September Low-Content Thread

[cgrohman]

Random Thought on a Part of My Game Which I Think Is Weak:

All comments appreciated.

I find myself in a lot of turn/river situations where I require a mediuma mount of time to think (30 secs-minute) on what the best course of action is. Usually these are situations where I am debatinging raise/folding, raise/calling, or just calling. Generally, I have a plan in mind ahead of time but the river action is completely unexpected.

For example, the last hand I posted where I had A9 on a J9492 board and I get c/r on the river by a weak opponet.

Generally I arrive at the correct answer or the better answer or whatever (in this case, as most posters pointed out, I shoudl raise) but after doing so, I take the low variance approach- just calling - almost always because I thought for to long - i.e. I think my opponent can play optimally after my raise because he knows my holding isn;t that strong.

Discuss

[that_pope]

[ QUOTE ]
Random Thought on a Part of My Game Which I Think Is Weak:

All comments appreciated.

I find myself in a lot of turn/river situations where I require a mediuma mount of time to think (30 secs-minute) on what the best course of action is. Usually these are situations where I am debatinging raise/folding, raise/calling, or just calling. Generally, I have a plan in mind ahead of time but the river action is completely unexpected.

For example, the last hand I posted where I had A9 on a J9492 board and I get c/r on the river by a weak opponet.

Generally I arrive at the correct answer or the better answer or whatever (in this case, as most posters pointed out, I shoudl raise) but after doing so, I take the low variance approach- just calling - almost always because I thought for to long - i.e. I think my opponent can play optimally after my raise because he knows my holding isn;t that strong.

Discuss

[/ QUOTE ]

In the past I have found myself doing this also. Taking a long time when you are normally quick to act is for sure a tell. It isn't just the delayed betting of the nuts, a true 'huddle' as Roy Cooke likes to call them bothers me to. I also usually divert to calling, because the pot is too big and I also think I have given up too much info. I haven't done it lately, but I think it is just because it hasn't came up. So I am in the same boat....

[jba]

cgrohman,

try to use the time when your opponents are acting or the dealer is pulling in bets/burning and turning. Most of the time you're going to have a good idea of what your opponents are going to do and if they deviate you can be forgiven for taking some time. I usually take this time to think of the cards on the river that really change things and how I'm going to react to that. It's especially helpful if there's a lot of waiting on the flop or turn to think of the next street and what I'm going to do. And in the example of your trip nines hand (I don't remember the specific action), I usually have a plan for the river well before it even comes down (eg bet/call draws, bet/3bet anything else).

Also sometimes I'll have an easy decision on the turn, but I'll take a little extra time if I think there's a good chance I'm going to have a tough river decision. So I might be sitting on a KQT2 turn with top set and pretty quickly realize that I'm going to bet it, but take an extra second to decide what I'm going to do if an A, J, or flush river falls off.

[jkamowitz]

Cgrohman, I'm often told that my raises are extremely fast almost to the point of instantaneous. I think it really helps both your image and makes the hand easier to play.

Follow Jba's advice of thinking about what to do vs. what cards vs. opponents actions while they're making decisions/dealer burning and turning.

Also, fast raises can result in spewy reraises by frustrated opponents who act too quickly before they've thought about what to do.

[habsfanca11]

You're not going to be able to change your need to be able to take time to think things through ... so, the easy answer is to disguise it occasionally. In other words, take some time occasionally with the nuts. Therefore you're river action will be a better mix of in-tempo raises (with a weak hand/bluff), in tempo calls and out-of-tempo calls ( with weak hand) and out-of-tempo raises (with the nuts). Obvious, yes, but you need as much time as you need to make a decision, and thats not going to change.

Side benefit is you'll collect the occasion extra bet when out-of-tempo raising the nuts because you've repped weakness.

[jkamowitz]

Some wonderful LC adventures from this Borgata safari.

My favorite first:

The games are good, real good. There's a russian woman who is beyond good for the game and has pulled off the c/c c/c c/c Khigh line, the bet/call every street line, and then this gem:

7 handed: I open A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] in the co, she 3balls in the small, big drops and I 4bet, she calls.

Comes A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] I bet and she calls
Turn 3[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] again she check calls.
River 2[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] again she check calls.

I table my hand and the dealer pushes all five cards forward saying "flush"
She leans in, looks hard and nods then! epiphany! she aks if I have a diamond in my hand, see's that I do not, laughs and says "chop!" And rolls the K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

Later we're playing 4 handed.
Button is an old time friend who I haven't seen in about a year and has since made oodles more money than I due to amazing tournament success.

He raises his button, I take him upstairs with black nines and he calls.

Comes 245r, I bet/3-bet he calls.
Turn 3 I bet he calls
River A and we both check.

Again, I chop with his 87o.

From now on, I no longer chop.

[cgrohman]

I am usually great about thinking ahead and knowing what I plan on doing with each conceivable card that may come. I am talking about when an opponent does something completely unexpected liek c/r a river when I never could have seen it coming.

[ProfessorBen]

[ QUOTE ]
Finished 2 off the money in the WPT Limit event. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] Very frustrating, played extremely well throughout. Great to meet everyone, especially Ben, who I got to spend some serious time with. My wife was bummed he doesn't live on the East Coast full time, as she wants to hook him up with all her hot friends.

[/ QUOTE ]

BADBEAT! [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

[goofball]

cgrohman,

If your opponent does something "completely unexpected" calling is usually your best option anyway.

[cgrohman]

Gotta show the bluff.