Stupid Overly Aggressive Losers

I'm in a SNG at Full Tilt Poker again.  First hand, I'm dealt A-J of hearts and I have the dealer button.

 

Three limpers and it comes to the player on my right.  He makes the standard raise of 90.  I reraise to 150 in order to isolate.

 

Everyone folds to the raiser and he goes all-in.

 

I hate these guys.  They overplay their hands with the all-in. The question is "do I call him?"

 

Does he have a premium hand?  No, because you don't need to go all-in. Play the dominate hand after the flop.

 

Does he have a pocket pair?  Maybe, but why go all-in, but I just didn't feel it.

 

I'm feel like I'm ahead.  So I gamble and I call.  The other player flips over Q-9 of hearts. And my Ace stands up.

 

Was I stupid to call?  Yes and no.  I had a great read on the guy.  But the other guy overplayed his hand.  By going all in, he was telling me that he wants me to fold.  I decided to play the odds and call the bet.  I probably would have folded if he raised me on the flop.

Getting Lucky and Putting a Guy on Tilt

I was playing a SNG on Full Tilt Poker last night.  It was head-to-head with me and f0nec0rd.  He went off on me, it was so funny.

Just a little background into my personality.  I lean toward the Passive Aggressive personality.  If I can press someone's buttons, I will.

The table that I was playing at was pretty tight, especially when we got down to four player (payoff is at three).  I was playing pretty solid in the middle. But I tend to get pretty impatient at a tight table near the bubble.

At one point, I had A-T offsuit, I made a strong raise.  The small blind re-raised me.  I knew he probably had a pair and I pushed all-in thinking I might scare him off and it didn't.  He calls with Queens and I hit an Ace on the River.  Lucky me.

I'm the chip leader and then I am dealt Jacks.  I raise again and I have one caller.  The board hits my Jack.  I check and my opponent raises strong and I reraise him all-in.  As I suspected, my opponent has an overpair with Queens to my Trip Jacks.  The turn comes a Queen give him trips and I'm short stacked.

Because the table was playing to tight, no one wanted to double me up, so any time that I had an Ace, pair or two paint cards, I was all-in and I never had a caller.  Just picking up the blinds and taking money from the limpers I was quickly back to second place with four opponents.

GETTING LUCKY AND PUTTING A GUY ON TILT

Mind you, at this point, I've played some solid poker and I'm head to head against a very very tight player.

Second to last hand - I'm in the big blind with 8h-5d. F0nec0rd completes the bet and I check.

Flop - 4d-6d-2d.  This gives me a flush draw and a double belly gut shot straight (3 or 7 gives me a straight). 

I check and f0nec0rd bets half the pot.  I'm thinking that he has big paint cards, maybe an over pair.

I call.

Turn - 3c.  I just made my straight. F0nec0rd bets the pot for 1,200. And I go all in. f0nec0rd turns over Pocket Queens, worse yet, he has the Queen of Diamond which beats my 5 of diamonds for a better flush.  F0nec0rd calls because of the Queens and flush draw.

River - 3d.  F0nec0rd just made the higher flush, but fortunately it gives me the straight flush to win the pot and take the chip lead.

Chat goes like this…

F0nec0rd: YOU LUCKY #$% DONK.
Humble Guy: ty.

Analysis - f0nec0rd would have one had he raised with his Queens.  He decides to slowplay and limp in.  I don't necessarily fault him for that, but then I wouldn't have doubled up.  Also if a King or Ace comes out, he might be beat.  I probably would have raised with Queens.

After the flop I have a straight and flush draw and he only bets half the pot.  He's allowing me to draw that better hand, although he does have a strong flush draw.  But what if I had the Ace of Hearts or King of Hearts.  He should have gone all-in and taken the pot right their.  Instead he allows me to hit the nut straight.  I had to go all-in at this point.  I got lucky on the last card.

Last hand - I'm the dealer with 5s-4h.  I limp in. 

F0nec0rd raises to 600, which is the minimum raise.  I'm getting 3 to 1 to make something.  I have to call.

