File this under: Don't do that! (second edition)

Just stop.  Seriously... just stop!

Deep stacked at a $0.05/0.10.  We're sitting on $60.59 effective (our opponent has a greater amount of chips as compared to us.  This one comes complete with notes; my notes on villain are "overreps 22; bet turn / riv."  I've added notes since, but he's a fish, to be sure!

He opens to $0.35 and I flat in the HJ with Ah7h along with the BTN.  Perfect hand very deep stacked - it's a nut flush hand, along with the top pair that is going to be good some of the time.  Given my opponent's overplay ability, I'm content seeing a flop with 600BB behind.

$1.20 in the middle; flop is AsAc2h.  Opponent leads for $0.90.  I flat.  I don't think I'm ever getting away from the hand, but I don't think I can call an open shove for 6 buy-ins.

$3.00 in the middle, turn is 5c.  He leads pot, and I happily call again.  I'm kind of kind check down mode but it's costing me each street.

$9.00 in the middle; river is 7d, completing my top boat, and as a matter of fact, the nuts.  No real non-nut hands possible besides a cooler'd better Ace, A2, A5 and sets.  To my delight, he leads again for $6.75.  This train is going to value town!  I ship $56.00 even, which he of course snaps off - proudly showing none other than 3d4d?????  He turned a straight but couldn't fold for a 600BB ship?  My targets were squarely worse boats & cooler'd Aces... a straight was not even on my radar!

Don't do that!

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Don't do that!

It wouldn't be fair for me to only go one way regarding chastising my opponents, now would it?  In today's hand, we're 640BB deep at a $0.05/$0.10 table.  This time, I have notes on my opponent which say, "He will open full 500BB all in if he believes he's nutted which is not nutted (bottom straight, 2 pair, etc.)."  This is Poker Meister speak for, he can ship the semi-nuts or nuts when he's strong.

My opponent limps (what all good fishees do) and I look down at QcQs from one off the cut off.  I open for my standard $.75 - I if there are limpers, I go 7.5x for one limp, 10.5x for two, 12.5x for three.  On this site, I get calls for days with raising sizes that large which, to me, is incredible!  Folds around to the fishee who does what fishees do and flats.

$1.65 in the middle.  We see a Ac9s8d flop.  I've only begun to fight, cause that Ace may create consternation for many people, but not me!  I'm not going all in by any means, and I can certainly set myself up to be bluffed later, but for now, there are many hands my opponent can limp / call with that don't contain an Ace.  I'm targeting 8x, 9x, JT, 67, T8.  Also, I want to get a feel for his Ax hands - I'm "concerned" if he makes the call here, but not totally concerned because I think there's value here by betting.  He checks to me and I click $1.05 - little more than 2/3 pot.  He flats.

$3.75 in the middle.  5s turn - Ac9s8d5s putting a 2 flush out there, completing 67.  He checks once again.  I lead for ~2/3 again - $2.25, focusing more on his draws because I'm pretty sure he'd lead with 67 if he hit it, and I'm pretty sure he would've bet out if he had an Ax hand.  He flats again.

$8.25 in the middle.  The both hated and loved Qh on the river.  Ac9s8d5sQh puts an obvious JT straight out there, while also completing the 67 straight on the turn.  No flushes complete.  My opponent opens for $69.36 (I have $60.23 behind).  600BB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  WTF?????  I mean - the Qh riv makes me beat almost all pair hands (exception of a slow-played AA).  But this guy has no problem shipping it very deep with the semi-nuts and the nuts.  Given there's 2 nutty hands out there, I have to fold, right?  It sucks to lay down a set on the river, but I can't justify a 600BB blow-up.  I fold.

For whatever reason, he shows - I guess to let me know he bluffed me?  Maybe he thinks he's good?  He shows Jh8s for a pair and straight re-draw.  My head lowers :-( as I realize I've been bluffed.  Nice play, sir, nice play - or "VNH."

Is this really a "don't do that?"

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The hand in question is linked here.

File under: Don't do that!

I remember this show from when I was a kid!

I think I'm going to start a series chastising my opponents for burning cash... yeah... that's what I'm going to do! It may be crass of me to do that, but I don't care - this is my blog & I do what I want to!

Obviously, I see players doing stupid stuff all the time - but I'm going to save the particularly egregious stuff for posting.  What you can expect to see is mostly deep stacked stuff, which brings us to today's post.

We're deep stacked, with $28.11 effective at a $0.05/0.10 game.

Folds around to my left (I'm in the cut off, one off the button) and he opens a standard-ish $0.35 with $35.38 behind.  I look down at a speculative 6h4h and opt to take a flop.  I can get spicy and raise here, but this guy has been fairly quiet, my hand is relatively easy to throw away post flop, and if the planets align, I can put in a minimal amount of money up front with a TON behind, without it costing me if I miss.  Therefore, rather than go for a quick takedown (i.e. 3bet and have to choose to fold to a 4bet potentially), I speculate and call.  The BB with $12.53 takes the call as well.

$1.1 in the middle: Flop is Ts3d5c.  I hit an open-ender.  Checks to original raiser who opens for $.55 - half pot.  Again, my options are still viable - raise or flat.  I have such a hidden hand if I hit that if my opponent has a hand himself, I'll get paid.  Right now, though, as with the pre-flop action, I don't want to get raised off my hand (if I raise and he re-raises, I'm losing part of the value of my hidden draw).  Therefore, I flat once again, opting to see another card fairly cheaply.  Also, for those playing at home, recognize that we have immediate odds here that we're getting less than even money (8 outs - 4 7's and 4 2's * 4 = ~32% odds to hit) on the next 2 cards, but obviously the implied odds are tremendous.

$2.75 in the middle.  Turn is a big bold beautiful 7h.  I hit my straight and it's the nut straight for the board.  Checks again to the original raiser who confirms my suspicion that he has a hand by leading another half pot $1.38.  Now that I'm in the driver's seat, it's decision time.  I want to get more money in the middle given that we're so deep (I'm sitting on $27.21 effective at this time).  I go for a $5.25 raise in order to spike up the pot, leaving $21.96 behind and around $10 in the middle.  It would be nice to at least get a buy-in / buy-in and a half in the middle.  BB snap calls(?????) the raise, and original raiser clicks all the way to all in for $34.83.  Obviously I snap call with the nuts as does BB - two pots are presented: $37.94 for the main and $30.96.

Weirdly, I'm shown JhTh from the original raiser (WTF dude???  Pair of Tens and a weak-ish kicker?  Seriously?!?!?!?) and 6d9d for the double gutter draw who was just clicking buttons on the flop (WTF, but not as WTF as my 300BB deep stacked JT friend).

River is Ac, a blank, and I scoop $67.40!  Again, don't do that!

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The hand in question is linked here.