Another when to fold AK hand

I had been playing a little 25NL when I caved and converted over to HEM. I wanted to give myself a bit of time to get used to the HUD. An interesting hand came up while I was there at the Rush table.

Given the PF action, what else can my 2 opponents have? AK is clearly a far easier hand to fold than KK or QQ!

Full Tilt Poker $0.10/$0.25 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

UTG+1: $13.14
UTG+2: $7.08
MP1: $17.20
Hero (MP2): $72.03
CO: $17.84
BTN: $25.00
SB: $50.71
BB: $5.16
UTG: $12.21

Pre Flop: ($0.35) Hero is MP2 with As Kc
UTG calls $0.25, UTG+1 calls $0.25, UTG+2 calls $0.25, 1 fold, Hero raises to $1.60, CO calls $1.60, 1 fold, SB raises to $5.04, 4 folds, Hero calls $3.44, CO raises to $17.84 all in, SB calls $12.80, 1 fold

Flop: ($41.72) Kd Jc 9s

Turn: ($41.72) 4s

River: ($41.72) 6d

Final Pot: $41.72
CO shows Ad Ac (a pair of Aces)
SB shows Qh Qs (a pair of Queens)
CO wins $39.64
(Rake: $2.08)

What would you do? #74 - facing river raise on paired board

Rush poker:

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

UTG+2: $45.75
MP1: $110.15
MP2: $36.35
CO: $104.10
BTN: $49.50
Hero (SB): $176.40
BB: $40.15
UTG: $54.40
UTG+1: $104.90

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is SB with 4c Kc
5 folds, CO calls $0.50, BTN calls $0.50, Hero calls $0.25, BB checks

Flop: ($2.00) 3d 5c 2s (4 players)
Hero checks, BB bets $1, CO folds, BTN calls $1, Hero calls $1
Backdoor flush + open ended straight... let's go!

Turn: ($5.00) 6c (3 players)
Hero checks, BB bets $2.50, BTN folds, Hero raises to $7.50, BB calls $5
Beautiful!

River: ($20.00) 6h (2 players)
Hero bets $15, BB raises to $30, Hero ???


Click to see results

Hero calls $15
I think this is probably a stupid lead on my part. I think, given the action, I have to put him on 2 pair or a set on the turn. I didn't raise NEARLY enough on the turn, but I was putting him on a weak pair (or I'm freerolling with him holding a 4) since he's in the BB. What I should have considered is: is he ever flatting the raise with a 4 on the turn? Also, are 1 pair hands (perhaps overpairs may) flatting the 4 straight raised board?

Also, as to the river, is he ever raising with less than a boat or a 4 on the river with a 4 straight board? I cost myself quite a bit of money leading the river, but I wanted value since he called the turn (i.e. I didn't want him to check behind). Costly lesson...

Final Pot: $80.00
Hero mucks 4c Kc
BB shows 6d 3c (a full house, Sixes full of Threes)
BB wins $77.00
(Rake: $3.00)

A few thoughts on my current state of poker

Anyone whose read this blog for any span of time realizes that I've been a long-term proponent of tight aggressive play (TAG). Lately (over the past 4 months), though, my style of play has evolved into more of a LAG game. I'm sure, based on the hand histories I post, you can see the transition (steals, 3bets, etc.). I think my LAG conversion has been sped up by Rush poker. Taking complete unknowns, with unknown positions, and applying ranges and cards to them is akin to playing with your eyes closed. I am able to pick up patterns, which, amazingly, most of the players have similarities at all of the levels. I suppose there is a limited number of responses in poker (i.e. bet, fold, check, call), so the patterns are bound to be consistent from player to player.

Hand reading and pokery abilities
Regardless, my hand reading abilities have gone from... let's call it 15% of max capacity to maybe... 60%. My 3betting game is opened up; I'm much more prone to 3betting while in position, against an opponent whose PFR > 10, etc. From out of position, I'm starting to pick good spots to squeeze. In other words, my opponents are beginning to fear me. I view this as a good thing; perhaps the 100NL players are not so much in fear as the lower level players, but I can feel a certain level of respect.

100NL recap
In my first month of full time 100NL, I am just about break-even. I think I may be slightly positive; +2 buy ins or something like that. I am fairly certain I should be up a good deal more, but I keep running into players hitting their river over card (of which I am ceasing to contribute further money; it usually goes check / check which never ceases to amaze me - WHY WHY WHY are you floating with your AK vs. my KK and then checking when you have the winner!?!?!?!?!), set over setting me (when the money is all in on a prior street; 2 outters SUCK!), or generally sucking out once the money is all in. Nevertheless, I am not concerned. I feel as though I am playing the best poker of my life.

Coaching
However, in striving to be an even better online player, I have decided to get coaching. For a long time, I was on the fence with regards to coaching. I've been reading a lot of material from James "Splitsuit" Sweeney, and find that his philosophies very much jive with mine. He feels that the way to beat the game, nowadays, is by taking a LAG approach. He thinks that in order to play a successful LAG game, you need to understand how to play TAG - I couldn't agree more! At this point, I have the tools to play a successful LAG game; I understand steals, 3bets, hand ranges, etc. I am strongly considering hiring him as a coach - and will likely make a move within the next month. At this point, I think it's only a matter of finding a workable time for the two parties. I think I have numerous leaks in my game (some of which I'm probably not even aware of), and I'd like to close those gaps so that I can become more profitable. I'm hoping that Splitsuit will help me do exactly that.

Pokerstars and my small bankroll
Now that I've completed my Iron Man bonus for the month, I'm taking time to try to build my Pokerstars bankroll of (what sits right now as of last night's session) $~200. Obviously, I'm not playing the same stakes at P* as I do at Full Tilt; the highest stakes I can "reasonably" afford is 25NL. I feel like I'm doing Daniel Negraneau's bankroll challenge, but I'm finding far better results. It is funny; numerous times, I have "run out of money" where I cannot auto-reload or I actually go busto on a table or two, given my limited funding stream. Regardless, taking the time to drop back 2 levels to 25NL has been a huge ego bloat. I never really thought about it prior, but I can CRUSH these guys. Going back to the above paragraphs, the 25NL players (for the most part) are simply not equipped to handle my level of aggression. They don't know what to do when they get 3bet, they can't handle playing big pots without the nuts, and they don't understand what I'm doing. Their lines are easy to pick off... most of the time, they put a story together that does not make sense. It's fun times, and a head swell.

LAG play
In taking advice from Splitsuit and putting it to practice, I have shied away from table selecting the highest players/flop. Since I'm playing at P*, where there are no Rush tables, I'm stuck back at square one - playing standard Full Ring tables. I have now begun to table select towards the tight tables, looking for 16% plrs/flop or less. In a few of his videos, he points out that a LAG wants to avoid a lot of multi-way pots, and is looking to take on a single opponent for HU action for most hands. Tight tables are well-suited for this type of action.

More on 25NL play at P*
Given my LAG play at the standard tables, and my table selecting for tight tables, I am far-and-away out playing these guys, as I talked about in an earlier paragraph. I laughed on more than one occasion, because I can see many of these players grumbling in the chat windows, shooting snarky comments towards me. Some are getting frustrated and moving away from tight play... trying to play more pots against me.

Case in point as far as not understanding what I'm doing: On one occasion, a player with position on me 3 bet me while I held QTs. I normally would lay down, but this was the 3rd raise in a row that he 3bet me. I decided to 4 bet bluff his $2.50 3bet to $7.50 (I was very deep stacked; 200+BBs, and he had 110BBs), to which he flatted. The flop came 3 7 J rainbow, and I donked into him for $10, essentially committing him. As predicted, he folded. And he complained. And complained. He talked about how he always misses his flops, etc. and that I'm always hitting. From the chatter, I could only derive that he folded AK, AQ. Life is easy at 25NL, and I can't wait to build by BR to a respectable $1k so that I can move up to 50NL. In fact, playing Full Ring has me considering venturing into 100NL full ring to see how the players fare there.

Rakeback and tournaments
Wow. At 100NL Rush, you can really crush this rakeback. For the essentially break-even month I've had in the 50K+ hands, I've probably collected around $600 in rakeback. That's a lot of money for doing something I'm going to do anyway... In addition, I'm gathering a lot of extra medals for the Iron Man bonus, enabling me to convert my $75 tokens at a much faster rate.

I found myself in the money for the first time in a long time while playing in the RakeTheRake $35K freeroll. I came in 128th (or thereabout; at work & can't remember exactly how I placed) out of 2500+ for a $42 win. The last large-field tournament I played and placed in the money was the Daily Dollar back in September where I took 60th for around $60. Not that I'm playing large field tournaments, but it did feel great to last that long.

