Saturday, January 10, 2009

Gettin’ Fidgety

I had a decent session tonight and the bankroll crept a little higher. In an effort to combat boredom after about 50 hands that were going nowhere, I opened up a second table. As my readers know, I don’t multi-task well, and the hand below is evidence of that:

Hold'em No Limit ($0.05/$0.10) - 2009/01/10 2:22:45 ET
Table 'Iduna IX' 9-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: Ilovetocook ($11.50 in chips)
Seat 2: bastinptc ($9.10 in chips)
Seat 3: DC2TT ($10 in chips)
Seat 4: kotyaka ($2.40 in chips)
Seat 5: Parker30 ($6.20 in chips)
Seat 6: niveknehc ($8.55 in chips)
Seat 7: CBOOTH5 ($13.90 in chips)
Seat 8: DeadSoulive ($7.25 in chips)
Seat 9: SpielerABC ($11.10 in chips)
bastinptc: posts small blind $0.05
DC2TT: posts big blind $0.10
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to bastinptc [Ad Jd]
kotyaka: folds
Parker30: folds
niveknehc: folds
CBOOTH5: raises $0.20 to $0.30
DeadSoulive: folds
SpielerABC: folds
Ilovetocook: folds
bastinptc: calls $0.25
DC2TT: folds
*** FLOP *** [5s Qd 8d]
bastinptc: checks
CBOOTH5: bets $0.40

This looks like a C-bet to me, and if it isn’t, I want to slow him down a bit here.

bastinptc: raises $0.40 to $0.80

At the same time this hand is playing out, I have been dealt pocket 8s at the other table (for about the third time this evening). I am watching the flop and hoping for a set (not a single set all night).

CBOOTH5: calls $0.40
*** TURN *** [5s Qd 8d] [Ah]

I realize that I now have TP to go along with my flush draw and misclick as I hurry to switch screens…

bastinptc: bets $0.10
CBOOTH5: raises $0.60 to $0.70

… and then get an opportunity to redeem myself.

bastinptc: raises $0.60 to $1.30

I have seen other players make a similar goofy move, min-betting a pot and then re-raising. I figured this guy was sure to fold, or at least be somewhat confused.

CBOOTH5: raises $11.50 to $12.80 and is all-in

I fold my 8s. Instead, I am the one who is a bit confused by his all-in. Does he have something like AQ? It seems to me that if he had AQ I would have been re-raised on the flop. His preflop bet was too small for pocket Queens in his position. I’ve discounted any other set; don’t ask me why. AK was a possibility, I suppose, but my re-raise on the flop would have most likely induced a fold. The guy just hadn’t been on my radar at all up to this point. I figured my A was good, plus I had outs; and with a third of my stack in already, why not?

bastinptc: calls $6.70 and is all-in
Uncalled bet ($4.80) returned to CBOOTH5
*** RIVER *** [5s Qd 8d Ah] [7h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
bastinptc: shows [Ad Jd] (a pair of Aces)
CBOOTH5: mucks hand
bastinptc collected $17.40 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $18.30 | Rake $0.90
Board [5s Qd 8d Ah 7h]
Seat 2: bastinptc (small blind) showed [Ad Jd] and won ($17.40) with a pair of Aces
Seat 7: CBOOTH5 mucked [Js Qs]

Afterwards, the guy asked if I had been on a flush draw? I told him to look at the hand history. How he missed it in the showdown, I’m not certain. Perhaps he was multi-tasking as well.


During current Hold'em session you were dealt 170 hands and saw flop:
13 out of 22 times while in big blind (59%)
11 out of 22 times while in small blind (50%)
18 out of 126 times in other positions (14%)
a total of 42 out of 170 (24%)
Pots won at showdown - 6 of 10 (60%)
Pots won without showdown – 12

I believe there is a correlation between the % for pots won at showdown and my activity from the blinds. I tried opening up my range in these positions, as well in late position, especially later in the game, with somewhat mixed results. I could feel myself getting antsy. Good time to quit.

