Man, you are sick
Dec. 14th, 2005 07:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
peterbirksIf yesterday I ran bad, today I ran brutal. Losing $450 in two hours is not a pleasant experience, trust me. More annoying was that $100 of this was avoidable.
I've concluded that when I hit a bit of a bad patch I become a bit too much of a calling station. The problem is, when things go wrong, you are petrified of folding a winning hand. This can result in you calling when you should fold in several spots, and sometimes three-betting when, based on your reads on your opponent's style, you should give it up.
The three worst hands (well, those that I remember, anyway), were where I raised with ATo in CO1 (no previous callers) and was three-bet by a reasonable, but tight, guy in the Big Blind. I called. The flop came Txx two of some suit (at no point in this two-hour period did I have a flush chance on the flop) and opponent bet. I raised and he three-bet.
I should really lay it down here. But I called him down to the end (turn a nine and river a deuce). He showed TT for trip tens.
A while later, I get 69 in the big blind and get in for free. Flop comes a very nice T87 with two hearts, giving me the straight. I decide to bet out, representing some kind of draw. MP2 raises. This is an old guy who can be a bit tricky. I reckon that he has read me for a draw and is trying to isolate. It doesn't work. Rock on the button cold-calls. I decide to call and to bet out if a heart does not come on the turn. The turn is a black King.
I bet, MP2 raises again and puts himself all-in, Rock on button calls again. I reraise. Rock calls, putting $32 in side-pot.
River brings a heart. I check, rock bets, I call. MP2 shows J9 for the flopped nut straight and button shows AJ of hearts for a nut flush. Great.
Awhile later. I get KK in UTG+1. I raise. Cold-called by mid-20s guy who has been playing in $15K tournament as an online qualifier, but was knocked out. Flop comes 632 all diamonds. I have no diamond. I bet. He calls. I put him on TT, JJ or QQ here, probably with a diamond. Turn brings a black 5. I bet. He calls. River brings a black seven. Do I check here or bet for value? I decide to bet for value. He raises. Ugh. I call. He shows J-9 of diamonds for the flopped flush. Stupid of me. The guy is a no-limit player and he played this hand almost as if it was no-limit. Nearly all other 8-16 daytime limit players would have folded the J-9 preflop. Those that called would probably have raised me on the flop, and the very few that didn't raise me on the flop would have raised me on the turn. I probably found the one player in the known universe (well, in the Bellagio, at least) who would have played the hand that way, which cost me the max. Sigh.
++++
In each of these cases I could have saved some money by making a laydown judged on my own read but, running bad as I was, I couldn't bear the thought of folding and discovering that I had laid down a, very rare, winner.
For those who follow the trials of playing poker, I can cheerfully recount that I had $2300 in my pocket at some point last Thursday, while I walked away from the session this morning with about $300 plus change. Those are the things that a pro player would have to live with as a matter of course (the pro player might not have lost as much as I did these past two days, but he wouldn't have won as much in the first three days, either). As with Hold'em hands, in the greater game, you are never as far ahead as you think you are.
For me, of course, it isn't a problem. This is a minor part of the bankroll and I can always go to the bank. But for a guy trying to scrape a living, it would be a BIG problem.
++++
The photoshoot today went well. John was a nice guy and we enjoyed a nice journey up and down the Strip doing location pics. His web site is www.altf.com, and some pictures of Birks might be up there in a few days, after he has done the necessary Photoshop work to make me look like a haggard wreck (did I mention that I have a cold?.
After the shoot I wandered back to the Bellagio, but the list was long. This was a blessing in disguise. I came back to my room and slept for four hours, on and off, interspersed with some reading. I feel a lot better now. Perhaps the nighttime shift will be more profitable. If not? Well, the good old ATM awaits.
Tips for tight-asses using an ATM. The cheapest that I have found on the strip is in the Fashion Mall. Avoid those in casinos if at all possible.
++++
Update:
Won $165 in an hour, although I played a bit conservatively for my tastes. Picked the money up in two big pots with top pair top kicker both times (players in loose-fests will know how rare this is!). Then I got QQ in the big blind. I could have played this hand any number of ways, but I got lucky by choosing the right one (in the circumstances) if not the right one (in long-term EV).
Raise from MP2, a drunk who may or may not have a hand. V Laggy. Call from CO1, a drunk who never believes MP2 as a matter of principle. I decide to call with my QQ.
Flop comes K72 rainbow. I already have a plan. Check from me, check from MP1, bet from CO1. Raise from me. Call from MP1, call from CO1. Plan goes slightly awry. I wanted MP1 to fold here.
Turn brings a 6, putting two clubs on board. Bet from me. MP1 looks at CO1 and says "I bet if I raise here you fold". He raises and CO1 folds. I fold. MP1 looks at me aghast. "I can't believe you gave the hand up that easily!"
"Nice hand", I said.
"I should show you these", he says, making sure that they are mucked.
What did MP1 have?
Well, it's trivial. He had either 66 or 76. There is no way that he expects me to fold the KQ or AK (which is what he certainly thinks I have). And even if my read is wrong, what can he have that I beat? Not much.
I've concluded that when I hit a bit of a bad patch I become a bit too much of a calling station. The problem is, when things go wrong, you are petrified of folding a winning hand. This can result in you calling when you should fold in several spots, and sometimes three-betting when, based on your reads on your opponent's style, you should give it up.