Passover
Happy Passover to my fellow Jews out there. This holiday is already starting to make me cranky - AND IT'S CUTTING INTO MY PLAYING TIME. We hosted the first sedur at my house last night; my in laws, my wife's grandmother and my mother helped us celebrate the first night. Tonight, my in laws host my wife's brothers and their families. Perhaps I'll be able to get out earlier than last night... kinda tough to sit down at a computer when company is over :-).

What would you do? #73 - Rivered flush facing big raise

From the Rush tables:

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

MP1: $28.75
MP2: $49.50
CO: $116.20
BTN: $82.40
SB: $245.90
Hero (BB): $70.85
UTG: $101.05
UTG+1: $78.65
UTG+2: $30.75

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is BB with 2c 7c
5 folds, CO calls $0.50, 2 folds, Hero checks

Flop: ($1.25) Ad 9c Tc (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $1.50, Hero calls $1.50

Turn: ($4.25) Qh (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $3.50, Hero calls $3.50

River: ($11.25) 6c (2 players)
Hero bets $7.25, CO raises to $33, Hero requests TIME,

Click to see results

Hero folds
Alright; rivered flush - albeit a weak flush. The only logical thing I can think here is he has AcXc for the TP / flush draw on the flop. I guess this is a pretty easy laydown after thinking about it...

Final Pot: $25.75
CO wins $24.50
(Rake: $1.25)

WTF?

He has $5 left by his raise. He gave himself tremendous odds to call down any pair / any Ace....

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

UTG+1: $21.40
UTG+2: $15.75
MP1: $65.50
MP2: $66.75
Hero (CO): $58.60
BTN: $27.70
SB: $42.20
BB: $30.00
UTG: $99.65

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is CO with 8s 8d
2 folds, UTG+2 raises to $1.50, 2 folds, Hero calls $1.50, 1 fold, SB calls $1.25, BB calls $1

Flop: ($6.00) Jh 9d 7s (4 players)
SB checks, BB bets $3, UTG+2 folds, Hero calls $3, SB folds
HU with BB; he has ~$26 left at this point.

Turn: ($12.00) Td (2 players)
BB bets $5.50, Hero raises to $12, BB raises to $20.50, Hero raises to $29, BB folds
??? You have $5 left behind & you fold to the raise? WTF?!?!?!?

Final Pot: $53.00
Hero wins $50.35
(Rake: $2.65)

The Poker Meister #64 - Flopped top two!

Full Tilt Poker $0.50/$1 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

SB: $143.00
BB: $106.65
Hero (UTG): $100.00
UTG+1: $54.30
UTG+2: $55.00
MP1: $35.50
MP2: $104.00
CO: $114.60
BTN: $80.40

Pre Flop: ($1.50) Hero is UTG with Js 9s
Hero raises to $3.50, 3 folds, MP2 calls $3.50, 4 folds

Flop: ($8.50) Jc 2d 9c (2 players)
Hero bets $5, MP2 calls $5

Turn: ($18.50) 3h (2 players)
Hero bets $14, MP2 calls $14

River: ($46.50) 5h (2 players)
Hero bets $25, MP2 calls $25

Final Pot: $96.50
Hero shows Js 9s (two pair, Jacks and Nines)
MP2 mucks 9h Th
Hero wins $93.50
(Rake: $3.00)

Freeroll FTW!!!

This hand was part of my 8 buy in upswing within 35 minutes. I have never seen HEM report an hourly rate of $1,342 in my life. By far, my best session ever!

Full Tilt Poker $0.50/$1 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

MP1: $69.90
MP2: $29.35
Hero (CO): $316.65
BTN: $98.25
SB: $63.75
BB: $174.40
UTG: $140.30
UTG+1: $197.70
UTG+2: $138.85

Pre Flop: ($1.50) Hero is CO with Qh Kh
1 fold, UTG+1 raises to $3, 3 folds, Hero calls $3, 3 folds
ABSOLUTELY calling here, IN POSITION, with deep stacks.

Flop: ($7.50) Qs Ah Jh (2 players)
UTG+1 checks, Hero bets $4.50, UTG+1 calls $4.50
Decent flop; heart draw + inside straight draw + middle pair. I'm not going ANYWHERE.

Turn: ($16.50) Tc (2 players)
UTG+1 checks, Hero bets $11, UTG+1 raises to $30, Hero raises to $106.50, UTG+1 raises to $190.20 all in, Hero calls $83.70
Bingo. It's freeroll time. I want to get it all in here in the event the heart drops on the river and he doesn't feel comfortable with the shove. I actually put him on a set, but based on his shove, he's more likely holding AK.

River: ($396.90) 2h (2 players - 1 is all in)
Boom.

Final Pot: $396.90
Hero shows Qh Kh (a flush, Ace high)
UTG+1 shows Ks Kd (a straight, Ace high)
Hero wins $393.90
(Rake: $3.00)

The Poker Meister #63 - Do you believe? (I do)

Rush poker:

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

MP1: $56.60
MP2: $39.65
CO: $16.40
BTN: $23.75
SB: $44.70
BB: $59.05
UTG: $76.50
UTG+1: $59.85
Hero (UTG+2): $133.90

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is UTG+2 with 9s Js
2 folds, Hero raises to $1.75, 4 folds, SB raises to $3, 1 fold, Hero calls $1.25

Flop: ($6.50) 4h As 6s (2 players)
SB bets $6.50, Hero calls $6.50

Turn: ($19.50) 5c (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks

River: ($19.50) 8s (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $35.20, SB calls $35.20 all in

Final Pot: $89.90
SB mucks Ad Qh - Way too light to stack off here in Rush poker.
Hero shows 9s Js (a flush, Ace high) - How can J9s *EVER* LOSE?!?!??!
Hero wins $86.90
(Rake: $3.00)

All work and no play makes Poker Meister a dull boy

Wow. It has been a *LONG* time since I refrained from hitting the tables over a 24 hour period. However, for the first time since [I think] January, I received ZERO (0) points yesterday (March 24) because I did not play from 12:00AM to 11:59PM. The background of it is that it was my wife and my 8th anniversary, so the in-laws offered to take care of the kids. Wifey and I went out to a nice local tapas restaurant and enjoyed dinner for two. By the time we got home, it had been a long day at work, I hadn't yet seen the kids, and I was flat exhausted. In other words, it was a typical weekday, minus seeing the kids. Could I have mustered up the energy to grind for an hour or two as I usually do? Yes. Did I want to? No.

It is definitely a weird feeling; sometimes I feel like a slave to the grind - knowing that I want to at least hit my 200 FTPs per day for the Iron Man bonus & one-a-day bonus. Moreover, lately, since I moved up to $100NL (and Rush), I feel like I should be at least hitting 500 points - if not 1K per night. The thing is: I don't know why I feel compelled to do play each & every day.

The truth of it is that it is not coming at the detriment of my family life; I play when the kids go to bed and my wife and I are watching TV / relaxing from the day's events (with 3 kids, the two of us are usually exhausted). My overall thoughts with regard to TV is it is a net negative event - it actually makes you dumber (from most of the shows we watch at least: 24, Nurse Jackie, The Office, Big Love, Curb Your Enthusiasm, etc.), so why not make my down time productive by earning money at the tables?

I am certainly not burnt out on poker. As I sit here writing this blog entry, I can't wait to get back to hit the tables and grind out a few hours. I still very much love the game - particularly NLHE - and find the hours I spend most enjoyable.

I am not a workaholic at my day job. So I can't blame being a workaholic as the magnetic pull to bring me to play 2-3 hours / night. I am normally a 9-6 kinda guy; put in my hours and leave the blackberry on the counter until the next day of work.

I don't know what it is - but I was expecting to feel like I let myself down by not playing last night, and in fact, I had the opposite feeling - relief. I slept well last night, didn't replay the hands in my head until I fell asleep, didn't think about the state of my bankroll - I wasn't worried or concerned about anything. Maybe I need to start taking more time away from the virtual felt. Nah. Perhaps last night was just the break I needed.

What would you do? #72 - Facing big turn raise with nut flush draw

Rush poker:

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

MP2: $89.50
CO: $62.55
BTN: $88.60
SB: $59.55
BB: $27.00
Hero (UTG): $57.20
UTG+1: $20.00
UTG+2: $66.45
MP1: $52.20

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is UTG with Tc Ac
Hero calls $0.50, 4 folds, CO calls $0.50, BTN calls $0.50, SB calls $0.25, BB checks
Normally not limping SCs in Rush, but I figure what the heck...