11 comments:

Forrest Gump said...

In all honesty, if the guy hadn't been on your radar and didn't stand out as a soft spot, the hand looks a little to me like good result/bad play.



FG

bastinptc said...

FG- Buried within the text of the post is the same conclusion, primarily because I didn't have a solid read, but more an inkling. I have been watching general play very closely lately, and seeing the contrast with my preferred style of play, both at PA and in these micros. I get pushed off of winning hands a bit too often because of overly cautious play. (PA players will confirm how readily I am bluffed.) As I work out this leak, I will undoubtedly make errors of excess until I find a happy medium.

Besides, it had been ages since I had bet on-the-come. It kinda felt good.

Additionally, I have resisted putting myself in the other player's shoes for this hand, but I think it must be said that he played the hand horribly post-flop. If Cardgrrl's assessment of the micros is correct, then one really doesn't need a read on one's opponents because, for the most part, they're all donks. In this case, I was just one of many and happened to be right.

matt tag said...

Betting/Raising on the come - in position - is a valuable tool to add to your arsenal. It's also often cheaper than calling 2 bets.

If he bets and you raise, he will often check the turn, where you can check behind if you missed your draw. "Raise flop/check turn" is usually cheaper than "call flop/call turn" (this is easy to see in limit when the turn bet doubles).

Memphis MOJO said...

When you (accidentally) bet .10, that painted a picture. To him, you said you were afraid of the ace, so he shoved. So, he might be a donkey, but he's not clueless.

Isn't the shove at least somewhat suspicious? And didn't you (perhaps subconsciously) pick up on this?

Memphis MOJO said...

"I could feel myself getting antsy. Good time to quit."

Excellent. I wish I could do this more.

bastinptc said...

Mojo- He shoved after my re-raise. Let's face it: this hand has an overall irrational feel to it.

Forrest Gump said...

Interesting discussions. I'd add two things.
- betting 'on the come' and thinking above the 2nd level (what does he think i have) is way beyond what's the best strategy for microlimits IMO.
- I really, really disagree with this: "If Cardgrrl's assessment of the micros is correct, then one really doesn't need a read on one's opponents because, for the most part, they're all donks." Even NL5 is scattered with solid players that don't want to play any higher. For me the key is figuring which are a solid regulars with a tight range and which are the over aggressive or just plain bad players with a really wide range. Against the latter, I have no problem with opening up and calling for my stack with top pair.




FG

Forrest Gump said...

Here's also something interesting. Last year I made some really big adjustments to my blind play which some have noticed in my stats. I've gone even more uber position and preflop in this hand, I'd insta-muck AJs OOP to a good player and maybe reluctantly call against a bad player depending on stack sizes and the situation.



FG

bastinptc said...

Always the voice of reason, FG. I overstated Cardgrrl's position, I'm sure. In fact, I always assume most players know pretty much what they're doing. Like you, I typically look for the one at the table who does not.

I knew when I went into this post that I was not going to find a way to perfectly justify this hand. It is clear that you and I don't play the same type of game, which is probably why your bankroll continues to grow and my languishes. When I call such a small raise from the SB, I'm looking to come from behind and take it down by the turn or get out. Sometimes it's just hard to get out...

bastinptc said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Forrest Gump said...

You're absolutely right and i don't want to sound preachy - after a lot of adjustments this is the style I've found that works for me. Just finished a session and these are my stats:

During current Hold'em session you were dealt 173 hands and saw flop:
- 8 out of 20 times while in big blind (40%)
- 2 out of 20 times while in small blind (10%)
- 24 out of 133 times in other positions (18%)
- a total of 34 out of 173 (19%)
Pots won at showdown - 7 of 11 (63%)
Pots won without showdown - 10

I just figured that in a limped pot, I only have less than half a small bet invested and I can simplify my play by dumping most hands. It's possibly also a result of multi-tabling which I think has really helped my game rather than impacting my EV for each table.



FG