Sean Fraley
11-29-2006, 09:38 PM
I'm playing the lowest of microlimits, and most of the time being tight-aggresive makes the money. When I sit and review some of my sessions, though, I begin to notice that I have a terrible weakness against stack-a-donk style strategies. Here's an example:
Poker Stars
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $0.01/$0.02
8 players
Converter (http://www.neildewhurst.com/hand-converter)
Stack sizes:
UTG: $2.37
UTG+1: $3.32
MP1: $2.49
Hero: $5.80
CO: $5.65
Button: $1.40
SB: $1.65
BB: $5.77
Pre-flop: (8 players) Hero is MP2 with 8/images/graemlins/heart.gif 9/images/graemlins/diamond.gif
UTG calls, UTG+1 calls, MP1 calls, Hero calls, 3 folds, 3 folds, BB checks.
I don't yet own PokerTracker, and haven't been at the table long enough to get any detailed reads on players I haven't encountered, I have notice that BB has only shown worthwhile hole cards at show down and plays tightly preflop. The limpers in front of me were relatively bad players whom I had seen in other games before, and I figured that 89o was worth limping from MP in a multiway pot, though I would have folded it to a raise.
Flop: 8/images/graemlins/spade.gif T/images/graemlins/spade.gif 8/images/graemlins/diamond.gif ($0.11, 5 players)
BB checks, UTG checks, <font color="#cc0000">UTG+1 bets $0.06</font>, MP1 folds, <font color="#cc0000">Hero raises to $0.2</font>, BB calls, UTG folds, UTG+1 calls.
All right, nice flop for me with trip 8s. If figure that UTG+1 has probably paired the ten or is holding a lower pocket pair giving him two pair, so when the action gets to me I give it a decent size raise. When people check-call, such as BB does, I tend to assume one of the following: 2 overcards, a pair top pair or lower, or a straight or flush draw.
Turn: 5/images/graemlins/heart.gif ($0.71, 3 players)
BB checks, UTG+1 checks, <font color="#cc0000">Hero bets $0.75</font>, BB calls, UTG+1 folds.
On the turn, I put out another sizeable bet.
River: 7/images/graemlins/diamond.gif ($2.21, 2 players)
<font color="#cc0000">BB bets $1</font>, Hero calls.
This is where I should have become suspicious but didn't, and lost some cash.
Results:
Final pot: $4.21
BB showed Th 8c
Hero mucks 8h 9d
This happens to me on a regular basis when I get trips, sometimes when I get two pair on a ragged flop. While less frequent, it cost even more when I have a straight or flush and lose to a higher ranked of the same. Do I need to rein in a bit on how often I bet? Is this better controlled through making smaller bets in situations where there is the possibility of a much bigger hand out there? Am I wrong to come out swinging in situations like these?
Poker Stars
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $0.01/$0.02
8 players
Converter (http://www.neildewhurst.com/hand-converter)
Stack sizes:
UTG: $2.37
UTG+1: $3.32
MP1: $2.49
Hero: $5.80
CO: $5.65
Button: $1.40
SB: $1.65
BB: $5.77
Pre-flop: (8 players) Hero is MP2 with 8/images/graemlins/heart.gif 9/images/graemlins/diamond.gif
UTG calls, UTG+1 calls, MP1 calls, Hero calls, 3 folds, 3 folds, BB checks.
I don't yet own PokerTracker, and haven't been at the table long enough to get any detailed reads on players I haven't encountered, I have notice that BB has only shown worthwhile hole cards at show down and plays tightly preflop. The limpers in front of me were relatively bad players whom I had seen in other games before, and I figured that 89o was worth limping from MP in a multiway pot, though I would have folded it to a raise.
Flop: 8/images/graemlins/spade.gif T/images/graemlins/spade.gif 8/images/graemlins/diamond.gif ($0.11, 5 players)
BB checks, UTG checks, <font color="#cc0000">UTG+1 bets $0.06</font>, MP1 folds, <font color="#cc0000">Hero raises to $0.2</font>, BB calls, UTG folds, UTG+1 calls.
All right, nice flop for me with trip 8s. If figure that UTG+1 has probably paired the ten or is holding a lower pocket pair giving him two pair, so when the action gets to me I give it a decent size raise. When people check-call, such as BB does, I tend to assume one of the following: 2 overcards, a pair top pair or lower, or a straight or flush draw.
Turn: 5/images/graemlins/heart.gif ($0.71, 3 players)
BB checks, UTG+1 checks, <font color="#cc0000">Hero bets $0.75</font>, BB calls, UTG+1 folds.
On the turn, I put out another sizeable bet.
River: 7/images/graemlins/diamond.gif ($2.21, 2 players)
<font color="#cc0000">BB bets $1</font>, Hero calls.
This is where I should have become suspicious but didn't, and lost some cash.
Results:
Final pot: $4.21
BB showed Th 8c
Hero mucks 8h 9d
This happens to me on a regular basis when I get trips, sometimes when I get two pair on a ragged flop. While less frequent, it cost even more when I have a straight or flush and lose to a higher ranked of the same. Do I need to rein in a bit on how often I bet? Is this better controlled through making smaller bets in situations where there is the possibility of a much bigger hand out there? Am I wrong to come out swinging in situations like these?