Flop: ($2.50) 6c 2c Qs (5 players)
SB bets $2, BB folds, Hero calls $2, CO folds, BTN calls $2
Good flop, and glad to see someone else in the pot...

Turn: ($8.50) 7d (3 players)
SB bets $6.50, Hero calls $6.50, BTN raises to $24.25, SB folds, Hero ???


Click to see results

Hero folds
This is just a plain weird BTN raise. BTN has gone from flatting the flop bet to raising pot. What do you do here? The only hand I can put him on is a set of 7's. I think it is correct to fold, but what happened here?

Final Pot: $28.00
BTN shows 7c 6s (two pair, Sevens and Sixes)
BTN wins $26.60
(Rake: $1.40)

WTF is this guy thinking?

Rush poker brings out the best in people, I guess...:

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

Hero (CO): $77.15
BTN: $29.50
SB: $54.80
BB: $48.15
UTG: $50.00
UTG+1: $72.15
UTG+2: $50.50
MP1: $38.00
MP2: $45.00

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is CO with Qc Qh
5 folds, Hero raises to $1.75, BTN raises to $29.50 all in, 2 folds, Hero calls $27.75

Flop: ($59.75) 9c 8c 3c

Turn: ($59.75) Kd

River: ($59.75) Jc

Final Pot: $59.75
Hero shows Qc Qh (a flush, Queen high)
BTN shows 6s 2s (King Jack high) - All in with 62!
Hero wins $56.80
(Rake: $2.95)

WTF is this guy thinking?

Rush tables:

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

MP2: $61.00
CO: $45.75
Hero (BTN): $50.00
SB: $98.15
BB: $24.95
UTG: $63.00
UTG+1: $59.55
UTG+2: $50.55
MP1: $122.70

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is BTN with Ac Ad
6 folds, Hero raises to $1.75, SB raises to $3, 1 fold, Hero raises to $6.50, SB raises to $10, Hero raises to $16, SB raises to $22, Hero raises to $50 all in, SB calls $28
SB wants to get crafty with me... BAD TIMING. I don't have any hands on SB, so I don't believe he has info on me either (I am a known stealer as any reader who frequents this blog knows). I don't want to give him great odds to flat, but I also don't want him to go away. I know full well that not only do I have position, but I have the nuts, PF. I want to get the money in, and I think this is the most convoluted way I've ever had to get the money in - an 8 (EIGHT!!!!) BET pot.

Flop: ($100.50) 5h 3h Td
I just feel running J A coming. I know it!

Turn: ($100.50) Th
*SIGH* of relief!

River: ($100.50) Kh

Final Pot: $100.50
Hero shows Ac Ad (two pair, Aces and Tens)
SB shows Qs Ks (two pair, Kings and Tens)
Hero wins $97.50
(Rake: $3.00)

What would you do? #71 - 4 flush 4 straight river board facing 1/3 pot bet

I made a bad laydown (not hugely costly but bad nevertheless).... What would you do?

(From Rush poker)
Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

UTG: $49.50
UTG+1: $16.00
UTG+2: $191.85
MP1: $28.50
MP2: $97.50
CO: $49.40
BTN: $55.80
Hero (SB): $116.60
BB: $41.05

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is SB with Ah 2h
4 folds, MP2 raises to $1.50, CO calls $1.50, 1 fold, Hero calls $1.25, 1 fold
Speculative hand with 2 players, one deep stacked. Profitable call with suited connector...

Flop: ($5.00) 5s 4c As (3 players)
Hero checks, MP2 bets $2, CO calls $2, Hero calls $2
Gutshot + TP.

Turn: ($11.00) 2s (3 players)
Hero checks, MP2 checks, CO checks
I'm hoping for a MP2 / CO turn cbet... no dice.

River: ($11.00) 6s (3 players)
Hero checks, MP2 bets $4, CO calls $4, So what would you do here?


Click to see results

Hero folds
4 spades, 4 straight board. Is it reasonable to fold here? I have no reads on these players prior to the hand.

I don't think I made a mistake here by folding; the $4 bet feels very much like a value bet, and less like a river steal. The way I read it, MP2 has a flush and wants to guarantee a call from one or both of us. By CO making the call, I *HAVE* to be beat. Someone has to have a spade, 3, or set.

Final Pot: $19.00
MP2 shows 6d 7c (a pair of Sixes) - WRONG!!!
CO shows Kc Ac (a pair of Aces) - WRONG!!!
CO wins $18.05
(Rake: $0.95)

WTF is this guy thinking?

Full Tilt Poker $0.50/$1 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

CO: $33.10
BTN: $100.00
SB: $80.35
BB: $115.55
UTG: $136.10
Hero (UTG+1): $100.00
UTG+2: $77.90
MP1: $35.50
MP2: $197.30

Pre Flop: ($1.50) Hero is UTG+1 with 7s 7c
1 fold, Hero raises to $3.50, 5 folds, SB raises to $7, BB calls $6, Hero calls $3.50
SB's min raise lets me in the door. Easy call.

Flop: ($21.00) 7h Td 5s (3 players)
SB checks, BB bets $21, Hero calls $21, SB raises to $59, BB raises to $108.55 all in, Hero calls $72 all in, SB calls $14.35 all in
Fairly safe flop for a 3bet pot; SB has a range of QQ+, but I have NO IDEA what either of them are doing... dry flop and they're both essentially shoving?

Turn: ($280.35) 4s (3 players - 3 are all in)

River: ($280.35) 2h (3 players - 3 are all in)

Final Pot: $280.35
SB shows Kc Kh (a pair of Kings) - I understand your action sir, but take a hint and slow down...happy to see you were drawing to 1 out, though...
BB shows Ks Ts (a pair of Tens) - DUMBFOUNDED! Drawing dead, but putting in 100BBs is a sure way to bankroll ruin!
Hero shows 7s 7c (three of a kind, Sevens)
Hero wins $39.30
Hero wins $238.05
(Rake: $3.00)

Stealing from the BB + WTF hand

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

SB: $68.05
Hero (BB): $100.30
UTG: $69.70
UTG+1: $7.95
UTG+2: $17.45
MP1: $56.45
MP2: $85.25
CO: $73.10
BTN: $155.05

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is BB with 5h Qh
7 folds, SB calls $0.25, Hero raises to $1.50, SB calls $1
Standard. Not a "steal" situation from the textbook sense, but on occasion, I will "steal" out of the BB. Not many players are doing this, but I think it gets you a bunch of automatic "wins":

• You are playing a larger pot, in position
• Many SBs limp weak hands and figure they're going to see a "cheap" flop
• It is against the standard stream of play; most blind v. blind battles are for the posted blinds (i.e. 2x BB)

Flop: ($3.00) 4h 9h 8c (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $3, SB calls $3
Standard cbet, but I'm not going away here, with the flush draw.

Turn: ($9.00) 3h (2 players)
SB bets $5, Hero calls $5
Okay? A $5 lead? Hmmm...

River: ($19.00) 5s (2 players)
SB bets $58.55 all in, Hero calls $58.55
Talk about your overbet? Is this for value? WTF?

Final Pot: $136.10
SB shows 7c 9c (a pair of Nines) - OK? Losing a $68 (~70 BB) stack over top pair, no kicker? WTF - ON A SB DEFEND?
Hero shows 5h Qh (a flush, Queen high)
Hero wins $133.10
(Rake: $3.00)

Made the switch [finally]... Yea Holdem Manager!

I just finished reading Part I of Micro Roller's review of Holdem Manager & PokerOffice, and realized that I never posted that I made the conversion from PT3 to Holdem Manager.

Since I've been playing Rush almost full time, I quickly became tired of the software that I wrote to convert player stats into Full Tilt notes. The problem with it was that I could not continually update the stats with each passing hand; I needed to quit the Full Tilt client, run my program and reload FT. Cumbersome - Yes. Impractical - Yes.

I bit the bullet, used CardRunner's discount on HEM which saved me $30, and paid through my credit card. (As an aside, I think it's a bit absurd that they don't accept payment through Full Tilt, but I suppose that would be difficult to track. I'd rather keep my poker expenses with my poker money, but $50...?)

Anyway, I am very impressed with HEM thus far. The HUD stats are far more useful than PT3's stats - PT3's default would not show positional actions whereas HEM breaks everything down. However, most importantly, HEM shows live updates of players in Rush. No more referring to the notes to discover information about a player! Granted, their HUD in Rush is not perfect - I 3-table and cannot always get detailed stats / updates for my table (i.e. there are times that I'm flying "blind"). For the most part, though, HEM acts as advertised. It even breaks down HHs for Rush and non-Rush tables, which is great!

