Just who is the five o'clock hero?

[peterbirks]

With the car going in for a service this afternoon and a media/insurance poker tournament tonight, it looks like a busy day ahead. Glad that I got a good night's sleep. The hallway ceiling continues to puzzle. I'll be glad when it's over.

+++

I threw away Ace-Jack off in MP1 last night, with no previous callers. Why?

Well, the previous hand (logically enough, in MP2), I had raised with King-Ten off. Live with my madness for a moment and consider these facts:

a) SB and BB were tight and willing to fold pre-flop
b) two players behind me were sitting out, so although my hand looked like a strong early position raise, I only had three players behind me.

Anyway, it was passed round to the big blind, who called.

Flop came rag rag rag with two clubs. He bets. I raise, he calls. I consider his bet an automatic with a pair and quite often with nothing. He is just assuming I have two high cards.

Turn is another raggy card. He checks, I bet (this often pushes a tight big blind off an Ace. He might even have something like KQ or KJ). He calls.

River is a King. He checks, I bet, he calls. I win. Unfortunately, I have to show the King-Ten. Not very good for my table image if I want to make most of my money by taking down uncontested pots (of course, it would be great for my table image in a loose game where I would be looking for callers).

Next hand, one of the players who had been sitting out came back in. I see the Ace-Jack. Ugh. If I raise here, I am quite likely to get three-bet by any pair eights or better, any A-Q, as well as the hands that would legitimately bet in normal circumstances. In other words, a lot of the power of the hand just went out of the window. So I threw it away.

Comments

[andy-ward-uk.livejournal.com]

I know I'm not playing cash, but I have found that now I'm four-tabling I soon forget about things that might have bothered me otherwise, because there's another decision to make right away.

I still have some work to do to totally de-sensitize re: fluctuations though ...

Andy.

[peterbirks.livejournal.com]

The multi-tabling point is good. I was down to a single table at this point (I had quit a bad table and was waiting for a good one to appear). I'm only two-tabling at 3-6 and above at the moment.

I suspect that I should shift to three tables at this level sooner rather than later.

PJ

[(Anonymous)]

so what did you mean by Dave's line being more typically american? Or indeed what is a 'typically american line'?

chaos

[peterbirks.livejournal.com]

I meant that Dave's observation that "there is a tendency for people to over-value they’re strengths" is a more typical American attitude, part of the belief in control over one's own destiny and that even the elements can be forced to submit to the individual's will, if that will is strong enough.

Why else would one shout at an inanimate deck of cards for an Ace, as if it could hear you?

PJ