[goofyballer]

How to misplay a hand: by goofyballer

Live 1/2 PLHE @ a bar downtown.

Hero and villain played the following hand earlier which illustrates villain's aggressive tendencies. He's a young kid (like me), pretty aggressive, has shown down a couple flush draws that he's 3 barreled with (in unraised pots at that!). Raises a decent amount of pots preflop, maybe 15-20%, but I haven't seen him 3-bet before.

Hero is UTG with A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] and raises to $8. Folded to Villain, who raises to $16. Bizarre. Folded back to hero, who calls.

Flop: A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 4[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] ($32)
Hero checks, Villain checks.

At this point I put him on either AA or a pocket pair. I think he bets AK/AQ there. Slowplaying top set on a dry board is a possibility though. Given his aggressive nature, I think checking and calling down is the best way to proceed.

Turn: Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] ($32)
Hero checks, Villain bets $20, Hero calls.

River: 7[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] ($72)
Hero checks, Villain bets $60, Hero tanks and plays the hand over again...AA and QQ are the only hands I'm scared of at this point, I really don't think he has AK or AQ. I call, Villain has 88 and MHIG.

So, the following hand comes up:

Stacks:
Hero: $146 (max buyin was $150, after the above hand I was up ~$70 but I gave a lot back with AK < AQ in a re-raised pot, [censored] donks)
Villain: covers

6-handed, Hero is CO with A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. Folded to Hero, who raises to $8. Button, a loose-passive old man calls, aggressive Villain from above calls in SB, TAG BB calls.

Flop: A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] ($32, 4 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $25, 1 fold, SB calls, BB folds.

Turn: 2[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] ($82, 2 players)
Villain bets $40, Hero with $113 left...

CALLS, CALLS YOU GD RETARD! Even though my hand doesn't really look like a monster, slowplaying here is absolutely the best play against this villain. He is almost guaranteed to shove any river the way he's been playing; tanking and making my hand look like I'm not too happy will absolutely elicit a shove from him on the river. My hand doesn't really need "protection" on the turn; if he isn't already drawing dead with a worse ace, he likely has some pair + FD like 8c7x that only has two outs. If he has a set or a flush, then he'll call a push, and he might call a push with worse two pair but he'll fold most other hands that he would bluff with on the river. Shoving pushes out almost all hands that I beat, while the ones I don't beat (set + flush) stick around.

I shoved, he folded, I left $73 on the table like a goddamn donkey. DON'T BE A DONKEY!

I did finish +$45 and +a couple beers, so it wasn't all bad. In three sessions there I'm slightly down; -$400 a few weeks ago (KK < QQ, my flush < villain's flush, my straight < villain's straight), +$335 a week ago (I posted a trip report, nobody read it)< +$45 tonight.