The Poker Thread

Season 4 with Guy Laliberté is pretty enjoyable. They all are except the first series when it's first finding its feet. Season two just has the best mix of characters and play for me.

2 > 4 > 3 > 1

Having just had my QQ beaten by J2 I was writing a lengthy post about how I keep getting really unlucky in cash games and end up playing catch up trying to break even, but then I got these two hands:

This was the very next hand on the same table:


Everyone on that table had been playing over 50% of hands so I had been playing tight and waiting for a decent hand that held up (I still can't believe I got my QQ beaten by J2 ) then I got those two in a row

I like cash games again

Want to lend me a fiver?

I just remembered why I don't like cash games:

I raised UTG with QQ and I get reraised with QTo

Don't you still run mentally well though Sat? It's a good job I won PokSoc, because I've been running like shite before and after online.

I get really annoyed sometimes when the idiots get lucky but I don't think affects my play too much. This is the perfect example of a hand that winds me up, he calls all the way down to the river with most of his chips in the pot after the turn and what do you know he hits his lucky river card:


I know I shouldn't have called the river bet as I knew he was on a flush draw but the pot was very large and I figured after calling the turn bet and puting most of his chips in this pot he was going all-in whatever the river card was.


I'm going back to tournaments, cash games are rubbish

I agree, they can get very annoying. Running well in a 180 man atm though, which is cool

Nova's now in the final three of a 180-man tourney after being relatively short stacked throughout most of the final table.

I've joined the second-place club for the $4.40

Final hand was my A8 vs chip leaders (8:1) A3. Felt a little unlucky there but really thought I was finishing 9th so really can't complain

Special thanks go to Drummy, for speccing. So glad I missed that haircut

What is Pokersoc?

DML wrote:What is Pokersoc?

That's my poker tournament at Uni. Normally gets about 80-90 runners.

I get to play in the freeroll for that next week. Top 16 get seats, top 4 get paid in £250 prize pool.

Roll is currently $510, hopefully can increase it in the freeroll!

Matrix tomorrow?

I might be around for the matrix tomorrow.

Just had another bad game of poker. It was a $5 tourney and there was about 250 left with the top 150 getting paid. I raise pre-flop with AKs, someone reraises me, I put them all-in, they call, they only have 26o, a 2 comes up on the flop and they knock me out

I also tried one of those ante up tournaments but I got knocked out with a silly hand in that one too. As the blinds are so small everyone plays every hand and even if you make a large raise you'll end up with 2 or 3 people calling with things like 72 so your hand hardly ever holds up.

Dude why are you opening to 3BB in all your cash hands?

Also you have QQ and just call his pathetic 3bet. Raise that **** up! You can't just say they are rubbish based on the few hands you have played. Variance comes and goes. Important thing is when you get the money in you are +EV. You can play perfect and come out a loser or play terrible and be a winner. If you get the money in good then it's silly not to carry on just because of donkeys.

Also 55 hand. I don't know the table etc and it might just be a one off but you might wanna start using 3bets if this sorta gooseberry fool happens. Pocket pairs have so much showdown value. If you call and let the host of others come in after you (that's what happens at low stakes right?) then you are just set mining and 1/10 times giving away your $. 3bet to isolate fishies. Others fold after you. The original raises is against you and out of position. He probably checks most flops and you are away.

Is 3BB not normal? How much should I be opening with?

With the QQ I raised it and then got reraised. QQ isn't a hand I like to just shove all-in pre-flop everytime especially when there are two opponents so I decided to see what came up on the flop first and it looked like a great flop for me but even though I knew that guy was a donkey I didn't expect him to have QT.

Anyway I'm not going to play anymore cash games for a couple of weeks. I've got lots of uni work so I'll be cutting down on the poker a bit for a little while.

With the 55 I don't think I could of got that guy off the hand. My raise on the flop was maybe a little weak but the turn bet was pretty large and I think he was calling anything.
Pre-flop I didn't want to raise as I just wanted to see a cheap flop. The whole table was playing very loose so I was just waiting to hit a good hand before getting paid off. If I play too agressive then I just end up losing even quicker as they don't seem to take much notice of raises and call anyway.

satriales wrote:Is 3BB not normal? How much should I be opening with?

With the QQ I raised it and then got reraised. QQ isn't a hand I like to just shove all-in pre-flop everytime especially when there are two opponents so I decided to see what came up on the flop first and it looked like a great flop for me but even though I knew that guy was a donkey I didn't expect him to have QT.

Anyway I'm not going to play anymore cash games for a couple of weeks. I've got lots of uni work so I'll be cutting down on the poker a bit for a little while.

With the 55 I don't think I could of got that guy off the hand. My raise on the flop was maybe a little weak but the turn bet was pretty large and I think he was calling anything.
Pre-flop I didn't want to raise as I just wanted to see a cheap flop. The whole table was playing very loose so I was just waiting to hit a good hand before getting paid off. If I play too agressive then I just end up losing even quicker as they don't seem to take much notice of raises and call anyway.

4BB + 1BB per limper. I also count min raise as a limp. QQ is a monster hand. Remember you are playing 6 handed right? There are two hands that beat you and on that you flip with. Everything else is QQ or worse. You want to get as much money in preflop as possible. You opened to 3BB and he minraised you to 1.25. Considering you would normally be opening to 1.00 with any hand you open with this is so cheap. The guy also only has $11.95 total. Short stackers are generally a ok with getting it in with any pocket pair preflop and AT+. Just calling his bet does you no real favours. If you are seriously worried about losing an $22 pot then you need to reconsider what stakes you are playing at. Have you read any cash guides on what you need to open etc? Like 22+ from any position? Surely if you know this is good then you can understand the reasoning behind getting so much moneys in with QQ pre. You are basically asking him to keep calling until he hits something, like he did. If I know you played like this I would just 3bet you pretty hard.

At low stakes people call far more often than they raise. They like to see cheap flops with any old hand. Don't underestimate how much you can pick up in chips preflop just by challenging the first raise. In your 55 hand. Guy opens to $1. You make it $3. Everyone folds. You pick up $1.75 if the guy is relatively tight. If he isn't you get a $7.75 flop and the guy is out of position and thinks you have a pretty big hand. Also if he isn't very clever he can call you with a whole host of hands, probably has no idea about position. In most cases a flop bet from you will take it down. If things start to slow it's not even the end of the world. He may just be playing high card and as I siad earlier your pocket pair still has showdown value on many flops. You need to try and isolate people, get into larger pots and raise more often than calling.

Let me know when you give the cash ago again. Are you rolled for this level? I'm just playing some $20NL right now since I don't have the money to play higher.

Roll up to $543 Finished 2nd in last 3 cashes though...

Need a top 3 finish today at the LPPL to be the venue champ might even need a first depending on whos left in when we get into the proper points.

Cheers for the tips Rex, I can see where I went wrong now

Matrix tonight anyone?

Im up for the matrix if theres enough about for it ?