S
ssbn743
Visionary
Silver Level
My local casino has started a locally run tournament called the CPC (Colorado Poker Classic) that has a $1K buy-in main event at the end of a standard two week period. This past Saturday they held a $400 deep stack event with 30 minute levels and $35K to start – also we had the wsop Circuit structure, which is something that we usually don’t.
Now these events, particularly the higher buy-in events, always attract players that shouldn’t be there – and that’s good, dead money is awesome. At my table I was seated in seat #5, in seat #6 was an older woman (50-60) that had a T-shirt on with the phrase “I don’t care what the f$%^ you folded!” printed on the back. Now, who cares, normally, but it was just so funny because after every hand she would tell everyone, “I folded two pair” or “I folded the winner”, “Damn it, I folded the flush”; it was pretty funny. Plus, she had all the poker gear with the WSOP hat and sunglasses and new all the terminology even though it was blatantly apparent to anyone with any real experience that she didn’t understand what she was talking about!
Anyway, she was an active player and was certainly not a rock; but she was also position ignorant. For example, when she was dealt a hand in her playable range, that is to say any pocket pair and J 10 plus (maybe worse), she would raise or 3-bet regardless of position and would always size her bets very poorly; it was always exactly 3x pre-flop and 3-bets were barely legal raises. In a way I knew exactly what she was thinking because her game reminded me a great deal of my own game and thought process when I was just getting serious about poker nearly a decade ago.
She continued to play half-way aggressively for several hours and had amassed about $40K; my stack was about $60K when the following two hands take place in succession. Blinds were $400/$800/$100.
Hand #1
I was in the SB and the lady of concern was immediately to my left in the BB. The MP 1 player open raised the pot to $2,100 and got one other caller from MP as well; the button folded. I was watching out of the corner of my eye and saw the BB reaching for the exact amount of chips to make the call – I knew she was going to call – so I flat called as well with Not that I was going to fold here anyway – this is a pretty standard spot to set mine with or without her call; right?
Pot: $9,400
Flop:
Again, I saw my opponent reaching for chips to bet and it was clear that it was not a ploy. I very calmly moved my fingers, indicating a check and she bet $4K before my fingers were done moving. Both of the MP players folded very quickly and it was left to me.
When I checked initially, I had done so with every intention of check raising, however, when the two middle position players dismissed themselves from the pot I thought better of that line and flat called the $4K. Now I don’t know if this is good thinking or not, but I knew she wasn’t on the come and probably just had a Queen, hell hopefully she made two-pair but I knew it wasn’t any stronger than that – plus her physical actions at the table were very blunt and stern, I don’t know how else to describe but she all but told me she had a Queen.
Pot: $17,400
Turn:
Since I have already started down the passive line and really wasn’t concerned with “on the come” hands and also because my opponent was itching to bet, again, I checked. She bet $6k in similar fashion, and again, I flat called.
Pot: $29,400
River:
Again, she was practically betting out of turn, so I checked again. Now this is a point in this hand that I don’t like since when I checked I didn’t really know why I did it and had no plan whatsoever. I kind of just checked by feel due to her blatant actions; I guess they kind of threw me off. She bet $10K.
I wanted to C/R all in at that point, but again, I didn’t come up with that plan before I checked and I’m a little angry at myself for that. Any of the straight or flush possibilities that beat me would have had to have been played on the come and I didn’t think she was capable of that. The only way I’m beat here is if she flopped a set of queens or made a set of aces; neither of which are really possible because I’m near certain she would have 3-bet pre flop with those hands – basically, I think I’m good here!
Yet, I decided that I was only getting called by better and elected to flat call the $10K on the river.
My opponent shows and I took it down with a tongue lashing for “check, check, checking all the way”. Again, she has obviously seen “Rounder’s” – not the she understands anything in the movie, but she has seen it.
So that left her steaming and me too a little because after I saw the AQ I immediately thought I may have missed value. If I had C/R the river there is a good chance she puts it in - Shit! Yet there are lots of hands in her range that she doesn’t put it in with too, KQ for example.
Hand #2
The very next hand, I now had about $80K and the woman had about $20K. This time there was an UTG +1 limp and a MP raise to $2K. Yet again, I saw my opponent reaching for calling chips. From the button I found and flat called the $2K. Then the woman in the small blind surprises everyone, me included, and moved all-in, clearly on tilt and still steaming. Both the EP and MP players tanked for a little while but finally folded and I snap called. She showed
Flop:
I don’t remember the other cards, but I know that she won all her chips back plus some. So when I go back to hand #1 and the value I may have cost myself I just cringe.
Was it a mistake?
It didn’t really matter too much, we were still pretty early into the tournament and I ended up playing for another 5 hours before busting in 40/145 with 18 spots paid. She got busted about two hours after these hands took place, but that was after she decided to call all-in to a four way all-in pot with equal stack sizes with a and chop half of that pot – it was pretty funny, and then she even tried to justify her “good” play – but that’s a whole other story.
