from the BTN with QQ. Only fish calls. He starts hand with $700 and I cover by a lot. His range remains pretty wide even after the 3b and includes stuff as weak as JTs+, KJs+, AXs, small pairs, etc.

(Pot ~$275) Flop J73 Now here is where I think I make a sizing mistake. He checks and I bet $200. I don't think this sizing is terrible but I do think I can bet smaller both to induce or get value. If he has or JX he is going with it anyway so my sizing doesn't matter. But he might peel 88-TT, hell even 44-66 to try and turn a straight draw. He is a massive fish and effective stacks are 2x the pot. I think I can bet like $140...maybe he tries to "outplay" me and shoves or maybe he calls. then stacks are ~$450ish with $655 in the pot.

Obviously he folded and I won but I'm just not sure this was optimal sizing. May start a new thread in LLSNL about sizing in bloated, 3b pots.

So no $10k November for me but a very good month nontheless. I also just recently clipped 1k hours in in live play since Black Friday when we all thought the poker world was ending. I may do a post about that with results, what I learned, where I still think I need to get better, etc. if there is interest so let me know.