Vegas Hands It To You

One thing that is often discussed on poker forums is that you have to adapt to the level of thinking that your opponent is on (and then act one level, and precisely one level, higher than that). This can be one of the things that make multi-player hands difficult. If you have one cunning fox, one ABC player and one dunce in the same hand against you, working out how your raise will be interpreted can give you a headache.

However, when it is the opponent making the action, you can normally assign a fairly accurate range, depending on what level you assign to them and what type they are within that level. Occasionally, this "accurate" range is "could be fucking anything", but this is no disadvantage to you (some players think that it is, but assigning "random" to your opponent's hand in pokerstove shows just how much this increases your EV).

Sometimes, though, it becomes hard to know where to ascribe "level zero". This weekend (college basketball time) in Vegas is just like that. I had shit cards today, by which I mean, hands that you fold pre-flop, for hour after hour. I did not flop one set, and I only had one pair higher than 10s in nine hours' play (of which more later). So I did rather well to get away for $40 down. I had one two outer against me on the river, and pulled off another two-outer on the turn. I won considerably more from the latter than I lost on the former.

Here's the first hand. All opponents are loose-passive "level 1" donkeys, unless stated otherwise.

I am on the button with 9s 6s and six limpers (one folder). So I limp and get to see a flop. SB completes and BB checks. $32 minus $4 in pot = $28

Flop: Ad 6h 6c

A bit of a dream flop.

SB checks
BB checks.

UTG bets $4 very quickly, displaying utter confidence.

Now. UTG is a nice enough lady, but she is utterly clueless. So, let's take a typical $2-$4 game online. No player bets a six in this situation unless it's a double-bluff from a cunning player. Any bet out here online at $2-$4 indicates an Ace with a bad or mediocre kicker.

Now, let's take a typical 'live' $4-$8 player in this kind of game. Such a display of utter confidence would be genuine. It would indicate a six.

But this lady is so clueless that her utter confidence represents the Ace. She has two pair Aces up, and two pair Aces-up is A GOOD HAND. That any six among her eight opponents will beat her does not cross her mind.

This is kind of "level zero minus". At times, you come across level zero double minus. These are players who call down to the end, without even knowing the strength of their own hand. It's frightening, and it requires a completely different type of thought from an online game.

So, I flat call here. If there's another Ace behind me, it might well raise.

Sure enough. a raise comes. Call from UTG lady. Call from me. $53 in pot.

Turn brings 9d, giving me a full house. UTG lady now checks inexplicably. I check, and the other player (kind of a sub ABC player) bets. UTG lady now folds (don't ask me) and I raise. The other player calls. $85 in pot.

River brings an Ace. Great. Board is now AA966 and I have 96. I check, he bets. Do I call?

Well, yes. He might have misread his hand or anything.. I call, he shows Ace-Queen offsuit. End of story. A $101 pot that should have been mine.


A couple of hours later, I finally get AA (Ac Ad). I am in MP2.


Three limps to me (including our lady friend from before). I raise and a black guy who is staggeringly poor (see Level Zero minus one) calls. This leaves hiim without about $12. All fold round to our lady friend, who calls. Two others call, $39 in pot.

Flop brings 6d 2d 2c.

Lady bets out with that irrefutable confidence that could be a two, or a six, or a pair of sevens, or a flush draw. So I raise. Black guy reraises all-in. Lady calls. I raise. Lady calls.

$74 in main pot. $8 in side pot.

Turn brings an Ace, giving me the boat. Lady bets, I raise. Lady calls. $74 in main pot, $40 in side pot.

River brings a rag. Lady checks. I bet. Lady calls. $74 in main pot. $56 in side pot.

I show my full house Aces over twos. All-in black guy shows 66 for a flopped boat. Lady shows Q2 off for trip twos. Fuck me. I had Aces against 66 and Q2 off and after the flop I was third. God bless two-outers. Then again, I'm surprised lady didn't go for more money. And what a pity the black guy was't better stacked. Still, mustn't be greedy.

Although you know you will end up in front against players like this, it makes for a somewhat tedious game. You can't make moves, you have to avoid anything approaching fancy-play syndrome, and you have to bet for value as if there is no tomorrow. Oh, and forget garbage like AJoff. Much better to have a pair of threes.

Some pictures follow. I missed a stonking sunset last night, but if the clouds return next week I should be able to get it again.

And there was also some kind of kick-ass Mini-Cooper "Flash Mob" on the strip. Hundreds of Minis. Weird

( Vegas Pics )