As far as the main display for HEM, I cannot figure out for the life of me how to add stats to display, such as fold to 3bet, WTSD, etc. in the main window. Also, I'm not quite sure what the column labeled "EV USD" is exactly describing. Clearly, it is not Expected Value in All in situations... are they determining on a street-by-street basis, how often you're hitting or not hitting your draws and weighting that by pot size at the time? Not quite sure, and can't find anything out about it...

Anyway, if you're playing Rush, I highly recommend an upgrade to the latest version of HEM.

GL at the tables!

What would you do? #70 - Facing river pot bet on a rivered 3 flush board

From Rush poker:

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

Hero (SB): $160.40
BB: $57.20
UTG: $55.65
UTG+1: $83.75
UTG+2: $40.50
MP1: $30.50
MP2: $45.70
CO: $57.95
BTN: $55.75

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is SB with Kc Jh
4 folds, MP2 calls $0.50, 1 fold, BTN calls $0.50, Hero calls $0.25, BB checks
Going to limp KJ, a somewhat playable hand.

Flop: ($2.00) Kh Qs 7h (4 players)
Hero bets $1.50, BB folds, MP2 folds, BTN calls $1.50
2 heart flop + 2 straight. I know I don't have AQ nor KQ, but is a "standard" BTN at Rush poker limping AQ / KQ?

Turn: ($5.00) 8d (2 players)
Hero bets $3.25, BTN calls $3.25
Going to continue betting; no reason to slow down.

River: ($11.50) 2h (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN bets $11.50, Hero calls $11.50
The heart hits; What would you do?

I'm calling because of bet sizing here. Is BTN really "value" betting a full pot sized bet? If he makes it $8-10, I think it's a much closer decision. BTN has to figure that my radar is up and listening for a heart. He also has to figure I'm not going to call a big river bet.

I think this is probably a marginal call here, and I'm actually probably folding to an underbet or overbet.

Final Pot: $34.50
Hero shows Kc Jh (a pair of Kings)
BTN shows 9s 9c (a pair of Nines) - What an idiot. Position + good pair! In Rush, you have to either raise / steal in position. He could have folded me out EASILY pre flop. KJo can't stand an in position raise.
Hero wins $32.80
(Rake: $1.70)

Quads FTW!

Full Tilt Poker $0.50/$1 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

UTG+2: $88.25
MP1: $121.90
MP2: $39.00
Hero (CO): $146.05
BTN: $222.15
SB: $150.30
BB: $95.05
UTG: $17.00
UTG+1: $30.30

Pre Flop: ($1.50) Hero is CO with As Ad
5 folds, Hero raises to $3.50, 2 folds, BB calls $2.50

Flop: ($7.50) 6d 7h Ah (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $4, BB calls $4

Turn: ($15.50) Ac (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $8, BB calls $8
[PLEASE TURN A HEART, PLEASE TURN A HEART...]

River: ($31.50) 2h (2 players)
BB bets $31.50, Hero raises to $80, BB calls $48.05 all in
[PRAYERS ANSWERED!]

Final Pot: $190.60
Hero shows As Ad (four of a kind, Aces)
BB mucks Kh Jh
Hero wins $187.60
(Rake: $3.00)

What would you do? #69 - Holding an overpair vs. a flop shove

From the Rush tables:

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

BTN: $67.90
SB: $52.05
BB: $38.75
UTG: $91.75
UTG+1: $55.20
UTG+2: $67.15
MP1: $52.00
Hero (MP2): $207.35
CO: $46.75

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is MP2 with Kc Ks
4 folds, Hero raises to $1.75, CO calls $1.75, 3 folds

Flop: ($4.25) 8c Js 2s (2 players)
Hero bets $3, CO raises to $6, Hero raises to $9, CO raises to $45 all in, Hero requests TIME, Hero folds
I think this is a correct fold; I'm fairly certain he hit a set of 8's or 2's. Anyone calling here?

Final Pot: $22.25
CO wins $21.15
(Rake: $1.10)

What would you do? #68 - Holding bottom set, facing flop shove

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

Hero (BTN): $141.85
SB: $41.35
BB: $49.25
UTG: $185.90
UTG+1: $50.00
UTG+2: $124.15
MP1: $32.85
MP2: $49.45
CO: $23.15

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is BTN with 2c 2d
1 fold, UTG+1 raises to $1.50, 1 fold, MP1 calls $1.50, 2 folds, Hero calls $1.50, 1 fold, BB calls $1

Flop: ($6.25) Ts 7c 2h (4 players)
BB checks, UTG+1 bets $4.25, MP1 calls $4.25, Hero raises to $12, BB raises to $47.75 all in, UTG+1 requests TIME, UTG+1 folds, MP1 calls $27.10 all in, Hero calls $35.75
With this amount of action, I can't find the will to fold here. Is BB really playing a set in this manner? IMO, I need to fold this type of situation to become a better poker player. I find it very hard to fold out sets to dry boards like this.

Turn: ($137.35) 5h (3 players - 2 are all in)

River: ($137.35) 4s (3 players - 2 are all in)

Final Pot: $137.35
Hero shows 2c 2d (three of a kind, Twos)
BB shows Tc 3c (a pair of Tens) - LOL!!!!
MP1 shows 7h 7s (three of a kind, Sevens)
Hero wins $32.80 - I actually lost like $25 on this hand.
MP1 wins $101.55
(Rake: $3.00)

The Poker Meister #62 - rivered straight

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

UTG: $50.00
UTG+1: $28.30
UTG+2: $65.65
MP1: $89.60
MP2: $17.95
CO: $49.50
BTN: $84.40
Hero (SB): $85.75
BB: $32.45

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is SB with Js 9s
2 folds, UTG+2 raises to $1.50, 4 folds, Hero calls $1.25, BB calls $1

Flop: ($4.50) 5d 8s Td (3 players)
Hero checks, BB checks, UTG+2 bets $3, Hero calls $3, BB calls $3

Turn: ($13.50) Jh (3 players)
Hero bets $6, BB folds, UTG+2 raises to $20, Hero calls $14
I'm guessing my Jack is no good here. The only combinations that make sense are sets. However, I still have an open-ender, and with $40+ behind, I think I'm getting paid if I hit.

River: ($53.50) Qc (2 players)
Hero bets $20, UTG+2 raises to $41.15 all in, Hero calls $21.15

Final Pot: $135.80
UTG+2 shows 5s 5c (three of a kind, Fives)
Hero shows Js 9s (a straight, Queen high)
Hero wins $132.80
(Rake: $3.00)

The 4bet bluff

As I play more 100NL and the players are more regularly playing back at my steals, I'm finding spots where I can 4bet bluff. There is more room for bet sizing (I can bet half-dollars) and players understand steals. Take the below example:

ull Tilt Poker $0.50/$1 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

Hero (BTN): $183.75
SB: $175.10
BB: $67.55 - (VPIP:35.48/PFR:29.03/ATS:75.0/3Bet:26.67)
UTG: $198.35
UTG+1: $197.65
UTG+2: $167.15
MP1: $135.80
MP2: $114.00
CO: $134.95

Pre Flop: ($1.50) Hero is BTN with Jd 6d
6 folds, Hero raises to $3.50, 1 fold, BB raises to $11, Hero raises to $25, 1 fold
Villain is clearly well-versed in stealing. Since he knows how to steal, he likely knows how to identify a stealer as well. His "tell," though, is his 3bet percentage. Gimme a break! Easy 4-bet bluff!

Final Pot: $22.50
Hero wins $22.50

What would you do? #67 - Facing pre-flop 4bet holding KK

Rush table archives:

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

Hero (UTG+2): $50.00
MP1: $139.10
MP2: $58.10
CO: $51.25 - 12/9 2.7% 3bet
BTN: $77.20
SB: $41.80
BB: $65.15
UTG: $25.60
UTG+1: $53.00

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is UTG+2 with Kd Ks
UTG calls $0.50, 1 fold, Hero raises to $2.50, MP1 raises to $4.50, 1 fold, CO raises to $16.50, 4 folds, Hero requests TIME, 2 folds
What else can he have other than AA in this spot? A 4bet to 25% stack? Am I becoming fold-happy with KK?

Final Pot: $12.75
CO wins $12.75

Freeroll!

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

BTN: $138.45
SB: $60.05
BB: $114.80
UTG: $48.30
UTG+1: $91.95
UTG+2: $40.50
Hero (MP1): $50.95
MP2: $58.35
CO: $34.90

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is MP1 with Jd Td
3 folds, Hero raises to $1.75, 2 folds, BTN calls $1.75, 2 folds
I'll occasionally raise with "randoms" out of position. It makes it difficult for my opponent to put me on a particular hand - and especially at Rush, people assume strength.

