A brief limit interlude

I just finished two and a quarter hours of two tables on Ultimate Bet for a grand sum of $5.50 profit. An uneventful two hours, one might think. Not a bit of it. I was $50 up on the $3-$6 table in a matter of seconds (88 setted up from the Big Blind and became a boat on the river), only to sink to $120 down within an hour. at the $2-$4 table nothing was going right and I was $50 down after 60 minutes for a net of minus $170. But I was not disheartened. I still felt that I was playing my "A" game. And so it proved. I battered both tables into some form of submission and ended that small amount up (which does not include the $26 accumulated in bonus dollars). So, all in all, a satisfactory session.

In a Pedroesque kind of moan, I played 300 hands and got Aces no less than SIX times. Unfortunately, only three of them won. This was part of the reason that I wasn't disheatened. Here are two of the ones that lost:

Milan ($3/$6 Hold'em)
Powered by UltimateBet

witness is at seat 0 with $214.50.
millon is at seat 1 with $120.
marisa777 is at seat 2 with $215.
1_Thida is at seat 3 with $176.50.
WoodyWood44 is at seat 4 with $392.
Birks is at seat 6 with $332.50.
ahnuld is at seat 7 with $315.50.
murray28 is at seat 8 with $200.
thelastcoyote is at seat 9 with $150.
The button is at seat 3.

WoodyWood44 posts the small blind of $1.
Birks posts the big blind of $3.

Birks: As Ac

Pre-flop:

ahnuld folds. witness folds. millon folds.
marisa777 folds. 1_Thida folds. WoodyWood44 calls.
Birks raises to $6. WoodyWood44 calls.

Flop 4s 5c 7h

WoodyWood44 checks. Birks bets $3. WoodyWood44
raises to $6. Birks calls.

This is a pretty standard play on the flop with AA in this situation. I hope to give the impression that I have two overcards or some kind of draw. This should get a bet out of my opponent, whom I assume has either top pair or an overpair. Of course he COULD have two pair or a made straight, but that's a bit like seeing the bogeyman around every corner. There are a lot more combinations of cards that he could have where I am pissing on him.

Turn 4s 5c 7h 9h

This looks good. If he had the straight, he's still got it, and if he didn't, he hasn't made it now. I still like some kind of hand like K7 or 88.

WoodyWood44 bets $6. Birks raises to $12.
WoodyWood44 re-raises to $18. Birks calls.

Uh oh. I might be in trouble here. No, I almost certainly am in trouble here. Should I fold? Trouble is, I can't see the guy having a set, because he would be unlikely to limp in the small blind with a small pair with no previous callers. The two horrors here are 97 or maybe 54 of hearts. But with $46 in the pot, and with this guy a bit of an unknown quantity, this is basically a case of calling the guy down to the end. I am getting pot odds on the turn, even if I am behind.

River 4s 5c 7h 9h Td

WoodyWood44 bets $6. Birks calls.

Showdown:

WoodyWood44 shows 9c 7c.
WoodyWood44 has 9c 7c 7h 9h Td: two pair, nines and sevens.

$3 is raked from a pot of $72.
WoodyWood44 wins $69 with two pair, nines and sevens.

So it goes: I think that I should call the turn and fold the river. One big bet wasted. But there is always the chance that the guy is a nutter, or that he was betting his overpair.

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This next hand had virtually no blame attached. I think that I can honestly whinge about this one!

Milan ($3/$6 Hold'em)
Powered by UltimateBet

witness is at seat 0 with $220.50.
millon is at seat 1 with $54.50.
marisa777 is at seat 2 with $181.50.
1_Thida is at seat 3 with $319.
ezBill is at seat 4 with $293.
MattNuts is at seat 5 with $282.50.
Birks is at seat 6 with $298.
ahnuld is at seat 7 with $370.50.
4Bama is at seat 8 with $71.
thelastcoyote is at seat 9 with $101.
The button is at seat 0.

millon posts the small blind of $1.
marisa777 posts the big blind of $3.

Birks: Ah Ad

Pre-flop:

1_Thida folds. ezBill folds. MattNuts folds.
Birks raises to $6. ahnuld folds. 4Bama
re-raises to $9. thelastcoyote folds. witness
folds. millon folds. marisa777 folds. Birks
calls.

I like the flat call of a reraise pre-flop with Aces and I will probably play it this way about 75% of the time. It means you can often three-bet the guy on flop and turn, OR four-bet on the turn after a slow-play on the flop.

Flop 7s 5d 5s

Now, I do know this opponent, and I can guarantee that this board has not helped him.

Birks checks. 4Bama bets $3. Birks calls.
Let's go for the 4-bet on the turn. Possibly wrong. I think that I prefer three-betting the flop.

Turn 7s 5d 5s 4h

Birks checks. 4Bama bets $6. Birks raises
to $12. 4Bama re-raises to $18. Birks calls.

OK, I admit it, I wimped out. I reckon the guy has Kings or Queens (he might have Aces, but in that case we are splitting anyway, so that scenario can be ignored). I plan a bet on the river instead, which should get another raise.

River: 7s 5d 5s 4h Jc

Birks bets $6. 4Bama raises to $12. Birks
calls.

Showdown:

4Bama shows Jd Jh
4Bama has Jd Jh 5d 5s Jc: full house, jacks full of fives.

Oh bollox.

4Bama wins $85 with full house, jacks full of fives.

The only thing I would criticize about my play here was that I didn't lose enough! I should 4-bet the turn. Of course, when I then bet on the river and get raised, I can have a strong suspicion that he has either hit his two-outer or that he also has Aces.

I admit that I had a little swear at the screen at this one. But, these hands happen.

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Our little tourney puzzler

The story so far: Our hero has limped with a pair of aces in a tourney where the blinds are now 400/800 and there are 18 players left, with 10 players getting paid. He has about 3800 in chips. Everyone folds around the Big Blind, who has just over 7000 chips and who is a conservative kind of player.

The board comes QJ3 two spades. Big blind checks and our hero bets 700, (so Mr Woodhouse, who suggested a bet of between 750 and 1250, is clearly a man of good judgement). Big blind calls the bet.

Turn brings a Jack. Board is now QJ3J two spades. Big blind checks. Hero has 2500 chips. Foe has 5900 chips. There are 2900 chips in the pot. What to do?

(Clue. It is at this point that I start to seriously screw the hand up.....)