Flop - 6s-As-Tc.  This is not a good flop for me. I have nothing with three overcards on the board.

F0nec0rd checks and I check.

Turn - 7d.  Now I have an open ended straight draw. F0nec0rd bets the pot and I of course call.

River - 8d.  I have now completed a straight.  F0nec0rd goes all-in.  The only card I'm worried about is a nine, but I just can't see a nine in his hand.  I call and show my straight.

F0nec0rd has A-8 for two pair. I win.

Chat:

F0nec0rd: nh, you f$%n Donkey.
Humble Guy: ty.

Analysis.  He had a pair of Aces on the Flop.  I had a backdoor straight draw.  If he had bet on the flop.  I'm out.  But instead, he tried to play it fancy and allowed me to catch up and win.

He's really pissed and I'm really happy.  Was I a donkey?  No, f0nec0rd allowed me to make my hands by giving me the best odds to call.  Yes, the miracle river saved me and I was lucky, but he never should have allowed me to make my straight.  I had the best hand when I went all-in and it held up.

I Love Putting People On Tilt

Here are some the basic laws of low-limit hold'em.

1. You have no right to complain about someone playing with questionable hands or making questionable calls.  When you're risking $3.00 in a hand or have entered a tournament for $5, you can't complain about suckouts and getting lucky.  Why???  Because you're only risking $3, $5, $10 dollars on the entire hand.

The complaints are common, "No pro would ever play a hand like that."  That's true, but then again no pro would ever play $.50/$1 limit hold'em either. 

Also, I'm not risking my life savings, I'm risking chump change, so why not play a little loose at times.

2.  Just because you go all-in with the best hand, that does not automatically make you the winner of the hand.  Pocket Aces will lose 15% of the time to two random cards. So don't cry when you're Aces are broken, because you're the moron who risked everything on it without getting the proper odds to justify the bet.

It's just amazing how upset people get when someone sucks out on them.

The key to winning low limit poker is to exploit the weaknesses of bad players.  If you get a guy all-in with bad cards, you are going to win in the long run, but he will get lucky on you.  If you risk half your chips with Pocket Aces on a race, you have to understand that you will lose some of the time, but it was you're fault for going all in, instead of seeing a flop and seeing how strong your aces are at that point.

Example, if you have black pocket Aces and you see the flop and the board hits 3 diamonds.  You're Aces are not looking good at the moment.  Worse yet, if the board hits 7-8-9 of diamonds and your opponent has the 10 of diamonds, you're actually an underdog at this point because of his flush and straight draw.

You are gambling on races, so stop whining!!!!

My Pechanga Bad Beat

I was actually prepped for this bad beat a week before.

I'm in the first event of the Pechanga Open and we're at the second big break.  I have 6000 in chips and the blinds are 200/400.  My M is at 10 so I'm looking to double up.

My table is broken up and I move to a brand new table of somewhat friendly people.  I sit down and immediately toss in a junk hand.

The second hand puts me eight places from the button and I am dealt pocket Kings.  I come with for a standard raise of 1200.  I would normally go all in, but I need action.

Two seat down, the short stack goes all in with his 5500 in chips.  It all folds to me and I call.

My opponent flips over A-Qo. The flop comes K-8-4.  Great I have trips.  The problem is that all three cards are hearts and my opponent has the Ah.  The turn comes another heart. No I need the board to pair for the boat, but alas another heart.  I have a flush, but my opponent has the nut flush.

I almost wished an ace come on board.

I now have 500 in chips and I can barely cover the big blind.  I have to find a spot to go all-in.

Three hands later, I'm dealt K-Q suited.  I made a huge motion and I push my 5 chips into the middle.  Everyone folds to the big blind, who decides that for only 100 in chips he can gamble.  He flips over 10-4 offsuit.  The flop comes a 10 and I'm done.

It's tough when the blinds are doubling every half hour.  Just when you feel like you're making progress the blinds go up and your immediately shortstacked again.

Next time…The lady at the table.