Flop: ($4.25) 8d 7d Jc (2 players)
Hero bets $2.50, BTN raises to $5, Hero calls $2.50
Flopped TP + flush draw + Inside straight draw... I'm not going *ANYWHERE*

Turn: ($14.25) 5c (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN bets $6.75, Hero raises to $15.50, BTN calls $8.75
No dice.

River: ($45.25) Ad (2 players)
Hero bets $28.70 all in, BTN calls $28.70
Bingo.

Final Pot: $102.65
BTN mucks Th Js - LOL freerolling! Glad you couldn't fold your top pair no kicker.
Hero shows Jd Td (a flush, Ace high)
Hero wins $99.65
(Rake: $3.00)

What would you do? #66 - set, facing turn shove

Another one from the Rush poker archives; omgitsjoshua is the hero here:

I was involved in the hand, though auto-folded immediately.

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

SB: $62.10
BB: $130.10
UTG: $57.75
UTG+1: $48.50
UTG+2: $60.00 - me, folding my 2s8d, not that it makes any difference :-)
MP1: $50.90
MP2: $25.00
Hero (CO): $58.95
BTN: $35.15

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is CO with Jd Jh
5 folds, Hero raises to $1.50, 1 fold, SB calls $1.25, 1 fold

Flop: ($3.50) Kd 4s Qd (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $2, SB calls $2

Turn: ($7.50) Js (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $3.50, SB raises to $58.60 all in, Hero requests TIME, Hero folds
WTF? What would you do?

My comments to Josh were: The pot is so small here that I think it's a smart move to fold. What hands are you beating? 444 and 2 pair combos. The more I think about it though, perhaps he hit 2 pair - perhaps he had an unlikely KJ? It just seems like such an odd shove with AT....

His response: or i was thinking 9-10 or diamonds or spades. or open ended with flush draw. thats what made the decision so dificult. if he 3x me, ok no problem, but a shove like that? i surrender, i know i'm weak.

Final Pot: $14.50
SB wins $13.80
(Rake: $0.70)

The Poker Meister #61 - 2 timered!

No reads, from Rush:

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

SB: $53.70
BB: $50.00
UTG: $68.15
UTG+1: $52.65
UTG+2: $38.75
Hero (MP1): $52.30
MP2: $20.75
CO: $21.35
BTN: $20.20

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is MP1 with Jd 9d
2 folds, UTG+2 raises to $1.50, Hero calls $1.50, 5 folds

Flop: ($3.75) 6d 3c 7d (2 players)
UTG+2 bets $2.50, Hero calls $2.50
Backdoor straight + flush draw!

Turn: ($8.75) 5c (2 players)
UTG+2 bets $6.50, Hero calls $6.50
Inside straight + flush draw!

River: ($21.75) Qd (2 players)
UTG+2 checks, Hero bets $12, UTG+2 calls $12
How to get value from a rivered club? I really wanted to bet $17, but was afraid he wouldn't call a large river bet as it would be obvious that I hit my flush. As it turns out, I hit 2 cards that would likely get him to call and make my hand (Kd, Qd).

Final Pot: $45.75
UTG+2 mucks Kc Qc
Hero shows Jd 9d (a flush, Queen high)
Hero wins $43.50
(Rake: $2.25)

What would you do? #65 - Facing flop push holding PP Kings

Rush poker:

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

CO: $33.25
Hero (BTN): $73.30
SB: $81.55
BB: $52.00
UTG: $34.90
UTG+1: $67.10
UTG+2: $42.10
MP1: $48.25
MP2: $88.55

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is BTN with Kh Ks
UTG raises to $1, 2 folds, MP1 raises to $3, 2 folds, Hero raises to $8, 2 folds, UTG calls $7, MP1 raises to $16, Hero calls $8, UTG calls $8
Okay. I'm going to say that I probably should have folded this hand when MP1 raises to $16. UTG really screwed this up for everyone, because the bets are awkwardly sized.

Am I nuts for wanting to lay down KK pre-flop? Given the action, can you put MP1 on anything other than AA? Do Rush players play AK this way? QQ?

Flop: ($48.75) Jh 7h 8s (3 players)
UTG checks, MP1 bets $32.25 all in, Hero folds, UTG folds
If I should have folded PF, then this flop does not help me. FOLD FOLD FOLD.

Final Pot: $48.75
MP1 wins $46.35
(Rake: $2.40)

Yet another biggest POT EVER!!!

This one will probably be the biggest for AWHILE!!! I've been fortunate in getting a lot of these lately... This hand is not only the biggest $$$ pot, but the biggest BB pot ever for me, though. I have a feeling that this will stand for awhile (hopefully not :-) ).

This is just a WOW hand... Wow...

Full Tilt Poker $0.50/$1 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

BB: $84.00
UTG: $75.50
UTG+1: $85.75
UTG+2: $246.05 - 500 hands @ 14/7.25 with 2%3bet / 28% ATS
MP1: $128.15
MP2: $112.80
CO: $125.15
BTN: $52.60
Hero (SB): $272.35

Pre Flop: ($1.50) Hero is SB with 7c 7d
2 folds, UTG+2 raises to $3, 3 folds, BTN calls $3, Hero calls $2.50, 1 fold
We're so deep-stacked, I debated 3betting. However, I did not want to find myself in a spot where I'm out of position facing a 4bet. Therefore, I take a flop.

Flop: ($10.00) 7s Qs 3s (3 players)
Hero bets $10, UTG+2 calls $10, BTN raises to $20, Hero calls $10, UTG+2 calls $10
Wow. BTN's min raise is very scary. I'm most afraid of a set of Queens, but I'm also afraid of flopped flushses. UTG+2's twice flat is even scarier. I'm pretty sure he's on AsKx.

Turn: ($70.00) 3d (3 players)
Hero bets $15, UTG+2 calls $15, BTN raises to $29.60 all in, Hero calls $14.60, UTG+2 calls $14.60
Loving life, and I'm almost certain BTN has a set of Queens, if not trip 3's. I'm praying for another spade.

River: ($158.80) 4c (3 players - 1 is all in)
Hero bets $70, UTG+2 raises to $193.45 all in, Hero calls $123.45
Club sucks! I thought it would be the end of action with UTG+2. However, he surprises me with a HUGE all in shove of 194BBs. Now, I'm very very very concerned that UTG+2 has quads or a set of Queens, and perhaps the BTN had the flush, but I have SO MUCH vested here, that I'm not laying down my middle 7's full. Remember that the UTG+2 is a 14/7 which is plausible to be raising QQ here, so I'm generally discounting the quads. The other hands that make sense for a 14/7 are AKs, and very very very unlikely 44 (I would think he would have folded long ago).

Final Pot: $545.70
UTG+2 shows 8s 6s (a flush, Queen high) - From a 14/7? I'm not getting this line at all.

Essentially, on the river, UTG+2 turns his hand into a bluff. I'm pretty sure of what he put me on, but it's doesn't make sense: His all in raise says Queens full or 3's full. He has to put me on a suicide bluff or a turned boat, given the way the hand played out. Moreover, he has to expect, given the action, that there is likely a higher flush than his. As a corollary, I have to think that even an A high flush may be folding out here on the paired board. His shove represents the VERY top of the range.
BTN mucks Ts Js - Even BTN had a better flush!
Hero shows 7c 7d (a full house, Sevens full of Threes)
Hero wins $386.90
Hero wins $155.80
(Rake: $3.00)

What would you do? #64 / Biggest $ pot won to date

Rush poker:

Full Tilt Poker $0.50/$1 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

Hero (SB): $175.30
BB: $201.15
UTG: $136.70
UTG+1: $61.00
UTG+2: $113.15
MP1: $65.00
MP2: $22.80
CO: $44.75
BTN: $70.05

Pre Flop: ($1.50) Hero is SB with Kd Tc
5 folds, CO calls $1, 1 fold, Hero raises to $5, BB calls $4, 1 fold
Standard steal

Flop: ($11.00) 7h 5h 8s (2 players)
Hero checks, BB checks

Turn: ($11.00) 9c (2 players)
Hero bets $7.50, BB calls $7.50
If he's not going to take initiative, I'm going to go ahead and try to take it down

River: ($26.00) 6h (2 players)
Hero bets $13, BB raises to $188.65 all in, Hero calls $149.80 all in
So am I making this harder than it is? Is this simply a snap call? What would you do?

Final Pot: $351.60
Hero shows Kd Tc (a straight, Ten high)
BB shows As 9d (a straight, Nine high)
Hero wins $348.60
(Rake: $3.00)

I thought for a second or two about the HUGE overbet, and simply could not put him on hearts or JT... I think he's raising the turn as a semi-bluff if he has hearts right here. I also think he's raising the turn if he has JT - he wants to add money to the pot while he has an opportunity so that he can get more money in on the river.

