Monday, March 30, 2015

Saturday Night Live! A session recap from Baltimore Horeshoe

The Poker Meister family had a nice overnight retreat in the Baltimore area with a group of other families from Friday to Saturday night, so what better way to end family night with a poker session at the Horseshoe.  My family took 2 cars up, knowing that afterwards, my wife would put the kids to bed & I'd try to make a little extra scratch...  Turns out that from where we were, I was about 25 minutes from downtown, the location of the 'Shoe.  I arrived uneventfully, found a parking spot fairly quickly, and was seated immediately.

My initial observation was that the table was tight - I considered asking for a table change, but figured I'd give it a few orbits.  Turns out that there was an ABC player, a grinder or two, two tourists who were scared of their own shadows, and an extra / actor who played a part in season 5 of The Wire, one of my all-time favorite shows (who was not a very good player).  I was up & down most of the night, mostly up about $100 off my initial $300 buy in (1/3 blinds) and only getting involved with hands when I nutted up.

There were 2 hands of note, both involving said actor above:

Multi-way limp, scared player to my left raised to $12 into about 5 players and we all called (I'm holding JTo), seeing a 7 way flop of AdKdQd - mostly BINGO!  This is a way-ahead, way-behind situation (I don't hold a diamond).  I'm not going to wait for scared player to check through the flop, so I take the lead myself by betting $50 into the $72 - the actor dude calls quickly.  Turn is a 5c and he checks to me.  I push out a red stack of $100 which is quickly called as well.  River is the 3s and it's checked to me.  Do I bet here?  Am I missing value by checking through?  On one hand, this guy calls wide - and is generally a strange player.  He stacked off on one of his first hands, has been making questionable plays and seems frequently lost.  On the other hand, he's the type that can check / call down a weak flush, not sure of where he is.  What kinds of hands can call here?  I figure sets (which I doubt he has given the flop texture - A, K, Q.  Two pair hands: Ax, primarily, but I have my doubts whether he'd make it this far without a raise or some other aggressive action (i.e. lead turn, etc.).  After thinking it over, I opted to check through and am shown AxTd by the actor - a straight flush, second nut flush draw.

Second hand involves a button straddle to $10 ('Shoe has Mississippi straddle rules).  Actor to my right calls for $10 after the blinds fold and I look down to see AA.  I raise to $40 and get called by a somewhat competent player with a $400 stack.  I'm sitting on $500 and the actor has around $200.  The actor calls as well and we see a 3 way flop of 2 3 4 rainbow.

There's $130 in the pot and actor checks to me.  Now here's an incident where I acted on impulse rather than really think about the situation...  I have the best overpair, and this board is really scary to me.  I started to carve out $100 and then changed it to $120 prior to pushing it out - in retrospect, what am I fearing here?  There aren't too many cards that can call a PF $40 bet and have me challenged - I'm concerned about 22,33,44 and 55,66 for the straight draws.  I don't want Ax getting there on a turn 5, but that's somewhat remote.  I think I need to check this flop, or better yet, bet around $70-80.  I think bombing $120 just kills the hand for all hands that don't have me crushed, plus I'm basically committing stacks with what would likely turn out to be me drawing to 2 Aces and 4 5's.  My thinking at the time was they may have overpairs with such a low flop, and may think that they're good here.  Combine that with the fishy actor to my right, and my bet was overly optimistic.  Either way, decent player folded AK and actor folded in kind.

Thoughts?
Posted by The Poker Meister at 3/30/2015 12:00:00 PM
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16 comments:

  1. Pete P. PetersMarch 30, 2015 at 1:24 PM

    I've played against that actor before. He's got a GLARING tell, which I assume you picked up on. Namely, when ever he is strong, he starts whistling 'Farmer and the Dell' . . .

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    1. The Poker MeisterMarch 30, 2015 at 3:09 PM

      Omar coming! Unfortunately, though, it was not Omar... Awesome comment, PPP!

      Delete
    2. angerisagiftMarch 30, 2015 at 4:36 PM

      hmmmmmm Snoop Pearson??

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    3. The Poker MeisterMarch 31, 2015 at 2:22 PM

      Snoop got arrested for thuggery in real life FYI. She was a street girl hired for the part but couldn't find work to continue her success. I think her counterpart, Chris Partlow, had much better success, but he wasn't a street hood - I think he was actual a trained actor.

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  2. AceMarch 30, 2015 at 2:50 PM

    Hello PM, you are one brave man on the AdKdQd hand! I can't imagine betting $50 and $100 before the river. Just curious what would you do if he leads on the river for $100 or goes all-in? Or worse, a diamond comes on the river and he bets. I've seen players calling with a baby flush like it was the nuts. I suck and I would have tried to control the pot and only bet the river without diamonds after the flop.

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    1. The Poker MeisterMarch 30, 2015 at 3:48 PM

      Thanks, xdex7. To answer your question, if he leads the river for $100, I call, and if he shoves all-in I'm re-assess. I'm also re-assessing a check / raise - any aggressive action, in other words. I'm pretty confident in my hand based on the action, and the fact that I've folded out the field - and I'm also able to pot control by my position - which is why I check through the river there. The reality is that I quickly fold a diamond river - what else could he have but a fifth diamond in his hand?

