A
AcesFullOfDonks
Enthusiast
Silver Level
So, I've just got back from my local casino. It certainly didn't go as I expected it to. Lowest stake NLHE cash game was what I was looking to play. The blinds were 1/1. I bought in for 100BB at a FR game.
I went into this game looking to translate what I'd learnt playing online poker (position, tight PF play, value betting made hands etc.) to a live scenario. It didn't work at all.
I played tight PF and tried to play in position. It appeared that this would be the optimal strategy after seeing some of these players play the way they did - i.e. limpy and OOP with marginal hands.
So I patiently sat and waited for some playable cards to fall my way. First hand I played was pocket fours from middle position, I open raised 3xBB, four callers - CO, BTN, SB, BB. Flop was all over cards with straight and flush possibilities, happily checked this down and folded. Not a problem, let everyone else battle each other for that pot as there would be many other pots to play.
Second hand:
By this point, I'd noticed a few of these players had deeper stacks than myself and wanted to see flops, regardless of position or pot size.
I'm UTG with KK. Open raise to 10xBB for value as I was expecting at least one call. Two calls, flop comes down with 3 under cards, no obvious draws. Bet half pot to keep worse hands in. Everyone folds.
I feel like I lost a ton of value with this hand. However, I didn't want to just check, as I was wary these players would check behind and chase a draw. They were very willing to call draws all the way down to the river, often hitting. So I bet for value, only to see folds. I guess I could see it as a win as my hand won the pot, but I feel I lost value. Did I? Did I not?
Third hand:
Sat in the BB with 66, UTG is short stacked and shoves for around 12xBB. One caller. One re-raise. I folded my 66 here for numerous reasons.
1. I was OOP to everyone in the hand with an under pair.
2. The raise was a grossly sized bet at around 60BB but I knew this was coming from an aggrotard player who loved to play any two over cards. Could have had any two broadway. At best I imagined it being a coin flip, so I folded. Especially since UTG was also all in.
3. Long story short, I flopped a set after folding and would have beaten the aggrotard for a big pot when he reraised with AJo.
Unlucky? Or should I have called the huge reraise?
Another hand:
Sat UTG (yes, again OOP, that was the theme of the night - collect great cards UTG). Look down at pocket Jacks, raise to 10xBB, get reraised by a fairly decent player in the CO. I had his 3bet range as the top 5-6%(ish?) of hands. I folded.
Was I right to fold? Playing JJ OOP with big stacks didn't feel like a good play to me. If I was short stacked I obviously would have shoved, but we were both 120ish BB deep. Anyway he told me he had QQ, fair play if he did. However, was folding the correct play had I never found out what he was holding?
One more situation which caught me unaware was when I was on the BTN I was dealt TT. UTG open limped, 3 more callers. I attempted to isolate as I had position (successfully for once!) UTG calls and the player in the CO calls. Flop came down AQ9, all clubs. I checked back the flop because I knew that these players would play any weak Ace or Queen.
On the turn I was forced to dump my hand when UTG player led for a pot sized bet.
Should I have opened up my range a bit more? I was playing very much like a NIT because of the players at the table. What could I have done differently? Also limp IP with with suited connectors?
I appreciate any answers/advice. Please don't come onto this post just to call me a fish etc. I'm working hard to improve my game.
I went into this game looking to translate what I'd learnt playing online poker (position, tight PF play, value betting made hands etc.) to a live scenario. It didn't work at all.
I played tight PF and tried to play in position. It appeared that this would be the optimal strategy after seeing some of these players play the way they did - i.e. limpy and OOP with marginal hands.
So I patiently sat and waited for some playable cards to fall my way. First hand I played was pocket fours from middle position, I open raised 3xBB, four callers - CO, BTN, SB, BB. Flop was all over cards with straight and flush possibilities, happily checked this down and folded. Not a problem, let everyone else battle each other for that pot as there would be many other pots to play.
Second hand:
By this point, I'd noticed a few of these players had deeper stacks than myself and wanted to see flops, regardless of position or pot size.
I'm UTG with KK. Open raise to 10xBB for value as I was expecting at least one call. Two calls, flop comes down with 3 under cards, no obvious draws. Bet half pot to keep worse hands in. Everyone folds.
I feel like I lost a ton of value with this hand. However, I didn't want to just check, as I was wary these players would check behind and chase a draw. They were very willing to call draws all the way down to the river, often hitting. So I bet for value, only to see folds. I guess I could see it as a win as my hand won the pot, but I feel I lost value. Did I? Did I not?
Third hand:
Sat in the BB with 66, UTG is short stacked and shoves for around 12xBB. One caller. One re-raise. I folded my 66 here for numerous reasons.
1. I was OOP to everyone in the hand with an under pair.
2. The raise was a grossly sized bet at around 60BB but I knew this was coming from an aggrotard player who loved to play any two over cards. Could have had any two broadway. At best I imagined it being a coin flip, so I folded. Especially since UTG was also all in.
3. Long story short, I flopped a set after folding and would have beaten the aggrotard for a big pot when he reraised with AJo.
Unlucky? Or should I have called the huge reraise?
Another hand:
Sat UTG (yes, again OOP, that was the theme of the night - collect great cards UTG). Look down at pocket Jacks, raise to 10xBB, get reraised by a fairly decent player in the CO. I had his 3bet range as the top 5-6%(ish?) of hands. I folded.
Was I right to fold? Playing JJ OOP with big stacks didn't feel like a good play to me. If I was short stacked I obviously would have shoved, but we were both 120ish BB deep. Anyway he told me he had QQ, fair play if he did. However, was folding the correct play had I never found out what he was holding?
One more situation which caught me unaware was when I was on the BTN I was dealt TT. UTG open limped, 3 more callers. I attempted to isolate as I had position (successfully for once!) UTG calls and the player in the CO calls. Flop came down AQ9, all clubs. I checked back the flop because I knew that these players would play any weak Ace or Queen.
On the turn I was forced to dump my hand when UTG player led for a pot sized bet.
Should I have opened up my range a bit more? I was playing very much like a NIT because of the players at the table. What could I have done differently? Also limp IP with with suited connectors?
I appreciate any answers/advice. Please don't come onto this post just to call me a fish etc. I'm working hard to improve my game.