How not to play deep stacked - Biggest $ pot won

100NL is presenting untold amounds of opportunities. In fact, I think in early going, 100NL (Rush) is easier than 50NL.

Now to the point of this post: don't stack off KK against resistance. I'm not claiming to be guilt-free of this type of behavior, but I'm not pushing into the aggressor... If need be, go into turtle mode and check / call down.

The fact that I flop a set is a cooler to KK. Don't make it worse by stacking off to me:

Full Tilt Poker $0.50/$1 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

MP1: $115.00
MP2: $165.70
Hero (CO): $193.35
BTN: $100.00
SB: $37.00
BB: $348.30
UTG: $139.25
UTG+1: $68.75
UTG+2: $103.75

Pre Flop: ($1.50) Hero is CO with 9s 9h
UTG raises to $3, 3 folds, MP2 raises to $10.50, Hero calls $10.50, 4 folds
Deep-stacked, I can comfortably call a raise up to ~$15 and still be marginally profitable. As is, he gives me a discount on my profitability, and I'm not going ANYWHERE. I suspect him for AK, QQ+. If I hit, I sometimes stack. If I miss, I fold depending on the action.

Flop: ($25.50) Td 9c 6d (2 players)
MP2 bets $14, Hero raises to $45, MP2 raises to $155.20 all in, Hero calls $110.20
I make a sizable raise; MP2 should have the brakes on! Instead, he chooses the aggressive line of shove. Who can call a 155BB shove here? Anyone that beats KK. That's why you go into turtle mode (check / call) or if you're good enough (I sometimes am and sometimes am not) to be able to get away from that overpair, *FOLD*.

Turn: ($335.90) 7s (2 players - 1 is all in)

River: ($335.90) 6s (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: $335.90
MP2 shows Kd Ks (two pair, Kings and Sixes)
Hero shows 9s 9h (a full house, Nines full of Sixes)
Hero wins $332.90
(Rake: $3.00)

The Poker Meister #60 - Lucky turn

From the Rush tables:

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

MP2: $44.25
CO: $30.70
Hero (BTN): $117.20
SB: $62.10
BB: $67.35
UTG: $36.05
UTG+1: $37.05
UTG+2: $83.50
MP1: $59.90

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is BTN with 9d Jd
4 folds, MP2 raises to $1, 1 fold, Hero raises to $4.50, SB calls $4.25, 2 folds
MP min-raisers almost ALWAYS have nothing. They usually fold to a 3bet.

Flop: ($10.50) 6c 3d 2c (2 players)
SB bets $5, Hero calls $5
Half pot bet is kind of weak on this fairly coordinated board.

Turn: ($20.50) 9s (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $10, SB calls $10
I feel like top pair is good enough to go here. I'm worried about a 4, 5, or club hitting the river, so I want some value now, but not enough that I can't get away from the hand.

River: ($40.50) 3c (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks
Given his lines, I honestly don't think he's calling with anything that doesn't beat me. Therefore, I check behind.

Final Pot: $40.50
Hero shows 9d Jd (two pair, Nines and Threes)
SB mucks 8h 8c
Hero wins $38.50
(Rake: $2.00)

The importance of position

I've been involved in a 2p2 forum discussion about AQo in the SB and raising it with regards to Rush poker. Here is the hand:

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official 2+2 Hand Converter Powered By DeucesCracked.com

CO: $27.10
BTN: $47.20
Hero (SB): $50.25
BB: $28.75
UTG: $37.90
UTG+1: $50.50
UTG+2: $66.30
MP1: $51.70
MP2: $27.75

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is SB with Qh As
UTG calls $0.50, 1 fold, UTG+2 calls $0.50, 2 folds, CO calls $0.50, BTN calls $0.50, Hero raises to $3.50, 1 fold, UTG calls $3, UTG+2 calls $3, CO raises to $27.10 all in, 1 fold ???

My response of:
Some will call me crazy, but I'm *DEFINITELY* not raising up AQo in the SB. I'm overlimping and folding a bad flop. That said, I'm likely calling here for the following reasons:

a. CO had an opportunity to raise when his action came around; he chose not to.
b. CO cannot expect to get a PF opportunity to raise again; he has BTN (who unless he has serious information on - but does not because it's Rush - cannot reasonably expect BTN to raise for him) who will likely be call / folding and the blinds who will be likely call / folding from out of position. Therefore, *HIGHLY* doubtful he has QQ+, AQ+.
c. When he shoves, there's about $8.50 in the pot already, which makes your 50/50 prop that much sweeter with the dead money.

Sparked a little thought in my head that I wanted to get out on this blog. My follow up:

Weird play by V. Not seeing overcall from CO/BTN -> 3bet shove SB raise very often... if ever. Simply weird. It's like he missed his opportunity in the first go around; meant to hit raise but accidentally hit call, but then was presented with your raise and a second chance.

BTW, reason I'm not raising out of SB with AQo is it's too easily flipping from a host of limpers like you have, and it's going to be difficult to play post flop with a bloated pot and out of position. For example, let's say A 4 7 hits the flop or something similar... add in a two-tone board. What are you doing in that spot? Depending on the overcallers you get, which, based on your raise, you get at least 2 of them, what are you doing? You have absolutely NO idea of where you are in the hand... likely those limpers limped pocket pairs ranging from 22-99+, weak and strong Aces, etc. Are you going crazy with this hand? Make it even more difficult for you: turn is a Q so you're Aces up... Now what?

Point is, IMO, raising AQo OOP with that many limpers is looking for potential disaster. It's almost the same thing with AK, and one could argue the same line as I take above, but at least you know that unless someone has played tricky and slow played AA / KK, you're likely a coin flip against the table. All of that said, if you have AQs or AKs, you can at least flop a nuts-type draw, which lends more power to the suited-ness of raise and gives more credence to raising that spot.

Finally, if you're going to raise OOP like that, making your play a quasi-squeeze, make it a stronger-than-normal raise. You raised to $3.50 from $2.75 in the pot (if my math is correct). I don't believe that a pot-sized raise is good enough in this spot; I think I would make it $4.50-$5.00, discouraging the SCs and small PPs from making their calls profitable (based on the 10x rule of people looking to call small PPs / speculatives for 10x implied stacks).

and finally, a hand example:

To ram home my prior point a little better, take a look at this hand:
Full Tilt Poker $0.50/$1 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

BTN: $200.30
SB: $32.00
BB: $52.65
UTG: $61.70
Hero (UTG+1): $300.05
UTG+2: $26.60
MP1: $145.70
MP2: $361.20
CO: $197.45

Pre Flop: ($1.50) Hero is UTG+1 with Kc As
1 fold, Hero raises to $4, 4 folds, BTN raises to $18, 3 folds

Final Pot: $9.50
BTN wins $9.50

I have no problem doing this; UTG+1 4x raise reps a big hand. When BTN over-the-tops me for 4.5x, time to shut down... perhaps even shutting down KK. I take a missed opportunity and a $4 loss, but I know exactly where I am at the end of the day.

Just wanted to copy my thoughts to my blog for my readers if they're interested...

The Poker Meister #59 - Inside straight edition

Always!!!!

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 8 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

UTG: $14.65
UTG+1: $19.00
Hero (MP1): $51.45
MP2: $20.00
CO: $32.50
BTN: $70.55
SB: $46.40
BB: $46.50

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is MP1 with 9s Js
1 fold, UTG+1 raises to $1.50, Hero calls $1.50, 2 folds, BTN calls $1.50, 2 folds
Questionable call PF, EP with 40BB UTG+1 raiser.

Flop: ($5.25) Jh 7c 8s (3 players)
UTG+1 bets $3, Hero calls $3, BTN folds
Top pair + inside straight draw + backdoor flush; 11 outs = ~44% equity.

Turn: ($11.25) 4d (2 players)
UTG+1 bets $8, Hero calls $8
Don't know about my call here; not much left behind at this point.

River: ($27.25) Ts (2 players)
UTG+1 bets $6.50 all in, Hero calls $6.50
But J9s always gets there!

Final Pot: $40.25
UTG+1 shows Kd Kc (a pair of Kings)
Hero shows 9s Js (a straight, Jack high)
Hero wins $38.25
(Rake: $2.00)

First time stacking somone at $100NL!!!

Cooler / suckout, but still nice to have! I know a previous post showed a stackage, but it was posted out of order from this post, which was my first actual stackage at the 100NL tables.

P.S. - I think I have the #rungood turned on!