      So you say you would try to control the pot and only bet a diamond-free river, but I submit you miss a TON of value on the flop & turn by not betting those streets. How do you get value when all the cards are out and there aren't any more cards to draw to? Essentially, you need to make your opponent pay for each drawing street. By the river, he's either gotten there or he hasn't. He's not going to pay you on the river when he's drawing to the nut flush, etc. You control the action since you're the last to act and can opt to check through if you have a doubt in your mind (like I did) that he's slow played his flush. You have to be able to dump the hand, though, when that 4th diamond hits 1/3 of the time.

      Funny thing is this: I'm likely open folding the nut flush draw or otherwise if I'm not getting the correct immediate prices on a board like this. If I'm playing against myself in the hand, I have to wonder, "am I ever getting paid when the 4 flush comes?" What hands can my opponent have that will ever pay off a 4 flush except for the 2nd nut flush possibly? Is there any implied value in hitting the 4 flush? No!

      I see people chase those 4 flushes all day and I chuckle inside... because it's such a waste of money; you lose money on each street that you call (because you're calling pot bets each street which is overpaying for the draw) only to win exactly the pot on the river because you get no additional value when you're ahead. In order to make money, you need your opponent to give you ~18% pot odds or less for each street turn / river - which is not happening.

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    2. AceMarch 31, 2015 at 11:21 PM

      Thanks for the detailed reply, much appreciated. This is where your experience becomes your instinct, but for me (and if I've read PPP session summaries correctly, for him) making the villain pay each street turns into giving away money to a made hand being slow played. Mathematically, everything you've said makes sense. But, instinctively I'm not there yet. Here is a recent example. I'm UTG with KJcc and see a flop for $2 that is JQ4 with two spades. 3 of us in the hand. I check the flop, mid-position bets $10 and I'm the only caller. Turn is 6s, and we both check. River is Kh. I lead for $15 he makes it $40. I take my time to think about the action, his range, and a flush was unlikely to me. I called and he showed As8s. I could see AQ, KQ, but didn't see the flush. Also, I think my mistake is I have typically gone to play weekday evenings and the players are low-risk takers. Once again, I like tournaments where you are forced to play more hands.

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    3. The Poker MeisterApril 1, 2015 at 9:07 AM

      xdex7, thanks for your comments. For the hand history above, I think the only thing that makes sense by the river is a flush and/or straight. That notwithstanding, I don't necessarily love that you're calling out of position with mid pair into a flush / straight drawing board. Granted, the bet sizing makes this call much easier ($10), but there aren't many cards you're going to like on the turn or river - plus you have no control in the hand.

      So fine, you call - I think I'd probably do the same given the situation. The turn completes the flush draw and it checks through. The river completes another draw - though a gutter or T9 open ender. By leading for $15, villain is going to have a tough time calling with worse than you - I think I'd check the river and possibly crying call his river bet. It should serve to note that unless your villain is a maniac or *VERY COMPETENT*, a river raise is always the nuts. 1/2 players are not raising or check raising the river without the nuts.

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    4. AceApril 1, 2015 at 10:45 AM

      Point taken :) This is why I stop by your blog, for lessons!

      Delete
  3. Memphis MOJOMarch 30, 2015 at 4:50 PM

    I considered asking for a table change,

    I don't ask for a table change often enough.

    I saw a pro come to a table like this. He immediately straddled, raised on the flop, then showed whatever cards he had. Second hand, wash, rinse repeat. Pretty soon the table loosened up. Still not sure how he did it, but it worked.

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    1. The Poker MeisterMarch 30, 2015 at 7:55 PM

      I think we as humans don't do that enough - it's against our nature. We settle in and get comfortable. I need to commit to memory that comfort should be no reason why I don't change tables! However, the table got better as the night continued.

      Delete
  4. angerisagiftMarch 30, 2015 at 8:47 PM

    how is Betcoin doing???????

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    1. The Poker MeisterMarch 30, 2015 at 9:47 PM

      I play when I can... It's nice to be able to get 4-6 tables going like the pre-Black Friday times... practice makes perfect - even though it's small stakes, it's nice to be able to get in 1k hands in a session.

      Delete
    2. angerisagiftMarch 31, 2015 at 12:09 AM

      tru.i like it. plus i like their freeroll and satellites too

      Delete
  5. Tony BigcharlesMarch 31, 2015 at 5:35 AM

    u missed value on the JT hand, and never look at the flop with that for a raise. bet the river though

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    Replies
    1. The Poker MeisterMarch 31, 2015 at 8:22 AM

      As far as betting the river - what kinds of hands can call the river after calling the flop & turn? I felt like there were more missed diamond draws / made flushes than 2 pair+ hands that can call. Therefore, I saved a bet by checking through. Why do you feel that I should bet the river?

      Delete

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