The three worst hands (well, those that I remember, anyway), were where I raised with ATo in CO1 (no previous callers) and was three-bet by a reasonable, but tight, guy in the Big Blind. I called. The flop came Txx two of some suit (at no point in this two-hour period did I have a flush chance on the flop) and opponent bet. I raised and he three-bet.
I should really lay it down here. But I called him down to the end (turn a nine and river a deuce). He showed TT for trip tens.
A while later, I get 69 in the big blind and get in for free. Flop comes a very nice T87 with two hearts, giving me the straight. I decide to bet out, representing some kind of draw. MP2 raises. This is an old guy who can be a bit tricky. I reckon that he has read me for a draw and is trying to isolate. It doesn't work. Rock on the button cold-calls. I decide to call and to bet out if a heart does not come on the turn. The turn is a black King.
I bet, MP2 raises again and puts himself all-in, Rock on button calls again. I reraise. Rock calls, putting $32 in side-pot.
River brings a heart. I check, rock bets, I call. MP2 shows J9 for the flopped nut straight and button shows AJ of hearts for a nut flush. Great.
Awhile later. I get KK in UTG+1. I raise. Cold-called by mid-20s guy who has been playing in $15K tournament as an online qualifier, but was knocked out. Flop comes 632 all diamonds. I have no diamond. I bet. He calls. I put him on TT, JJ or QQ here, probably with a diamond. Turn brings a black 5. I bet. He calls. River brings a black seven. Do I check here or bet for value? I decide to bet for value. He raises. Ugh. I call. He shows J-9 of diamonds for the flopped flush. Stupid of me. The guy is a no-limit player and he played this hand almost as if it was no-limit. Nearly all other 8-16 daytime limit players would have folded the J-9 preflop. Those that called would probably have raised me on the flop, and the very few that didn't raise me on the flop would have raised me on the turn. I probably found the one player in the known universe (well, in the Bellagio, at least) who would have played the hand that way, which cost me the max. Sigh.
++++
In each of these cases I could have saved some money by making a laydown judged on my own read but, running bad as I was, I couldn't bear the thought of folding and discovering that I had laid down a, very rare, winner.
For those who follow the trials of playing poker, I can cheerfully recount that I had $2300 in my pocket at some point last Thursday, while I walked away from the session this morning with about $300 plus change. Those are the things that a pro player would have to live with as a matter of course (the pro player might not have lost as much as I did these past two days, but he wouldn't have won as much in the first three days, either). As with Hold'em hands, in the greater game, you are never as far ahead as you think you are.
For me, of course, it isn't a problem. This is a minor part of the bankroll and I can always go to the bank. But for a guy trying to scrape a living, it would be a BIG problem.
++++
The photoshoot today went well. John was a nice guy and we enjoyed a nice journey up and down the Strip doing location pics. His web site is www.altf.com, and some pictures of Birks might be up there in a few days, after he has done the necessary Photoshop work to make me look like a haggard wreck (did I mention that I have a cold?.
After the shoot I wandered back to the Bellagio, but the list was long. This was a blessing in disguise. I came back to my room and slept for four hours, on and off, interspersed with some reading. I feel a lot better now. Perhaps the nighttime shift will be more profitable. If not? Well, the good old ATM awaits.
Tips for tight-asses using an ATM. The cheapest that I have found on the strip is in the Fashion Mall. Avoid those in casinos if at all possible.
++++
Update:
Won $165 in an hour, although I played a bit conservatively for my tastes. Picked the money up in two big pots with top pair top kicker both times (players in loose-fests will know how rare this is!). Then I got QQ in the big blind. I could have played this hand any number of ways, but I got lucky by choosing the right one (in the circumstances) if not the right one (in long-term EV).
Raise from MP2, a drunk who may or may not have a hand. V Laggy. Call from CO1, a drunk who never believes MP2 as a matter of principle. I decide to call with my QQ.
Flop comes K72 rainbow. I already have a plan. Check from me, check from MP1, bet from CO1. Raise from me. Call from MP1, call from CO1. Plan goes slightly awry. I wanted MP1 to fold here.
Turn brings a 6, putting two clubs on board. Bet from me. MP1 looks at CO1 and says "I bet if I raise here you fold". He raises and CO1 folds. I fold. MP1 looks at me aghast. "I can't believe you gave the hand up that easily!"
"Nice hand", I said.
"I should show you these", he says, making sure that they are mucked.
What did MP1 have?
Well, it's trivial. He had either 66 or 76. There is no way that he expects me to fold the KQ or AK (which is what he certainly thinks I have). And even if my read is wrong, what can he have that I beat? Not much.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-14 11:43 am (UTC)A-10: I never get away from this hand. I've probably only played a 1000+ live LHE hands, but my general impression was one of folding or a desire to, much more than on-line. I suspect I'd have felt as though I should have folded it too live, even though this is virtually incocneivable on-line esp' given your steal position. People do bluff a lot less live, I guess.
KK: I'd have lost the same as you here, but for different reasons. But if I make the same read as you here, putting your opponent on 10-10 - Q-Q, then I'd certainly lose an extra BB, and on a bad day 2BB (and on a really bad day..). But so should you (have lost 1 more BB).
If I'm checking the river here, it's to check raise*. But if I put my oppo' on QQ-10s here then I'm cr'ing the turn - if my oppo' is likely too weak to raise me here. But to play this hand this straightforeward while putting him on medium to high pair is very costly.
*assuming I put him on a non-draw, and him a thin-value bettor.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-14 11:43 am (UTC)