Full Tilt Poker $0.50/$1 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

UTG+2: $75.10
MP1: $193.55
MP2: $161.20
CO: $58.60
BTN: $124.50
SB: $40.50
BB: $125.20
Hero (UTG): $101.50
UTG+1: $50.85

Pre Flop: ($1.50) Hero is UTG with Kd Kh
Hero raises to $4, 2 folds, MP1 calls $4, 5 folds

Flop: ($9.50) 3h 9s 2c (2 players)
Hero checks, MP1 bets $5, Hero calls $5

Turn: ($19.50) Ks (2 players)
Hero checks, MP1 bets $12, Hero raises to $30, MP1 raises to $184.55 all in, Hero calls $62.50 all in

River: ($204.50) 8c (2 players - 2 are all in)

Final Pot: $204.50
MP1 shows 2h 2d (three of a kind, Twos)
Hero shows Kd Kh (three of a kind, Kings)
Hero wins $201.50
(Rake: $3.00)

Edit: Copied from my comments below
My flop check was out of caution. At the higher levels, it seems most of the time hands that are typically first to enter a pot from an UTG raise are small PPs, and less so suited connectors. I've come to see that a lot of the premium PPs & AK are 3betting. There's also a lot of squeezing going on.

This is a fairly uncoordinated board. I'm not saying I put him on a set on the flop, because I probably didn't, but his $5 lead bet either puts him on air or a set (excluding the A4 / 45 drawing hands). If I raise the flop, what types of hands can call me? Potentially drawing hands, but I'm generally going to fold out your A9, Ax hands for the most part. (A thinking player seeing a 4x raise from UTG has a fairly well-defined range for the most part; QQ+, AK). I don't want to fold out those Ax, top pair-type hands, so I call. Then I get lucky on the turn.

If I don't hit my K on the turn, I'm probably raising regardless, but when he shoves all in, I think I have to conserve my last $~30 by folding it (not 100% sure I'm doing that, though I am getting better at folding out my overpairs). Clearly, when he shoves, he believes he's stronger than me, regardless of my hand.

Follow up on "in order" - the 96o hand!

Stackage again! This one was a Big Blind special!

Only ~100BBs to go before this hand is break-even for me. Maybe there is something to this hand? NAH!!!!

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

MP2: $50.70
CO: $125.35
BTN: $56.50
SB: $72.35
Hero (BB): $50.00
UTG: $61.35
UTG+1: $39.70
UTG+2: $52.50
MP1: $132.95

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is BB with 9c 6d
1 fold, UTG+1 raises to $1, 2 folds, MP2 calls $1, 2 folds, SB calls $0.75, Hero calls $0.50
Let's see if 96o can do something for me!

Flop: ($4.00) 7d 9h 6h (4 players)
SB requests TIME, SB checks, Hero bets $4, UTG+1 folds, MP2 raises to $12, SB folds, Hero calls $8
I want to play this hand fast. It is a marginal top / bottom pair. His raise almost pushed me off of my hand; I strongly considered a fold here. Poker stove says I'm a 55/45 favorite, so my decision was just as marginal as my equity.

This almost became a WWYD (What would you do) post... It's a marginal spot, where 777 & T8 beat me, but is MP2 overcalling T8? 77 certainly, but T8 as a first player in to a min raise from UTG+1? Then I started thinking about overpairs who could overcall the raise, which is what I put MP2 on.

Turn: ($28.00) 9d (2 players)
Hero checks, MP2 bets $20, Hero raises to $37 all in, MP2 calls $17
I have no reason not to think he'll continue to bet. Now I'm hoping he has a set / overpair (better he has a set drawing to 1 out than an overpair drawing to 2 outs). He doesn't fail me, either.

River: ($102.00) Kh (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: $102.00
MP2 shows Th Jh (a flush, King high) - Uggg...
Hero shows 9c 6d (a full house, Nines full of Sixes) - Nice big blind special!
Hero wins $99.00
(Rake: $3.00)

Experiencing 100NL @ Rush

I've been playing up a level - to $100NL. In Rush poker, I've been finding it fairly easy going; I've been getting cards!

For the most part, though, people are yielding to my aggro tacts, so I'm usually able to take down pots uncontested. I'm finding, though, that people are stacking off *MUCH* lighter!

For example, WTF was this guy doing?

Full Tilt Poker $0.50/$1 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

UTG+1: $105.25
Hero (UTG+2): $202.20
MP1: $254.90
MP2: $107.25
CO: $29.70
BTN: $115.70
SB: $40.00
BB: $69.50
UTG: $80.75

Pre Flop: ($1.50) Hero is UTG+2 with 6h 6s
1 fold, UTG+1 calls $1, Hero raises to $4.50, 6 folds, UTG+1 calls $3.50

Flop: ($10.50) 6d 8h Ac (2 players)
UTG+1 bets $15, Hero calls $15

Turn: ($40.50) 7h (2 players)
UTG+1 bets $85.75 all in, Hero calls $85.75

River: ($212.00) 6c (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: $212.00
UTG+1 shows As Th (two pair, Aces and Sixes)
Hero shows 6h 6s (four of a kind, Sixes)
Hero wins $209.00
(Rake: $3.00)

Massive suckout of the day!!!

Rush poker archives:

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

UTG+2: $57.05
MP1: $122.55
Hero (MP2): $65.60
CO: $50.00
BTN: $25.90
SB: $51.20
BB: $70.00
UTG: $78.45
UTG+1: $29.80

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is MP2 with 5h 4h
4 folds, Hero raises to $1.75, CO calls $1.75, 2 folds, BB calls $1.25

Flop: ($5.50) 4s 2s 3d (3 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $4, CO calls $4, BB folds
Open ended + top pair (probably no good, but I can likely hit a 3rd 4 and be good here.

Turn: ($13.50) Th (2 players)
Hero bets $7, CO calls $7
I plan to check the river. CO's call on the turn is EXTREMELY fishy; he has a monster or air with designs on making a river move. Either that or he has an Ax type hand and is looking for a 5 or A on the river.

River: ($27.50) Ad (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $19, Hero raises to $52.85 all in, CO calls $18.25 all in
The Ace hits the river, giving me the straight. I'm hesitant to bet here, so I feign weakness by checking with the expectation that he will river bet / bluff thinking he sucked out on me with the Ax hand that I put him on. The bet siziing really surprised me, but I'm not going anywhere with this hand; I ship and he INSTANTLY calls.

Final Pot: $102.00
Hero shows 5h 4h (a straight, Five high)
CO mucks As Ac - GG, sir! Slow played Aces GONE WRONG! You had EVERY chance to get me off of my hand. A strong raise on the flop or turn would have pushed me off of my TP + SD. I 2-timered you.
Hero wins $99.00
(Rake: $3.00)

What would you do? #63 - facing turn shove

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 7 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

SB: $50.00
Hero (BB): $89.65
UTG: $41.75
UTG+1: $56.20
MP: $31.35
CO: $47.40
BTN: $31.00 - 41/0/.5AF

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is BB with 6s 4s
UTG calls $0.50, 2 folds, CO calls $0.50, BTN calls $0.50, SB calls $0.25, Hero checks

Flop: ($2.50) 6d 4h 7d (5 players)
SB bets $2, Hero raises to $6, UTG folds, CO folds, BTN calls $6, SB calls $4

Turn: ($20.50) 3d (3 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, BTN bets $24.50 all in, SB folds, Hero requests TIME, Hero folds
Absolute worst card. Any 5 turns a straight. Any 2 diamonds turns a flush. 50BB shove... anyone calling here? I'm assuming he has A5 which is why he shoves; he doesn't want any callers with a random diamond.

What do you think?

Final Pot: $20.50
BTN wins $19.50
(Rake: $1.00)

Quads FTW!!!

I love it when other players are on a draw and I have them [mostly] dominated... But when I one-timer them, that's even better:

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

UTG: $48.75
UTG+1: $44.15
UTG+2: $88.75
Hero (MP1): $67.90
MP2: $23.80
CO: $28.10
BTN: $32.20
SB: $45.50
BB: $59.40

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is MP1 with 6c 6s
3 folds, Hero raises to $1.75, MP2 calls $1.75, 1 fold, BTN calls $1.75, 2 folds

Flop: ($6.00) 6d 8h 9h (3 players)
Hero bets $4, MP2 raises to $8.50, BTN raises to $30.45 all in, Hero calls $26.45, MP2 calls $13.55 all in
Not laying this one down.

