Garden City 1/14 Results

Ok, post-Monday Garden City results.

Overall, up $4. 6/12 LHE, 2.75 hours, up $17. LO8, 1.5 hours, down $13.

When I got there there was a single LO8 table running so I got on the list as the 7th or 8th player. In the mean-time, four 6/12 tables were running and I got a seat immediately. As is my way, I quickly won a few pots, then lost more than I won to drain back down to about even. I made a few mistakes (hands in a second) but the other notable thing was that I was really tired after about 90 minutes. I kept giving myself a pep-talk, took a break, kept concentration, and did ok. I know my reads and some of the little things were off; I need to avoid playing after a full day of work.

One of the dealers warned me the LO8 table was bad, so I went over and took a look, and it didn't look great but I figured I'd sit anyway to see how it played. A big factor was the LHE table got really tight and we chopped blinds or raised and take it a ton. Nothing holding me to that seat. After almost three hours my name was finally at the front of the LO8 list -- of course, at times, the list didn't move for 30 minutes or more. I decided to pick up my chips and get some refreshments. Right after I stood up, they called my name...

The LO8 table was mostly older regulars. There was one super-fish who kept calling down with a non-nut hand which could only go one way and he was getting cut up like the unnamed extras in the Kill Bill series. In a way, it was kind of sad -- he kept rebuying. While I was tired and the rest of the table didn't have too many soft spots, he was getting killed. He alone kept me from getting up.

In one hand I raised As237s. Flop comes A28 and I bet, he calls. Turn is another 2, I bet, he calls. River is a J, he bets, I call after a little thought. He flips over a bare jack. Yeah, that's it. I scoop, and regret not getting another value bet on the river (I thought we were chopping, but even if we're chopping, I should raise just in case -- it is very unlikely he has me both ways since all four of his cards would need to play).

Sadly, I played very few hands with the strategy I outlined earlier. So much so that the guy to my left was making tight player jokes at my expense (when I got up, he said, "This will loosen up the table!" -- funny guy, missing a few fingers on his right hand, ex-military contractor). So while the fish was spewing chips (and another black guy, although not as bad) I got very few of them. Hands I did play were KsJx9s8s (flop KT8, I raised... K on turn, guy calls me down with straight draw that hit). I took a cheap shot with KcQQ8c, folded QQxx, JJxx in EP (both hit sets, one won, the other didn't). I also raised AhKKJh from the big blind for value, but check fold when the flop comes all low cards. There was also the hand I limped in LP with QJhT6h and flop comes JT7, I bet and get one caller. Turn is a 9, I bet OOP, he calls. River A, check-check, and he shows ATxx. Couldn't play that one any better.

Oh yeah, and one old guy got so tilted when his decent hands went down that he start swearing and slapping the table. Apparently that's normal for that game. All the old guys knew each other -- since only one table runs usually, I expect they're all very familiar with each other. Still though, while a lot of them were reasonably tight and aggressive, it seems like they were playing a touch too loose. I'd bet there is some money to be made on that table (especially when bad players sit down) but the win rate has to be less than limit hold'em, both because there are less fish, and because you a lot less hands. The basic strategy is probably a little too tight -- if you loosen up a bit, get in cheap where you can, and play smart poker post flop, you can probably turn a steady profit with less variance than hold'em. Two-to-three guys had over $800 sitting in front of them.

Some hold'em hands:

1. I limped with Q9s in late position, 6 see the flop. Flop comes 956 rainbow. I bet and get called flop and turn. I think an ace came on the river. I check behind on the river and get shown J9 -- possibly missed a bet there.
2. In late position, I raise with KJs (I'm new and more aggressive, remember?). Two callers, flop comes 943. I bet, he calls. Turn comes Q, I bet, he raises ($16 more), and at this point, I say screw it and call since I'm essentially pot committed (planning to put in the last $4 on the river). Without the gutshot I'd never call though. Anyway, the river comes T, and I apologize for hitting as soon as he throws his money in. He had QJ. My one suck-out of the night.
3. KK in late position, called in three spots. Flop comes TT9, I bet, three call. Turn is a jack or queen, I bet, two call. River is a blank, this other guy leads into me and I call. He shows a full house -- way to get value, buddy, gotta raise the turn :)
4. I fold K8s with nobody in the pot in the CO. Realize a split second later that new improved aggressive me need to raise there. Oops.
5. This is a hand I wonder about. I limp with Kd2d in late position with 5 players in. Flop comes TT8 with two diamonds, checks to me, I bet, and two players call. Turn is another low diamond, checks to me, I bet, and the guy to my right raises. Now I go into the tank. I specifically remember watching him see the flop and didn't have a read at the time but when he re-raised I strongly thought he had been slowplaying trips. Don't ask me how, I just had a strong sense. So, I ended up three-betting, and he called. The river is a third ten, and he leads into me with a slightly shaky hand. FYI, he's a relatively aggressive, slightly too loose, player I've seen before. He'll often raise with hands he shouldn't but plays pretty obviously post flop, with a few tricks thrown in. So now I have him on quads, and I think for 30 seconds about dumping my hand. Yeah, even after three-betting the turn. Part of my problem was I didn't know how much was in the pot (more on that later) but I was REALLY close to folding. Any pair and I'm screwed. The only thing I can beat is a bluff or an idiotic flush or straight. Thinking through it now I was getting 11:1... So he needs to be bluffing less than 8% of the time. Given my show of strength on the turn, the hand tell, and the dangerous board, I think I can save a bet there. Thoughts?
6. I fold 73s on the turn with a board of A85A with two of my suit. I was getting 5:1, but didn't know that, because I hadn't been counting the pot. For my next session, my goal has to be counting the pot, I'm definitely getting limited by not counting the pot.
7. I limp with 65s in early position with a flop of J76, one of my suit. I bet, get two callers. Turn blank, I bet again and get raised. Ok, done with this hand. I think I carried aggression too far in this one.
8. I'm in the BB with a straddler on my left (relatively good player, a touch loose, he's leaving the table after this hand). Gets to me with four in, I have 99, so I raise for value and everyone calls. Flop comes K65, I bet, he raises, a few callers, and I call. Check-fold turn. That sucked... Should I be raising 99 for value in that spot?
9. I raise KTo in the CO pre-flop and the small blind (semi-loose, but decent playing and seems to be able to bluff) calls. BB folds. Flop is all babies, check, I bet, he calls. Turn another baby, check-check. River is no help, he bets and says "AK no good", I fold. Figure he had to have me beat in that spot, with the call out of the SB and the board.
   

My goal review:

• If Hold'em: mix it up a little more. I did mix it up, but I think I put money in in bad spots. I also missed a few obvious steals. B-.
  
• If Omaha: play tight, exercise solid starting hand choices, and RAISE FOR VALUE. Did fine, but not great. B+
  
• If Omaha: count the pot and divide by two. In terms of counting the pot in general, D-. At least two/three times I needed to know the size of the pot and didn't. Definitely my top priority for next session is to force myself to count the pot until it is second nature.
  
• For either: Write down big hands in my notebook. Yeah, I did this. Maybe not as much detail as I could, but I did it.

In terms of general rambling, I think my LHE games needs to loosen up slightly like I did this last session, raising with weaker hands in position and leading out more. Along with that though, I think I need to consider who my opponent is before I make my continuation bets, especially on the turn. I didn't pick up one pot with aggression in this fashion -- that should tell me I'm putting in too many bets while I'm behind. And the key is to consider player tendencies and patterns.