A few limit comments
Apr. 10th, 2005 08:30 amI worked off my Pokerstars $120 bonus this morning, while losing the grand sum of a dollar in an hour and a half. THis in itself is unremarkable, but what struck me was that I was utterly card dead. I mean, in tournament terms, I would have been blinded away. In 180 hands I got five pairs, none of them above an 8. I got AK once, AQ once and AJ once. The rest was, basically, dross. And yet, I only finished up a dollar down. Partly this was because one of my pairs (fives) turned into a set on the flop, and I milked the opposition for all they were worth. I'll print it for below just to massage my ego. But my major point was that these kind of card-dead sessions are rarely the ones where you blast your money to smithereens. Those sessions occur when you get good hand after good hand, and nothing works. Either you miss the flop, or you hit the flop, but someone else hits it better, or you hit the flop, but someone decides to chase and you are rivered. These nightmare sessions probably occur about once a month, and being able to resist going on tilt when they do is one of the most important steps forward that a limit player can make.
POKERSTARS HOLD'EM LIMIT ($2/$4)
Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: Birks($215 in chips)
Seat 3: kai157 ($105 in chips)
Seat 5: spanknmonkee ($62 in chips)
Seat 6: payme ($117 in chips)
Seat 8: Gladiss ($106 in chips)
Seat 10: SmplyPatient ($297.50 in chips)
Vahrus: posts small blind $1
kai157: posts big blind $2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to _PJB_ [5s 5d]
spanknmonkee: calls $2
payme: calls $2
Gladiss: calls $2
SmplyPatient: calls $2
Birks: calls $2
Vahrus: calls $1
kai157: checks
*** FLOP *** [5h 6c Qd]
Vahrus: checks
kai157: checks
spanknmonkee: checks
payme: checks
Gladiss: checks
SmplyPatient: bets $2
Birks: calls $2
This is the vital play. The conventional wisdom would be to raise here to push out potential draws. However, with three active players behind me, my view is that I want them in with ropey draws and, even if they hit, I have the redraw back-up. However, some other days I might indeed bang in the raise. The fact that it's a rainbow flop influenced my decision.
Vahrus: calls $2
kai157: calls $2
spanknmonkee: calls $2
payme: folds
Gladiss: folds
*** TURN *** [5h 6c Qd] [2d]
This is a slight scare cards in that there might be a 3-4 out there, but it's a nicer card than a nine or a Queen.
Vahrus: checks
kai157: checks
spanknmonkee: checks
SmplyPatient: checks
Birks: bets $4
Vahrus: calls $4
kai157: calls $4
spanknmonkee: folds
SmplyPatient: calls $4
These players are simply not good enough to slow-play (check-call) the straight in this situation. I am 100% sure that I am in front and I suspect that I have these guys drawing dead.
*** RIVER *** [5h 6c Qd 2d] [Qc]
Is this a scare card? Not really. There might, just might, be a Q6 or a Q2 out there
Vahrus: checks
kai157: checks
SmplyPatient: checks
Birks: bets $4
A pure bet for value.
Vahrus: folds
kai157: calls $4
SmplyPatient: folds
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $48 | Rake $2
Board [5h 6c Qd 2d Qc]
Seat 1: Birks (button) showed [5s 5d] and won ($46) with a full house, Fives full of Queens
Seat 3: kai157 (big blind) mucked [5c 4h]
Yes, the guy called all the way with a pair of fives and then with a gutshot as a feature, and then he called the river as well. A fine example of where betting for value on the river will pay, even if you do not have a monster hand.
Figures for month so far (only starting April 5 due to Vegas trip). Betfair minus £12.22 (7.25 hours); Stan James minus £13.50 (1.5 hours); Pokerstars plus £82.50 (5.25 hours); Ultimate plus £58 (3 hours).
Equals about £114 in 16 hours, of which about £65 is a bonus.
Cash = plus £134
Tournaments (3) = minus £20
POKERSTARS HOLD'EM LIMIT ($2/$4)
Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: Birks($215 in chips)
Seat 3: kai157 ($105 in chips)
Seat 5: spanknmonkee ($62 in chips)
Seat 6: payme ($117 in chips)
Seat 8: Gladiss ($106 in chips)
Seat 10: SmplyPatient ($297.50 in chips)
Vahrus: posts small blind $1
kai157: posts big blind $2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to _PJB_ [5s 5d]
spanknmonkee: calls $2
payme: calls $2
Gladiss: calls $2
SmplyPatient: calls $2
Birks: calls $2
Vahrus: calls $1
kai157: checks
*** FLOP *** [5h 6c Qd]
Vahrus: checks
kai157: checks
spanknmonkee: checks
payme: checks
Gladiss: checks
SmplyPatient: bets $2
Birks: calls $2
This is the vital play. The conventional wisdom would be to raise here to push out potential draws. However, with three active players behind me, my view is that I want them in with ropey draws and, even if they hit, I have the redraw back-up. However, some other days I might indeed bang in the raise. The fact that it's a rainbow flop influenced my decision.
Vahrus: calls $2
kai157: calls $2
spanknmonkee: calls $2
payme: folds
Gladiss: folds
*** TURN *** [5h 6c Qd] [2d]
This is a slight scare cards in that there might be a 3-4 out there, but it's a nicer card than a nine or a Queen.
Vahrus: checks
kai157: checks
spanknmonkee: checks
SmplyPatient: checks
Birks: bets $4
Vahrus: calls $4
kai157: calls $4
spanknmonkee: folds
SmplyPatient: calls $4
These players are simply not good enough to slow-play (check-call) the straight in this situation. I am 100% sure that I am in front and I suspect that I have these guys drawing dead.
*** RIVER *** [5h 6c Qd 2d] [Qc]
Is this a scare card? Not really. There might, just might, be a Q6 or a Q2 out there
Vahrus: checks
kai157: checks
SmplyPatient: checks
Birks: bets $4
A pure bet for value.
Vahrus: folds
kai157: calls $4
SmplyPatient: folds
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $48 | Rake $2
Board [5h 6c Qd 2d Qc]
Seat 1: Birks (button) showed [5s 5d] and won ($46) with a full house, Fives full of Queens
Seat 3: kai157 (big blind) mucked [5c 4h]
Yes, the guy called all the way with a pair of fives and then with a gutshot as a feature, and then he called the river as well. A fine example of where betting for value on the river will pay, even if you do not have a monster hand.
Figures for month so far (only starting April 5 due to Vegas trip). Betfair minus £12.22 (7.25 hours); Stan James minus £13.50 (1.5 hours); Pokerstars plus £82.50 (5.25 hours); Ultimate plus £58 (3 hours).
Equals about £114 in 16 hours, of which about £65 is a bonus.
Cash = plus £134
Tournaments (3) = minus £20