Turn: ($88.95) 5c (3 players - 2 are all in)

River: ($88.95) 6h (3 players - 2 are all in)

Final Pot: $88.95
Hero shows 6c 6s (four of a kind, Sixes)
MP2 shows 9d Jd (two pair, Nines and Sixes) - Nothing like stacking off light with top pair, no kicker!
BTN shows Ah Kh (a flush, Ace high)
Hero wins $16.80
Hero wins $69.15
(Rake: $3.00)

What would you do? #62 - Facing river shove to nasty board with a set

58/16 with 1.1 AF @ 19 hands

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 8 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

SB: $28.50
BB: $25.00
UTG: $60.15
UTG+1: $35.00
MP1: $50.00
Hero (MP2): $79.60
CO: $50.00
BTN: $44.50

UTG+1 posts a big blind ($0.50)

Pre Flop: ($1.25) Hero is MP2 with Ts Td
1 fold, UTG+1 checks, 1 fold, Hero raises to $2.25, CO calls $2.25, BTN calls $2.25, 3 folds

Flop: ($8.00) Th 9h 8d (3 players)
Hero bets $5, CO calls $5, BTN calls $5

Turn: ($23.00) Js (3 players)
Hero checks, CO checks, BTN bets $10, Hero calls $10, CO calls $10

River: ($53.00) 4h (3 players)
Hero checks, CO checks, BTN bets $27.25 all in, Hero folds, CO folds
There's a lot out there that's killing me. Any Q or 7, any 2 hearts.

Final Pot: $53.00
BTN wins $50.35
(Rake: $2.65)

This one's for Rob!!!

I have a buddy whose favorite hand is 69 (for obvious reasons; he calls it "in order"). Like my J9s, it's his "leak" hand (even though J9s is NOT a leak hand for me :-) ). I want you to know, dear reader, that 69 is the anti-nuts. I have tried *NUMEROUS* times to get to a cheap flop over the past few months and *EVERY TIME* either completely whiff or take down the blinds. This hand may even me up for the duration :-). Anyway, here's 69 FTW:

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

UTG+2: $191.30
MP1: $20.65
MP2: $81.85
CO: $101.40
Hero (BTN): $124.10
SB: $33.90
BB: $31.95
UTG: $102.75
UTG+1: $50.00

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is BTN with 6c 9c
4 folds, MP2 calls $0.50, 1 fold, Hero raises to $2.25, SB calls $2, BB calls $1.75, MP2 calls $1.75
An in position opportunity to "steal."

Flop: ($9.00) 5c 4s 8d (4 players)
SB checks, BB bets $5, MP2 folds, Hero calls $5, SB folds
Probably a bad cbet; a backdoor + inside straight draws - I should probably take a free card here.

Turn: ($19.00) 9d (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $7, BB calls $7
Turned top pair which is unlikely to have helped BB. I want to take this down now.

River: ($33.00) 7d (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $17.70, BB calls $17.70 all in
Now I river the straight. With a half pot bet left, I go for it and get the call with a flopped top pair. Good stack off, sir!

Final Pot: $68.40
Hero shows 6c 9c (a straight, Nine high)
BB mucks Tc 8c
Hero wins $65.40
(Rake: $3.00)

Now I just need another 250BBs more for 69s to be a profitable hand :-). Unlike J9s which has 800BBs+ of profit already working for it :-).

WTF?

This is just a simple - WTF? I have no idea what the villain is doing!

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 Pot Limit Hold'em - 8 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

BB: $84.20
UTG: $60.75
UTG+1: $50.00
MP1: $15.20
MP2: $30.00
CO: $53.00
BTN: $70.90
Hero (SB): $59.60

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is SB with Ac Jd
1 fold, UTG+1 raises to $1.50, MP1 calls $1.50, 2 folds, BTN calls $1.50, Hero calls $1.25, 1 fold

Flop: ($6.50) Js 3d 8s (4 players)
Hero checks, UTG+1 checks, MP1 checks, BTN bets $3.25, Hero raises to $8.75, UTG+1 folds, MP1 folds, BTN calls $5.50
BTN is drawing to the spade.

Turn: ($24.00) 2h (2 players)
Hero bets $15.25, BTN calls $15.25
BTN continues to draw to the spade.

River: ($54.50) Jc (2 players)
Hero bets $34.10 all in, BTN calls $34.10
Does he really think a busted Ace high flush draw is good here? WTF? BUT HE WASN'T EVEN ON THE FLUSH DRAW!!! ALL HE HAS IS ACE HIGH!!!

Final Pot: $122.70
BTN mucks As 6d
Hero shows Ac Jd (three of a kind, Jacks)
Hero wins $119.70
(Rake: $3.00)

Biggest Pot Ever!

After weeks / months of being on the wrong end of these big pots, I finally get my hand to hold up! This is clearly a milestone event; no suckouts, no split pots, no nothing! I -clear and simple- win the biggest pot of my career.

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

BB: $64.80
UTG: $43.15
UTG+1: $138.60
UTG+2: $104.45
MP1: $19.25
MP2: $30.00
Hero (CO): $153.50
BTN: $46.60
SB: $31.35

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is CO with Ad 7d
2 folds, UTG+2 raises to $1.50, 1 fold, MP2 calls $1.50, Hero calls $1.50, 2 folds, BB calls $1
We're playing [essentially] 200BBs deep, so I make the call which over time will make profit. I have implied odds of ~75x in making this call.

Flop: ($6.25) Kd 2d 6d (4 players)
BB checks, UTG+2 bets $4.50, MP2 folds, Hero raises to $10.50, BB folds, UTG+2 calls $6
Could this flop have been *ANY* better? I'm not sure what to do here, so I ~min raise - which I wasn't so sure about at the time.

Here's my take: It turns out that it was probably the best move I could have made. To my opponent, it showed that I perhaps hit a set or a weak King. Perhaps AK. I'm guessing that I led him to believe that I did not have strong diamond re-draw.

Turn: ($27.25) Jd (2 players)
UTG+2 checks, Hero bets $13, UTG+2 raises to $92.45 all in, Hero calls $79.45
I was very disappointed to see this diamond hit the turn. I figured it would kill my action. BOY was I WRONG! From $13 to all in? Without the nuts? What does he possibly hope to accomplish here?

He sets the turn up such that only a better hand can possibly call him - with... perhaps... a pesky flopped / turned set as a distant calling possibility. I'm not getting this $13 -> shove, but thanks!!!

River: ($212.15) 9s (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: $212.15
UTG+2 shows Qh Qd (a flush, King high) - Second nuts.
Hero shows Ad 7d (a flush, Ace high)
Hero wins $209.15
(Rake: $3.00)

WTF hand

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 4 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

BTN: $104.50
SB: $35.25
Hero (BB): $66.75
CO: $23.60

CO posts a big blind ($0.50)

Pre Flop: ($1.25) Hero is BB with Jd Jh
CO checks, BTN raises to $2.25, 1 fold, Hero raises to $7.50, 1 fold, BTN calls $5.25

Flop: ($15.75) 9h Qh 6h (2 players)
Hero bets $10, BTN raises to $97 all in, Hero calls $49.25 all in
BTN is a LAG. I'm not quite sure what he hopes to accomplish here by shoving - I thought about it for a good couple of seconds before making the call. Doesn't my 3 bet pre-flop rep a pretty strong hand?

Turn: ($134.25) Jc (2 players - 2 are all in)

River: ($134.25) Td (2 players - 2 are all in)

Final Pot: $134.25
BTN shows 2h 2s (a pair of Twos)
Hero shows Jd Jh (three of a kind, Jacks)
Hero wins $132.25
(Rake: $2.00)

What would you do? #61 - Facing flop 3bet

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 Pot Limit Hold'em - 7 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

BTN: $13.40
Hero (SB): $55.15
BB: $59.35
UTG: $50.00
UTG+1: $30.00
MP: $63.90
CO: $50.45 - 12/8 / 5.2 @ 600+ hands

UTG+1 posts a big blind ($0.50)

Pre Flop: ($1.25) Hero is SB with Ts 9c
1 fold, UTG+1 checks, 1 fold, CO calls $0.50, BTN calls $0.50, Hero calls $0.25, BB checks

Flop: ($2.50) Th Ks 9h (5 players)
Hero checks, BB checks, UTG+1 checks, CO bets $2, BTN folds, Hero raises to $6, BB folds, UTG+1 folds, CO raises to $18, Hero requests TIME, Hero folds
CO is threatening stacks here. What does he have that I'm beating? AK? It's possible that he limps QJ, even KT may not be a stretch. I fully intended to check / raise this flop if given the opportunity. I don't want a Qx or Jx hand in here. Does CO limp 99 or TT with a posted UTG+1?

Simple fact is that CO has well represented that he has a hand with a lot of strength and is willing to get stacks in. Easy fold? What do you think?

Final Pot: $14.50
CO wins $13.80
(Rake: $0.70)