So, I like the way these hands went down. On hand #2, I took what I knew to be a flip for less than 50% of my stack and just lost a flip – but I would do it again and again so the question is really about Hand #1. Was there any value to C/R the river? Or did I play it fine.
Now these events, particularly the higher buy-in events, always attract players that shouldn’t be there – and that’s good, dead money is awesome. At my table I was seated in seat #5, in seat #6 was an older woman (50-60) that had a T-shirt on with the phrase “I don’t care what the f$%^ you folded!” printed on the back. Now, who cares, normally, but it was just so funny because after every hand she would tell everyone, “I folded two pair” or “I folded the winner”, “Damn it, I folded the flush”; it was pretty funny. Plus, she had all the poker gear with the WSOP hat and sunglasses and new all the terminology even though it was blatantly apparent to anyone with any real experience that she didn’t understand what she was talking about!
Anyway, she was an active player and was certainly not a rock; but she was also position ignorant. For example, when she was dealt a hand in her playable range, that is to say any pocket pair and J 10 plus (maybe worse), she would raise or 3-bet regardless of position and would always size her bets very poorly; it was always exactly 3x pre-flop and 3-bets were barely legal raises. In a way I knew exactly what she was thinking because her game reminded me a great deal of my own game and thought process when I was just getting serious about poker nearly a decade ago.
She continued to play half-way aggressively for several hours and had amassed about $40K; my stack was about $60K when the following two hands take place in succession. Blinds were $400/$800/$100.
Hand #1
I was in the SB and the lady of concern was immediately to my left in the BB. The MP 1 player open raised the pot to $2,100 and got one other caller from MP as well; the button folded. I was watching out of the corner of my eye and saw the BB reaching for the exact amount of chips to make the call – I knew she was going to call – so I flat called as well with Not that I was going to fold here anyway – this is a pretty standard spot to set mine with or without her call; right?
Pot: $9,400
Flop:
Again, I saw my opponent reaching for chips to bet and it was clear that it was not a ploy. I very calmly moved my fingers, indicating a check and she bet $4K before my fingers were done moving. Both of the MP players folded very quickly and it was left to me.
When I checked initially, I had done so with every intention of check raising, however, when the two middle position players dismissed themselves from the pot I thought better of that line and flat called the $4K. Now I don’t know if this is good thinking or not, but I knew she wasn’t on the come and probably just had a Queen, hell hopefully she made two-pair but I knew it wasn’t any stronger than that – plus her physical actions at the table were very blunt and stern, I don’t know how else to describe but she all but told me she had a Queen.
Pot: $17,400
Turn:
Since I have already started down the passive line and really wasn’t concerned with “on the come” hands and also because my opponent was itching to bet, again, I checked. She bet $6k in similar fashion, and again, I flat called.
Pot: $29,400
River:
Again, she was practically betting out of turn, so I checked again. Now this is a point in this hand that I don’t like since when I checked I didn’t really know why I did it and had no plan whatsoever. I kind of just checked by feel due to her blatant actions; I guess they kind of threw me off. She bet $10K.
I wanted to C/R all in at that point, but again, I didn’t come up with that plan before I checked and I’m a little angry at myself for that. Any of the straight or flush possibilities that beat me would have had to have been played on the come and I didn’t think she was capable of that. The only way I’m beat here is if she flopped a set of queens or made a set of aces; neither of which are really possible because I’m near certain she would have 3-bet pre flop with those hands – basically, I think I’m good here!
Yet, I decided that I was only getting called by better and elected to flat call the $10K on the river.
My opponent shows and I took it down with a tongue lashing for “check, check, checking all the way”. Again, she has obviously seen “Rounder’s” – not the she understands anything in the movie, but she has seen it.
So that left her steaming and me too a little because after I saw the AQ I immediately thought I may have missed value. If I had C/R the river there is a good chance she puts it in - Shit! Yet there are lots of hands in her range that she doesn’t put it in with too, KQ for example.
Hand #2
The very next hand, I now had about $80K and the woman had about $20K. This time there was an UTG +1 limp and a MP raise to $2K. Yet again, I saw my opponent reaching for calling chips. From the button I found and flat called the $2K. Then the woman in the small blind surprises everyone, me included, and moved all-in, clearly on tilt and still steaming. Both the EP and MP players tanked for a little while but finally folded and I snap called. She showed
Flop:
I don’t remember the other cards, but I know that she won all her chips back plus some. So when I go back to hand #1 and the value I may have cost myself I just cringe.
Was it a mistake?
It didn’t really matter too much, we were still pretty early into the tournament and I ended up playing for another 5 hours before busting in 40/145 with 18 spots paid. She got busted about two hours after these hands took place, but that was after she decided to call all-in to a four way all-in pot with equal stack sizes with a and chop half of that pot – it was pretty funny, and then she even tried to justify her “good” play – but that’s a whole other story.
So, I like the way these hands went down. On hand #2, I took what I knew to be a flip for less than 50% of my stack and just lost a flip – but I would do it again and again so the question is really about Hand #1. Was there any value to C/R the river? Or did I play it fine.