Probability told me I need to step up my posting game, and he is right. I am on my 13th straight day of work and I should probably not be playing very much. The point was proven to me early last week. The plan now is to answer all the forum posts in the Small Stakes session, and bring this blog back to a discussion of poker hands, theory, etc. I will only play when I feel absolutely sure I am at the top of my game, and even then, prolly only two tables at a time. At the end of the summer I will start playing 100nl. I have dabbled a bit in that stake, and truth be told, it doesn't seem all that much harder than what I am playing now (50nl). I will have to get into some hands homework style like I did at the beginning of the year as it really helped how I think about the game.

Contrary to that commitment I made to myself, I did spend a couple of hours watching the USA play England in the World Cup today. The wife and kids were at a birthday party that coincided with the kickoff time, so I wished them all well as they piled into the car and then headed to a bar to drink a pint of Guinness and watch the game. Honestly, the bar was not too crowded, but when the U.S. luckboxed a goal near the end of the first half, the whole place erupted in shouts. We seemed pretty clumsy and a bit lazy on defense in the first half and it was embarrassing to give up a goal inside of the first 4 minutes. But we came out in the second half firing and managed to withstand several blistering attacks late in the game by England. We should be pretty happy with a draw, tbh. Hopefully we will get out of group play and into the next round by mopping up Algeria and Slovenia. England looked fairly sharp, but I wouldn't expect Green to be starting the next game. The English coach is a snappy dresser, and he got a lot of TV time replaying his reactions. The U.S. coach could have been the equipment manager the way he was dressed.

Now for some poker hands.


Hand 1


SB ($51.25)
BB ($99.03)
UTG ($58.98)
Hero ($57.95)
BTN ($52)

Dealt to Hero Q Q

fold, Hero raises to $1.75, BTN raises to $4, fold, fold, [color=red]Hero raises to $9.75, BTN raises to $16, Hero...

First of all, I think the preflop min 3bet is pretty polarizing. In my experience this is often A9o or something like that, but frequently AA or KK played for the least amount of value possible. I could easily call the 3bet oop and be priced in to hit a set or call down three streets without stacking off. When he min5bets, I think this is usually KK+ with some random bluffs mixed in. I think I can fold and feel good about myself most of the time except that he had 3bet twice in his first three hands and was probably some kind of maniac with odd ideas about poker who will get it in with much much worse. I shoved, he had AA, I did not suck out. I think I like a flat instead. I also like shorter sessions because at the beginning of my session, I think I would have played it a little better.

Hand 2
Villain is 43/16 and very aggro/bluffy.


SB ($50.10)
BB ($115)
UTG ($35.60)
UTG+1 ($40.03)
Hero ($73.20)
BTN ($35.30)

Dealt to Hero K Q

fold, UTG+1 calls $0.50, Hero raises to $2.50, fold, SB calls $2.25, fold, UTG+1 calls $2

FLOP ($8) 6 Q 9

SB checks, UTG+1 checks, Hero bets $4.50, SB folds, UTG+1 raises to $15, Hero calls $10.50

TURN ($38) 6 Q 9 J

UTG+1 bets $22.53 (AI), Hero calls $22.53

RIVER ($83.06) 6 Q 9 J 6

UTG+1 shows 8 3
(Pre 34%, Flop 38.6%, Turn 20.5%)

Hero shows K Q
(Pre 66%, Flop 61.4%, Turn 79.5%)

UTG+1 wins $80.06

I snap called his turn shove as I had seen him bluff shove on the river with A high into my nut straight. I flat the flop raise knowing he has a decent bluffing range. Maybe he stacks off with a draw here and I should get it in? I would have folded a heart turn but the jack is probably not the best card in the deck either. Later on I wondered if he just calls the flop with a better flush draw but felt like he needed the extra fold equity with an 8 high flush draw.


Hand 3

I see this play a lot at 50nl, usually by the 50/17 2.4 AF type that was in this hand. I am not altogether sure that they know they are turning their hand into a bluff.

SB ($13.15)
BB ($70.04)
Hero ($56.15)
BTN ($39.40)

Dealt to Hero J Q

Hero raises to $1.75, BTN calls $1.75, fold, fold

FLOP ($4.25) 4 J 7

Hero bets $3.50, BTN calls $3.50

TURN ($11.25) 4 J 7 2

Hero bets $6.50, BTN raises to $13, Hero calls $6.50

RIVER ($37.25) 4 J 7 2 6

Hero checks, BTN checks

Hero shows J Q
(Pre 49%, Flop 83.6%, Turn 75.0%)

BTN shows 8 8
(Pre 51%, Flop 16.4%, Turn 25.0%)

Hero wins $34.90


Hand 4

Another example of this type of play. He prices me in to hit with every bet. I was unsure of what to bet on the river. I wanted to get called by a J (which I was sure he had because 33 and 55 bet bigger on the turn) but wasn't sure he would read my shove as a possible missed flush. I settled on half his remaining stack as a bet size but would have had a difficult time if he shoved.

SB ($47.75)
Hero ($54.50)
UTG ($46.55)
UTG+1 ($45.80)
CO ($64.70)
BTN ($34.10)

Dealt to Hero 8 8

fold, fold, fold, BTN raises to $1, fold, Hero raises to $4.50, BTN raises to $34.10 (AI), Hero calls $29.60

FLOP ($68.45) 6 A A

TURN ($68.45) 6 A A 9

RIVER ($68.45) 6 A A 9 3

Hero shows 8 8
(Pre 82%, Flop 91.9%, Turn 95.5%)

BTN shows 7 7
(Pre 18%, Flop 8.1%, Turn 4.5%)

Hero wins $65.45

Hand 5

Here villain is 22/16. I just need to bet much bigger when I flop so big and we are deep.


SB ($54.75)
BB ($102)
UTG ($50)
UTG+1 ($38)
Hero ($91.30)
BTN ($50)

Dealt to Hero A Q

fold, fold, Hero raises to $1.75, fold, fold, BB raises to $5.50, Hero calls $3.75

FLOP ($11.25) K K T

BB checks, Hero bets $6.50, BB calls $6.50

TURN ($24.25) K K T 2

BB checks, Hero bets $16, BB folds

Hero shows A Q

Hero wins $23.05



Play well. Do good work. Keep in touch.

PFJ